Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On said Thursday that the central government’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project is a pathway for promoting joint development, achieving win-win prosperity, strengthening mutual trust, and fostering comprehensive communication among nations.
Chui pointed out that Macau is transforming itself into a world tourism and leisure centre, stressing the importance of tourism as an effective way of promoting friendship among all the peoples along the Belt and Road (B&R).
Chui made the remarks while delivering a speech at the Thematic Forums of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing Thursday.
The first BRF was held in 2017 in Beijing.
Chui underlined that as a special administrative region under the central government and as a city with a unique history and cultural status, Macau has always been a place where the Chinese culture as its mainstream has coexisted with multiple other cultures.
Chui pointed out that Macau is building a cultural communication platform with the aim of creating a better place for people-to-people bonds, adding that Macau has the social tradition of multiple cultures coexisting in a harmonious way.
Chui further underlined that Macau is increasingly engaged in further developing the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry, adding that the TCM development will bring benefits to all the peoples along the Belt and Road (B&R).
The tricontinental initiative launched by President Xi Jinping between 2013 and 2014 comprises Asia, Africa and Europe.
Chui also said that Macau was keen to achieve TCM’s “modernisation, standardisation, and internationalisation”. He underlined the significance of the establishment of the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation between Guangdong and Macau on Hengqin.
Chui further pledged that Macau will also cooperate with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine in Macau to provide better TCM to the peoples along the Belt and Road (B&R).
Chui also stressed that Macau has the advantage of having many returned overseas Chinese among its residents, who would contribute to the BRI project in various ways, adding that Macau has returned overseas Chinese from over 60 countries and regions, and that they are an important resource for trade and cultural communication among the peoples along the Belt and Road (B&R).
Chui also quoted a speech by President Xi: “Friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations”.
Chui added that Macau has been upholding the principle of giving full play to the special administrative region’s strengths to serve the nation’s needs, apart from actively contributing to the BRI project and promoting people-to-people bonds for the B&R countries.(Macaunews)
