Official visit ‘just the beginning’ for Macau-Taiwan relations

‘If the Macau bureau in Taiwan were to open as soon as possible it would be very welcome,’ the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in MSAR Lo Muh Kuen said

Secretary Cheong U’s visit to Taiwan, which begins today, is “just the beginning” of improved diplomatic relations between the two territories, according to the director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in MSAR Lo Muh Kuen.
The Director also told Macau Daily Times that there are “no barriers” to the opening of a Macau representative office in Taiwan.
From today to Monday, secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U will head a local delegation of 100 people on the first official visit from a local top-officer to Taiwan since 1999. Until now, Lo admitted, the relations between the two territories were mostly restricted to private economic exchanges.
As such, Cheong U’s visit, aimed at improving trade and cultural links, is “very welcome,” the Taipei Centre head said. “We hope it’s just the beginning of more relations in the future. I’m sure they will be better and better from now on.”
One issue off the agenda is the establishment of a Macau representative office in Taiwan. However, a week ago, during a visit to Taipei of the head of the Chief Executive Office Alexis Tam, the vice president of the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council, Kao Charng, and the chairman of the quasi-official Strait Exchange Foundation, Chiang Pin-kung, gave their support to the project.
Lo Muh Kuen is confident the Macau office will be a reality before long. “We have reached a conclusion and sent the proposal to the Mainland Affairs Council.” Politically, he stressed, there are “no barriers”.
“If the bureau were to open as soon as possible it would be very welcome,” Lo said.
For instance, an office in Taiwan would “better serve” the Macau students currently learning in local universities, Alexis Tam said. Lo Muh Kuen revealed that the number of high school graduates heading to the island has been growing consecutively since 2004. In the last academic year, a record high 1,470 Macau students joined Taiwan universities, taking the total number to more than 3,900.

Trade relations ‘not very high’

Macau and Hong Kong residents are already able to apply for free of charge Taiwan visas online, Lo confirmed. The change was made with the Taiwan International Flora Expo in mind but it will be permanent. The aim is to “facilitate the procedures” for visitors to Taipei, he explained.
To strengthen tourist flows between Macau and the island is one of the goals of secretary Cheong U’s visit. The MSAR has long been more than just a stop over for flights to the Mainland, Lo Muh Kuen said, as the Taiwan visitors’ duration of stay has increased. Lo was only nominated as head of the local Taipei Centre last February but he assures Macau’s “many efforts” to attract tourists from Taiwan are working and the territory’s cultural heritage usually leaves a “great impression”.
The travel industry is definitely one area in which the economic flow between Macau and the island can improve, Lo emphasised. The trade relations “are not very high,” he acknowledged, around USD 400 million (MOP 3.2 billion) – a far cry from the USD 30-billion (MOP 240 billion) link to Hong Kong.
Another area ready for cooperation is the Chinese traditional medicine, Lo confirmed. Last week Alexis Tam met with several Taiwanese experts who were “eager” to join in the development of the Hengqin Island Chinese Traditional Medicine Scientific and Industrial Park.
Lo Muh Kuen believes Taiwan could reap “some benefits” from this new project. “We hope it will be successful and our experts can provide a lot of information. When it starts operating, I’m sure it will be very useful to our scholars.”
Taipei is also willing to “give a lot of assistance” to Macau’s bet on creative industries, he said, especially on the regulation the island approved to promote this sector. “The only idea people on the outside have of Macau is the gaming. If they can strengthen the cultural industries, it will be very useful to diversify the economy.”