On 23 August 2010, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Hong Kong SAR and the Macau-Thai Chamber of Commerce invited a group of Macao businessmen led by Mr. Lino Ho Weng Cheong, President of the Macao-Thai Chamber of Commerce, to pay a courtesy call on Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during their visit to Thailand to enhance their business opportunity with their Thai counterparts.
Foreign Minister Kasit stated that Thailand is an open society in every aspect, from politics, economic to social. Thailand also attaches importance to good governance, transparency and accountability of different sectors in the country. In this regard, Foreign Minister Kasit reassured the Macao businessmen of investing in the Kingdom and invited them to increase their investment in the food processing industry because the Thai agricultural products, especially rice and fruits, are popular among the people of Macao.
The President of the Macao-Thai Chamber of Commerce stated that, due to its small size, Macao emphasized strengthening its economic relations with other countries. Macao has the potential to be a base for distribution of Thai products to the Community of Portuguese Language Countries*. The group was also interested in seeking investment opportunities in Thailand in the food processing industry and spa business. In addition, the group had extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Kasit to attend the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair 2010 in October this year.
Thailand and Macao maintain their economic cooperation in trade, labour and tourism sectors. In 2009, the trade volume between both sides amounted to 20.79 million USD. The Macao-Thai Chamber of Commerce was established in early 2010, under the leadership of President Lino Ho Weng Cheong, to promote trade and economic interest of its members in Thailand and Macao as well as to coordinate government-to-government trade.
- The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLC) consists of 8 countries; Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe, and Timor-Leste, and 3 observers; Mauritius, Senegal, and Equatorial Guinea (Macao is applying for a membership).
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th