Macau, China, April 16, 2026 (Lusa) — The head of Macau’s government, Sam Hou Fai, is set to meet with the leaders of Portugal’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches during an upcoming visit to the country, the government announced on Thursday.
Macau's Government Information Bureau (GCS) said that Sam Hou Fai would depart on Friday for what would be his first official overseas trip since taking office in December 2024.
The GCS confirmed that the trip would begin in Lisbon, followed by visits to Madrid, Geneva, and Brussels, before Sam Hou Fai, the first leader of the semi-autonomous Chinese region to be fluent in Portuguese, returns to Macau on 26 April.
Apart from Portugal's prime minister, Luís Montenegro, the speaker of parliament, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and the Supreme Court of Justice president, João Cura Mariano, the statement does not clarify whether Sam Hou Fai will also meet with the president of Portugal, António José Seguro.
The meetings in Lisbon are aimed at continuously deepening cooperation between Macau and Portugal, building upon a solid existing foundation, the government said.
In a recent interview with the public broadcaster TDM, the Macau Broadcasting Company, Sam Hou Fai revealed that more than 39 cooperation protocols could be signed with Portuguese entities and companies.
The agreements cover areas such as “trade and the economy, the Sino-Portuguese platform, education, culture, tourism, the training of skilled personnel, ‘Big Health’ [integrated healthcare] and cutting-edge technology”, he said.
He also said that the Portugal-Macau Joint Commission would meet for the first time since May 2019, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Sam Hou Fai did not reveal the date or the agenda of the meeting.
In September, following a meeting with Sam Hou Fai in the Chinese region, Luís Montenegro said that the restrictions imposed on residency for Portuguese nationals would be among the items on the committee’s agenda.
Since August 2023, Macau has not accepted new applications for residence from Portuguese nationals for the “performance of specialised technical functions”, allowing only justifications based on family reunification or a prior connection to the territory.
The guidelines remove a practice established following Macau’s handover in 1999.
Portuguese nationals are now limited to obtaining a ‘blue card’, a permit restricted to employment ties, without the benefits afforded to residents, particularly in terms of healthcare or education.
The only alternative to securing a resident identity card now involves applying to the recent programmes aimed at attracting skilled workers.
Regarding a solution to the restrictions, Luís Montenegro said, in September, that things would be on track.
The GCS said on Thursday that Sam Hou Fai would lead a delegation comprising “representatives from various key companies” in Macau and mainland China, including the special economic zone in neighbouring Hengqin (Mountain Island).
The statement said that the itinerary for the visit to Portugal included a session to promote economic and trade cooperation.
Sam Hou Fai’s departure comes a day after the announcement of the dismissal of Macau’s Economy and Finance Secretary, Tai Kin Ip, following his resignation submitted for “personal reasons”.
He was expected to join the delegation accompanying Sam Hou Fai on his visit to Europe.
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