The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, today called for businesses to seize opportunities to deepen industrial collaboration with Singapore across multiple sectors, leverage mutual strengths, and jointly create a new landscape of synergistic development.
Mr Sam made the remarks during a meeting with Singapore’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ms Gan Siow Huang. Accompanying Mr Sam were more than 20 business representatives from Macao, Hengqin, and other places on the Chinese mainland. The representatives have been accompanying the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government delegation on its visit to Singapore.
The Chief Executive arrived in Singapore on Saturday (29 August) for an eight-day official visit covering three Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
During today’s meeting, Mr Sam said Macao and Singapore enjoy a solid foundation of cooperation, both serving as key commercial and tourism hubs in Asia, with significant potential for collaboration in trade, investment, and tourism. As an international financial centre and a leader in science and technology, Singapore has attracted numerous Chinese enterprises to invest and establish operations – including companies from Macao.
By organising high-calibre enterprises from Macao, Hengqin, and other places on the Chinese mainland to be part of a “joint voyage” model on this overseas mission, the MSAR Government aimed further to strengthen economic and trade exchanges between the two regions, Mr Sam said. He expressed hope that the Singapore Government will continue to provide strong support – via sound policy frameworks and a conducive business environment – for enterprises investing overseas.
Mr Sam added that the MSAR Government is actively advancing appropriate economic diversification through four major projects. These are: the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town; the Macao Technology Research Industrial Park; the Macao International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone; and the Macao International Air Transport Hub (Port) on the West Bank of the Pearl River. Priority industries include: traditional Chinese medicine and healthcare; distinctive finance; high technology; conventions and exhibitions; commerce; and cultural and sports industries. These initiatives present new opportunities for Macao and Singapore to promote multifaceted industrial linkage, enhance collaboration, and jointly access broader markets.
Speaking in the meeting, Ms Gan stated that economic and trade relations between Macao and Singapore have been steadily growing. In 2025, the total merchandise trade between the two regions increased by 36.3 percent, reflecting strong business confidence and growing potential for cooperation.
As a key gateway to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Macao holds unique advantages, while the development of Hengqin has opened new pathways for the city’s economic diversification. Singapore, for its part, continues to serve as a gateway to Southeast Asia, offering businesses and investors access to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market. Positioned at the intersection of two of Asia’s fastest-growing regions, both Macao and Singapore possess clear developmental advantages.
Ms Gan noted that as enterprises increasingly seek to expand into international markets, Macao and Singapore can become strategic partners connecting the Greater Bay Area with Southeast Asia. By pooling business resources, the two sides can help enterprises capture new opportunities and build a stronger, more resilient trade and investment network between their jurisdictions.
During the meeting, several business representatives shared their thoughts, including expressing a desire to strengthen cooperation with Singaporean enterprises, to deepen industrial collaboration, and to contribute to closer economic and trade ties between the two regions.
Also present at the meeting were: the Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Cao Zhongming; the MSAR’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Ng Wai Han; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; and the Consul-General of Singapore in Hong Kong, Mr Eric Teo Boon Hee.
