(Macao – 18 October 2023) The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, attended a series of events today at the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held in Beijing. Mr Ho attended the opening ceremony in the morning, where he listened to President Xi Jinping’s keynote speech. In the afternoon he attended a high-level forum on the digital economy, also held at the China National Convention Center. Mr Ho delivered a speech during that meeting. He emphasised that Macao would focus on promoting the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, boost productivity in new fields, enhance momentum for new development, expand the city’s achievements in the advancement of the "Belt and Road" initiative, accelerate high-level opening up for the new era, and continue to contribute to the high-quality development of the Belt and Road initiative.
 

Mr Ho noted he was very pleased to be able to discuss with guests at the gathering new opportunities for global digital development at what was the important moment of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative, and to share insights on the results of digital technology cooperation.

The marking of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative also meant the start of a new chapter. It marked embarking on a new journey, and one of greater scope, at a higher level and with deeper and diversified cooperation in the construction of the Belt and Road initiative. To embrace the digital era, building a “Digital China” was an important engine for advancing Chinese-style modernisation. Not only was it an important part of promoting high-quality development of the national economy, it had also become a strategic choice to seize new opportunities in a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.
 

Mr Ho pointed out that digitalisation had injected new elements into the implementation in Macao of the “One country, two systems” principle, a process that already incorporated the city’s own characteristics. In recent years,  researchers and engineers in Macao had actively participated in the nation's research on space science. That effort included the "Macao Science 1" satellite successfully launched in May this year. The results of such cooperation had been recognised by President Xi. In a letter, President Xi had affirmed that this effort had opened up a new path for cooperation between the mainland and Macao in aerospace and other scientific and technological fields, and made new contributions to the successful practise of the "One country, two systems" principle in Macao.

In his speech today, the Chief Executive also noted that digitalisation had injected fresh impetus to Macao’s promotion of its ‘1+4’ strategy to boost the city’s economic diversification. Combining new technologies, new business formats, and new models brought about by digitalisation, the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government was formulating the "Development Plan for Appropriate Economic Diversification of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2024-2028)". This was in order to: optimise, refine and strengthen the comprehensive elements of the tourism and leisure industry; and to promote the development of key industries such as traditional Chinese medicine and healthcare, modern finance, high-tech industrialisation; exhibition and trade industry; and culture and sports. The Development Plan encouraged people from all walks of life to work together to create and apply a more diversified range of digital technologies. This was in order to ensure a good environment for the further development of the digital economy.

Digitalisation created new models for innovation and development within Macao’s finance sector, and could also be applied for the benefit of Macao’s other enterprises and of its citizens. As an innovative financial institution specialising in financing services for small enterprises and microenterprises, the Micro Connect Macao Financial Assets Exchange (MCEX) had started operations in August this year. Through its unique investment and financing model, it was making use of Macao’s financial-system advantages, using digital technology to coordinate inward international investment. Via creation of a network linking domestic and international actors, MCEX had been able to empower small enterprises and microenterprises on the mainland that are – in terms of their ambitions – large in size and wide in scope. In addition, the MSAR Government had accelerated the construction of Macao's digital economy, digital society and digital government, by improving the legal system for the issuance of currency, including digital currencies as legal tender in Macao, and by continuing to facilitate cross-border mobile payment applications and related digital services.

Mr Ho said that in the context of the new era, new journey, and new achievements, Macao would seize the new opportunities presented by the country's high-level opening up to the outside world, give full play to Macao's role as an important node of the Belt and Road initiative, and strive to promote Macao’s developmental positioning as "One centre, one platform, one base". Macao would focus on combining its effort toward the construction of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, in order to promote the integrated development of the digital economy and the real economy, enhance new fields of productivity, and new momentum for development.

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Lei Wai Nong, accompanied Mr Ho at this morning’s opening ceremony of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. In the afternoon, he represented Mr Ho at a special Macao-themed session on local cooperation. Also present at that session were the Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau, Mr Cheong Chok Man, and the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes. Additionally, the Commissioner Against Corruption, Mr Chan Tsz King, and the Deputy Commissioner Against Corruption, Ms Ao Ieong Seong, participated in the “Clean Silk Road” special session, while the President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr U U Sang, and the Deputy Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau, Ms Lin Yuan, attended respectively forums on trade connectivity and people-to-people communication. Members of a Macao entrepreneur delegation attended sessions on subnational cooperation and people-to-people communication.