The 2023 Guangdong & Macau Branded Products Fair (GMBPF) kicked off yesterday morning at the Galaxy International Convention Centre (GICC) in Cotai and will last through Sunday.
Now entering its 15th edition, the fair, themed “New Venue, Market-tested Products, Unprecedented Opportunities”, is held for four days this year and marks the first time that it is taking place at the brand-new GICC. It features 430 booths, while its areas include the Semi-finished Food Industry Area, the Belt and Road Area, and the Four Key Industries Area.
Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) President Vincent U U Sang said in his speech at the opening ceremony that the government-run institute aims to reach 100,000 fairgoers this year.
The fair attracted 63,000 fairgoers last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic, U noted.
“Looking ahead, as the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area [GBA] accelerates, new business opportunities will continue to emerge; as the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge is scheduled to open in 2024, the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary will further attract more investors, and Macau’s economic, trade, convention and exhibition activities will strive to seize new opportunities for regional economic and trade cooperation in this regard”, U said.
Moreover, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province Sun Bin said in his speech that since 2012, trade between Guangdong and Macau has accounted for over 60 percent of Macau’s trade with the mainland, while trade between the two places reached 5.88 billion yuan in the first five months of this year.
“Over the previous decade, owing to the joint efforts of Guangdong and Macau, the GMBPF has become a pivotal platform for the economic and trade co-operation and cultural exchanges between the two places”, he added.
He also said: “We will take the 2023GMBPF as an opportunity to significantly improve the MICE industry and constantly cement and enhance economic and trade cooperation between Guangdong and Macau”.
Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) President Vincent U U Sang delivers a speech during yesterday’s opening ceremony at the Galaxy International Convention Centre (GICC) in Cotai, representing Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province Sun Bin delivers his speech at yesterday’s opening ceremony at GICC.
– Photos: Rui Pastorin
