The first official visit of the Chief Executive of Macau, Ho Iat Seng, outside China, is to Portugal, in April. This choice is being viewed with special relevance at the political level, since the scenario caused by the pandemic crisis has frozen political contacts across borders.
According to Comunidades magazine, “the trip is being intensively prepared by diplomatic channels on both sides, as is traditional in these cases, not least because in Portugal, foreign policy has dual competency. The direct involvement of the Presidency of the Republic in this visit is confirmed, which means that Ho Iat Seng will be received by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa”. The Prime Minister, António Costa, the third highest figure in the State, is also confirmed as one of the hosts of the visit.
Within the “already busy” agenda of Macau’s Chief Executive, every effort is being made to receive him by the three biggest names in the protocol of State of the Portuguese Republic. This reception in Lisbon will be on a par with that of a Head of State, with formalities far superior to those of a leader of a Special Autonomous Region. “Clearly, a formal agenda at the highest level by Portugal, which grants Ho Iat Seng treatment well above his political status.”
João Gomes Cravinho, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will also receive the Macau Chief Executive, although, in this case, the concrete date is an unknown, since it will have to be added to an agenda that is starting to become quite full.
Rui Moreira, Mayor of Oporto, has also shown interest in receiving Ho Iat Seng in the city. However, no details of this visit have been confirmed yet. “But it is a fact that Rui Moreira gave special attention to Porto’s twinning with Macau, a figure that is rarely explored by Portuguese cities. This relationship was nurtured by the government of Chui Sai On, who went to Portonaquela what was the last mission of a leader of the Macau Special Administrative Region (Macau SAR) in Portugal, with particular commitment in the following years by Alexis Tam – first as head of cabinet; then as secretary for Social Affairs, Education and Culture of the previous Chief Executive,” mentions the Communities.
The same media outlet also said that the visit by Macau’s Chief Executive to Portugal was aimed at “the importance of the Portuguese language and culture as a differentiating factor and a competitive advantage of Macau in relation to other regions of China.
This visit could be pivotal in strengthening Portugal-China bilateral relations. Alexandre Leitão, Portugal’s consul-general in Macau, stressed that the choice of Portugal as the first destination for an official trip by Ho Iat Seng outside China, “is a very symbolic gesture, but very clear. He continued, stressing that “the Chief Executive made a point of saying that it is not by chance and that it is not just because it is a tradition. It is clearly a desire to give a sign of the excellence of the relations between Portugal and the People’s Republic of China, hence the importance that Portugal has for Macau and that Macau has for Portugal. This is an importance that Ho Iat Seng would naturally like to see revalued and reasserted by the competent Portuguese authorities who will receive him at the highest level.
In the opinion of Alexandre Leitão, underlined by Ho Iat Seng, the visit to Portugal may be “an important moment to clarify – to those who may have doubts, and we did not have them – that the Macau SAR Government has a clear notion of the importance of Portugal, of the language, of culture and of the Portuguese community here and intends to give it due value”. “This is how I interpreted his words,” said the diplomat.
This agenda, although not confirmed by the Macau and Portuguese authorities, is being interpreted in Macau as a “very strong” political signal from the Macau and Chinese governments, to strengthen diplomatic relations with Portugal and the very concept of Macau as a Lusophone platform.
In Lisbon the visit is being seen in the same way, “given the long interruption in direct relations caused by Macau’s isolation,” during the Covid-zero policy period, which coincided with the mandate of the current Chief Executive.
“We hope that Macau and China understand the signal that Lisbon is giving,” which is essentially “a sign of goodwill and a bet on the future; and not exactly with what has happened recently,” a Portuguese source told the same publication. Another source involved in the process said, “this is a clear response from Portugal to the relationship it wants to have with Macau, at a time when the political environment in Europe and its Atlantic Alliance is creating blockages,” in terms of relations with China. It is also hoped that Portugal and Macau can temporarily be a channel for dialogue between Brussels and Beijing, drawing from this opportunities for local businesses and economies with lasting effects.
“Macau is a privileged gateway for Lusophone entrepreneurs”
Established in the Macau Special Administrative Region since 1985, Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés – Advogados | Lektou opened its first office in Portugal in 2017. Pedro Cortés, Managing Partner of Lektou, gave the Magazine an overview of the firm’s presence in Portugal, Lektou’s work in creating synergies between the Portuguese and Chinese markets and also analysed the bilateral relations between Portugal and Macau.
Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés – Advogados I Lektou is a leading law firm in the Macau Special Administrative Region and beyond. Let’s begin our conversation by getting to know the Lektou “universe” a little better and what are the values that have guided it over the decades?
With almost four decades of existence in the Macau Special Administrative Region and more recently with the opening of offices in Portugal and Mainland China, we try to maintain the mission of our founders, the late Dr. Francisco Gonçalves Pereira and Dr. Frederico Rato: to provide excellent legal services to our clients. We believe that the solid academic profile of all our team combined with their long experience and full integration in Macau and in the jurisdictions where we are present are the guarantee of the quality of the services we provide. We are guided by values such as rigour, excellence and knowledge. We aim to offer our collaborators the best conditions so that they can acquire knowledge and progress in their professional careers, fulfilling themselves in this area and also in their personal lives.
In 2017, Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés established a law firm in Portugal – Rato & Cortés, Sociedade de Adovagos, SP, RL. What motivated this expansion to Portugal and how this expansion now represents an important platform between the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Portuguese-speaking countries and the European Union?
It should be noted that Lektou was the first law firm in Macao to include native Chinese-speaking partners, which proved to be a wise move. We were also the first Macau office to venture into Portuguese jurisdiction in our own right. We aim to be different from what is already offered in the market, providing legal services to clients from the PRC, including its Special Administrative Regions, as well as clients from the Portuguese-speaking area in the PRC, where we have offices in Zhuhai, more specifically in the Deepened Cooperation Zone between Guangdong Province and Macao on Hengqin Island, and also in QianHai, in Shenzhen, next to Hong Kong. We also end up being a vehicle for promoting Portugal in many provinces and cities on the Chinese mainland and we are happy to contribute, as far as we can, to closer relations between Portuguese and Chinese companies in all the jurisdictions in which we are present.
Lektou is positioned as one of the leading law firms in the Greater Bay Area and Macau. Tell us a little more about Lektou’s contribution to the creation and development of this integrated economic area?
We realise that the Greater Bay Area signifies a great opportunity. Three of our Macau partners are already qualified to provide full legal services in the area, which comprises the two Special Administrative Regions – Macau and Hong Kong – and nine municipalities of Guangzhou Province: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing. The Greater Bay Area is a national priority economic, social and cultural development project of the Central Government approved in the 13th Five-Year Plan. With a total area of approximately 56,000 square kilometres 72 million people, the Central Government hopes it can achieve a GDP of US$4.62 trillion by 2030. Our strategy aims to assert our office in the Greater Bay Area, never forgetting Macau’s role as a Sino-Lusophone platform. How is this possible? By creating synergies between the Chinese market and Lusophone markets, in a dynamic triangular perspective, with the aim of serving as a bridge based in Macau and originating in the PRC and Lusophone markets.
For several years, economic relations with China were slim and entirely channelled through Macao. Do you consider that Macao is still a relevant factor in the rapprochement between the two countries?
Macao is an essential factor in relations between China and Portugal. What I think is that Portuguese leaders, and consequently our businessmen, often take no responsibility for Macau. I do not know whether this is due to ignorance or a guilty conscience. Fortunately, it seems to me that some of the members of the government team at the Portuguese Foreign Affairs Ministry are very aware of what Macau is and of the role it can play. Let us hope that this continues to be the case and that this knowledge bears fruit. Furthermore, on China’s part, and despite the last three years of some (physical) isolation, the truth is that the discourse and the actions have valued and continue to value Macau’s role in its relationship with Portugal. Examples of this are the excellent initiatives of the Chinese Embassy in Portugal and the visit of the Chief Executive of the Macau SAR to Portugal, the first outside the country since the pandemic. This is a strong sign that they are counting on the Portuguese-speaking countries and, in particular, on Portugal to make this platform a reality. Under very difficult conditions, the truth is that business initiatives have always remained strong and here I would like to applaud in particular the Macau Economic and Trade Delegation in Lisbon and the Luso-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry which have been tireless in promoting commercial and cultural relations.
The Macao government authorities have already shown interest in implementing development strategies for the appropriate diversification of the economy. In your opinion, in terms of business opportunities, Macao could be an interesting market for which areas of investment?
Macao has always been and continues to be a land of opportunities. The entertainment and tourism industries, as well as the financial and high-tech industries, I think will have great opportunities in the near future. Macao aims to become a world centre for tourism. And if there is one thing that I can guarantee you is that in China and in Macau, in particular, when something is wanted, sooner or later, with the commitment of the people and of all the agents, it ends up happening.
