In line with Macao SAR’s Third Five-Year Plan to augment Macao’s function as the co-operation platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries/Spanish-speaking Countries, and to empower enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (“Greater Bay Area”) to expand into Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries as well as Southeast Asia, Macao SAR Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (“IPIM”) hosted two “Macao Platform Advantages Promotion Seminars” (“Seminars”) in Shenzhen and Guangzhou from 19 to 21 August. These Seminars attracted nearly 300 enterprise representatives from key sectors such as science and technology innovation, foreign trade, manufacturing, legal services and finance, featuring over 150 business negotiations in a lively atmosphere.
During their stay in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, the IPIM team paid visits to 14 leading companies specialising in big health, new energy and technology, two of which are ranked among China’s top 500 enterprises. These face-to-face interactions allowed IPIM to gain essential insights into their needs for international market expansion. Some of these large-scale foreign trade enterprises fully recognised Macao’s distinctive advantages in financial support and tax policies, and expressed a keen interest in establishing some of their international business settlement operations in Macao. They intended to leverage the Macao platform to enhance their cross-border financial operations. Some other companies have established a foundation in foreign trade but have not yet explored into Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking markets. Upon recognising the strategic importance of the Macao Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries/Spanish-speaking Countries, these companies expressed their desire to leverage IPIM’s professional services to penetrate markets in Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries, extending their global business presence.
The Shenzhen Promotion Seminar was jointly hosted by IPIM, Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone in Qianhai of Shenzhen, coordinated by Shenzhen International Business e-Station, and supported by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government. The Guangzhou Promotion Seminar was jointly hosted by IPIM, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government, and the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province.
Leveraging Advantages of Macao Platform to Explore International Business Opportunities
In his speeches at the two seminars, IPIM Director Sam Lei emphasised the significant roles of Shenzhen and Guangzhou as core cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He also highlighted the close interaction between Macao and these two core cities in economic and trade co-operation, industrial development, personnel exchanges and business interactions. IPIM has recognised the “go-global” requirements of Greater Bay Area (GBA) enterprises, which demand a comprehensive range of services encompassing market consultation, partnerships, legal protection, financial support and local implementation services. Macao has the unique advantages as a platform for economic and trade co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSC), and serves as a “Precise Connector” between China and Spanish-speaking countries. By offering professional services and cross-border resources, Macao can effectively empower Chinese enterprises to establish connections and expand into global markets. At the same time, leveraging the new positioning of “Macao + Hengqin”, and the ongoing advancement of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin, Chinese enterprises can utilise the space and industrial support resources of the said Co-operation Zone to explore collaborative layouts in research and development, supply chain and other aspects, while also connecting to international markets through Macao.
The two Promotion Seminars also featured presentations by representatives from the Service Centre for Economy and Trade between China and Portuguese/Spanish-speaking Countries, the Macao SAR Talent Development Committee, the China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Co-operation and Development Fund, and the Macau Association of Banks. These presentations covered topics such as market access, overseas services, talent recruitment policies, project investment and financing, and cross-border settlement. Roundtable discussions and business matching sessions were also arranged to facilitate more practical project co-operation.
