Macao encouraged to bolster relationship with neighbors

Macao should advance cooperation with other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to help build an eco-friendly region, said Sio Chi Wai, chairman of the Macao Development Strategy Research Center.

"Guangdong province and Macao have been cooperating on environmental issues since the 1990s… but we still need to solve some problems," he said. "Specifically, there are still systematic discrepancies among the GBA cities."

These are caused by the fact that Guangdong province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions each have their own legal systems, he explained during a video speech at the GBA Development Forum (Guangzhou) & Vision China event. "As a result, we can see that some laws are only applicable in a specific region."

He said a better cooperation mechanism is in the works to address this problem. "This will improve efficiency in terms of making policies and laws. At the same time, a supervision department will be set up to monitor the enforcement of such laws and evaluate results from time to time."

Sio also called for the establishment of a GBA cooperation and green development fund to leverage the area's existing advantages, as it contributes greatly to the national economy.

"With this fund, we can promote green label accreditation, provide incentives to the manufacturing industry and support the adoption of green, smart solutions," he said.

Meanwhile, Macao is looking to boost its development by implementing a Portuguese-speaking platform that will enable it to better communicate with Lusophone nations.

"Through the platform, we will be able to strengthen international cooperation and facilitate the interconnectivity of energy infrastructure with Portuguese-speaking countries," Sio said.

"We especially need to introduce carbon credit markets and green industries from Portugal, Portuguese-speaking countries and European countries to the GBA."

The chairman also spoke about the ways Guangzhou's commodities market could benefit from green efforts.

"Through the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, we can promote the liquidity of green commodities and futures," he said, adding that as one of the four core cities of the Greater Bay Area, Macao should play a strong role in green development.