News

For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on fresh pork, ribs and lean meat from wet markets and supermarkets on 7 April. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council’s ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, as well as on the Council’s WeChat account page. For inquiry, please call the Council’s hotline: 8988 9315.
…

Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the fourth “Art Fair @5 Outubro Street” of this year will be held on Saturday and Sunday, 9 and 10 April, from 3pm to 8pm, at the Hong Kung Temple Square. Cultural and creative entities from Hong Kong and Macao are invited to participate and to perform in the Fair . Admission is free. The public is welcome to participate and buy their favourite creative products, while enjoying music performances at the same time. 28 cultural and creative entities from Macao and 8 from Hong Kong will display and sell over one hundred creative products at the Fair. Some booths offer on-site creations for those who appreciate unique personalised items. This Art Fair features various distinctive and creative products, including jewellery, silver accessories, clothing accessories, porcelain, hand-painted items, paintings, knitting, home furnishings, mini bonsai, hand-made soap, eco-friendly products and creative food. The Fair also feature a mini-concert featuring music bands from Hong Kong and Macao including Willy, Fredinand, Ar B, Serrini, Eva, Lok@Match Box and the Voicoholics . The “Art Fair @5 Outubro Street” is held at Hong Kung Temple Square in the second weekend of every month, excluding May and November. It aims to provide a display platform for interested parties to develop the cultural and creative industries, thus encouraging and motivating the growth of these industries. The “Art Fair @5 Outubro Street” in June will be held on 11 and 12 of that month, from 3pm to 8pm, at the Hong Kung Temple Square as usual. For more information, please visit the Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Website (www.macaucci.com) or the Tap Seac Art Fair page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TapSeac.Artfair). For any enquiries, please contact Ms. Wong, staff member of IC, through tel. no. 2892 4040, during office hours.
…

The First University of Macau (UM) Sports Day was held today (6 April) in the UM Stadium. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Tam Chon Weng announced the opening of the event. In addition to Secretary Tam, who served as the judge for the cheerleading competition and officiated at the gun-firing ceremony for the track and field events, other officiating guests at the UM Sports Day included Ip Peng Kin, chief of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture; Heidi Ho, advisor of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture; Lam Io Pak, advisor of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture; Lam Kam Seng, chair of the UM University Council; Wei Zhao, rector of UM; Lionel Ni, vice rector (academic affairs) of UM; Rui Martins, vice rector (research) of UM; Haydn Chen, vice rector (student affairs) of UM; Kou Mei, vice rector (administration) of UM; Tommy Ho, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the UM Students’ Union; and Qiu Yuxuan, chairman of the General Assembly of the UM Postgraduate Association. ‘Today is a historic day because it is the first time that UM has held its first Sports Day on the new campus,’ said Rector Wei Zhao in his opening speech. Rector Zhao added that the university implements a ‘4-in-1’ education model in order to provide holistic education to the students, and it also places a great emphasis on sports development through acquiring various sports facilities. He noted that the university hopes to gradually reach world-class standards in various areas, including teaching, research, student quality, and administration. Rector Zhao added that all participants in the UM Sports Day were lucky, because they would have the opportunity to set the first athletic records in UM’s history. He also expressed hope that the participants would give their best and demonstrate good sportsmanship in the competitions. ‘I’m very happy to have the opportunity to participate in a sports competition where I work. It increases my sense of belonging,’ said Lantz, a staff member from the Chao Kuang Piu College who won the championship in the 1500-metre race in the male staff group A category. Lantz also thanked the college for its support and expressed hope that more students will cultivate the habit to exercise regularly. Ng Weng Ian, a second-year student who won the championship in the female students’ 100-metre race, said that the UM Sports Day felt like a carnival and the participant all enjoyed themselves very much. One of the highlights of the UM Sports Day was the cheerleading competition among teams from six residential colleges. The team from Choi Kai Yau College won the championship. ‘The training was very hard, but it was worth it,’ said the captain of Choi Kai Yau College’s cheerleading team. ‘We learned the importance of persistence in the process.’ This year’s UM Sports Day attracted more than 600 participants, competing in 24 events in five categories for men and 24 events in five categories for women, including 100-metre race, 1500-metre race, 3500-metre medley relay, high jump, long jump, and shot put.
…

