Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On on Tuesday called for closer ties between Macau and Japan, during a meeting with Japan’s Minister of State for Regional Revitalisation Satsuki Katayama who was visiting Macau, according to a statement by the Chief Executive Office (GCE).
The meeting with Katayama’s delegation was held at Government Headquarters. Katayama is also minister of state for regulatory reform and minister of state for gender equality in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet.
During the meeting, Chui said that with the support of the central government, Macau has been striving to develop its economy and improve residents’ livelihoods, adding that the city has been steadily pushing ahead with economic diversification in line with the development aims set by the central government for Macau, namely to play the role of a world tourism and leisure centre and a business service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs), according to the statement.
According to the Macau Post Daily, during the meeting, Katayama said that Japan and Macau have been maintaining a very good relationship, the statement said.
According to the statement, Katayama said she believed that in the sphere of her portfolio which involves three portfolios, cooperation between Japan and Macau can be strengthened in areas such as culture and tourism. She said that Japan is boosting the development of artificial intelligence (AI) with the aim of promoting better development of health care services for senior citizens in her country which has an ageing population. She noted that Macau aims to develop into a smart city, adding that she believes that the two jurisdictions can have more cooperation in this area.
According to the statement, Chui noted that Macau has established good relations with Japan. He said that via the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong as a liaison, Macau and Japan have launched cooperation in various aspects, adding that Japan has numerous investments in Macau. Chui also said that based on their long-standing ties, the two sides can strengthen cooperation in areas such as commerce, tourism, culture, education, construction projects, and environmental protection.
The statement did not mention the duration of Katayama’s delegation visit to Macau.
