Macau plays ‘irreplaceable role’ in promoting cultural exchanges with western countries: Commissioner Liu
Commissioner for the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Liu Xianfa said in a speech on Friday that as a place where Chinese and western cultures converge and as a bridge linking China and Portuguese-speaking countries, Macau has played an “irreplaceable role” in promoting cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and western countries, adding he hoped that young people from the two sides can learn from each other and contribute to the common development and prosperity of China and Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs).
Liu made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the “Youth Exchange Programme between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and the award ceremony of the “My Macau Story – Chinese and Portuguese-speaking Youth Say” short video contest on Friday at the Macau Science Centre in Nape.
The programme, which took place between Wednesday and Friday, was co-organised by the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local government with the theme of “Understanding the charm of cultural integration and acting as ambassadors for youth friendship”.
According to Liu, in order to enhance mutual learning among young students from China and Portuguese-speaking countries, nearly 50 students studying in six local tertiary education institutions, such as the public University of Macau (UM) and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) from Macau and eight Portuguese-speaking countries – Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste (East Timor) – participated in the programme.
Meanwhile, a statement released by the office on Friday said that 33 teams from the six tertiary education institutions participated in the short video contest, adding that the participants used videos to tell their own Macau stories from the perspectives of their understanding of the integration of local cultures, their impressions of the practice of One Country, Two Systems, their thoughts on the role of the China-PSCs platform, and their views on being “good ambassadors of friendship”.
The statement noted that the “May” team of the University of Macau and MUST student Cheang Son In are the contest’s double champions.
Cheang told reporters after the award ceremony that she is aware of the fact that Macau is a city where the Chinese and Portuguese cultures blend, adding that as she speaks Portuguese, she would consider how to leverage her advantages and strive to serve as a “bridge of friendship” between Chinese and Portuguese-speaking students.
The two ceremonies were also attended by the chief-of-cabinet of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, Ho Ioc San; the chief of the Youth Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government, Xu Ting; Foreign Ministry Deputy Commissioner Sun Xiangyang; Consul-General of Angola Eduardo Velasco Galiano; Counsellor of the Consulate-General of Mozambique Aurélio de Jesus Chiconela; Macau Foundation (FM) President Wu Zhiliang; Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Kong Chi Meng; Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) Deputy President Cheong Lai San; and representatives of the six tertiary education institutions that participated in the event.
Commissioner for the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macau SAR Liu Xianfa delivers a speech during the closing ceremony of the “Youth Exchange Programme between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and the award ceremony of the “My Macau Story – Chinese and Portuguese-speaking Youth Say” short video contest on Friday at the Macau Science Centre in Nape. – Photo: Yuki Lei
