A delegation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences of the People´s Republic of China (CASS) – Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP) and the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) – visited the International Institute of Macau (IIM) on 20 March 2018 and were received by the secretary-general of IIM, Rufino Ramos, and collaborators. The delegation were represented by professionals of the academic area, professors and researchers, and with the company of Wang Cheng´na, Vice Chairman of the China World Trade Organization Research Association and former secretary-general of Forum Macao. The visitors took time to look for more detailed information on IIM's academic and cultural activities locally and abroad, especially with regard to Macao's role as a platform for economic and trade exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The IIM reflected the institution's role in disseminating more informed knowledge about Macao's cultural functions, the close collaborations and support with different entities in the academic, political and social areas of those countries, and with the Macanese diaspora communities; the advantage of synergistic collaboration between the IIM and Forum Macao; and the vast number of publications IIM has edited on subjects of the modern China, heavily focused on the Greater Bay Area and the project of One Belt One Road initiative.
Several suggestions were made to increase the flow of trading goods in both directions, using Macao as a commercial warehouse, and to expand the functions of Macao, allowing it to become more prominent as an international financial intermediary.
Finally, a visit to the IIM facilities took place, and an exchange of souvenirs between the delegation and IIM was carried out successfully.
