On the morning of 13 April 2026, Si Ka Lon, President of the Guangdong and Macao Federation of Industry and Commerce (hereinafter referred to as the “Federation”), led a business delegation on a visit to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, where the two sides held exchanges on jointly promoting economic and trade co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

President Si Ka Lon stated that, since its establishment ten years ago, the Federation has been rooted in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and has been committed to building a platform for internal connectivity and external expansion, guiding and promoting business co-operation between Macau’s industrial and commercial sectors and various regions. In January this year, under the guidance and with the support of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, the Federation organised a delegation to Portugal comprising business representatives from Macau and representatives of federations of industry and commerce from Fujian, Guangdong and Sichuan, with a view to gaining a better understanding of the local business environment, industrial layout and co-operation potential, while guiding enterprises to leverage Macau’s platform to expand into overseas markets. The Federation hopes to further strengthen co-operation with the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, promote the high-quality and mutually beneficial development of economic and trade exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, continuously deepen Macau’s role as a “precise connector” between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and advance the in-depth and substantive development of Macao-Hengqin integration as well as economic and trade exchanges and co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Secretary-General Ji Xianzheng welcomed President Si Ka Lon and his delegation, noting that the Action Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation (2024–2027), adopted at the 6th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao, attaches great importance to co-operation between provinces and municipalities of China and Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly co-operation among small and medium-sized enterprises. He pointed out that the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is of great significance for promoting economic and trade co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and for advancing the development of Macao as a Service Platform for Commercial Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, while supporting Macao in leveraging the advantages of Greater Bay Area central cities to strengthen economic and trade ties between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. He reaffirmed the Permanent Secretariat’s willingness to enhance exchanges with the Federation and to continue encouraging enterprises from Macau and Mainland China to “go global” through Macao’s China–Portuguese-speaking platform, so as to promote economic and trade exchanges between enterprises of China and Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly SMEs, and to continue contributing proactively to comprehensive, mutually beneficial co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries across multiple fields.