Beijing, Macao focus on tourism, trade services

Emerging enterprises in cultural and creative industries and trade services show promising potential for cooperation between Beijing and Macao.

This is the message from the Second Beijing Macao Cooperation and Exchange Symposium, which started on Wednesday in the special administrative region. Companies from Beijing and Macao signed 11 contracts worth 4.14 billion yuan ($674.8 million) at the event this year, an increase of more than 60 percent over last year's event.

Macao Chief Executive Chui Sai-on said at the opening ceremony that Macao will build itself into a world tourism and leisure center, as well as a regional business and trade service platform for Portuguese-speaking countries.

Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun said the capital city "would like to use the platform of Macao and extend its influences to Portuguese-speaking countries and regions".

He added that Beijing will promote economic and trade cooperation with Macao.

Wang said that both sides will broaden exchanges in such sectors as service trade, the cultural and creative industry, technology and tourism.

Lian Zhaotong, a professor of business information systems at the University of Macao, said that by working with Beijing, Macao can bring its products, together with those from Portuguese-speaking countries, to Beijing and then to other Chinese cities.

He expressed hope that Beijing can take full advantage of Macao as a gateway to overseas markets, given Macao's flexible policies, international connections and financing channels.

Beijing is a major economic partner of Macao. In 2012, their trade reached $350 million, up 22 percent from 2011.

From January to May, Macao registered 11.8 million tourist arrivals, a 3 percent year-on-year increase. Total revenue of the Macao government increased by 20 percent to the equivalent of 47 billion yuan.

Jackson Chang, president of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, said service industries such as conventions and exhibitions, driven by the gaming and tourism industries, have seen rapid development in recent years.

In 2012, 28 million tourists visited Macao, and this year the number is expected to reach 30 million. The steady flow of tourists has helped expand the retail and conferences and exhibitions industries in Macao.

In the past two years, more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions have taken place in Macao, covering areas such as environmental protection, hotel supplies and franchising.

The Beijing Macao Cooperation and Exchange Symposium began in 2012 in Beijing, during which 16 contracts worth 2.57 billion yuan were signed between 32 enterprises from both sides. Among them, 13 projects focus on cultural and creative industries.