The Macao SAR Committee of Cultural Industries held a special plenary meeting on 20^th July chaired by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture and Chairman of the Committee, Alexis Tam, during which he announced the creation of the Gastronomy and Cultural Industries Promotion Taskforce. The remit of the taskforce is to advance the integration of cultural and creative activities with the city's food culture, in line with the MSAR Government's objective of creating a City of Gastronomy, and comprises 15 members. Vice-President of the Committee Hsu Hsiu-Chu, and Committee member Ho Ka Lon will act as convener and deputy convener of the taskforce, respectively.

Following the meeting, Alexis Tam and members of the Committee inspected Blanc Art gallery, One Country Studio - Arts & Entertainment, and Village Macao in order to learn about the operational situation, development prospects and difficulties faced by the units from their respective project managers. Members of the Committee exchanged opinions with management members, with suggestions offered on operations and proposed plans for co-operation, in order to support the incubation of the local cultural and creative industry.

Alexis Tam remarked that the MSAR has prioritized the creation of a better environment for the industry, and via the support of the Cultural Industry Fund (FIC) helps create a development platform and promotional channel. Regarding the development opportunities of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Tam expects the industry to strengthen its own competitiveness, and launch more high quality cultural products; meanwhile, the government will continue to actively co-ordinate with the relevant departments of the Mainland to create a better development environment for the industry.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau and other related higher education institutions will respond to the growing needs of the market and enhance targeted talent training in order to strengthen local cultural creative teams. In addition, the MSAR Government will increase co-operation and intensify the synergies in the areas of culture, tourism, education, sport and so forth, to maximize the benefits brought by supportive policies, advancing the development of Macao's cultural industry in tandem with business.