Macao contributes to mainland's foreign trade
( 2003-10-12 09:52) (Xinhua)
China has clinched a high hope on Macao's role to bring closer its trade
relations with Portuguese- speaking countries, said a senior Chinese commercial
official Saturday.
Chen Jian, assistant to China's minister of commerce, told Xinhua that Macao,
which was formerly under Portugal's rule, has been serving as a bridge for trade
between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, citing the example of
Macao's intermediate role in China's trade with East Timor.
Chen arrived in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Saturday to
attend the first Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and
Portuguese-Speaking Countries, to be held from Oct. 12 to 14.
He said Macao is an ideal place to host the forum, and a permanent
secretariat office of the forum has been established under the SAR government.
China has reached an initial agreement with seven Portuguese-speaking countries
that the ministerial- level trade forum will be held every two years in Macao.
According to figures provided by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, China's
trade volume with Portuguese-speaking countries soared to 4.73 billion US
dollars in the first half of 2003, tripling that in the same period of last
year.
Under China's "go out" strategy, an increasing number of Chinese firms are
exploring overseas markets. Macao can use its extensive social network and its
familiarity with the language, legal and trade system in Portuguese countries to
expand the business scope of firms in the mainland, Chen said, adding that " by
doing so, Macao can also benefit from China's booming trade with the countries."
Macao will soon sign the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with
the mainland, which will further facilitate its platform role on China's foreign
trade, Chen said.
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