Commentary by José Álvares*
“Can’t join you for dinner this weekend, I’m going to mainland China to decompress” is a common comment I hear from my Chinese friends here. Meanwhile, those of us Macau SAR residents who do not have Chinese nationality maintain their confidence in our region. Don’t get me wrong, I’m quite content with our situation (and grateful) as I’ve written before, especially thanks to our government’s wise policies in containing the novel coronavirus. However, I think there’s an interesting opportunity here being missed out.
The central government started allowing its nationals in Macau (i.e. holders of the so-called “home return permit”) to enter mainland China (and without having to quarantine in some parts thereof) – fair enough. Recently, it went further by allowing non-Chinese nationals of certain countries that hold work or residence permits for mainland China (and who are currently abroad) to apply for their re-entry visa (even without cost!).
To be fair, the friendly gesture initially came from Europe that allowed Chinese to enter Europe provided a reciprocal measure was granted. China responded positively and explicitly said the intention was to facilitate and promote Sino-European exchanges, which is wise given that some other countries have not been as welcoming.
Many residents in Macau, who do not hold Chinese nationality, have been here for years or even decades, truly integrated in local society, as evidenced, for instance, by the mixed-race families one sees around. Having been exposed to this environment of East meets West allows them to have a perspective that is different from the generally one-sided or, to put it bluntly, ignorant one of those who have never ventured to this side of the globe (as was the case of yours truly).
It might seem a whim coming from this writer, but I call for strategic thinking. The current mindset within the non-Chinese nationals in Macau is that no one wants to do quarantine on their return to Macau even if they are able to travel around (either for business, holidays or to visit family) – and that is unlikely to change given the recent announcement by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (that quarantine would only be potentially waived in relation to countries with no COVID-19 cases for more than 130 days). And what an opportunity to further get to know China beyond Macau (if nothing else, because of the lack of a better option) – fostering those ties, wasn’t that the purpose?
I could be stretching it a bit, but wouldn’t it make the Greater Bay Area project more interesting as well – making those who hold a relevant link to one of the two special administrative regions part of it too and thus, unconsciously, turn them into ambassadors of the scheme that could then attract even more opportunities to the region. Incidentally, facilitating immigration controls, just like between Macau and Hong Kong, would go a long way to make travelling to the mainland more exciting (speaking from personal experience…) – after all, we are in the same country. Even in the European Union people are already roaming around quite freely, despite the growing COVID-19 cases in some of the member states.
If anything, given there have been no COVID-19 cases in Macau for the past few months in Macau, unlike in mainland China, it’s us that should be cautious about venturing inland – many Chinese who I know actually don’t. But those willing to take the risk, shouldn’t they be welcomed? I understand we’re speaking about a rather small number of people, but I believe it’s worth not neglecting the opportunity.
* The author is a local Portuguese lawyer and co-founder and partner of CA Lawyers
