The Macau Delegation of the Portugal-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCILC-Macau) held a Welcome Dinner for the Portuguese Ambassador to Beijing, José Augusto Duarte, on 19 October 2020 at Fado Restaurant in Hotel Royal.

Bernie Leong, President of the Board of Directors of CCILC-Macau, welcomed the Portuguese Ambassador to Beijing’s visit in Macau and expressed that it was a great opportunity for the Chamber to have exchanges with the Ambassador, to promote the economic development between China and Portugal, using Macau SAR as a platform. 

João Marques da Cruz, President of the Portugal-China Chamber of Commerce (CCILC), who is in Portugal and could not be present at the dinner due to the current pandemic situation, took the chance to share his remarks by saying that “Economic, financial and demographic growth reinforced Macau´s role as a financial and commercial platform essential for trade between Portugal and China, a place for excellent relationship between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and an active bridge for major projects. CCILC wants to be present in all relevant moments and give its contribution. CCILC head office and its delegation in Macau can play an important role to explore new opportunities and to support Portuguese companies.”

José Augusto Duarte, the Portuguese Ambassador to Beijing, thanked for the invitation and he took the opportunity to praise the active work that the Macau Delegation of CCILC has been developing in strengthening economic and trade relations between Portugal and China. He said “It was not a coincidence that the first meeting here in Macau was precisely with CCILC. Macau has this historical and cultural legacy that has fostered the good relations between the two countries, making Macau an excellent platform for communication and understanding”. He also stressed that this is an opportunity to listen to the community that resides here, how they have lived in the current context, the challenges that lie ahead, what concerns them, in order to enrich his work in this way.

Guests who also attended the dinner included Paulo Cunha Alves, Consul General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong; Maria Carolina Lousinha, Vice-Consul of Portugal for Economic and Commercial Affairs; João Martins de Carvalho, Minister Counselor of the Embassy of Portugal to Beijing; and Hélder Carvalho Joana, Political Counselor of the Embassy of Portugal to Beijing. Other CCILC-Macau representatives included Rui Pedro Cunha, Director and General Manager – C&C Advogados; Carlos Álvares, Chief Executive Officer – Banco Nacional Ultramarino S.A.; Frederico Rato, Lawyer (Founding Partner) – Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés – Advogados; Filipe Cunha Santos, Chairman – InMedia Asia Ltd.; Artur Santos, Executive Director – Well Link Bank; Constantino Mousinho, Deputy General Manager – Banco Comercial Português, S.A. Macau Branch; Li Jie, Director of Portugal Office – Perfeição Companhia Lda.; and Julia Herold, DSL Lawyer.