Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai met with Jiangxi Province Governor Ye Jianchun yesterday at Government Headquarters where they exchanged views on strengthening cooperation in tourism and trade between the two sides, according to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) last night.
Welcoming Ye and members of his delegation to Macau, according to the statement, Sam expressed his gratitude for the support Ye had provided to Macau during his tenure as a vice-minister of Water Resources.
Sam said that over the past 25 years since Macau’s return to the motherland, with the strong support by the central government as well as various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Jiangxi Province, as well as the joint efforts of Macau residents, the Macau government has been committed to economic development, improving residents’ well-being, positioning Macau as “One Centre, One Platform, One Base”, and integrating Macau’s development into the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA).
The Macau government’s “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” concept refers to Macau developing itself into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and an exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and co-existence of different cultures.
Sam also underlined the Macau government’s commitment to leveraging the advantages brought about by the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, advancing Macau’s appropriate economic diversification, and accelerating Macau’s integration into the nation’s overall development.
According to the statement, Sam said that Macau’s role as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure can complement Jiangxi’s abundant tourism resources, creating opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Sam said that in the future, Macau and Jiangxi can strengthen cooperation in trade, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), cultural and creative industries, conventions and exhibitions, and high-end services.
According to the statement, Sam also suggested that Jiangxi make better use of Macau’s unique role as a service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to “go global and attract investment”, driving the province’s high-quality economic development.
Sam also noted that a rural revitalisation project in the province’s Xiushui County, jointly supported by the Macau government and the Central People’s Government Liaison Office in Macau, has entered its third phase.
The inland province which borders six provinces, among them Guangdong, covers 166,919 square kilometres (about the size of Tunisia) and has 45 million inhabitants (about the population of Iraq).
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (right) meets with Jiangxi Province Governor Ye Jianchun at Government Headquarters yesterday. – Photo: GCS
