[2024/06/20] [Utilising Macao’s Platform Role] 15th IIICF Grand Opening Held with Over 60 Ministerial Officials and 3,500 Guests in Attendance

The grand opening of the 15th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) was held today (20 June), which was attended by more than 60 ministerial-level officials from over 70 countries and regions. It also brought together more than 3,500 industry professionals for in-depth exchanges on trending topics such as infrastructure innovation, digitalisation, diversified investment and financing, risk prevention and control, regional interconnectivity and sustainable development, in order to jointly build a future of “Green Innovative Digital Connectivity” for the global infrastructure industry.

The officiating guests of the opening ceremony included Ho Iat Seng, Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region; Zheng Xincong, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region; Guo Tingting, Vice Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China; Liu Xianfa, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region; Lu Yuyin, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region; Lei Wai Nong, Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region; Liu Yong, Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Yunnan Province of the People’s Republic of China; and Zhang Lefu, Vice Chairperson of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as dozens of ministerial-level guests from different countries and regions.

Enhancing inter-regional co-operation to boost international infrastructure development

According to Guo Tingting, Vice Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Chinese enterprises have invested more than US$350 billion in overseas infrastructure and completed contract projects in more than 200 countries and regions with a turnover of US$2.4 trillion. As a result, they have built a large number of green, low-carbon, digital and intelligent interconnection projects that benefit local residents in host countries, contributing China’s strength to international infrastructure co-operation. She also put forward four suggestions for strengthening international infrastructure co-operation in the future: first, to continuously improve interconnectivity; second, to make sustained efforts to seize new opportunities for green development; third, to continuously promote industrial co-operation; and fourth, to continuously expand new space for innovation and development.

Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Roads and Transport of the Republic of Kenya, noted that the theme of this year’s IIICF is quite apt as it builds on the outcomes of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Co-operation. Kenya is committed to developing intermodal transport corridors connecting multiple countries in the region, where co-operation with the Chinese government and enterprises has led to significant progress in relevant transport construction projects; in the future, there will be a wealth of investment opportunities in digital connectivity systems, and he hopes that this event will inspire and deepen co-operation in the transport sector and thus deliver win-win outcomes for mutual benefit.

Myo Thant, Union Minister of Construction of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, said that the theme of this year’s IIICF dovetails with the latest guiding principles and priorities of infrastructure investment, construction and development across multiple countries. Myanmar, in particular, has integrated renewable energy, green investment, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and waste recycling and management into the country’s long-term development strategy, with a number of initiatives already in place. He looks forward to the fruitful outcomes arising from the event and stands ready to raise the level of green innovation and digital connectivity in the construction industry worldwide through collective efforts to drive the socio-economic development of the local community.

During the opening ceremony, Lou Qiliang, Chairman and President of CRSC Corporation Limited; Wang Bin, President of Power Construction Corporation of China; João Baptista Borges, Minister of Energy and Water of the Republic of Angola; Ma Yunshuang, President of CRRC Corporation Limited; Jean Jacques Bouya, Minister of State of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Infrastructure and Road Maintenance of the Republic of the Congo; Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan; and Zhang Shaohui, Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of China, delivered speeches to share the progress and achievements of the construction projects on infrastructure interconnection in the countries and regions along the “Belt and Road”, with the aim of jointly advancing technological progress and high-quality development of the sector.

Upgraded in scale and level to empower “1+4” appropriate economic diversification

More than 200 themed and supplementary activities scheduled during the three-day event have gathered over 3,500 infrastructure professionals from around the world, including more than 60 ministerial-level guests and over 70 representatives of Fortune 500 enterprises. A host of activities, including speeches, forums, conferences, exhibitions, symposiums, roadshows, business talks and index releases, are arranged to fulfil IIICF’s positioning as a platform for seminars and exchanges, the release of authoritative reports, exhibitions and business promotion, while joining hands with all sides to tap into opportunities for business co-operation and high-quality global infrastructure development.

With a further increase in size, this year’s exhibition boasts the largest exhibition area and the highest number of exhibitors in IIICF’s history. To better meet the needs of Macao’s engineering industry, cutting-edge engineering technologies and electrical and mechanical equipment, including intelligent building control systems, new waterproof materials, and collaborative robots for medical applications, are introduced to the exhibition. There are also booths showcasing Macao’s resources and co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, to facilitate exchanges and co-operation between the infrastructure sectors in Macao and the rest of the world, and to seize new opportunities for infrastructure development hand in hand.

Jointly organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the China International Contractors Association, the 15th IIICF is open to the public today and tomorrow. The public is welcome to visit the exhibition at Cotai Expo, The Venetian Macao. For more information on the 15th IIICF, please visit http://www.iiicf.org/.