During an official visit to Portugal in late April 2026, Sam Hou-fai, Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), has announced that both sides have agreed to leverage Macao’s unique positioning as a cross-regional platform to advance bilateral economic cooperation between China and Portugal to new heights. The visit, which launched in Lisbon on April 19, marked a key diplomatic engagement focused on strengthening historical ties and expanding multi-dimensional collaboration.
Over the course of his trip, Sam held one-on-one strategic meetings with top Portuguese leadership, including President Antonio Jose Seguro, Speaker of Parliament Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, and Supreme Court of Justice President Joao Cura Mariano. In these closed-door discussions, Sam delivered a detailed update on the successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” framework in Macao, highlighting how the policy has sustained the region’s social stability and long-term economic vitality over more than two decades since its handover.
In a press briefing concluding the visit, Sam emphasized the productive outcomes of the diplomatic trip, noting that it met core objectives of deepening mutual political understanding, reinforcing centuries-old traditional friendship between the two peoples, and laying the groundwork for expanded all-round cooperation across sectors. He expressed firm confidence that Macao’s distinct advantages as a bridging hub between Chinese-speaking markets and Portuguese-speaking countries will allow the region to make new, greater contributions to the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership.
For his part, President Seguro reaffirmed the solid foundation of bilateral ties between China and Portugal, noting the two nations established formal diplomatic relations in 1979 and upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2005. Over the decades, Seguro noted, the two countries have built consistently close, friendly relations marked by growing political mutual trust, regular high-level exchange, and productive collaboration across a broad spectrum of sectors. He also reaffirmed Portugal’s unwavering commitment to the one-China principle, adding that the country is eager to expand all-round cooperation with China in the coming years.
Beyond meetings with top national leaders, Sam’s schedule also included working discussions with multiple Portuguese cabinet ministers and a public presentation showcasing Macao’s decades of successful development under the “one country, two systems” framework. The engagement comes as Macao continues to expand its role as an official platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, opening new channels for trade, investment, and cultural exchange between the two sides.