José Cesário met Alexis Tam, Macau's new secretary for social affairs, Raimundo do Rosário, the secretary for public works, and Wong Sio Chak, secretary for security, and offered them Portugal's cooperation and that of the local consulate.


Portugal can work with Macau in "actions in common that benefit the territory, Portugal and the Portuguese community", according to Cesário. "Obviously, our objective is that this cooperation take the form of concrete actions, in a wide range of domains - cultural, training, security at all levels - that translate into continuity with what has been done" so far.


On his meeting with Alexis Tam, Cesário stressed that he had expressed the desire to cooperate in areas such as health, culture and the spread of the Portuguese language - a field in which the Portuguese Institute of the Orient will, he said, have "a decisive role".

While the institute is at present fairly discreet in its work, Cesário said, it could have a much higher profile in the region.


"Our plan it to move on to other points of Asia and I was very happy to hear the secretary refer to opportunities and needs for collaboration on the cultural plane and in language," he said.


Cesário noted that Raimundo do Rosário had until 20 December been head of Macau's mission in Lisbon, and hence "knows Portugal very well".