The Government was committed to enhancing measures to protect the health of Macao’s citizens, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On. Mr Chui’s comments were made on Tuesday (5 April) during a meeting at Government Headquarters with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr Shin Young-soo. The Government’s measures for protecting local people included ensuring there were sufficient facilities – geared to WHO standards – to monitor and if necessary control infectious diseases. The Government would act in line with WHO guidelines and would continue to strengthen local facilities for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, said the Chief Executive. These would help minimise the risk of diseases spreading to Macao and around Macao, and enhance the city’s capability to deal with any dangerous new virus that might emerge around the world, he added. Mr Chui also thanked WHO for its support of Macao’s development regarding healthcare and medicine during the 16 years since the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. He cordially welcomed the visit of Dr Shin and other WHO experts, a trip designed to review the latest developments in Macao’s healthcare system. Dr Shin stated that Macao’s planned new unit to monitor and control infectious diseases – and the city’s existing facilities for disease prevention and control – were aligned with WHO standards. He made the remarks after visiting those facilities and meeting with local healthcare professionals. Key in controlling the spread of disease was the application of a sound model for its management, rather than other factors such as the distance between a control centre building and nearby properties, said Dr Shin. WHO had no guideline on the distance issue, Dr Shin added. Dr Shin said it was necessary to plan disease prevention and control facilities to cope with the spread of diseases, even if such measures were expensive. This was because – according to the experience of WHO and of countries around the world –outbreaks of a disease might occur unexpectedly or the disease develop into a new form. He said he was impressed by the Government’s input in healthcare and by Macao’s use of high-standard medical equipment. These facts demonstrated the Government’s vision: to see an expansion of health protection for the public during a time of strong economic performance locally, Dr Shin said. Dr Shin spoke highly of the Government’s efforts in enhancing health services; WHO paid great attention to the city’s medical development, given that Macao was an important member in the Western Asia region, he stated. Macao officials attending Tuesday’s meeting included: the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng; the acting Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Lo Lai Heng; and the Director of the Health Bureau, Mr Lei Chin Ion. WHO’s Director, Division of Health Security and Emergencies for the Western Pacific Region, Dr Li Ailan, was also at the meeting. Additionally on Tuesday, the experts from WHO held a meeting with medical professionals from respectively, the Health Bureau, Kiang Wu Hospital and University Hospital (Macau University of Science and Technology), to exchange views on issues relating to the prevention of infectious disease. During Dr Shin’s visit to Macao he toured a recently-launched infectious disease rehabilitation centre in Coloane. A four-member WHO team had visited the city between 23 and 25 March at the Government’s invitation, to study and analyse Macao’s facilities for the prevention and control of infectious disease. The team concluded that such facilities at Conde S. Januário Hospital – Macao’s main public medical complex – were in line with WHO requirements. The team took a close look at the hospital’s efforts on disease control, including the work of a committee for prevention of communicable diseases; a plan for promotion of community awareness; a system for monitoring global health issues; the supply of personal protective equipment; and the hospital’s management of its medical waste. The WHO’s team also studied the proposed new unit to monitor and control infectious diseases, a building near Conde S. Januário Hospital. The planned building’s disinfection facilities for the filtering of emissions and waste, and the design of its planned isolation wards were found to meet WHO-recommended technical standards.
…

