Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, who yesterday was on the last day of his three-day working visit to Singapore, paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai yesterday morning, where they agreed to strengthen high-level, practical cooperation between Macau and Singapore, leverage their respective strengths, and jointly create new opportunities for mutually beneficial outcomes, according to a statement by the Macao Government Information Bureau (GCS) last night.
Sam departed from Macau on Saturday for an eight-day working visit to three Southeast Asian countries – Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He is leading a delegation comprising local officials and about 120 business representatives on his visit to the three countries.
Sam’s delegation arrived in Jakarta from Singapore last night. They are scheduled to return to Macau this coming Saturday.
During his meeting with Wong, according to the statement, Sam noted that the friendship between China and Singapore has a long and solid foundation, and in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leadership in both countries, the comprehensive, high-quality, and forward-looking partnership between the two nations has continued to deepen, yielding positive results.
Sam underlined that as a special administrative region of China, Macau’s successful implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle is a significant example. It fully demonstrates the values of peace, inclusiveness, openness, and shared development embedded in the principle, Sam said, adding that these values closely align with Singapore’s own highly inclusive and internationally connected society.
Sam said that the MSAR Government attaches great importance to fostering friendly relations with Singapore and looks forward to deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
Sam said that in recent years, close interactions between the two sides in the fields of tourism, conventions and exhibitions, trade, education, and culture have laid a solid foundation for deeper practical collaboration. Macau is currently committed to optimising its industrial structure to enhance its economic resilience and overall competitiveness. As a globally recognised success story in economic transformation and industrial upgrading, Singapore offers valuable lessons for Macau to study and draw upon, Sam said.
Sam also noted that his government has recently published the MSAR’s 3rd Five-Year Plan, with an emphasis on the city’s alignment with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, while advancing appropriate economic diversification through four major projects.
Sam said that with the new development positioning of “Macao + Hengqin”, the MSAR Government is committed to deepening integrated development between Macau and Hengqin, opening up significant new opportunities for all stakeholders. Sam said he expects the Singaporean government to continue to support and encourage local enterprises to make full use of the Macau-Hengqin platform, strengthen regional economic and trade cooperation, and jointly connect the vast markets of the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asia, sharing in the benefits of regional collaboration and sustainable growth.
During the meeting, according to the statement, Wong thanked Sam for making Singapore the first stop of his second overseas working visit since he took office. Wong noted that both Singapore and Macau are open economies with similar population densities and development trajectories, and that bilateral exchanges have been growing increasingly close.
Wong noted that Macau, as a key member of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), is vigorously advancing the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, presenting abundant development opportunities.
Wong said that the visit by the MSAR delegation, accompanied by entrepreneurs from Macau, Hengqin, and other places in the Chinese mainland, is conducive to enhancing connections and cooperation with Singaporean investors. Wong added that while Singaporean investors are attentive to Macau’s market, they also seek to leverage the Macau platform to access Hengqin and the broader GBA, seizing valuable investment opportunities.
Wong said that he looks forward to deepening coordination, achieving full alignment, and promoting synergistic development between Singapore and Macau, whether through official visits or business exchanges.
During the meeting, according to the statement, both sides acknowledged the broad scope for cooperation between Macau and Singapore. Building on the existing strong foundation, they agreed to further tap into cooperation potential, explore new areas of collaboration, strengthen industrial partnerships, promote exchanges between higher education institutions, and deepen joint development in the fields of tourism, conventions, and exhibitions.
Meanwhile, Sam also paid a courtesy call on Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong yesterday morning, where they exchanged views on enhancing economic and trade exchanges between Macau and Singapore, and deepening cooperation in areas including higher education, the digital economy, and industrial transformation.
Gan said that the visit by the MSAR delegation will encourage more Singaporean enterprises to explore the possibility of launching their businesses in Macau and Hengqin, according to a separate GCS statement.
Meanwhile, Sam also met with Singapore’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang yesterday morning. The meeting was also attended by about 20 business representatives from Macau, Hengqin, and other places in the Chinese mainland.
Meanwhile, during a reception hosted by the MSAR government in Singapore at noon yesterday, Sam delivered a speech underlining that the implementation of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan will create new opportunities for cooperation between Macau and Singapore.
The reception was attended by about 350 people, including officials and business representatives of the MSAR delegation visiting Singapore, representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, and members from various segments of Singapore’s civil society.
Meanwhile, Sam also visited the National University of Singapore (NUS) yesterday afternoon, where he delivered a speech on the topic of cooperation opportunities between Macau and Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore.
Singapore’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai (left) shakes hands with Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai on the sidelines of their meeting yesterday. – Photo: GCS
A student takes a selfie with Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (centre), other Macau officials including Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han (to the right of Sam), and other Macau students studying in Singapore, after Sam delivered a speech at the National University of Singapore (NUS) yesterday. – Photo: GCS
