On the morning of June 8, 2020, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS), Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM) and the University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) held an online signing ceremony for the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Portuguese Language Education Alliance". On behalf of the three parties, Marcus Im Sio Kei, President of IPM, William Lee, Director of HKU SPACE, and Shi Youqi, President of GDUFS, signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Portuguese Language Education Alliance". The meeting was chaired by Vivian Lei, Vice President of IPM.

At the signing ceremony, Shi Youqi introduced the cooperation and exchanges between GDUFS and universities in Hong Kong and Macao, advocating the plan of "Bay Area Campus" and the project of summer and winter vacation training courses relating to minor language speaking countries along the Belt and Road Initiative and other initiatives. He said that the establishment of the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Portuguese Language Education Alliance" fully manifested the three parties’ active integration and practice of educational cooperation and development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which would integrate the advantageous resources of the three parties and bring together Portuguese talents from the three regions and build a good Portuguese-speaking education ecosystem in the Bay Area. He pointed out that after the establishment of the alliance, the three parties would respond to the country's needs, the Greater Bay Area national development scheme, and the expertise of the universities to promote the flow of Portuguese-speaking talents in the three regions and upgrade the level of teaching and research. It was hoped that with the joint efforts of the three parties of the alliance, the Portuguese Language Education Alliance would enhance the international competitiveness of Portuguese language education in GBA, and lay a solid foundation for the "Bay Area Campus" to take root and blossom and bear fruit.

William Lee said that HKU SPACE started bilateral cooperation with Macao Polytechnic Institute and GDUFS a few years ago. This time the alliance would push the cooperation among the three parties to a new chapter. He believed the tripartite cooperation is of great significance to advocate the Portuguese language education and support “The Belt and Road Initiative” in various fields such as trading and services industry. He said that HKU SPACE was honored to contribute to the promotion of educational exchanges and cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He also looked forward to in-depth cooperation with Macao Polytechnic Institute and GDUFS in Portuguese language education and other areas.

Marcus Marcus Im Sio Kei introduced the advantages of Portuguese language education in IPM. He said that the "Portuguese Language Education Alliance" was the first alliance established in the field of Portuguese language teaching and research for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The establishment of the alliance was an important contribution to the implementation of the national "Outline of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Plan " to promote the development of education cooperation among the three regions and the joint development of those disciplines of great impact. It was also a new milestone to help develop the strategic plan of Portuguese and the Portuguese education in GBA. It was hoped that through the establishment of the alliance, it will contribute to strengthening the comprehensive and in-depth cooperation between GBA and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The signing of the agreement suggests that the three parties will carry out in-depth academic exchanges and cooperation in Portuguese language majors from various aspects such as teacher/student exchanges, academic and publication exchanges, which indicates that, in the post-epidemic era, cooperation between higher education institutions can be resilient.

Jiao Fangtai, Vice President of GDUFS, Ke Xiaohua, Director of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office, Yang Ke, Dean of Faculty of European Languages & Cultures, and Lu Lu, Deputy Director of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office witnessed the online signing ceremony.