Xie Ying, Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, led a delegation of the Secretariat on a visit to Cabo Verde from 19 to 22 July. During the visit, the delegation met Zhang Yang, Ambassador of China to Cabo Verde; Manuel Amante da Rosa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Communities and National Defence; António José Medina dos Santos Baptista, Minister of Economy, Trade, Industry and Digital Transition; and Adelsia de Jesus Mendes Almeida, Minister of Family, Inclusion, Social Development and Labour. The delegation also held a Presentation Session of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, visited Cabo Verde TradeInvest and the University of Cabo Verde, and gave interviews to local media outlets.
During the meetings with the Cabo Verdean ministers, Deputy Secretary-General Xie Ying briefed them on China’s progress in implementing the Action Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation adopted at the 6th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao. She underlined that the Chinese Government attaches great importance to, and has actively advanced, the implementation of the various initiatives under the Forum framework. She also expressed China’s readiness to work with Cabo Verde to further implement the outcomes of the Ministerial Conference and continuously enhance the effectiveness of co-operation.
Minister Manuel Amante da Rosa said that bilateral relations between China and Cabo Verde had maintained stable and sustained development. Over the 23 years since its establishment, Forum Macao, as a multilateral mechanism for economic and trade co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and an important link in deepening co-operation among its participating countries, had made significant contributions to the development of bilateral relations. Cabo Verde was willing to strengthen exchanges and co-operation with China within the Forum Macao framework. He also expressed the hope that the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Co-operation and Development Fund would provide greater support to SMEs in the participating countries, thereby contributing to economic development and improving the well-being of the Cabo Verdean people.
Minister António José Medina dos Santos Baptista highlighted that China was a key strategic partner of Cabo Verde. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 50 years ago, co-operation between the two countries had continued to grow and expand into areas including infrastructure, education and health, all of which are of great importance to Cabo Verde’s development. The country wished to make full use of the Forum platform to learn from China’s experience in development planning, technological innovation and economic diversification, and to promote the development of agriculture, fisheries, industry and the digital economy.
Minister Adelsia de Jesus Mendes Almeida underlined that bilateral relations were close and friendly, and expressed interest in using the Forum platform to promote exchanges in infrastructure, training and education, and poverty reduction. Through co-operation in multiple areas, Cabo Verde hoped to draw on China’s experience to stimulate economic growth and improve management capacity and service quality in the country’s social and welfare sectors.
At the Presentation Session held on 20 July, Deputy Secretary-General Xie Ying delivered welcoming remarks. Ambassador Zhang Yang and António José Medina dos Santos Baptista, Minister of Economy, Trade, Industry and Digital Transition, also addressed the session. Thematic presentations were subsequently delivered by Leida Mendonça Santos, Executive Director of Cabo Verde TradeInvest, and Na Kejun, Deputy Director-General of the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Co-operation and Development Fund. Liu Lijia, Director of Global Partnerships at Holcim Group, also delivered a thematic address on behalf of the Zhongguancun Multimedia Industrial Park. In her remarks, Deputy Secretary-General Xie Ying said that the Permanent Secretariat was willing to work with all relevant parties to continue effectively implementing the Action Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation adopted at the 6th Ministerial Conference, support preparations for the 7th Ministerial Conference, and promote the participation of Chinese institutions in the modernisation of Cabo Verde’s tourism sector and the development of its blue economy, digital economy and green energy sector, among other areas. Ambassador Zhang Yang noted that, over the 50 years of diplomatic relations, China and Cabo Verde had consistently supported each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns, setting an example of equality and mutual benefit between countries of different sizes. China was willing to work with Cabo Verde to deepen exchanges and co-operation at government, business and local levels, make full use of the important Forum platform, achieve more practical outcomes and open up new prospects for bilateral co-operation. Around 70 guests attended the session, including representatives of Cabo Verdean government departments, the Chinese Embassy in Cabo Verde, business associations and local enterprises, Chinese enterprises investing in Cabo Verde, and local media outlets.
Nuno Miguel Melo Furtado, Representative of Cabo Verde to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, and Liu Yimei, Advisor of the Executive Office of the Permanent Secretariat, also joined the delegation and accompanied it throughout the above activities.
