Timor-Leste’s diplomat Danilo Lemos Henriques will assume the position of Deputy Secretary General of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Forum Macau) starting from March 1, public broadcaster TDM Radio Macau reported, citing sources.

Mr. Henriques served as Timor-Leste’s delegate to the Forum between 2014 and 2023. He will replace Paulo Espírito Santo, a diplomat from São Tomé and Príncipe, appointed by the Forum’s Portuguese-Speaking Countries (PSC).

Established in 2003 under the umbrella of China’s Ministry of Commerce, the Forum brings together China and the nine Portuguese-speaking countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.

The Forum is led by Secretary General (SG) Ji Xianzheng, appointed by Beijing

In addition to a deputy SG appointed by the PSC, another two deputy SGs serve in the Forum’s Permanent Secretariat: Casimiro Pinto on behalf of Macau and Xie Ying appointed by China.

The sixth ministerial conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Forum Macau) is set to take place in Macau in April, after suffering several days.

Initially planned for the last quarter of 2019, it was later postponed a year earlier to avoid coinciding with high-level events in Macau, such as the Chief Executive election in August 2019 and the subsequent inauguration ceremony in December of the same year. A similar postponement occurred in 2009.

Subsequently, the global pandemic further delayed the scheduling of the meeting. In April 2022, due to the ongoing pandemic, an extraordinary ministerial meeting was conducted in an online format.

The last ministerial conference, the fifth, took place in October 2016, with then-Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presiding over the opening ceremony. Heads of government from several Portuguese-speaking countries participated in the event.

Source: Macau Business