Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng told reporters last night at the Macau checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) that his trip to Lisbon aims to further deepen the friendly ties between Macau and Portugal and also to promote further exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.
Ho made the remarks during a press briefing, en route to the airport in Hong Kong for his flight to the Portuguese capital.
Ho’s entourage includes two of his five policy secretaries – Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong and Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário.
The chief executive said that during his stay in Lisbon he would also promote the accelerated development of Macau’s role as a platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Ho will also visit Luxembourg to study the grand duchy’s bond issuing market, as well as Brussels where he will meet European Union and Belgian officials, the local government announced earlier this week.
Meanwhile, responding to questions by the media, Ho said he was confident that Macau’s gross gaming revenue would reach the government’s target of 130 billion patacas, “or even exceed it”.
He also said that some gaming operators were planning to deploy private jets to fly foreign gamblers to Macau, which was a “good thing”. He declined to comment on Japan’s recent decision to allow an integrated resort with a casino in Osaka.
Ho’s three-nation trip to Europe is slated to end next Thursday.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng speaks during last night’s press briefing at the Macau checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB), en route to his flight to Lisbon from Hong Kong’s international airport. – Photo: GCS
