The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, led a group of over 20 Macao business representatives to meet with the Second Vice President of the Senate of Spain, Ms Concha Andreu Rodríguez, in Madrid, Spain. Both sides exchanged views on enhancing economic and trade ties and tourism cooperation.

The meeting was held on Wednesday (22 April) in the afternoon local time. Mr Sam arrived in Madrid in the afternoon of Tuesday (21 April), after a four-day visit to Lisbon, Portugal.

Mr Sam thanked Ms Andreu for the meeting. He explained that the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government had brought together a delegation of about 120 entrepreneurs from Macao, Hengqin, and other parts of the Chinese mainland. It aimed to strengthen mutual connections with Spanish enterprises, facilitate business matchmaking, and promote joint development in economy, trade and tourism, thereby further leveraging Macao’s role as a cooperation platform.

Since Macao’s return to China, the successful practising of the “One country, two systems” principle has ensured prosperity and stability, said Mr Sam. The MSAR Government is actively advancing appropriate economic diversification and promoting four major infrastructure projects to build a higher-level platform for external openness through high-quality development. He expressed hope that, with strong support from Spanish authorities, enterprises from the Chinese mainland, Macao, and Spain could enhance long-term exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefit.

Ms Andreu said she welcomed the Chief Executive’s visit. She highlighted the deep-rooted ties and growing relations between China and Spain, noting that the recent visit by Spain’s Prime Minister Mr Pedro Sánchez to China had advanced the two sides’ comprehensive strategic partnership, yielding fruitful outcomes. She stressed the potential for deeper practical cooperation in trade, new energy, and science and technology innovation.

Spain, as the world’s second-largest tourist destination, has developed diverse and mature tourism models, said Ms Andreu. She added that Spain stands ready to share experiences with Macao to boost bilateral economic development through enhanced collaboration. She also acknowledged China’s global leadership in new energy and expressed hope for long-term partnerships between leading enterprises from both countries in order jointly to shape a better future.

During the meeting, several business representatives explained their companies’ development and global strategies, expressing strong interest in collaborating with Spanish counterparts to expand into Asian and Spanish-speaking markets.

Also present were: the Chinese Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Mr Yao Jing; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; the President of the Board of Directors of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Che Weng Keong; the Director of the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, Ms Lúcia Abrantes dos Santos; and Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Mr Cao Jin Feng.