Held in Macau for the first time, the forum seeks to leverage the city’s international position to create new business opportunities among companies from Macau, mainland China, and France.
For Yang Jing, chairman of the organizing committee, Macau has characteristics that are difficult to replicate elsewhere. He describes the city as a place of cultural intersection, highlighting the positive impression it made on many French guests visiting for the first time.
“For Europeans, Macau is a place that combines cultural ties with a close connection to mainland China, whether in finance, tourism, or other fields. Coming from different sectors, they see Macau as a place that is culturally familiar and at the same time full of possibilities for cooperation,” he told PLATAFORMA.
Yang Jing also argues that Sino-French cooperation can produce results far greater than the sum of each country’s individual capacities. At a time of global instability, trade should be “built on the basis of cultural dialogue.” The aim, he adds, is to make that relationship “an example.”
Read more: Macau Chief Executive explores economic synergies with Hainan at Boao Forum
Choi Kei Pui, president of the Macau Live Streaming Association, also sees the event as a concrete opportunity to project local companies and firms from mainland China beyond the region. She recalled that, during the association’s participation in the forum held in France, four Macau companies took part in the exhibition and generated strong interest among French traders and brands.
Choi Kei Pui also said that, following this edition of the forum, the association is planning a trip to Portugal in April to carry out live-streaming activities, as well as organizing the participation of Macau companies in the 12th edition of the Bonjour Brand Forum in May. Asked about the Spanish-speaking market, she replied: “We will move forward step by step.”
The event was co-organized by the Macau Live Streaming Association and the Bonjour Brand Forum Organizing Committee, with the support of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau and in partnership with MGM.
At the opening session, both former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Tai Kin Ip, praised Macau’s role as a bridge and expressed the hope that cultural dialogue could drive economic and trade development, as well as the joint expansion of markets.
Read more: Macau’s financial reserves hit new record for second consecutive month
According to Tai Kin Ip, holding the forum in Macau demonstrates the city’s unique advantages as a platform for international exchange. He also stressed that the initiative opens up more space for companies from Macau, mainland China, and France to deepen cooperation and explore new markets.
The goal, he said, is to consolidate Macau as an important outpost for the country’s high-level opening-up to the outside world, while actively integrating into national development.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin, currently the French president’s special representative for China affairs, in turn stressed that Macau is a unique place of civilizational convergence and the practice of peace, arguing that its value as a link between the interior and the exterior should be preserved.
