Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai is leading a delegation of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government on a two-day visit to three cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) – Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen, the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) said in a statement last night.
The working visit began yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon, the delegation departed for Zhuhai, where they met with Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhuhai Municipal Committee Secretary Chen Yong and Mayor Wu Zetong to exchange in-depth views on further strengthening cooperation and jointly advancing the second-phase development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
According to the GCS statement, Sam started the meeting by expressing his gratitude to the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee and Municipal Government for their strong support of the MSAR and the In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, providing crucial backing for Macau’s appropriately diversified economic development.
Sam said he hopes that Zhuhai will continue to support the work of the new-term MSAR government. He also said that active participation in the development of the GBA and deeper integration into the nation’s development framework are vital drivers for Macau to achieve appropriately diversified and sustainable economic growth.
Given the proximity of Macau and Zhuhai, the MSAR government places great importance on deepening practical cooperation with Zhuhai, and he hopes that both sides will continue to work together to advance Macau-Zhuhai collaboration and mutual development. In particular, Sam was quoted as saying, they should jointly focus on the development of Hengqin, striving to create a high-level open zone with Chinese characteristics that leverages the advantages of “Two Systems,” and accelerate Macau-Hengqin integration.
Sam also noted that thanks to yesterday afternoon’s visit, he was able to gain insight into Zhuhai’s strengths in high-tech industries. The chief executive also said he hopes that Macau and Zhuhai in general, as well as Macau and Zhuhai’s Hengqin island in particular, will enhance collaboration to promote the development of related industries. Additionally, Sam stressed, there is significant potential for Macau and Zhuhai to collaborate on international integrated cultural and tourism projects and the development of an international aviation hub.
Both sides should strengthen cooperation, align their development positioning, and complement each other’s strengths to foster comprehensive industrial growth. Sam reaffirmed, according to the statement, that Macau, as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, has extensive connections with Portuguese-speaking nations and a global reach spanning four continents. Sam underlined that Zhuhai can further leverage this unique advantage to jointly attract foreign investment and enhance the Greater Bay Area’s international competitiveness.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from both sides.
Prior to the meeting, Sam and his delegation toured the Zhuhai High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, visited a semiconductor technology company, attended a briefing on the current state of Zhuhai’s semiconductor industry, and exchanged views on the development of artificial intelligence. The delegation then proceeded to the Zhuhai Grand Theatre to learn about its future plans and other cultural-tourism projects in Zhuhai.
Zhuhai (“Pearl Sea”), which abuts Macau, covers a land area of 1,724 square kilometres and has a population of 2.4 million.
Sam arrived in Zhongshan yesterday evening and will continue his visit to Zhongshan and Jiangmen today.
Sam was born in Zhongshan, about 40 km north of Macau, in 1962.
Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhuhai Municipal Committee Secretary Chen Yong (right) meets with Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai in Zhuhai yesterday. – Photo: GCS
