On the first day of his official visit to Indonesia, Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai addressed a reception hosted by the MSAR Government in Jakarta yesterday evening, where he underlined that the implementation of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan will certainly create new opportunities for cooperation between Macau and Indonesia, according to a statement by the Macao Government Information Bureau (GCS) last night.
Sam noted that Indonesia is the birthplace of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road – the second component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – and that both Macau and Indonesia are vital nodes along it. He said that under the guidance of the BRI and the China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, the friendly and cooperative relationship between Macau and Indonesia will certainly deepen.
Sam departed from Macau on Saturday last week for an eight-day working visit to three Southeast Asian countries – Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He is leading a delegation comprising local officials and about 120 business representatives on his visit to the three countries.
Sam’s delegation arrived in Jakarta from Singapore on Monday night. They are scheduled to return to Macau on Saturday.
Yesterday’s reception was attended by about 350 people, including officials and business representatives of the MSAR delegation visiting Indonesia, representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, and members from various segments of Indonesia’s civil society.
At the beginning of the reception, according to the statement, Sam, on behalf of the MSAR Government and all Macau residents, expressed his condolences for the victims of last month’s severe earthquake in Indonesia, extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured, and expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Indonesian government, the Indonesian people will overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes soon.
Sam pointed out in his speech that in September last year, marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited China and, together with President Xi Jinping, mapped out the direction for advancing the high-level construction of a China-Indonesia community with a shared future of regional and global influence.
Sam said that the MSAR delegation’s visit to Indonesia serves both to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and to consolidate the traditional friendship between the MSAR and Indonesia, opening a new chapter of cooperation.
Sam said that on the foundation of their existing sound cooperation, Macau and Indonesia will tap deeper into their potential, vigorously expand into new areas of collaboration, and raise bilateral relations to a higher level. This will better assist and promote all-round cooperation between China and ASEAN, working together to foster regional peace, prosperity, and stable development, he said.
Sam underlined that the MSAR Government is committed to promoting exchanges between Macau and Indonesia across all official and non-governmental levels. Macau will better leverage its role as an important bridgehead for China’s high-level opening-up and as a “precise connector”, strengthening all-round pragmatic cooperation in trade and investment, conventions and exhibitions, tourism, and cultural exchanges.
Sam also said that as Indonesia is a major ASEAN nation and home to the ASEAN Secretariat, Macau expects to take the opportunity of enhancing cooperation with Indonesia to further raise the level of mutually beneficial cooperation between Macau and all ASEAN countries.
Indonesia, which has nearly 290 million inhabitants, is Asia’s third most populous nation after India and China, and the world’s most populous Muslim-majority (87 percent) country.
Meanwhile, Sam met with Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Wang Qing yesterday morning, where they exchanged views on deepening mutually-beneficial cooperation between Macau and ASEAN.
Sam said that the motherland has been supporting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in the leveraging of its geographical and policy advantages to become a new pivot for growth in terms of cooperation with ASEAN. As an important member of the GBA, Macau is willing to utilise fully its strengths, in order to align with ASEAN, enhance shared development momentum, and make greater contributions to the nation’s ongoing efforts in comprehensive external cooperation.
Wang said he expects Macau to further enhance its cooperation with ASEAN in areas including trade and tourism by leveraging its unique advantage of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world.
Dignitaries offer a toast during yesterday’s reception hosted by the MSAR Government in Jakarta comprising (from left to right) Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han, Indonesia’s Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Susiwijono Moegiarso, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong, and Sam’s chief-of-cabinet Chan Kak. – Photo: GCS