Official data shows that Portuguese investment in new companies in Macau almost tripled at the end of 2021 and that during that year investors from Portuguese-speaking countries established 22 new companies in Macau. What are the main attractions that today lead to investment in this territory?
First and foremost, a legal regime similar to that which entrepreneurs find in Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions. Low taxation is also something that can lead entrepreneurs to invest. Above all this, Macau is a privileged gateway for Portuguese-speaking businesspeople to enter the large Chinese market. But more than the financial return: the exchange of experiences and the multiculturalism will certainly be important factors for these organisations.
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE MACAO SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (MACAO SAR), HO IAT SENG, WILL VISIT PORTUGAL IN THE THIRD WEEK OF APRIL. THE TRIP IS BEING VIEWED WITH GREAT RELEVANCE BY THE PORTUGUESE AUTHORITIES, GIVEN THE HISTORY THAT UNITES MACAO WITH PORTUGAL, THE FACT THAT IT IS THE FIRST TIME THE HEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ABROAD, AND PERHAPS BECAUSE IT IS A PRIVILEGED CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION WITH BEIJING. IT IS LIKELY THAT BEIJING WILL ATTACH SIMILAR IMPORTANCE TO THE VISIT, AS INDICATED BY THE “COURTESY VISIT” THAT HO IAT SENG WILL PAY TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN BRUSSELS.
The political leader will be accompanied by a business and media delegation, hoping to promote cooperation and exchanges in the areas of Portuguese language teaching, science and technology, pharmaceuticals and the maritime economy. On the Portuguese side, the current importance given to China and Macau is also appreciable, where AICEP has four offices and Portuguese diplomacy is present with the same number of representations between the Embassy in Beijing, Consulates-General in Macau, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and also the office of the Honorary Consulate of Portugal in Hong Kong. We also have a relevant Portuguese Tourism office and participation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, as well as a Delegate in the Permanent Secretariat of the Macau Forum. Portugal’s competitiveness and several complex external challenges are also at stake in this enormous country and the second largest economy in the world.
One of the topics on the agenda will certainly be the Greater Bay Area (GBA). As this concept is still unknown to the general public in Portugal, it is important to clarify that it is a Beijing project to create a global metropolis that includes the administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong plus nine cities in Guangzhou province, with a total of 80 million inhabitants and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over 1,500 billion euros, similar to the GDP of Australia, Indonesia and Mexico, countries that make up the G20. The plan to create the GBA began to be mentioned in 2017, and was explained in an official document for the first time in 2019, where the concepts of how to transform the eleven cities into a global economic powerhouse are detailed. The project aims to encourage the governments of Macau, Hong Kong and Guangzhou to strengthen communication and cooperation with each other and promote the idea of cross-border collaboration. Macao, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are the main cities and central engines of the GBA to lead regional development and reform, as well as driving forces for innovation and economy. The transformation processes and scale of the economies concerned will inevitably create many business opportunities. This is why the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCILC), together with the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Portugal-Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and Industry have joined forces to organise a business mission to the GBA, which will take place from 4 to 9 June.
Founded in 1978, the CCILC was a catalyst for the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Portugal and the People’s Republic of China, in 1979, and the first private institution to help develop economic and trade relations between the two countries, namely through its pioneering presence in Macau with the establishment of a delegation in 1992. Today, CCILC is an unequivocal reflection of the excellent bilateral relationship, with the main industrial and financial groups in the Luso-Chinese universe featuring on its governing bodies. It is precisely in this context that the year 2023 acquires particular relevance. In addition to the 45th anniversary of the CCILC, it will also mark the 510th anniversary of Jorge Álvares’ arrival in China, the 10th anniversary of the announcement of the Silk Road initiative and the 20th anniversary of Forum Macau. All this when China put an end to the restrictions of the pandemic and reactivated economic activity. Macao and Portugal can play a decisive role in China’s cooperation and dialogue with Europe. From the economic and business point of view, that role will certainly include GBA and Macau. Welcome to Portugal Mr Ho Iat Seng!
Mr. Bernardo Mendia Secretary-General of the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCILC).
Quinta da Marmeleira: The wine that speaks Portuguese and Chinese
Portugal and Macau are, historically, two countries with great commercial proximity, due to the traditional friendship that has developed between them. Quinta da Marmeleira is a fine example of a company that establishes a very direct commercial bridge between Portugal and Macau, being a brand with Portuguese production and managed by the Chinese entrepreneur from Macau, Wu Zhiwei.
