Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng met with Shenzhen Mayor Qin Weizhong yesterday at Macau Government Headquarters, pledging that Macau will continue to strengthen cooperation in various spheres with Shenzhen, the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) said in a statement.
Ho’s meeting with Qin came after he held two separate meetings in Macau with mayors from two Guangdong cities, Guangzhou and Zhuhai, last week.
During yesterday’s meeting with Qin, Ho said that with the COVID-19 pandemic being over, he believes that cooperation and communication between the two cities can be further strengthened based on the good foundation that has been jointly created by both sides.
According to the statement, Ho also said that Shenzhen is a city “full of energy”, where various sectors are highly developed such as high-tech, finance, conventions and exhibitions, education, culture, and tourism.
Ho also reaffirmed during the meeting that the government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) “immediately” rolled out various measures to boost the number of visitor arrivals after the central government eased its COVID-19 border control measures between the mainland and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau on January 8, adding that since then the number of visitor arrivals to Macau has significantly increased.
Thanks to the “orderly” development of Macau’s tourism sector, Ho said that he was confident that the city’s economy would “steadily” recover this year, according to the statement.
During his meeting with Ho, according to the GCS statement, Qin said that Shenzhen also “has the responsibility to participate in” the Macau government’s “1+4” model to appropriately diversify Macau’s economy.
The 1+4 model is laid out by Ho’s 2023 Policy Address, which was delivered to the Macau Legislative Assembly (AL) in November last year, according to which the Macau government will consolidate the development of the city’s tourism and leisure industry while putting special emphasis on promoting the development of four key new industries, namely 1) big health, 2) modern finance, 3) high-tech, and 4) conventions and exhibitions as well as culture and sports.
Shenzhen is capable of participating in Macau’s 1+4 model, the GCS statement quoted Qin as saying.
Shenzhen is part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) that comprises nine cities in the province as well as the nation’s two special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau.
Shenzhen is one of the world’s largest cities, with a population of 18 million.
Meeting with Tianjin vice-mayor
Meanwhile, Ho also had a meeting with a deputy mayor of the northern municipality of Tianjin, Zhu Peng, yesterday at Macau Government Headquarters, according to a separate GCS statement.
During his meeting with Zhu, Ho said that Macau can learn from Tianjin’s experiences in the protection of cultural heritage. Ho said that he expects the two cities to strengthen more extensive cooperation in various spheres such as commerce and trade, the training of highly qualified professionals, tourism, and cultural heritage protection.
During the meeting, according to the statement, Zhu said that he expects businesses in Tianjin to grasp the opportunities created by the development of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
Tianjin has some 18 million inhabitants.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (right) meets with Shenzhen Mayor Qin Weizhong at Government Headquarters yesterday. – Photo: GCS
