After presiding over yesterday’s opening ceremony of the 17th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum & Exhibition (IIICF), Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai had a meeting with around 50 guests and representatives from various countries attending the opening ceremony.
During the meeting, Sam said that hosting the IIICF serves as a key starting point for Macau to help drive infrastructure connectivity between China and Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, according to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday evening.
The three-day 17th IIICF is being held at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Expo. This year’s annual forum started on Wednesday and is scheduled to end today, but with its opening ceremony held yesterday.
In addition to Sam, yesterday’s opening ceremony was also attended by other dignitaries including Central People’s Government Liaison Office in Macao Director Zheng Xincong, Foreign Ministry Commissioner Bian Lixin, and Macau Legislative Assembly (AL) President André Cheong Weng Chon.
During yesterday morning’s opening ceremony, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man delivered a speech. In addition, Yuan Xiaoming, an assistant minister of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), delivered a speech via video link.
The annual forum has been jointly organised by the China International Contractors Association and the Macau government’s Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM). The IIICF was established in 2010 with the approval of the Ministry of Commerce. After it was held in Beijing in 2010 and 2011, the forum has been held in Macau annually since 2012. This year is the 15th time that Macau has held the forum.
Last year, the forum was elevated to one also including an exhibition. Previously, the forum was known as International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum.
During yesterday’s meeting, according to the GCS statement, Sam underlined his government’s commitment to ensuring the effective implementation of Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan in close alignment with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan. With the aim of making greater contributions to the high-quality development of the nation’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Sam said, Macau will continue to fully leverage its unique advantage as a “precise liaison” between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, creating a practical and efficient platform to deepen economic, trade, and infrastructure investment cooperation between the two sides.
Zheng, Bian, Cheong, and Tam also attended the meeting.
Sam pointed out that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the IIICF being hosted in Macau. Over the years since the forum was launched in Macau, Sam said, the city has consistently performed its role as a “precise liaison”, continuously refining cooperation mechanisms and upgrading its professional service standards. Consequently, the forum has become a practical and efficient platform for strengthening cooperation among all participating parties, he said.
According to the statement, Sam said that the local government remains committed to further improving multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms and the alignment of technical standards, through multi-dimensional connectivity between policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, economic and trade synergies, cultural exchanges, and technological empowerment, while steadily expanding sustainable and diversified investment and financing channels.
Sam noted that President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasised that connectivity is the core key to the joint development of the BRI, with infrastructure serving as its fundamental cornerstone. Sam said that hosting the IIICF serves as a key starting point for Macau to engage in the high-quality development of the BRI and to help drive infrastructure connectivity between China and Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries.
As the forum’s professional standing and recognition have grown, Sam said, its international influence has steadily expanded. Over the past 15 years, the event has attracted more than 30,000 attendees, including around 700 ministerial-level officials, and facilitated the signing of contracts for 250 infrastructure cooperation projects worth over US$120 billion, Sam noted, adding that these achievements have delivered fruitful results for the BRI under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits.
According to the statement, Sam recalled that in April this year, he led a business delegation to Portugal and Spain. The visit encouraged infrastructure enterprises from Macau, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and various other areas in the Chinese mainland to jointly expand into wider global markets, showcasing the international influence of the “China Construction” brand, he said.
Looking ahead, Sam said, Macau will pursue more pragmatic infrastructure cooperation with a wider range of countries and regions along the Belt and Road.
Sam also said that for the first time, this year’s forum has organised a site visit to Hengqin for foreign dignitaries and guests, allowing them to experience first-hand the new space for integrated development generated by infrastructure connectivity and the alignment of rules and mechanisms between Macau and Hengqin, thereby fostering a deeper exploration of business opportunities and enabling all parties to better grasp the opportunities offered by the Macau-Hengqin integrated development.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (third from left) looks at a model during the 17th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum & Exhibition (IIICF) at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Expo yesterday, accompanied by Central People’s Government Liaison Office in Macao Director Zheng Xincong (second from left), Foreign Ministry Commissioner Bian Lixin (right), and Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man (second from right). – Photo: GCS
