The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, arrived in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on Saturday morning (18 April) local time, officially starting the first overseas visit by the current-term Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government. Portugal marks the first stop of his four-nation European tour.

On arrival at Lisbon Airport, Mr Sam was greeted by the Ambassador of China to Portugal, Mr Yang Yirui; representative of State Protocol of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Pedro Leite de Sampaio; and the Consul-General of Portugal in Macao, Mr Alexandre José dos Reis Leitão.

On the first day of his visit to Portugal, Mr Sam will in the afternoon attend the opening ceremony of the exhibition “Reflections of a Sea of Mirrors: 500 Years of Exchanges between Chinese and Western Civilisations in Macao”. The exhibition has been co-organised by the MSAR’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, and the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre in Portugal.

In the evening, Mr Sam will meet with Macao students currently studying in Portugal, and engage in exchanges with them.

During the afternoon, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ms O Lam, will officiate at the opening ceremony of the thematic exhibition “Window of Chinese Culture”, which is hosted by the MSAR’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, and curated by the Sino-Luso Industry and Culture Exchange Promotion Association (Macao).