– What are your objectives as the EC-CPLP’s first permanent representative in China?
Wu Zhiwei – As a Macau businessman, I am deeply honored to have been elected as the permanent representative of the CPLP in China. This clearly reflects the progress made over the past 20 years, with the support of the Chinese Central Government, in promoting Macau’s role as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. Commercial cooperation has grown with the active participation of Macau businesspeople, and is recognized and valued by the governments of China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. As the first representative of the CPLP in China, I will continue to play the role of business liaison, working to facilitate China-Lusophone business partnerships, promoting trade and investment between Macau and the Hengqin Guangdong-Macau Deep Cooperation Zone, as well as fostering cultural exchange and people-to-people contact, thus contributing to expanding and strengthening Macau’s role as a Sino-Portuguese platform and boosting trade cooperation and cultural exchange between the countries.
“Macau, taking advantage of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy and its linguistic and cultural uniqueness, plays a distinct role as a bridge in relations and trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries”
– What unique contributions will this position and the official office established in Macau bring to Macau as a bridge between China and Portugal?
W.Z. – The election of the first permanent representative of the CPLP in China, as well as the opening of its office in Macau, clearly demonstrates the recognition by the governments and businesses of the nine CPLP countries of the importance of Macau as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. The permanent venue of this Forum is Macau, where five ministerial editions and one special ministerial-level edition have been held, making it the highest-level international conference ever held in Macau. This reflects the Chinese government’s support for using Macau’s advantages as an important commercial services platform in trade cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. In addition, the development of the Sino-Portuguese platform has boosted Macao’s economic diversification. Currently, the MSAR is a comprehensive service platform that promotes joint development in areas such as research, traditional Chinese medicine, culture and tourism, trade fairs and exhibitions, financial cooperation and youth entrepreneurship.
“Portugal was the first European country to sign a ‘Belt and Road’ cooperation agreement with China and also the first European Union country to formally establish a ‘Blue Partnership’ with China”
In short, despite its small size, Macau, taking advantage of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy and its linguistic and cultural uniqueness, plays a distinct role as a bridge in relations and trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, making significant contributions. I believe that the establishment of the representative in China and the representative office will further contribute to deepening Sino-Portuguese cooperation in the areas of trade, finance, high technology and others, promote the opportunities of Macao, the Hengqin New Zone and the Greater Bay Area, and help Portuguese-speaking countries establish closer economic cooperation relations with China.
– As an entrepreneur doing business in Portugal, how would you describe business cooperation between China, Portugal and other PLPs?
W.Z. – The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) comprises nine countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, with a total population of around 250 million people. Among these countries, Portugal was the first European country to sign a ‘Belt and Road’ cooperation agreement with China and also the first European Union country to formally establish a ‘Blue Partnership’ with China. Cooperation between the two countries under the ‘Belt and Road’ framework has been broad and fruitful, with a promising future. China has been Portugal’s largest trading partner in Asia over the years.
From January to April 2023, bilateral trade between China and Portugal reached 2.81 billion US dollars. In addition, several Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Angola and Mozambique, have actively participated in the international ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. I believe that, with Macau’s help as a bridge and platform, more Portuguese-speaking countries will join the initiative, transforming Sino-Lusophone cooperation into a new paradigm of cooperation under the ‘One Belt, One Road’ framework. This will help the people of China and the Portuguese-speaking countries get to know each other better and promote the building of a community of common destiny for humanity.
