Portuguese parliament speaker to visit Macau this month

Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, president of Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic, will visit Macau April 10–11, capping a mission to China that also includes Beijing and Shanghai, according to media reports.

The speaker’s Macau stop comes one week before Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai’s first overseas trip since late 2024. The CE’s April 18–21 itinerary includes Lisbon, Madrid, Brussels and Geneva.

Aguiar-Branco’s trip stems from an invitation from Zhao Leji, chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, issued during talks in Lisbon in November 2024.

There, Zhao met Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, and Aguiar-Branco.

According to Xinhua, Rebelo de Sousa marked the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties and Macau’s 25th handover anniversary, pledging deeper cooperation in trade, new energies, maritime affairs and the digital economy during the Nov. 21, 2024, encounter. On Nov. 22, Zhao held talks with Aguiar-Branco to boost legislative cooperation, with China favoring Macau as a platform, Xinhua reported.

Zhao’s tour, at the time, also included Spain and Greece.