Chief Executive Chui Sai On on Saturday held a raft of meetings in Beijing to explore further cooperation opportunities in science, technology and innovation, as well as partnerships to nurture a greater number of Macau research staff, according to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS).
On Saturday morning Chui held a meeting with Science and Technology Minister Wang Zhigang. In the afternoon, Chui met the President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Xie Fuzhan.
In his meeting with Wang, Chui said he looked forward to extending cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Technology to advance Macau’s overall development in science, technology and innovation.
Such efforts would complement the building-up of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) into an international innovation and technology hub, as outlined in the GBA blueprint set out by the central government, he added.
Chui underlined Macau’s participation in the “Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau Innovation and Technology Corridor”, an initiative envisaged under the blueprint.
Chui invited the ministry to contribute the expertise of its research units to Macau’s GBA effort. This could help Macau set up its own research centre for advancing the international innovation and technology hub envisaged under the central government’s blueprint, as well as Macau’s own strategies for science and innovation development.
The chief executive also briefed Wang on Macau’s ongoing effort in science and technology, a priority of the local government, including a recent step to create specific task groups – under Macau’s GBA Working Committee – to advance innovation, science and technology and smart-city concepts.
Speaking in Saturday meeting, Wang said cooperation with Macau in the field of science, technology and innovation would be a highlight of the ministry’s work, adding that Macau had unique strengths that it could contribute in such collaboration.
Reviewing the ministry’s cooperation with Macau, Wang said his ministry had for years spared no effort in promoting closer mainland-Macau cooperation on science, technology and innovation development.
In Saturday’s meeting at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chui told Xie that the Macau government hoped to gain further support from the academy to help nurture a greater number of Macau research staff, to optimise the research capability of local think tanks and to enhance the quality of the government’s policy and research work.
Such steps were aimed at enhancing Macau’s effort regarding the adequate diversification of its economy and in supporting the city’s integration with the overall national development, Chui added.
Chui spoke of the existing communication mechanism between Macau and the academy. It had achieved the goals expected of it: there had been – on a regular basis – exchange of ideas via seminars and themed research.
Xie reviewed the academy’s cooperation with the Macau government, saying the academy had conducted research on Macau’s development strategies and on major social topics. In the future, the two sides could further explore the GBA initiative, Macau’s positioning in the nation’s effort and appropriate development strategies, Xie added. (Macaunews)
