The Macanese community plays a vital role in Macao’s function as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai stated at the 2025 reception for local Macanese representatives. The formal event, which took place last week, was also an opportunity for Sam to emphasise the government’s deep respect for the centuries-old community, according to an official statement.
Sam highlighted the community’s crucial role in helping Macao make the most of its special status as a Sino-Lusophone hub. By leveraging their language skills – many Macanese people are fluent in both Portuguese and Chinese – the community is able to facilitate cooperation, cultural exchanges and trade through initiatives like Forum Macao.
The chief executive reiterated President Xi Jinping’s recent acknowledgement of the community’s contributions to Macao’s “long-standing prosperity and stability”. Looking ahead, Sam said he welcomed “comments and ideas on Macao’s development” from the Macanese, and that he looked forward to seeing them “act in synergy with the government’s efforts”.
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Many Macanese people live abroad. Sam referenced them in his speech, noting that more than 1,000 members of the diaspora returned to Macao in early December for the 8th Macanese Encontro. This week-long reunion (encontro is the Portuguese word for “meet”) takes place every three years and is considered a chance for overseas-based Macanese to reconnect with their roots.
“As President Xi put it, all those who adhere to the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle and love Macao as a home, are people who have drunk water from the Lilau Fountain and thus are a positive force for the development of the city,” Sam said.
Xi’s words, spoken during his December visit to the SAR amidst its 25th anniversary celebrations, were a direct call to Macao-born professionals living abroad to return and contribute to their city’s progress. As local legend has it, anyone who drinks from Lilau Fountain is bound to remember Macao fondly and forever.
[See more: Casa Maquista: A taste of Macanese history]
At last week’s reception, Sam shared his personal connection to the Macanese community, having spent years studying in Portugal. He emphasised Macao as a home for generations of Macanese families and expressed his commitment to working with the community to protect and prosper the city.
The president of the Council of Macanese Communities, José Luis de Sales Marques, also noted that the community’s future was tied to Macao’s and that its members had “a lot of hope for what we can do and continue to do with the younger generations,” in last year’s Encontro. Other attendees spoke of the importance of organising Macanese food and culture-themed events in the countries where they now lived, including Australia.
Forum Macao, meanwhile, held its 6th Ministerial Conference last year, bringing together nine Portuguese-speaking countries – Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tome and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste – with China. The coalition is focused on economic and trade relations and common development.
