CE meets Chinese Ambassador to Singapore
MACAU, August 29 - The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, met today with the Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Cao Zhongming. During the meeting, held in Singapore, they exchanged views on how the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) can leverage its unique role of internal and external connections to further expanding cooperation with Singapore in areas including talent development, scientific research, and the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry.
Mr Sam arrived in Singapore in the afternoon to commence an eight-day official visit covering three Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Mr Sam expressed gratitude to the Chinese Embassy in Singapore for its strong support for the visit of the MSAR Government-led delegation. He stated that the trip aimed to implement the “Down South” strategy, and strengthen Macao’s function as a two-way bridge between the Chinese mainland and the world.
As 2026 marks the inaugural year of the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the MSAR (2026-2030), Macao will build on its development positioning as “One Centre, One Platform, and One Base”. It will do so by giving full play to the city’s advantage in internal and external connections, and in East-and-West cultural integration, thereby better aligning with, and serving, the country’s overall development.
Building on the successful model of the visit in April to Portugal and Spain, the MSAR Government has once again brought together representatives from multiple key enterprises on the Chinese mainland, which are joining forces with businesses from Macao and Hengqin, in a “joint voyage” to Southeast Asia. This collaborative effort aims to explore overseas markets and establish platforms for mutual exchange.
Mr Sam stressed that to develop Macao as a hub for attracting international high-end talented people, it was important to establish joint talent-training initiatives with Singapore. He also called for collaborative advancement of cutting-edge research projects, and encouraged Singaporean universities and research institutions to participate in major developments in Macao and Hengqin, such as the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town and the Macao Technology Research Industrial Park.
In addition, given Singapore’s solid foundation in the TCM sector, Mr Sam expressed hope that this visit would attract pharmaceutical companies and research institutions from Singapore to explore partnerships with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao, helping to connect TCM markets across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia.
Ambassador Cao welcomed the Chief Executive and his delegation of government officials and business leaders to Singapore. Mr Cao stated that their visit to three Southeast Asian nations was of significant importance, and the planned high-level meetings, promotional events, and site visits would greatly support Macao’s efforts to advance appropriate economic diversification and sustainable social development.
Mr Cao noted that both Macao and Singapore place strong emphasis on multiculturalism and high levels of internationalisation, sharing many similarities and offering rich opportunities for mutual learning. The MSAR Government can use the visit as an opportunity to present comprehensively Macao’s broad development prospects. It can also promote the new opportunities arising from the development of the Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and fully demonstrate Macao’s unique strengths of “being rooted on the Chinese mainland while connected to the world,” as well as its strategic alignment with national development plans. This approach, said Mr Cao, would help deepen practical cooperation between Macao and Singapore across multiple sectors.
Also present at the meeting were: the MSAR’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Ng Wai Han; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the President of the Board of Directors of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Che Weng Keong; and Minister-Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, Mr Jiang Wei.
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