The Macau government said today that it wants to strengthen economic cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, focusing on areas such as cross-border e-commerce and the blue economy.
At the joint opening ceremony of the 31st Macau International Fair (MIF), the Lusophone Countries Products and Services Exhibition (PLPEX) and the Macau Franchise Exhibition, the Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macau stated that the territory should take advantage of the “new phase of China’s economic opening” to consolidate its position as a platform with Lusophone markets.
“Based on the consolidation of the functions of the Platform for Services for Commercial Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PLP), the Government of the MSAR [Macau Special Administrative Region] has been proactively expanding the network of commercial cooperation with external markets,” stated Ng Wai Han.
According to the official, PLPEX brings together “characteristic industries, as well as products and services from nine PLP countries,” with the aim of intensifying cooperation in sectors such as “cross-border e-commerce, Sino-Portuguese agricultural collaboration and the blue economy.”
The administrator emphasized that the strategy is aligned with the guidelines of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which foresees greater openness to the outside world and a strengthening of the services trade and international investment.
Ng Wai Han also highlighted the business missions conducted this year by the Macau Government, in which companies from Macau, the neighboring Hengqin Special Economic Zone (Mount Island) and mainland China participated, including visits to Portugal and Spain in search of new market opportunities.
Cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries will also be highlighted in several initiatives integrated into the fairs, including the 16th Jiangsu Province-Macau-PLP Commercial and Industrial Development Summit, the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Exchange Session between Fujian, Macau and the PLP and the China-PLP International Agricultural Expo.
For the first time, the Macau International Fair will include a pavilion dedicated to Spanish-speaking countries.
According to the organizers, the new Pavilion for the Industry of Spanish-speaking Countries will bring together exhibitors from 11 countries and aims to reinforce Macau’s role as a platform linking China, Portuguese-speaking countries and Spanish-speaking countries.
The Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), which organizes the fair, said that the objective is to create business opportunities connecting external markets, including the Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), supporting the internationalization of companies.
The expansion of this function follows the guidance announced in 2025 by the Chief Executive, Sam Hou Fai.
After Beijing defined Macau in 2003 as a platform for cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the region’s current leader extended this role to the 21 Spanish-speaking countries.
The MIF runs until Saturday, with an area of 16,000 square meters, about one thousand domestic and foreign exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions, and more than 1,500 international buyers.
Among the highlights are artificial intelligence (AI) companies, presenting platforms for humanoid robots, AI-controlled aroma generators, exoskeleton robots, business management assistants and instant 3D photo printing systems that do not require glasses.
The organizers also announced the presence of several international products, including Brazilian specialty coffee, Iberian ham from Spain, home goods from Singapore, and products from European brands with a century-long heritage.
