MACAO, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative has brought unprecedented opportunities to China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Hao Yufan, dean of faculty of social sciences of University of Macao, has said.
"The Belt and Road Initiative will promote Macao's industrial diversification and help it go global," Hao said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of a two-day symposium on the Belt and Road and Macao's development, which started Thursday.
Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.
During the symposium, participants are expected to discuss such topics as Macao's role in the development of the Belt and Road, the building of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Macao and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
Hao said Macao was an important stop along the ancient maritime Silk Road and it will continue to play an important role in the development of the Belt and Road, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in particular.
Macao has unique geographic and language advantages, and it can take advantage of the principle of "one country, two systems" in the development of the Belt and Road, he added.
Macao can shoulder the role as a communication center as it is a place where eastern and western cultures meet, he suggested.
Macao is striving to become a world tourism and leisure center and a platform for business and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Macao must seize the opportunities to promote its economic diversification and internationalization, so that Macao's economy can develop in a sustainable way, Hao said.
