A forum to be held in Macau later this week aims to be a platform for leaders to exchange ideas and information on infrastructure strategies mainly in connection with the central government’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Yu Xiaohong, vice-president of the China International Contractors Association, said Monday.
Yu also said that hosting the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) will allow leaders from different countries and regions to interact.
Yu also said she hoped that by exchanging ideas and information about the BRI and other infrastructure development projects, participants in the forum would feel inspired to improve their countries’ infrastructure strategies.
Yu made the remarks during a press conference at China Civil Plaza about the 10th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum. The forum will be held on Thursday and Friday at the Venetian in Cotai.
The forum will include talks and the release of a BRI development index.
“It is a platform for leaders to exchange information and ideas,” Yu said about the forum.
According to a statement by the two co-organisers – the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the China International Contractors Association, the theme of this year’s conference is “Promoting Quality and Sustainable Development of International Infrastructure”.
According to the statement, the 10th IIICF will involve more than 750 organisations and over 2,000 political, commercial and academic representatives from more than 70 countries and regions, and over 50 government officials above minister-level from nearly 40 countries and regions.
Yu pointed out in her opening speech that the IIIFC is making concrete efforts to push forward the qualitative and sustainable development of the “Belt and Road” (B&R) by releasing the Belt and Road Infrastructure Development Index (2019) and the Annual Report on the Belt and Road Infrastructure Development Index (2019), as well as a report on China’s participation in Portuguese-speaking countries’ infrastructure development.
IPIM Executive Director Lei Chou Sam (aka as Sam Lei) said in a speech that the forum attaches great importance to the connections and commercial cooperation between companies from Macau and their counterparts worldwide and in mainland China.
That’s why, he said, “the forum will also host the Macau and Mainland Enterprises Networking Reception, aiming to motivate Macau enterprises to engage in more international cooperation.”
The forum has been held in Macau annually since 2012. It is supported by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and other central and local government entities. This week’s forum will include a presentation of infrastructure projects in Poland and a “parallel forum” on UK-China-South East Asia infrastructure development opportunities. The forum will comprise 9 “parallel forums”, according to the statement.(Macaunews)
