The Association of Nantong Merchants Abroad founded its Macao branch in Zhuhai, a neighboring city to Macao in South China's Guangdong province, on Jan 18.

It is Jiangsu's first city-level association founded for merchants in Macao, bringing the total number of the association's branches to 32.

The branch, launched by Nantong-born entrepreneur Cen Shizhong, president of Hongxin International Development (Macao) Co, was registered in the end of last year. It has also gained great support from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao and the city's Hong Kong and Macao affairs office.

With the aim of providing a communication and cooperation platform for Nantong merchants in Macao and facilitating exchange between the two cities, the branch will take advantage of various resources in Macao to enhance cooperation between Nantong and Portuguese-speaking countries.

In recent years, Nantong has kept close economic ties with Macao. The value of Nantong's exports to Macao from January to November in 2014 exceeded $5 million.