Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai met yesterday with the Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial People’s Congress, Feng Fei, the Macau Government said in a statement last night.
Both regional leaders had an in-depth exchange on the aim of the two sides further expanding cooperation in various fields.
The Chief Executive has been invited to Hainan Province to attend this morning’s Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025 opening plenary.
At yesterday’s meeting, the statement said, Sam pointed out that this year is a crucial one for the local government as, among other things, it marks the start of the second phase of the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. San also said, according to the statement, he’s pleased that good progress has been made in the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
Hainan and Macau have a good cooperation mechanism in areas such as tourism, healthcare, and education, and the Cooperation Zone and Hainan share great similarities in terms of policy relating to free trade development, Sam stressed, adding that the two sides should work together more closely to leverage their unique advantages, and expand exchanges and cooperation, each complementing the other’s development on the broad stage of the country’s development.
Sam also said that his government was thoroughly implementing the important speeches and instructions given by President Xi Jinping during his inspection tour of Macau last December. The chief executive pledged that Macau will unswervingly accelerate the promotion of appropriate economic diversification, and fully promote the high-quality development of social and economic elements. Sam also said, according to the statement, that he was looking forward to more development opportunities for Hainan and Macau through pragmatic cooperation.
Meanwhile, Feng briefed Sam on Hainan’s latest economic developments, and its progress in promoting the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
The Hainan Free Trade Port has implemented ‘closed-loop’ customs operations this year, and there have been a number of successful experiences for Hainan from which the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin could learn. In the meantime, Hainan would continue to follow closely the latest developments in the zone, Feng said.
In addition, Feng noted that Hainan and Macau share similarities in the structure of their respective economies, such as the importance of tourism. Feng said he hopes that there will be a further deepening of cooperation between the two sides, as well as enhanced interactions, in order to open a new chapter in multi-field cooperation between the two places.
The meeting was also attended by other senior members of Sam’s delegation, namely Macau-based Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa, Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip; and Chan Kak, who heads Sam’s office.
Apart from Feng, other senior officials of the nation’s southernmost province also attended the meeting.
After arriving in Hainan yesterday, Sam visited the Haikou International Duty-Free City for a briefing on its operating conditions and development direction. In the evening, he attended a Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025 welcoming banquet.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (left) meets with Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee Feng Fei in Boao, Hainan Province. – GCS
