Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said Tuesday that a new economic and trade action plan signed by the members of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries in Macau would further affirm the importance Macau’s function as service platform by giving the city three new centres.
The action plan state that Macau will host specific exhibitions and conventions to promote Portuguese-speaking countries’ markets. The action plan also calls for a study to assess the feasibility of setting-up a business and trade service centre for Portuguese-speaking countries’ small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Macau .
Gao also said that under the action plan – officially titled “Economic and Trade Co-operation Action Plan 2014-2016” – the forum would study the feasibility of setting up a local distribution centre for food products from Portuguese-speaking countries and an arbitration centre for commercial disputes between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Gao made the announcements during a press conference at Macau Dome in Cotai after the eight members of the Forum – China, Angola , Brazil , Cape Verde , East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Portugal– signed the action plan for the next three years.
After the forum’s ministerial-level meeting, Gao and representatives from the seven Portuguese-speaking countries jointly hosted the press conference which lasted about an hour.
Gao also said the action plan included several first-time co-operation projects including co-operation in clean energy and the import and export of movies and music products.
“Macau has the advantages of language, culture and location… regarding the promotion of economic and trade relations between China and Portuguese-speaking countries it has an irreplaceable and exceptional function,” Gao said, adding, “The action plan further reaffirms the importance of Macau’s function as a platform.”
According to the action plan, Macau will have three new centres to promote trade and economic ties between China and Portuguese-speaking countries – an arbitration centre, a centre for SMEs and a distribution centre for food products.
“[With these three new centres] I think Macau’s distinctive functions will be reinforced,” Gao s aid. (macaunews)
