jun26

Strategic pact paves way for Macau-Latin America cargo air route

By LUSA

Chinese and Latin American enterprises have signed strategic agreements to launch a direct cargo air route from Macau to Latin America alongside a new Sino-Brazilian aviation innovation platform

The initiatives were formalised at a ceremony organised by the Hengqin-based Economic and Trade Service Centre for China and Portuguese/Spanish-Speaking Countries, involving 16 companies across tech and finance

Chinese and Latin American companies have signed agreements to develop a Sino-Brazilian aviation innovation platform and a direct cargo air link between Macau and Latin America.

According to a statement released on Monday, the Economic and Trade Service Centre for China and Portuguese/Spanish-Speaking Countries (CECPS) in Hengqin organised a ceremony where strategic internationalisation agreements were signed with 16 companies in the technological innovation and finance sectors.

The agreements involved companies such as Huawei Macao, Mercado Libre, JD.com, Kuaishou Technology, Bank of China, and China Southern Airlines Technology.

Shenzhen firm to back cargo route

One of the agreements involves Chinese firm WGL Group, which according to the CECPS has been providing investment and financing support, helping to drive the launch of a direct cargo air route from Macau to Latin America.

Read also: Sixteen firms sign cooperation agreements with Hengqin’s China-Lusophone-Hispanic service centre

WGL Group is a logistics and international cross-border e-commerce supply chain solutions group based in Shenzhen, another city in southern China.

The company specialises in transporting goods from China directly to global markets, focusing primarily on Latin America and the United States. It currently operates five round-trip flights per week on the China–Mexico route.

Hengqin cargo terminal on track

There is currently a cargo terminal project running from Hengqin to Macau International Airport, with completion scheduled for the end of 2026 and operations expected to begin by mid-2027.

The terminal, featuring 66,700 square metres of logistics space and an investment of around 700 million yuan (90.3 million euros), is funded by Macau Airport and China COSCO Shipping Logistics Supply Chain.

According to the CECPS, the signed contracts aim to support companies expanding into Latin American markets and Portuguese-speaking countries through credit services, risk assessment, cross-border financing, outbound direct investment registration, and the promotion of advanced technologies.

Tech partnerships expand

In the same statement, Ng In Cheong, vice-president of the CECPS, highlighted that beyond the 16 entities now involved, the centre has already established partnerships with around 200 companies and service providers, primarily in the field of artificial intelligence.

Ng In Cheong, vice-president of the Economic and Trade Service Centre for China and Portuguese/Spanish-Speaking Countries ( CECPS)

“The complementarity between China’s leading position and the technological gaps in Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries opens up broad scope for cooperation,” he said.

The centre was launched in April 2025 by the MSAR Government and the Executive Committee of the Guangdong–Macau Deep Cooperation Zone, aiming to create an integrated platform of internationalisation services linking China with Portuguese and Spanish-speaking nations.

Macau’s existing integration and cooperation plans with Guangdong province and the Hengqin special economic zone also offer a pathway for companies from Spanish-speaking countries to enter China.

Broad trade scope

The centre’s priority fields cover the digital economy, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, raw materials trade, cross-border e-commerce, and cultural and sports industries.

Among the practical outcomes, the centre highlighted risk reduction in the export of flight simulation equipment, the installation of digital delivery centres in Spain and Brazil by the company Beyondsoft, and support for firms expanding into foreign markets through integrated compliance, logistics, and financing solutions.

The CECPS also noted its focus on business missions to Brazil, such as the one conducted in June during Web Summit Rio, which brought together more than 200 Brazilian companies.

As of March this year, the Hengqin Cooperation Zone had 27 scientific and technological innovation platforms, 238 nationally recognised high-tech enterprises, and 18 registered unicorns.

The CECPS also plans to develop an Embodied Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre, the first phase of which will occupy 3,400 square metres in Hengqin, with an annual data production capacity exceeding 10 PB (petabytes).

https://macaubusiness.com/strategic-pact-paves-way-for-macau-latin-america-cargo-air-route/