Accompanying Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai on his first overseas visit to Portugal, the Secretary-General of the Talent Development Committee, Kong Chi Meng, together with representatives from multiple leading enterprises in Macao and the Chinese mainland, met with the Portugal–China Small and Medium Enterprises Chamber of Commerce (CCPC-PME) on 20 April 2026. The delegation interacted and engaged in exchanges with the president of the chamber of commerce, Y Ping Chow, and representatives from Portuguese enterprises in traditional Chinese medicine, tourism and other fields. With all parties expressing their hope to strengthen future exchange and collaboration in talent development, Macao will give full play to its role as a Sino–Lusophone platform and generating win-win opportunities by ‘bringing in’ talent and enterprises from Portuguese-speaking countries whilst supporting Macao and Mainland enterprises in ‘going global’. In addition, the Talent Development Committee also visited the University of Lisbon in Portugal to promote the MSAR Government’s talent policies and deepen collaboration in nurturing Chinese-Portuguese professionals.
Actively optimising talent development initiatives to attract more Portuguese talent
Secretary-General Kong Chi Meng briefed President Y Ping Chow on the MSAR Government’s talent policies, with a focus on the third round of talent recruitment programmes. The MSAR Government has attached great importance to the recruitment of Portuguese-speaking talent, with all three rounds of the programmes setting bonus points for being proficient in Portuguese and for having graduated from or studied a particular discipline at an eligible Portuguese higher education institution. To further draw in talent from Portuguese-speaking countries, the third round has introduced a number of new elements favourable to attracting international and Lusophone talent. These include the addition of 40 globally recognised awards and titles to broaden the scope of qualification standards for high-end talent, as well as new assessment criteria for academic qualifications from leading universities in Portuguese-speaking countries and international work experience, among others. The aim is to encourage more talent and enterprises from Portuguese-speaking countries to settle in Macao through its talent policies and leverage Macao’s positioning as a ‘Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries’ to expand their personal careers and business services into the Greater China market.
To strengthen the MSAR Government’s overall efforts to proactively acquire international talent and facilitate their development in Macao, the Talent Development Committee established in 2025 two inter-departmental working groups, namely the Talent Promotion and Expansion Group and the Talent Service Group. Stationed at offices in Portugal and other countries, members of the groups have leveraged their role as local connectors to advertise Macao’s talent policies, whilst sourcing and recruiting potential global talent from Portuguese-speaking countries and elsewhere who are interested in pursuing development in Macao. The Talent Development Committee also partnered with three Macao associations. By sharing government and community resources, all sectors would better coordinate efforts to advertise and promote Macao’s talent development policies and attract more top-tier talent from around the world to Macao.
President Y Ping Chow gave recognition to the MSAR Government’s talent policies and achievements, noting that Macao has numerous advantages that enable enterprises and talent from Portuguese-speaking countries to use Macao as a platform to broaden their growth prospects and further tap into the vast markets of the Chinese mainland and Asia. He believed that this meeting would serve as an ideal opportunity to lay a sound foundation for continued and in-depth exchange and cooperation in talent development between both sides.
Solidifying ties and collaboration with higher education institutions to chart new paths to synergistic development
During this visit, the Talent Development Committee also paid a visit to the University of Lisbon, where they introduced the MSAR Government’s talent recruitment programmes, highlighting the city’s demand for global and Lusophone talent in emerging industries such as the big health, high-tech, modern finance and MICE sectors. The University of Lisbon expressed great interest in the MSAR Government’s talent recruitment programmes, noting that the programmes’ orientation aligned closely with the university’s strong disciplines and strategic approach to internationalisation. It is hoped that in the near future stronger partnerships will be built between the university and Macao’s higher education institutions through academic exchanges, joint research, talent cultivation and various other forms of cooperation, thereby contributing strength to Macao’s industrial diversification and its development into a Sino–Lusophone platform.
Bringing in Portuguese talent and businesses while supporting Macao enterprises in going global
On this occasion, the MSAR Government organised a delegation of some 120 entrepreneurs to accompany the Chief Executive to Portugal, adopting a ‘joint voyage’ approach to explore overseas markets. To achieve the desired outcome, the Talent Development Committee sought to work in collaboration with enterprises and chamber of commerce in Portugal, as well as accompanying representatives from various leading enterprises in Macao, Hengqin and the Greater Bay Area, in a bid to capitalise on Macao’s talent policies and lay the groundwork for attracting investment and talent to Macao. Meanwhile, the Talent Development Committee hopes that the Portuguese chamber of commerce and enterprises will assist in promoting Macao’s talent policies across the country, so that Macao can play its role as a ‘bridgehead’ to bring in Portuguese talent and enterprises while helping Macao and Mainland enterprises break into the Portuguese market, thereby achieving a win-win situation.
