Macau a perfect spot for business: Taiwan official

Taiwan's Macau representative said yesterday that Taiwan should use Macau as a base to establish relations with Portuguese-speaking countries.

Tsai Jy-jon (蔡之中), director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Macau, said yesterday that the Macau special district government wants to persuade Portuguese-speaking countries to establish trade and commercial centers in Macau.

"Under these circumstances, Taiwan should consider reaching out to related countries through this platform in Macau."

Tsai added that although Macau was handed over to China in 1999, the area focuses much more on economics rather than politics.

Tsai's remarks were made in a briefing to visiting Taiwanese reporters.

Expressing a similar view, a top official with Macau's Consumer Council, Wong Hon-neng (黃翰寧), said residents of Macau hope to attract foreign investment -- including Taiwan investment -- to help boost Macau's economy.

"Macau has long been well known for gambling. However, what we wish to be known for is as a platform for small- and medium-size enterprises," said Lao Pun-lap (劉本立), a senior manager for Macau's External Cooperation and Marketing Department.

In addition, to further strengthen relations between Taiwan and Macau, Tsai said the center has been trying to convince the Macau government to permit Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to visit the area.

"We will not rule out the possibility. We want our leading mainland policy makers to have first-hand knowledge of the special district," said Tsai Jy-jon.

Taiwan's political appointees and high-ranking government officials have found it difficult to obtain visas to visit Hong Kong and Macau since their transfer to China.

Answering questions regarding the center's interaction with the newly established Macau branch of China's Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS, 海協會), Tsai Jy-jon said that the center doesn't communicate with the association.

"Our mission here is to establish relations with the Macau government, not the ARATS," he added.

According to his observation, the ARATS Macau branch has kept a low profile since it was set up earlier this year.