MACAU - Macau's government will continue to improve the city's MICE service standards and international competitiveness. That is the promise given by Macau's Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac.
Speaking at the 24th Macau International Trade and Investment Fair (24th MIF) and the 2019 Portuguese Speaking Countries Products and Services Exhibition (Macau) (2019PLPEX) at the Venetian in Cotai, Mr Leong said Macau will utilise its close relations with the Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs), Southeast Asian countries, and the European Union (EU) to serve the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area's (GBA) "high-quality going out" approach. The government will also explore overseas markets in the PSCs and countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The three-day event was held by the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) last week.
Mr Leong pointed out that the MIF is one of Macau's branded fairs for deepening regional cooperation and helping enterprises communicate with one another, adding that it has been continuously improved in terms of its exhibition scale, service quality, professionalism and the level of internationalisation in the past two decades.
He noted that the local MICE sector can create a "bridge" for businesses from Macau and mainland China to jointly "go out for and bring in" investments, and also provide a platform for the mainland to carry out two-way investments and conduct multilateral trade cooperation with the PSCs and countries and regions along the BRI, as well as to improve the quality and accelerate the development of the local MICE industry.
The outline development plan for the GBA, which was released early this year, positions Macau as "one centre, one platform and one base". The plan also lists Macau as one of the four core cities in the GBA and also as one of the "core engines" for regional development, which provides greater assistance to, and adds new requirements for Macau to accelerate its moderate economic diversification.
"One centre, one platform and one base" refers to the Chinese central government's aim for Macau to become a world tourism and leisure centre, a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and the PSCs, and a base for exchanges and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist, according to previous announcements by the local government.