Shenzhen and Macao are planning to deepen their ties in cultural and creative industries, officials of the two municipalities said yesterday.
"The two cities will push forward cooperation in the animation field, where there is a huge potential for cooperation," Francis Tam Pak Yuen, Macao's secretary for economy and finance, said at a press conference yesterday.
Tam was on the Macao delegation that was led by Macao's chief executive, Chui Sai On, and visited Shenzhen on Monday and yesterday.
"Cultural and creative industries in the two cities actively took part in each other's forums and exhibitions in the past year and more exchanges will be expected," Tam said.
Shenzhen Mayor Xu Qin also expressed optimism about future cooperation.
"The added value of Shenzhen's cultural and creative industries reached about 110 billion yuan (US$18 billion) last year, contributing to 9 percent of the city's GDP. The added value represents an average growth rate of 25 percent," Xu said.
Macao has expressed willingness to get involved in cultural and creative activities in Shenzhen, such as the UrbanismArchitecture Bi-City Biennale, according to Xu.
Besides the cultural and creative cooperation, the two cities have also pledged to further cooperation in fields including education, traditional Chinese medicine, exit-entry inspection and quarantine, tourism and medicine supervision and management, according to six agreements the two cities signed yesterday.
"We will also strive to deepen cooperation with Macao in economy, trade, exhibitions and conventions, and will join hands to seek exchanges with Portuguese-speaking countries," Xu said.
Tam also pledged to help Shenzhen enterprises explore markets in Portuguese-speaking countries with the help of Macao's role as a commercial and trade platform.
On Monday, the Macao delegation visited Qianhai, a 15-square-kilometer coastal strip in Shenzhen's Nanshan District that will be developed into a hub for the modern service industries of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
"We will actively promote Qianhai back in Macao and encourage our enterprises to visit it," Tam said.
(Source:Shenzhen Daily)