Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han led a delegation to Beijing in the second half of last month to visit various ministries and commissions of the Central People’s Government, with the aim of listening to their respective guidance and opinions regarding Macau’s ongoing initiatives to advance appropriate economic diversification, deepen Macau-Hengqin integration, align its development with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, and better integrate into the nation’s overall development, according to a statement by her office yesterday.
The central government entities Ng’s delegation visited comprised the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), and the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA).
The statement by the Secretariat for Economy and Finance (GSEF) said that members of Ng’s delegation conducted in-depth exchanges of views on various topics with the ministries and commissions during their visit to the nation’s capital.
5 major aspects
The statement laid out five major aspects addressed during the delegation’s visits to the central government entities.
In the field of sci-tech innovation and industrial development, discussions covered supporting the upcoming construction of the Macao Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park and the ongoing operation of the Macao International Technology Industry Centre (MITIC), strengthening Macau’s platform role between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and planning and developing national-level sci-tech research and development platforms in Macau and Hengqin, the statement said.
The Macao International Technology Industry Centre, which was inaugurated on June 30, is housed in a podium office space in the Carat luxury residential estate, located near the Kun Iam statue on the Nape waterfront.
In the field of cutting-edge technology and digital infrastructure, views were exchanged on optimising computing power allocation, promoting the RISC-V* industrial ecosystem, and improving cross-border fibre-optic cables. Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xiong Jijun provided guidance on promoting the transformation of sci-tech research results and the integrated development between technological innovation and industrial innovation, the statement said.
In the field of institutional alignment between Macau and Hengqin, discussions addressed facilitating direct outbound investment by enterprises, cross-border financing for mainland Chinese enterprises, constructing a “computed in the mainland, used outside the mainland” computing power platform orientated towards Macau, Macau’s government guidance funds, and drafting special administrative regulations for Hengqin. Zhao Kun, a deputy department chief in the National Development and Reform Commission, expressed support for high-quality mainland sci-tech enterprises investing in Macau and for providing facilities for bond issuance by high-quality enterprises in Macau, the statement said.
In the field of modern/specialised finance, views were exchanged on expanding the business activities of mainland Chinese-funded banks and insurance institutions in Macau, bilateral supervisory cooperation, talent exchange, and the development of specialised finance. National Financial Regulatory Administration Minister Ding Xiangqun expressed support for mainland Chinese-funded banks in Macau conducting bond underwriting and custody services, the statement said.
In the field of trade, conventions, and exhibitions, in-depth communications took place regarding the upgrading of CEPA, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Macau-Hengqin integration, supporting Macau in concluding free trade agreements with Southeast Asian countries, guaranteeing the supply of helium, and developing the convention and exhibition industry. Assistant Minister of Commerce Yuan Xiaoming stated that support will be provided for Macau to expand its development space with reference to the “RCEP” model and to guarantee the supply of strategic materials through a “case-by-case” mechanism.
Meanwhile, Ng’s delegation also paid a fact-finding visit to Xiong’an New Area.
Xiong’an New Area is a state-level new area in Hebei Province. The new area is located about 100 kilometres southwest of central Beijing.
Ng also addressed the 20th Meeting of the Mainland-Macao Science and Technology Cooperation Committee held in Xiong’an New Area. Together with Vice Minister of Science and Technology Zhang Guangjun, she signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Encouraging and Supporting Macao’s Participation in the “Belt and Road” Sci-Tech Innovation Action Plan, supporting Macau in deepening sci-tech exchanges and cooperation with countries along the nation’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
* RISC-V is an open-source hardware instruction set architecture (ISA) based on the principles of reduced instruction set computing (RISC), with the Roman numeral “V” representing Berkeley’s fifth major RISC architecture generation. RISC-V is designed to be simple, efficient, and extensible, making it suitable for a wide range of computing applications, from embedded systems to high-performance computing. – Gemini
Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han (centre) listens to a briefing during her visit to the Zhongguancun Science Park in Xiong’an New Area last month. – Photo: GSEF
