Former Forum Macao leader stood out in Sino-Luso economic diplomacy – Delegates

The Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe Forum Macao delegates told Lusa that the former leader of that entity stood out in promoting Sino-Lusophone trade in the four years of his mandate.

“I highlight the promotion of trade and investment, as well as the promotion of industrial partnerships in our relationship with China,” the Cape Verde delegate at Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macao) stated.

“The level of exchange with Cape Verde has increased, some partnerships have been developed with Chinese provinces”, underlined Nuno Furtado.

The secretary-general of Forum Macao, Xu Yingzhen, ceased her functions and returned to Beijing on Sunday, the organization of economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries announced yesterday.

Nuno Furtado recalled the good results, over the four years of Xu Yingzhen’s mandate, in terms of the development of human resources, which meant, in practice, the training, “annually, of 50 Cape Verdean staff”.

In the same vein, the São Tomé and Príncipe delegate, Gika Simão, highlighted Xu Yingzhen’s preponderance and contribution to the increase in China/Macau trade with that African country.

Human skills, the ability to dialogue and the ability to work as a team were some of the qualities of Xu Yingzhen that the two delegates highlighted.

“As a diplomat, he knows how to manage conflicts very well, he knows how to make things happen. I miss you,” said Gika Simão, adding that the former secretary-general“ brought the Forum closer to Portuguese-speaking countries ”.

“The Forum did not visit countries on a permanent basis. With Xu, the Forum started to visit all countries [represented] once a year ”, he said.

China established the Macau SAR as a platform for economic and trade cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries in 2003, the year in which it created Forum Macau.

This Forum has a permanent secretariat, meets at the ministerial level every three years and includes, in addition to the general secretary and three assistant secretaries-general, eight delegates from Portuguese-speaking countries, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea- Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste.

Xu Yingzhen, who took office in July 2016, chaired “a series of events of great importance”, such as the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Macau Forum, “the celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the Creation of the Macau Forum” and also participated in the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Macau administration from Portugal to China, on December 20, 1999, recalled the Forum.

Xu Yingzhen started his duties at the same time that São Tomé and Príncipe joined the Forum, helping the country and creating conditions to be “on equal footing with the rest” members, stressed Gika Simão.

The Cape Verde delegate also emphasized the “work that was carried out in an environment of great cooperation and collaboration”.

“We had a secretary-general with competence, the capacity for dialogue and the ability to implement the measures set out in the action plans of the 5th interministerial conference” that took place in October 2016, said Nuno Furtado.

The deputy secretary-general of Forum Macao, Rodrigo Brum, highlighted, in declarations to Lusa, the “good, fruitful collaboration” that existed between the two.