The 6th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) kicks off in Macao on June 4. Attending the grand opening ceremony are  Zhang Xiangchen, Deputy Representative of China's Ministry of Commerce International Trade Negotiations, Yao Jian, Deputy Director of the Central People's Government Liaison Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Hu Zhengyao, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Liang Witte, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Philip E. Brave Davis, Deputy Prime Minister of Bahamian, and Helio Fallas Venegas, Vice President of Costa Rica. Also attending the opening ceremony were 40-odd vice ministers of more than 30 countries and regions.

Mr. Fang Qiuchen, President of the China International Contractors Association, and Mr. Sou Tim Peng, Director of the Economic Services of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, delivered welcome speeches on behalf of the sponsors. Those who made keynote speeches include Mr. Zhang Xiangchen, Deputy Representative of China's Ministry of Commerce International Trade Negotiations, Mr. Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka Port and Shipping Minister, Mr. Christopher Yaluma, Minister of Mining, Energy and Water Development of Zambia, Mr. Rafael Poveda Bonilla, Minister for the Coordination of Strategic Sectors of Ecuador, Mr. Sun Ping, Vice President of the China Import and Export Bank, Mr. Han Schulz, Vice President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Mr. Wang Yongsheng, Vice President of the State Development Bank, Sir Michael Bear, Co-Chairman of the Britain-China Infrastructure Cooperation CEO Round-Table Conference and UK Special Envoy on Sustainable Urbanization to China, and Mr. Chen Qihua, Vice President of the Caterpillar Global and Chairman of Caterpillar (China) Investment Co., Ltd. Results of the Corporate Social Responsibility Performance Evaluation of China’s Foreign Contracted Projects in 2015 were announced, with 16 of China’s international contractors becoming “outstanding enterprises in terms of social responsibility”.

The forum receives a positive response from and is widely participated by the businesses engaged in international infrastructure investment and construction. In addition to more than 40 vice ministers, some 1,000 people attended; they represent 30-odd international financial institutions including the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the China Development Bank, the Import and Export Bank of China, and the Bank of China, 15 organizations in the field including the International Contractors Association, the European Association for International Contractors, the Russia Builders Association, and the Construction Contractors Association of Malaysia, and engineering contractors, equipment manufacturers and service organs of more than 60 countries and regions.

The China-CELAC Infrastructure Cooperation Forum was held in the afternoon. It was attended by government officials from 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region. They include 18 at or higher than the vice minister level as well as the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and National Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and executives of the China international contractors organizations. They discussed ways and means as to how to promote cooperation in the China-Latin American infrastructure on the basis of mutual benefit with a view to helping accelerate infrastructure construction in the Latin American region.

Also on the afternoon of June 4, a theme forum was held to discuss how to promote regional cooperation in infrastructure by taking advantage of the “One Belt and One Road” initiative. Participants include representatives from the government competent departments, relevant financial institutions and large contractors of Myanmar, Cambodia and some other countries along the said “One Belt and One Road”. They discussed plans that could be made to promote infrastructure investment and construction in various economies in the region, fund raising mechanism and product innovation of related financial institutions, and effective coordination among countries in the region in such fields as norms, standards and operation.

Participants showed great interest in possible opportunities for cooperation in infrastructure investment and construction brought about by regional economic integration. On June 5, the Organizing Committee set up a wealth of content and thematic activities including five parallel forums in the morning, which discussed professional fields and hot topics under the themes of “One Belt and One Road” and regional cooperation in infrastructure investment and construction, the opportunity for investing in energy projects and challenges, investment financing innovation, and multilateral financial cooperation. In the afternoon, there were fresh forums including ministerial dialogue on infrastructure construction between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, which highlighted the role of the China-Portuguese Economic Cooperation Platform in Macao; international arbitration for settlement of disputes involving overseas infrastructure projects, which shows the process and counter-measures through typical cases involving international arbitration of engineering projects; the Chairmen’s Roundtable for International Associations, which discussed in great detail the Joint Action Plan for International Infrastructure Cooperation, a move geared to establishing a closer organizational structure for the implementation of the “One Belt One Road” strategy.

Other important activities held on June 5 include presentation for investing in the United States, and round-table conference between Chinese and South Korean international contractors. Officials with relevant government departments, international authoritative organs and corporate executives, discussed how to strengthen bilateral cooperation in infrastructure investment and construction on the basis of mutual benefit and common development.

Furthermore, agreements were signed at a ceremony, which was highlighted by a press conference for all to see results of the forum. Quick facts of the forum, business talks and project alignment were revealed at the press conference. All these combine to show the forum will be another grand gathering for international exchange, and a great occasion for countries and regions concerned to explore opportunities for future cooperation.

The international forum, founded in 2010 by the China International Contractors Association, has been held five times first in Beijing and now in Macao. With infrastructure investment and construction as the major topic, the forum exerts an increasingly greater influence. When the 3rd forum moved its venue to Macao in 2012, it enjoys much room to manoeuvre in promoting regional cooperation in infrastructure investment and construction between China and other countries in the world, a move which is also a boon for the Macao exhibition industry.