Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng met with Fudan University President Xu Ningsheng yesterday to exchange views on how to step up Macau’s talent-cultivation effort, and bolster exchanges between tertiary-education institutions in Macau and Shanghai, the Macau Government Information Bureau(GCS) said in a statement.
The meeting was held on the university's campus in Shanghai.
Yesterday's statement quoted Ho as saying during the meeting that the COVID-19 pandemic had underlined the need for Macau to diversify the structure of its economy. The chief executive pointed out that Macau is advancing four major sectors for its economic development: healthcare, financial services, science and technology, and culture. Consequently, Macau needs a large number of talented people, he said.
Ho said he hoped that Fudan University could continue to support Macau in nurturing a greater number of local talents required for Macau’s economic development.
Xu said during the meeting that Macau was playing a significant role in national development such as a key city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) conurbation initiative and as a platform in the “dual-circulation” development pattern for the nation’s economy.
Xu also underlined Macau’s efforts to speed up the development of the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, as well as its proactive participation in the “domestic-circulation” part of the country’s dual-circulation policy.
Xu also said that Ho’s visit to Fudan University on the sidelines of the “Macao Week in Shanghai”, and within the framework of the Shanghai-Macau Cooperation Conference, showed that the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government places great importance on the development of ties between the two places.
Xu pointed out, according to the statement, that Macau students' enrolment in Fudan University has been growing, having reached 140 this year.
Xu pointed out that Fudan University has maintained close ties with several tertiary education institutions in Macau, adding that his university and the Macau government will further strengthen cooperation in healthcare, socio-economic development, and cultural exchanges.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong, Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Director Tai Kin Ip, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Mok Ian Ian, GCS Director Inês Chan Lou, and Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau (DSEDPR) Director Cheong Chok Man attended the meeting as members of Ho's delegation.
During his visit to the campus, Ho and his delegation visited the Fudan University Museum and met with students from Macau, the statement said.
Fudan University,founded in 1905, is a public research university. It is widely considered one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (front, centre) poses with Fudan University officials and members of his entourage on the campus of the research university in Shanghai on Saturday. Photo: GCS
