The governor of Hainan Island, in southern China, Liu Xiaoming, announced on Tuesday (14) his intention to help Lusophone products enter the Chinese market, advocating for stronger synergies between Hainan, Macau, and Portuguese-speaking countries.
According to Lusa, Liu made the remarks during a visit to the headquarters of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, commonly known as the Macau Forum.
On that occasion, Liu pledged to “build Hainan into a hub for Portuguese-speaking countries to access the Chinese market”, and called on the Macau Forum to help Hainan-based companies “deepen their understanding of market rules and investment environments in Portuguese-speaking nations.”
In an official statement, Liu emphasized the importance of a “synergistic development between Hainan, Macau, and Lusophone countries”, recalling that the island will become a free-trade port before the end of the year.
Starting December 18, imported products processed in Hainan — with a minimum of 30% value added — will be able to enter mainland China duty-free. On Monday (13), Liu Xiaoming also met with Macau’s leader Sam Hou Fai, the first Chief Executive of the semi-autonomous Chinese region who is fluent in Portuguese.
According to a statement from the Macau Government, Sam highlighted the potential for “complementary advantages” between Hainan’s free-trade port and the Guangdong–Macau Deep Cooperation Zone.
This special economic zone, jointly managed by Guangdong Province and Macau, was launched by Beijing in 2012 and covers about 106 square kilometers in Hengqin (Montanha Island), adjacent to Macau.
China established Macau as a platform to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries in 2003, the same year it created the Macau Forum, which includes China and the nine Lusophone nations: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste, and, since 2022, Equatorial Guinea.
Exports from Portuguese-speaking countries to China fell by 11.3% to 86.6 billion USD in the first eight months of the year, according to official data.
Source: Diário Económico
