Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai of Macao is scheduled to visit Portugal and Spain between 16 and 23 September in what will be his first overseas trip since taking the city’s highest office on 20 December last year.
According to an announcement by the Government Information Bureau that was cited by multiple media outlets yesterday, Sam will be travelling to the capitals of the two countries – Lisbon and Madrid.
Originally, the 63-year old was supposed to travel to Portugal during the first half of this year. However, in June, the CE announced the postponement of the trip to between September and November in order to address “important social matters” in Macao and to allow Luís Montenegro’s newly re-elected Portuguese government to carry out a “transition process.”
Based on precedents set by previous CEs, Sam is expected to visit Portugal first. According to one report, he will also be accompanied by representatives from the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, who will engage in business inspections and dialogue during the tour.
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Educated at Portugal’s University of Coimbra, Sam is a fluent speaker of Portuguese and has been a strong proponent of closer ties between Macao, Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries.
He highlighted the “significant contributions” of the Portuguese community to Macao at a reception in June to mark Portugal Day, and mentioned the peaceful coexistence of Chinese and Portuguese culture in the city.
The most recent trip to Portugal made by a Macao CE occurred in April 2023, when Sam’s predecessor Ho Yat Seng April 2023 visited Lisbon, along with Luxembourg and Belgium in an effort to strengthen cooperation in Europe in areas such as trade, tourism, education and culture.
Portugal administered Macao for over 400 years until it handed over the reins to mainland China in December 1999. Despite this, Macao continues to exhibit strong Portuguese influence and heritage, with the central and SAR governments looking to leverage this by positioning the city as a conduit for cultural and economic exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
