Macau, China, March 19, 2026 (Lusa) - A member of the Macau parliament advocated on Thursday for the creation of a live streaming hub to promote e-commerce between China and Portuguese-and Spanish-speaking countries.
“This is the sector with the greatest growth potential” for the Chinese region, said Wong Ka Lon, an MP appointed by the Chief Executive and president and founder of the Macau Live Streaming Association.
“We need to establish a platform for short videos and live streaming in Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish and train local multilingual presenters,” said Wong, in parliament.
This platform could “support brands from mainland China in expanding into Portuguese-and Spanish-speaking markets, which have a combined population of over 700 million,” he said.
According to the most recent Annual Report on the Development of Internet Audio-Visual Services, as of December 2024, nearly 1.1 billion Chinese citizens had access to short-form video, with 98.4% identified as active users.
"The industry’s value exceeded 1.22 trillion yuan [€149 billion], driven by the consumption of short videos and live streaming", revealed the report, published by the Chinese authorities.
Wong Ka Lon further proposed the creation of a ‘Curadoria Macau’ label, “selecting quality products from the Greater Bay Area and Portuguese-speaking countries to boost bilateral digital trade”.
The Greater Bay Area is a Beijing-led project aimed at creating a global megalopolis integrating Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong Province, a region with approximately 86 million inhabitants and an economy exceeding €900 billion.
Another MP, Kou Kam Fai, director of Pui Ching Secondary School, called for the development of “bilingual talent in the economic and commercial sectors with an international perspective”.
Kou said that this focus would allow Macau’s youth to serve as a “super-intermediary” between mainland Chinese enterprises, “Portuguese-speaking countries, and international markets”.
However, MP Wong Kit said that the city must be more than just a “platform for mainland Chinese companies to expand overseas.” The vice-president of Macau's Women’s General Association further urged authorities to “facilitate the entry of companies from Portuguese-speaking countries”.
However, MP Si Ka Lon said that diversifying the territory’s economy beyond the casino sector will require an increased workforce at a time when the local population is beginning to age.
Official data shows that, at the end of last year, the elderly represented 15.4% of Macau’s population, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from 2024. In 2025, the city recorded 2,871 births, the lowest number in nearly 50 years.
Si Ka Lon argued for the expansion of talent recruitment programmes, including for doctoral graduates from local universities “whose research fields align with Macau’s strategic industries”.
VQ/MYAL // AYLS
Lusa
