Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng met separately with officials from the provinces of Guizhou, Fujian and Jiangxi and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during this week’s three-day working visit to the nation’s southernmost province of Hainan to discuss how to foster closer ties on business, cultural affairs and also to exchange views on topics of mutual concern.
The meetings took place in Sanya city on the sidelines of Fridays’s 2020 Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation Chief Executive Joint Conference.
According to a statement by the Macao Government Information Bureau (GCS). In the meeting with the Guizhou Governor Shen Yiqin, both sides reviewed the supply of water from the province to Macao during salt tide periods and discussed topics related to poverty alleviation and cooperation in certain economic sectors.
According to GCS, Ho reaffirmed the Macao government’s commitment to continuing its support for Guizhou in relieving the effects of poverty, in particular in healthcare, education, training, and economic cooperation.
Ho pledged that his government would spare no effort in encouraging Macao’s civil society to take part in Guizhou’s poverty alleviation drive.
Ho also brief Shen about Macao’s determination to promote the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) sector, suggesting that the two sides step up cooperation by making use of Guizhou’s ample land resources in the production of TCM products.
Shen expressed her gratitude for Macao’s poverty alleviation support and assistance in tackling challenges in the areas of education, healthcare, vocational training and industrial development.
Guizhou will work closely with Macao to advance cooperation in poverty alleviation in the area of consumption, such as through the supply of agricultural produce, Shen said.
Macao and Guizhou will also enhance cooperation in trade and investment, processing of TCM products, training of tourism professionals, and education, she added.
In a separate meeting also Friday, Ho exchanged views with the chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chen Wu, about the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector and TCM development.
Ho underlined, according to a GCS statement, that the TCM sector is a key factor for Macao’s economic diversification.
He briefed Chen on Macao’s legislation progress concerning the sector, pointing out that one of the directions was to attract more TCM companies from across the nation to set up branch operations in Macau. He added that Macao looked forward to furthering cooperation with Guangxi, as the autonomous region is a major TCM hub.
As a platform for business-service cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao will strengthen its effort to promote economic and trade ties between Guangxi and those countries, Ho said.
During the meeting, Ho also talked about Macao’s effort in fighting COVID-19 and the epidemic’s adverse impact on Macao’s tourism industry.
Ho pointed out, the issuing of permits for mainland residents to travel to Macao under the facilitated individual visit scheme (IVS) is slated to resume nationwide on 23 September.
He also noted that the issuing of Macao travel permits for Zhuhai city residents were resumed on 12 August and subsequently extended to the whole of Guangdong province as of 26 August.
Regarding cooperation in the MICE sector, Chen Wu said Guangxi welcomed participation from Macao in the China-ASEAN Expo, an event scheduled to be held in Nanning in November.
He said that Guangxi was looking forward to being able to take part in a string of upcoming Macao events, including the Macao International Environmental Cooperation Forum & Exhibition and the Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
PHOTO © Government Information Bureau (GCS)
