China

Bilateral relations

France is Macao’s third largest supplier of goods (8.3% of import market share in 2015, just behind continental China, Hong Kong and Switzerland). There is an estimated 300 members in the French community. There has been a marked increase in the number of French companies in Macao in recent years, leading to the creation in 2009 of the French Macau Chamber of Commerce (FMCC), which is now one of its most active foreign chambers of commerce with 120 members. At least 60 French companies (posting a total of €1.2 billion in revenue and employing 1,700 people) are present in the field of water management and electricity (Suez), construction (Dragages/Bouygues), the environment (Veolia), hotels (Accor/Sofitel), advertising (JC Decaux), airline catering (Servair) and the agri-food industry (several SMEs). Many French luxury stores have opened because of Macao’s move towards luxury tourism.

In 2018, trade exports to Macao totalled €823 million and essentially consisted of agri-food products (25% of our exports, mainly wines and spirits), leather goods and luggage (17% of our exports), perfumes and cosmetics (15% of our exports) and jewellery (15%).

In the last 10 years, several agreements have been signed in the field of air transport (2006), administrative cooperation (with the French National School for the Judiciary – ENM), and culture (cooperation projects and exhibitions with French museums, including the Louvre). Since 2010, Hong Kong’s “French May” cultural festival has also been held in Macao. The teaching of French is growing fast, as shown by the success of the Alliance Française branch in Macao (over 900 learners per year both within the Alliance and in Macao’s universities and training centres) and the strong demand for French in secondary education, at the University and at the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies.