On the 30^th of October 2018, the Institute for Research on Portuguese-speaking Countries organized the East-Timor Studies                 International Series Symposium Transitions, Development and Belt & Road Initiative. The representatives of the Office of the                 Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Macao, the Government of Macao, and The Forum     for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macau), participated in the open ceremony.

        This Academic Symposium, gathered scholars from People's Republic of China, Australia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia and Portugal, and it was Chaired by HE Ambassador of Timor-Leste to People’s Republic of China, Bendito dos Santos Freitas.

       The initiative acknowledges the importance of Timor-Leste, and the commitment of City University - as an university located in the      PRDA, that has recently constituted an Institute for Research on Portuguese Speaking Countries, a Research Center on B&RI, an            Asia-Pacific Research Centre, and a Social-economic Development Research Center – to place itself as a contributor to Macau Society,    and as well as to B&R pragmatic initiative with an universal reach, which President Xi named the “project of the century’. Twelve research  papers were selected, presented and debated during one day. The final result of this academic forum will be publish in the second quarter of 2019.