Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U travelled to San Francisco in the United States last week for a three-day working visit during which she promoted Macau’s unique advantages in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area’s (GBA) development and its qualified professionals’ acquisition scheme, according to two statements by her office (GSASC) last week.
Both Hong Kong and Macau governments use the term “talents” to refer to highly qualified professionals.
Ao Ieong attended the US-China Bay to Bay Dialogue on Wednesday last week (local time), jointly organised by the Beijing-based Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, the California state government, and the California-China Climate Institute.
Later that day, Ao Ieong met with Consul-General to San Francisco Zhang Jianmin, and she briefed him on the Macau government’s qualified professionals’ acquisition programme.
On Thursday last week, according to the statements, Ao Ieong met with Chinese students in California. During the meeting, she promoted Macau’s development opportunities created by its economic diversification drive and its participation in the GBA development.
Ao Ieong led a delegation to San Francisco from Tuesday to Thursday last week.
On Wednesday, Ao Ieong, on behalf of Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, led her delegation to attend the US-China Bay to Bay Dialogue, which was attended and addressed by various guests such as Guangdong Governor Wang Weizhong, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries President Yang Wanming, and Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po.
‘Vibrant & internationally competitive’
Delivering a speech during the US-China Bay to Bay Dialogue, according to GSASC, Ao Ieong noted that the GBA development is a major national strategic project personally planned by President Xi Jinping.
With the GBA Outline Development Plan, the Master Plan of the Development of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, as well as infrastructure projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the Hengqin-Macau checkpoint, and the soon-to-open Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, Ao Ieong said, the east and west sides of the GBA are better connected, allowing Macau to play a significant strategic role in the GBA development.
Ao Ieong said that the GBA is making solid progress towards the goal of developing into “a vibrant and internationally competitive first-class bay area”.
With the support of national policies and national development planning for the integration of Macau and Hengqin, Ao Ieong said, Macau will further capitalise on its strengths and special status thanks to the “One Country, Two Systems” policy and being a separate customs territory and a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Ao Ieong said that the Macau government has fully aligned with various major national development strategies, adding that with the aim of meeting the development of its positioning as “One Centre, One Platform, One Base”, the Macau government is striving to promote the city’s appropriate economic diversification and strengthen foreign exchanges and cooperation in compliance with its official plan for appropriately diversifying Macau’s economy (2024-2028).
The Macau government’s “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” concept refers to Macau developing itself into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and an exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and co-existence of different cultures.
Supporting & leading role
In the future, Ao Ieong said, Macau will continue to strengthen cooperation with the nine Guangdong GBA cities and Hong Kong with the aim of jointly advancing the GBA’s supporting and leading role in China’s economic development and opening up.
Macau will continue to make the best use of its unique status and advantages to deepen cooperation with other countries and regions in various fields such as economy, science and technology, education, and culture, with the aim of maximising the function of Macau’s “golden business card” as an international metropolis in the GBA development, the policy secretary said.
According to GSASC, government officials, experts and scholars from Guangdong province, Hong Kong, Macau and California attended group discussions during the US-China Bay to Bay Dialogue event. On behalf of the Macau government, Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) President Vincent U U Sang, University of Macau (UM) Vice Rector Ge Wei, and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) President Joseph Lee Hun-wei attended discussions on three topics respectively: “Sharing development opportunities in the bay areas”; “Jointly cultivating friendships between the peoples that span generations”; and “Building green and low-carbon bay areas together”, with the aim of promoting exchanges between the GBA and the San Francisco Bay Area (commonly known as the Bay Area).
In addition to U, Ge and Lee, according to GSASC, members of Ao Ieong’s delegation to San Francisco included Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Kong Chi Meng, Macao Polytechnic University (MPU) Rector Marcus Im Sio Kei, Macao University of Tourism (UTM) Rector Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan, City University of Macau (CityU) Rector Liu Jun, as well as Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin Executive Committee Deputy Director Su Kun, and Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin Economic Development Bureau Director Lei Chi Wai.
City of performing arts & sports
After the US-China Bay to Bay Dialogue event, according to GSASC, Ao Ieong’s delegation visited the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco later the same day where she briefed Consul-General Zhang Jianmin about Macau’s unique role in the GBA development and the Macau government’s 1+4 appropriate economic diversification model, including the policy goals of developing Macau into a city of performing arts and a city of sports.
In addition, Ao Ieong also briefed Zhang about the Macau government’s highly qualified professionals’ acquisition programme, saying she expects the consulate-general to help promote the programme there.
On Thursday last week, according to GSASC, Ao Ieong’s delegation, with the assistance of the consulate-general, organised two briefing sessions about Macau’s development opportunities for highly qualified professionals, attended by representatives from the Chinese Students and Scholars Association of the University of California, Davis, as well as those from Chinese chambers of commerce, other associations and other students in California.
The delegation briefed the participants about the study and research opportunities offered by higher education institutions in Macau, also encouraging students in California from Macau to return to Macau after their study with the aim of seizing the opportunities created by Macau’s appropriate economic diversification campaign and the development of the GBA and Hengqin.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U delivers a speech during the US-China Bay to Bay Dialogue at San Francisco on Wednesday last week (local time). – Photo: GSASC
