On March 2, Minister Wang Zhigang of the Ministry of Science and Technology met with a delegation headed by Chief Executive Chui Sai On of the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR). The two sides discussed topics including strengthening science and technology exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and Macao and promoting STI development in Macao. 

Minister Wang Zhigang welcomed Chief Executive Chui Sai On for his first visit to the Ministry of Science and Technology and highly appreciated the great importance which the Macao SAR Government has attached to STI development and the measures to strengthen S&T cooperation between the mainland and Macao over the years. He pointed out that S&T development in Macao has its characteristics and highlights and that Macao??s S&T forces are bound to play a unique role in the overall S&T development in the country. In recent years, the Ministry of Science and Technology has coordinated and collaborated with the Macao SAR Government in steadily pushing forward various programs, which deepened the fruitful STI cooperation between the mainland and Macao. Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People?痵 Republic of China, the 20th anniversary of Macao??s return to the motherland and the start of the development of Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area, Minister Wang Zhigang remarked that it was a great pleasure to have the opportunity in such a special period to discuss with Chief Executive how to build on the past work to develop top-level design for S&T cooperation in the new era, give full play to the unique internationalization advantages of Macao, support the Macao SAR Government in pushing forward diversified and sustainable development through STI, participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and better integrate into the overall national development. 

Chief Executive Chui Sai On thanked Minister Wang Zhigang for his warm reception and continued support for Macao?痵 STI development. He stressed that the Macao SAR Government and the Ministry of Science and Technology have long developed sound cooperation at various levels and that the Ministry of Science and Technology has given Macao strong support in policy, capital, technology, talent and other aspects. He said that the release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area and the implementation of the International Science, Technology and Innovation Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Project will bring new opportunities and raise new requirements for Macao??s STI development. 

The two sides agreed that in order to better cooperate in the construction of the Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area and in the moderate, diversified and sustainable development of Macao?痵 economy, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Macao SAR Government should strengthen their top-level design for STI cooperation and further deepen the STI exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and Macao.

Accompanying in the meeting were Director-General Xu Jing of the Department of Strategic Planning, Director-General Zhang Xiaoyuan of the Department of Resource Allocation and Management, Director-General Ye Yujiang of the Department of Basic Research, Director-General Wu Yuanbin of the Department of Science and Technology for Social Development, Director-General Bao Xianhua of the Department of Research Commercialization and Regional Innovation, Deputy Director-General Gao Xiang of the Department of Overseas Intellectual Resources Cooperation, and Deputy Head Xu Jie of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the Ministry of Science and Technology, as well as Director General Lin Xin of the National Office for Science and Technology Awards, Director General Chen Jiachang of China Science and Technology Exchange Center, and Party Secretary Zhang Weixing of the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center.