The recently re-elected Portuguese prime minister, Luís Montenegro, is expected to visit Macao in September, the Macau Daily Times reports. The paper says the decision was announced by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Montenegro’s trip to the SAR would be part of a broader diplomatic mission to China. Rebelo de Sousa himself had planned to be in Macao this month, but postponed his visit due to Portugal’s snap legislative election, which took place on 18 May, and conflicting commitments around Portugal Day (10 June). The Portuguese president has since ruled out any trips to Macao this year.
Rebelo de Sousa called the election – Portugal’s third in less than four years – after Montenegro’s centre-right government, the Democratic Alliance (DM), lost a confidence vote in March. Montenegro’s party won, but fell short of a majority.
Meanwhile, at a Portugal Day gathering held at the Portuguese consul general’s residence, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai thanked the local Portuguese community for its historical and ongoing contributions to the city’s development.
[See more: Leitão calls for greater use of the Portuguese language in Day of Portugal speech]
Speaking at the same event, Amélia António, president of Casa de Portugal, underscored the importance of maintaining Macao’s status as a cultural and linguistic bridge between China and Lusophone nations.
She also voiced concerns over recent demographic and policy shifts – particularly a sharp decline in the Portuguese resident population and a tightening of residency rules – as well as the status of the Portuguese language in Macao.
“I want to make it clear that I trust what Chinese leaders say today about the importance of Macao, about the importance of Portuguese as an official language here [but] what is essential at this point is to definitively clarify whether what the Chinese authorities have been saying in relation to Macao’s role is to be taken seriously,” she told reporters present.
“How can Macao become a hub for spreading the Portuguese language, a hub of difference as China intends for Macao, if it lacks the necessary ingredients?”
