The Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macau) is making preparations for the 6th Ministerial Conference, secretary-general Ji Xianzheng said during a luncheon hosted for local Portuguese and English media on Wednesday.
However, the secretary-general did not give exact dates for the upcoming conference, which is widely expected sometime in April.
The conference will gather senior representatives from Forum Macao’s 10 member states in Macao, marking the first in-person meeting since 2016. The eight-year hiatus was first caused by a leadership transfer between Macao’s former Chief Executive Fernando Chui and incumbent Ho Iat Seng, with subsequent delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
[See more: Forum Macao marks its 20th anniversary with an exhibition and symposium]
During the luncheon, Ji said that Forum Macao received around 50 economic and trade delegations from mainland China and took part in 14 economic and trade promotion activities last year.
He also emphasised that the volume of bilateral trade reached US$220.9 billion, “a new historical peak” that demonstrated “the potential of the development of economic and trade cooperation” between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Forum Macao, which marked its 20th anniversary last year, comprises China and nine lusophone nations – Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Timor-Leste, Cabo Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe. It provides a platform for intergovernmental cooperation, with a strong focus on economic cooperation and trade. Combined, its nine Portuguese-speaking members represent a population of 290 million.
