CityU organises Academic Symposium themed “Macao and BRICS: Visions and Challenges”, advising on leveraging Macao’s role as Platform
China is this year’s chair of the BRICS. Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired the 14th summit of BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In this occasion, the City University of Macau (CityU) hosted the online academic symposium themed “Macao and BRICS: Visions and Challenges” today (27) to study the 14th BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration and the remarks made by President Xi at the summit and to explore how Macao can form collaborations with BRICS countries and the challenges it faces in the post-epidemic era.
The symposium was undertaken by various academic units at CityU, namely the Institute for Research on Portuguese-Speaking Countries (IROPC), the Macao “One Belt, One Road” Research Center, the Asia-Pacific Business Research Centre, and Ministry of Education Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Universities—Research Centre for Macau Social and Economic Development.
In his opening speech, Prof Jun Liu, Rector of CityU, said that the BRICS mechanism demonstrates a world future by opening the door for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries. He expressed his support for this symposium and encouraged his team, experts and academics to share their insights and play a key role in these topics. He also suggested that the academic units expanding the research scope of country studies to the BRICS countries based on the ones completed on Portuguese-speaking countries. In addition, Rector Liu pointed out that CityU can collaborate with universities in BRICS countries to conduct researches, so as to tell China’s story in an international context and play its role of a think tank. As a metropolitan university, it should take the city’s development as its research priority. CityU will interweave academic research with disciplinary matrixes to carry out specialised research on cities in emerging countries, expanding the exchange platform between China and the lusophone countries to make a substantial research output on BRICS countries and serve the major national strategies such as building the shared future for mankind.
Scholars from CityU also attended the virtual event. They included: Prof Ip Kuai Peng, Pro-Rector of CityU and Dean of IROPC, Associate Dean Francisco Leandro of IROPC, Director Chao Peng of the Macao “One Belt, One Road” Research Center, Director Chau Ka Yin of the Asia-Pacific Business Research Centre, Assistant Professors Eusebio Chiahsin Leou and Wu Yuxian, Lecturers Ge Sining and Zhou Jiayuan, and Head Sheng Jian of the Research Management Office.
Ip Kuai Peng pointed out that BRICS countries have established the New Development Bank to provide funds to the developing countries over the past 16 years and initiated the multilateral cooperation mechanism, which is a form that stood out from the ones practised in the western countries. This year, China was once again held the chairmanship of the summit. Leaders of the five BRICS countries exchanged views in various fields and significant issue of common concern under the theme of “Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development.” Various key consensuses have been reached. In this regard, He suggested Macao accelerating the development of the exchange platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, together with the synergies of the Belt and Road Initiative, Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, to leverage its unique role to better serve China and the lusophone countries, seize opportunities to develop electronic commerce, trade in services and other digital economy industries, further promote two-way exchanges and cooperation among the mainland, Macao, and the Portuguese-speaking counties, revitalise multilateral cooperation and promote economic recovery.
Francisco Leandro stated that it would be wise to promote the BRICS mechanism as an open platform for cross-continental cooperation under the gloom of trade and financial conflicts. He pointed out that this model can benefit trade and economic development and form a new world order in which emerging developing countries can compete with developed countries. He believed that with China’s pivotal role in the BRICS, the existence and potential development of the group will lead the way into a new era of global development.
Taking a role as an educator, Chao Peng said that his team is committed to building research and innovation platforms and integrating the spirit of technological innovation into BRICS education cooperation under the support of bilateral or multilateral research cooperation among the countries, creating an academic atmosphere of truth-seeking and freedom, and fostering a sound scientific outlook and values, thinking and behaviour of national talents, which will serve to the synergistic development of sci-tech innovation and education in BRICS countries and build open and inclusive academia for sci-tech education.
Eusebio Chiahsin Leou pointed out that Macao should actively develop visionary initiatives to stimulate the recovery of the tourism industry in the post-epidemic era. Based on resilience, sustainability and inclusiveness, he suggested Macao developing tourist sources from the BRICS countries and actively support the work of the BRICS Alliance for Green Tourism. In view of the launching of the vocational education alliance of the BRICS countries, Macao should give a full play to its robust tourism industry and higher education to promote vocational education. By strengthening cooperation with vocational education and the industry in the Greater Bay Area, Macao will become a base for international cooperation in vocational education in the city cluster, with a focus on promoting dialogue and practices in vocational education between Macao, BRICS countries, and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Wu Yuxian said that building a shared future for mankind and pursuing peaceful development remain unchanged amid progress. To this end, Macao should further enhance its role as the service platform, present practical and effective development proposals, and further consolidate its platform positions for the cultural exchanges, special financial services and innovative cooperation among enterprises. At the same time, Wu suggested referring to the cooperation model of “BRICS+” proposed by President Xi and considering using platform functions to allow more countries with close ties to Portuguese-speaking countries to join the team. By doing so, allowing Macao to reach the globe and promote the city’s development.
Ge Sining stressed that a sound development is not only guided by high-level dialogues but also depends on the implementation by all community sectors. In the development of BRICS cooperation, Macao has taken advantage of its platform, identified its strategic positioning, and launched several initiatives to build a bilingual training base. Ge said a number of achievements had been made in the process. In the next stage, she suggested focusing on furthering the depth and breadth of collaboration scope these areas, strengthening the internal and external exchanges, optimising resource distribution, refining labour allocation among industries, and linking tertiary education, primary education and professional training to nurture high-quality Chinese-Portuguese bilingual professionals to serve different industries.
Zhou Jiayuan believed that Macao can play its role as a platform between Chinese and Portuguese-speaking countries by creating a virtual platform and forum for mutual learning among young people from mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries. She suggested building an online platform with universities to share quality learning programmes and providing opportunities for young people to learn and exchange across regions and time zones. In addition, Zhou proposed to create a virtual learning forum and launch monthly activities online under different themes, such as technology and innovation, sustainable development, customs and festivals, to encourage the young generation to explore the shared values and essence of civilisation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in the form of exchanges and to promote a shared future among people in China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Sheng Jian pointed out that this year’s BRICS Summit is a major diplomacy event at home, highlighting the “BRICS+” mechanism more than its previous editions. With a series of consensus has been reached, Sheng said it has laid the foundation for cooperation between the BRICS mechanism and lusophone countries and opened up room for Macao to participate. As the only tertiary education provider in Macao to offer the master’s degree programme in Portuguese-speaking countries, CityU is currently applying to launch master’s degree programmes in regional country studies and international communication, aiming to nurture patriotic “international communication pioneers” who can act as ambassadors to share China’s pursuit of peaceful development to the world and to serve the BRICS+ mechanism and national diplomacy development.
CityU has always been committed to studying international affairs, and it had hosted the first academic symposium on “Macao and BRICS countries: Visions and Challenges” during the BRICS Summit in Xiamen in September 2017. With the support of the nation, the Macao SAR Government, the community and the University, IROPC will leverage its characteristics, upholding the philosophy of "taking root in Macao, serving the nation, and putting the world in its vision" to strive to become a unique national and regional research incubator and think-tank in the region. Going forward, IROPC will actively strengthen cooperation with universities in BRICS countries to promote sustainable education development.
