China’s foreign ministry commissioner in Macau stressed today that, as an international cooperation centre, the city should remain “open to foreign talent.”
Speaking at a session on China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and its impact on Macau’s development, Bian Lixin highlighted that “visa facilitation and cross-border mobility measures will be strengthened to attract highly qualified professionals.”
These include preferential measures to facilitate cross-border movement of foreign nationals between Macau and Hengqin (Ilha da Montanha), and visa facilitation policies for foreign nationals with permanent residence in Macau travelling to the mainland, supporting the territory’s development as an “international high-level talent hub.”
Read more about this topic: Macau’s chief executive points to economic diversification and Hengqin as priorities
Macau established a talent attraction programme in July 2023 targeting qualified professionals in finance, scientific research and technology development — including Nobel Prize holders — offering tax benefits among other advantages.
By late October, 464 of more than 1,000 applications had been approved, with 80% of candidates from mainland China and 10% from Hong Kong, and 47% having “work or study experience abroad.”
Speaking at a session on China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and its impact on Macau’s development, Bian Lixin highlighted that “visa facilitation and cross-border mobility measures will be strengthened to attract highly qualified professionals.”
However, Macau residency for Portuguese citizens has become more restricted since August 2023, with Portuguese nationals now treated like other foreigners, with residency focused on family reunification or very specific technical skills, and permanent residency generally requiring seven years of habitual residence.
Bian also stressed that Macau must “leverage its diplomacy,” using ties with Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries to deepen cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and expand exchanges with Eurasia and Southeast Asia.
Read more: “We must firmly implement the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle” says Macau Chief Executive
Macau’s chief executive Sam Hou Fai — who confirmed he will visit Portugal and Spain between April 17 and 23 — has identified the promotion of financial and commercial services between China and Spanish-speaking countries as a priority, complementing Macau’s role as a China-Lusophone platform.
Macau’s GDP grew 4.7% in 2025, reaching 418 billion patacas (€45 billion), driven mainly by the recovery of the gaming and tourism sector, which accounted for more than half of the local economy. The territory’s development plans will be aligned with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which focuses on high-quality productive forces, high technology, technological autonomy and domestic consumption, with GDP growth targets of 4.5% to 5%.
