[Empowering the “1+4” Industries] 153 Investment Projects Assisted by Trade Promotion Department in the First Half of the Year, Exceeding Last Year’s Annual Investment Amount

MACAU, July 17 - In the first half of 2024, the Investor’s “One-stop Service” provided by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (renamed as Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute on 1 July) received 199 new investment proposals, of which 153 were assisted. According to the investors, the assisted proposals created 817 jobs and involved investments amounting to MOP 1.32 billion, reflecting investors’ confidence in Macao’s business environment and development prospects. The amount of investment in the first half of 2024 has exceeded the annual figure of 2023. Among the assisted investment proposals, 66 proposals were related to the “1+4” industries, accounting for more than 40%, providing new impetus for the development of key emerging industries in Macao.

The Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) commenced operation in July and is committed to further develop its functions in three major areas: investment promotion, MICE, and China-PSC business services. In the second half of 2024, IPIM will focus on the following tasks: visiting enterprises in the nine cities in the Greater Bay Area, introducing high-quality MICE events to be held in Macao, and organising delegations to visit Portuguese-speaking countries. Efforts will also be made to promote the work in pro-active investment promotion, attracting investments through exhibitions, and co-operative investment promotion.

MICE Events Held in the First Half of the Year Attracted Over 170,000 Visitors, Leveraging MICE Advantages and China-PSC Platform Positioning

Following the successful holding of the “Sixth Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao)”, trade promotion departments organised entrepreneur delegations or sent personnel to three Portuguese-speaking Countries (Portugal, Brazil, and Timor-Leste) in late April, to attend local MICE events and to conduct business exchanges. At the same time, IPIM assisted 79 enterprises or institutions from mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries with the “China-PSC Business Compass” service for 130 times, involving areas including wine trade, photovoltaic and water purification project investment in PSCs, business expansion in Macao and Hengqin, and agricultural product market exploration in PSCs.

In addition, IPIM hosted/co-ordinated two large MICE events in the first half of 2024, namely, the 2024 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2024MIECF) and the 15^th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (15IIICF). During this period of time, over 650 business talks were facilitated, and 80 project contracts were signed. In addition, four multi-venue events were held, attracting about 140 participants. According to the information of IPIM’s “One-stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support, 136 conventions and exhibitions were followed up, with themes on areas including  finance, big health, technology, tourism, and sports, of which 46 events were held in the first half of the year, attracting more than 170,000 visitors.

Mechanisms Including the “1+4” Investment Task Force and the “Prior Technical Meeting” for the Co-operation Zone Are Implemented to Optimise Investment Promotion

In the second half of 2024, IPIM will continue to attract investment projects to Macao through a variety of support services for the investors. Among them, the “1+4” investment task force has been formulated with the integrated tourism and leisure enterprises, government departments related to the major industries, and the industry-academia-research circles to jointly explore and attract “1+4” investment projects through the Investor’s “One-Stop Service”. In co-operation with five relevant government departments of the Co-operation Zone, IPIM has launched the Prior Technical Meetings mechanism to attract more high-quality projects to be invested in Macao and Hengqin. Through the mechanism, IPIM provides investors with the “one-to-one” or “one-to-many” online consultation service in Macao on the technical or administrative procedures that may arise during the investing process. In addition, professional advices are also offered for the enterprises to expand their business by making good use of the Macao-Hengqin industry layout.

In addition, regional co-operation will be strengthened in the second half of the year, including upgrading the “Facilitation Services for Commercial Registration in Nine Cities of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” and holding a seminar on the facilitation services; organising Macao entrepreneurs to conduct business exchanges in Guangdong Province; and visiting medical equipment and e-commerce companies in Shenzhen and Guangzhou in co-operation with relevant departments of the Co-operation Zone, to publicise Macao-Hengqin business advantages and help companies explore market opportunities in Macao-Hengqin, the Greater Bay Area and even the international market.

Many Large MICE Events and International Professional Conferences to be Held in Macao in the Second Half of the Year

In the second half of 2024, IPIM will continue to hold a number of large conventions and exhibitions, including the “2024 Guangdong and Macao Branded Products Fair” in July and the “2024 Global Legal & Sustainable Timber Forum” in September, the “29^th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair” (29MIF) and the “2024 Macao Franchise Expo” (2024MFE) in October. The “1+4” themed matching sessions will be organised by IPIM during MIF. At the same time, IPIM will also participate in the roadshows in Asia organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office, and will continue to guide the local MICE industry to participate in international MICE associations and international MICE events, to enhance the integrated “Tourism + MICE” development. In the second half of the year, IPIM will also co-operate with the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), local higher education institutions and local MICE industry to launch professional MICE training courses, including three certified international professional MICE courses and a number of MICE practical training courses, in order to improve the skills of Macao MICE practitioners, to promote the transformation of local labour force into the MICE industry and to gather skilled talents for the industry.

In order to attract more international professional conferences to Macao in the second half of the year, the “MICE Bidding and Support Team”, composed of IPIM, the local MICE associations and the six integrated tourism and leisure enterprises, will continue to promote the “International Professional Conference Subsidy Matching Initiative”. In addition, by making good use of the “Macao Convention Ambassadors” programme, the professional strengths and social influence of these Conference Ambassadors will be leveraged to attract more high-quality professional conferences to Macao, leading to the strengthened international and professional development of Macao’s MICE industry. At the same time, IPIM will continue to participate in domestic and overseas MICE activities under the brand “MICE² Macao x Hengqin”, and to promote the implementation of the new “Multi-venue Event” pattern.

Promoting China-PSC Trade and Investment Co-operation by Giving Full Play to the China-PSC Platform’s Function

Under the framework of the Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation (2024-2027) signed at the 6^th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao, the co-operation and exchanges in trade and investment between China and Portuguese-speaking countries will be strengthened, and IPIM will hold a number of B2B and B2C projects in the second half of the year.

In the second half of July, IPIM will organise a delegation to attend the “Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” in Angola and will then go to Mozambique to conduct business exchanges. A 40-member delegation involving Macao-Hengqin and mainland enterprises will be organised. And IPIM has received business matching intentions of companies from industries such as finance, biotechnology, information technology, infrastructure, and trade. In the third quarter of this year, the “Portuguese-Speaking Countries Business Opportunities Series” promotion conference will be held in Macao, where representatives from Portuguese-speaking countries of the Forum Macao will be invited to introduce their investment environment, privileged industries and signature products. And some entrepreneurs will be invited to share their business operation experiences in Portuguese-speaking countries. The live streaming sales will be held at the Pavilion of China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform in the China-PSCs Complex to promote and sell products from Portuguese-speaking countries. In alignment with the Economic and Trade Co-operation and Human Resources Portal between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, a physical sales area will be set up to allow visitors to have a deeper understanding of the products from Portuguese-speaking countries. It also provides an offline sales platform for those product suppliers. In addition, it is also planned to hold the “Let’s Hang Out – Lusophone and Macao Products Bazaar” in Hengqin in the fourth quarter of this year, to continue to promote products from Portuguese-speaking countries to the Co-operation Zone, and to expand the market for the related enterprises.