The 16th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum and Exhibition (IIICF) wrapped up in Macao yesterday after a three-day run that saw US$10.1 billion pledged via 31 cooperation agreements.
The event’s co-organiser, the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (called IPIM after the Portuguese abbreviation), said that the deals involved 22 countries and territories, covering a range of sectors, including transport, construction, electricity, hydraulic engineering and new energy. Around a third of the agreements struck involved firms from Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The conference also saw the organisation of over 200 business meetings. Around 70 of them featured Macao and Hengqin-based companies, compared to 52 such sessions held last year.
Overall, around 3,500 industry professionals and experts hailing from the public and private sectors of more than 70 countries and territories took part in this year’s IIICF. These included nearly 70 ministerial-level officials – the highest number recorded for the event. The head of IPIM, U U Sang, said that it reflected the event’s internationalisation and the continued increase of senior delegates attending the conference.
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Another major highlight of the 2025 conference was the Debut@Macao launch ceremony, which witnessed 11 companies, including those listed in the Fortune 500 and the top 250 global contractors (ENR250), showcasing 30 infrastructure products and technologies on the world stage for the first time.
The items unveiled covered a wide spectrum of areas, ranging from new materials and green technologies to intelligent transport and smart construction sites.
During a press conference to review this year’s event, the chairman of the China International Contractors Association, Fang Qiuchen, said that the 16th IIICF showcased the interconnected development trends of the infrastructure sector and the fruits of cooperation, while leading the way in terms of industrial development trends.
In a promotional video, exhibitors and senior delegates praised the 16th IIICF for its ability to facilitate cooperation in infrastructure. Victor Coutinho, Cabo Verde’s minister for infrastructure, territorial planning and housing, described the conference as an “exceptional platform” that “deepens cooperation between China, Macao, Cabo Verde and other Portuguese-speaking countries.”
