President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal is expected to visit Macao in June, TDM reports.
The president’s office told Macao’s public broadcaster that the exact dates of this visit, and President Rebelo de Sousa’s itinerary, have yet to be confirmed.
He last visited Macao in May 2019, for a one-day tour that was part of a state visit to China. During that visit, he went on a walking tour of the city’s historic centre, called in at the Macau Portuguese School, and held talks with both local officials and Portuguese consular officials.
[See more: The Macanese still matter in Macao, says chief executive]
Alexandre Leitão, the consul-general of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong, told TDM that Rebelo de Sousa’s forthcoming visit was a gesture of recognition of the importance and size of the local Portuguese community
However, he added that the president’s presence in Macao was not expected on the Day of Portugal, 10 June, since the official celebrations are due to take place in the southern Portugese town of Lagos.
Amélia António, the head of Macao’s Casa de Portugal, told TDM she hoped that President Rebelo de Sousa’s would lifted Macao’s profile in Portugal itself, and further the SAR’s bid to boost its status as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