Passionate about the beauty of the landscapes of Alenquer and with a dream of producing wines to match the most refined palates, Wu Zhiwei decided in 2013 to acquire Quinta da Marmeleira, a wine producing company, and embark on an ambitious long-term project, which aims to create an international reference brand in wines and hospitality, which Wu Zhiwei intends to leave to his descendants. Furthermore, it is also a project with systemic benefits, i.e. an investment that in addition to focusing on the improvement and internationalisation of wines, also focuses on preserving and enriching the landscape harmony that can be found in Alenquer.
Wu Zhiwei’s choice of Portugal, more specifically Alenquer, to create the wine company of his dreams, was mainly due to the long history of trade relations between Portugal and Macau. In addition, the hardworking nature of the people of the region, but also the friendliness and hospitality of the Portuguese people early on became one of the reasons for investing in the Portuguese origin brand. In this sense, the workers are also part of the Quinta da Marmeleira family.
QUINTA DA MARMELEIRA PRODUCES WINES OF DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS AND GRAPE VARIETIES AND IS ALREADY AN INTERNATIONAL REFERENCE IN THE SECTOR.
In 2018, Wu Zhiwei’s dream began to come true, when the first bottles of wine produced by Quinta da Marmeleira began to be marketed. Currently, Marmeleira wines mark their presence on the shelves of major supermarkets through four distinct brands: Chamelaria (red wine made from aragonês, cabernet sauvignon and castelão grape varieties), Chamelaria Reserva (aged in wooden barrels), Amplo red (aragonês, castelão, syrah and touriga nacional – a soft wine with red fruit notes) and Pugnaz (from the selection of the estate’s best grapes and combines Portugal’s ambassador variety – touriga nacional – with syrah and alicante bouschet). There are also plans to launch another top variety, Etymon, which will only be presented under exceptional circumstances, just like Barca Velha do Douro, Portugal’s most exclusive red wine. Regarding the bottling of its own wine, the company made the decision to wait until it was certain of having a wine with a 20 to 30 year cellaring potential.
SINCE WU ZHIWEI JOINED QUINTA DA MARMELEIRA, THE WINE BRAND HAS BECOME MORE SUCCESSFUL.
The Macao businessman’s investment gave Quinta da Marmeleira better conditions for the production of quality wines. For example, new vines were planted, a study was carried out on the placement of the vines according to elevation, types of soil and solar exposure, in order to obtain a yield of excellence, and new land was acquired, which allows production to be scaled and therefore profitable. Added to this, extensive marketing work was also carried out, as China is the main export market and it is necessary to carry out an oenological study on the characteristics most appreciated in wine by the Chinese.
At the same time, the first steps are already being taken to build a new winery, a project that combines elements of traditional Portuguese architecture, namely in the windows and roof of the building, with other more modern elements. The winery will have three floors and a total internal area of over 40,000 square metres, and will be an important pillar in the creation of higher quality wines.
THE ALENQUER COMPANY IS AN EXEMPLARY CASE OF A BRAND WHICH IS CAPABLE OF SOLIDIFYING THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND MACAU.
Quinta da Marmeleira is, therefore, an international and multicultural company, a project which helps to create a very direct bridge between Portugal and Macao. Today, this wine brand is an important driving force in the region’s economy and employment, employing several locals, from gardeners to agricultural workers, horse handlers and drivers. The excellent work done by Quinta da Marmeleira’s professionals, as well as the remarkable improvements made possible by Wu Zhiwei’s capital investment and innovative project, mean that the winery is already a highly regarded wine in the Macao market. Today, it is already possible to find Marmeleira wines on the wine list of the most exclusive restaurants in the region. On the sidelines of the Shanghai International Export Fair in 2019, Marmeleira has entered into a strategic partnership with Chinese state-owned distributor Nam Kwong, which will increase the entry of Portuguese wines into mainland China.
In the first half of this year, Macao Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng will pay his first official visit to a foreign country, having chosen Portugal as the first country to visit, demonstrating the traditional friendship between China and Portugal. The co-operation between the two countries has broad prospects in many areas, and the mutual fusion of Chinese and western culture of hundreds of years between Macao and Portugal will bring better results for both nations. At the same time, the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) will lead a business delegation to Portugal to promote trade and business cooperation between Macau and Portugal. Thus, the success of Marmeleira wines is a good argument to corroborate the relations between countries and encourage new projects to be made between the nations.