The government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism signed an agreement on the establishment of a joint working committee on the promotion of Macau as “an exchange and cooperation base of multiple cultures’ co-existence with the Chinese culture as the mainstream” (commonly known as “One Base”) on Monday in Haikou city, capital of Hainan province, according to a statement by the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture.
The “One Base” is a part of the “One Centre, One Platform and One Base” policy that positions Macau as, respectively, a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure; a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries; and as a multicultural exchange and cooperation base with special emphasis on Chinese culture (collectively known as the centre, platform, and base policies).
According to the statement, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U and Vice-Minister of Culture and Tourism Lu Yingchuan signed the agreement during the committee’s first meeting on Monday, which will meet once a year to discuss issues related to the development of the “One Base” in Macau.
The statement underlined the key tasks of the “One Base” committee include supporting Macau in organising and participating in more international cultural exchange activities, promoting cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between Macau and the mainland by enhancing the impact of the One Base, as well as strengthening cooperation between Macau and the mainland in the fields of culture and arts, cultural industries, intangible cultural heritage, and artistic talent training.
Lu pointed out at the meeting that the establishment of the committee is an initiative to support Macau in giving full play to its strengths of blending Chinese and Western cultures and extensive international exchanges, and to promote the appropriate diversified economic development, the statement underlined
Speaking at the meeting, Central People’s Government Liaison Office Deputy Director Yan Zhichan said that the Liaison Office would support the development of the “One Base”, give full play to the leading role of the central government’s policies and measures in favour of Macau and support the long-term cultural prosperity and development of Macau, the statement pointed out.
According to the statement, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U said that in order to promote Chinese culture, the local government will continue to explore the profound connotations of Macau’s history and culture and promote the “going out” of Chinese culture.
The statement said that the meeting was “very fruitful” and that the local government will strengthen collaboration among all sectors of the community, seize the opportunity to develop non-gaming projects, promote the further development of Macau’s “One Base” and implement the “1+4” strategy to give impetus to the long-term development of Macau.
The “1+4” strategy refers to the development of Macau’s tourism and leisure industries but with additional focus on four new industries – big health, hi-tech, modern finance, and conventions and exhibitions including culture and sports.
Macau’s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U (left) and Vice-Minister of Culture and Tourism Lu Yingchuan shake hands after signing an agreement on the establishment of a joint working committee on promoting Macau as “an exchange and cooperation base of multiple cultures’ co-existence with the Chinese culture as the mainstream”(commonly known as “One Base”) during the committee’s inaugural meeting on Monday. – Photo by the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture.
