The Macao Economic Services Bureau on Friday issued the first two service provider certificates in 2005 to an exhibition service company and a law firm, which will use CEPA's preferential policies to invest in China's mainland.

Rui Cunha, a renowned lawyer and founder and partner of the C and C Advogados, went to the bureau to pick up the certificate in person on Friday.

He told Xinhua that the Mainland/Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) has created a huge space for Macao's law firms to offer their expertise in facilitating China's trade with Portuguese-speaking countries.

His law firm signed a series of partnership agreements with companies from Portugal, Brazil and China's mainland in November last year, which has become Macao's first case of bridging cooperation between China's mainland and Portuguese-speaking countries in the legal service sector by making use of its preferential trade status with the mainland.

Lo Tak Wah, general manager of a local exhibition company, said that she planed to make use of the CEPA policy to found a solely-fund firm in Beijing, which would offer its expertise in undertaking medium and small-scaled international conferences in the metropolitan.

Since the implementation of the Mainland/Macao CEPA in January 1 last year, the bureau has accepted 57 service provider certificates and 129 applications to enjoy CEPA's zero tariff terms.

(Xinhua News Agency January 22, 2005)