Vice-President Zeng Qinghong and the Chief Executive, Edmund Ho, today (June 29) presided over the signing of the Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).

Vice-minister of the Ministry of Commerce, An Min, representing the Central People's Government and the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Francis Tam, representing the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, signed the CEPA at a ceremony held at Government House today.

The signing of the Arrangement marked the conclusion of the consultations, which were launched at 20 June this year in Beijing, after a similar arrangement between the Mainland and the Hong Kong SAR was decided.

Five rounds of Consultations had been held in Beijing and Macao since then.

An Min and Francis Tam hosted a press conference after the signing ceremony to explain the arrangement to the press.