The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Government of the Macao SAR jointly organised a visit to Macao last week for 11 cultural sector officials from nine Portuguese-speaking Countries: Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste. The programme included visits to various cultural sites and a thematic meeting, as well as a courtesy meeting with O Lam, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR, establishing a pragmatic bridge for cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

To leverage the unique advantages arising from the convergence of Chinese and Western cultures in Macao and deepen co-operation with Portuguese-speaking Countries, Secretary O Lam met with the delegation, during which views were exchanged on the development of the cultural sector. Meanwhile, the Cultural Affairs Bureau held a meeting at the Macao Cultural Centre on 24 July, where it presented an update on the territory’s cultural development and reviewed the achievements of co-operation with Portuguese-speaking Countries and regions in recent years. Participants also held in-depth discussions on future directions for co-operation in areas such as cultural heritage protection, museum exhibitions, books and documentation.

The visit consolidated Macao’s role as a platform for cultural exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and highlighted its role as a bridge connecting both sides, promoting mutual cultural dialogue and pragmatic co-operation.

(Source: Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao, 28 July)