The Government would promote further collaboration with top international institutions, as a way to nurture greater numbers of talented young people, according to comments made at the Talents Development Committee. The Committee held its first ordinary general meeting of 2016 on Tuesday (5 April) at Government Headquarters. The meeting was chaired by the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On. Addressing the meeting, Mr Chui said he recognised the efforts made by the Committee over the past year. They included a scheme to offer subsidies for talented young Macao people to study for a master’s degree under the “Global Leaders” programme at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom; the implementation of a ‘one-stop’ mechanism for training, accreditation and employment to promote public-private partnerships for in-service training and for skills accreditation; research into manpower demand in five major industries; and optimisation of the talent information registration system. Mr Chui welcomed two new members of the Talents Development Committee: Mr Zhang Shuguang and Ms Ho Teng Iat. In the coming years, the Committee would conduct more studies regarding enhancing the professional capacity and skills accreditation of residents, as well as expanding research on manpower demand to cover a wider range of industries. Members attending the Committee’s meeting included: Mr Chui Sai On, Mr Tam Chon Weng, Ms O Lam, Mr Tam Ka Wa, Mr Lao Pun Lap, Ms Leong Lai, Mr Zhao Wei, Ms Vong Chuk Kwan, Mr Chan Chi Fong, Ms So Ying Suen, Mr Liu Liang, Mr Yu Wing Yat, Mr Lao Chi Ngai, Mr Fong Ka Chio, Mr Tai Wa Hou, Mr José Manuel de Oliveira Rodrigues, Mr Iu Vai Pan, Mr Ip Sio Kai, Ms Tai Wong Kuai Leng, Mr Leong Heng Kao, Mr Wu Zhiliang, Mr Liang Baijin, Ms Van Iat Kio, Mr Ma Chi Ngai, Mr Ung Choi Kun, Ms Lou I Wa, Ms Chan Mei Yi, Ms Sio Un I, Mr Wong Chi Hong, Mr Mi Jian, Mr Yeung Tsun Man, Ms Ho Teng Iat, Mr Zhang Shuguang and Mr Sou Chio Fai.
…

To be in line with the policy of the Macao SAR Government and with a view to facilitate and simplify the lives of local residents, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) is implementing the SME Outreach Scheme, by making regular visits to Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and by means of “door-to-door service”, provides local enterprises with different types of advisory and support services. Recently, IPIM´s staff, along with the representatives of the Consumer Council, visited several SMEs, to help them with their applications for inclusion on the Consumer Council´s “Certified Shop” list. The initiative received very positive feedback from the enterprises. At the same time, under the outreach Programme, IPIM´s staff visit enterprises (“door-to-door”) to promote exhibitions and workshops organised by IPIM, in a bid to provide inspiration and assist local specialty shops explore new business potentials. IPIM´s Door-to-door Service helps SMEs Prepare Their Applications on Consumer Council’s “Certified Shop” List For many citizens and tourists, the Consumer Council´s “Adherents” and “Certified Shop” are symbols of identity and the signs are considered a symbol of “Attractive Appearance, Good Quality and Reasonably Priced”. Therefore, many local SMEs want to be associated with this scheme, including the “Tong Iec Pak Fa Fui Cheong Un Company Limited”. Third-generation owner of the business, Ms. Jennifer Loi said, “We have always been aware of the Consumer Council´s “Certified Shop” scheme, and also thought of joining, however, we did not know how it operated nor did we have specialised staff to handle the application procedures. Now, thanks to the support of IPIM, the enrolment procedure was completed through simply and easily.” When visiting the enterprises with the “door-to-door service”, IPIM learnt that Ms. Loi wanted to join the scheme, so along with the Consumer Council; IPIM´s staff helped her to complete all the procedures through its “one-stop” service. Helping SMEs to Solve Their Problems Like a Friend To operate a business in Macao, SMEs need government support. According to the Marketing Director of LemonCello Gelato, Ms. Nikita Fu, IPIM´s support is particularly important. “Even if IPIM does not come to our store, I can simply make a phone call and IPIM´s staff will help us solve all sorts of problems as if they were our friends”, she said, with a smile. She thinks that the delegations and workshops organised by IPIM can help local SMEs join together to become a network, and provide them the opportunities to learn from each other. Furthermore, the exhibitions organised by IPIM also helped LemonCello Galato expand abroad, making their products more famous and appreciated. Exhibitions Have Become the Best Platform for SMEs to Showcase Their Products “Thanks to audio-visual advertisements, many cleaning products on the market look powerful, but they are in no way credible.” Mr. William H. K. Chu, Managing Director of Ecolite Environment Products Ltd. (agent of ionised water technology from Japan) feels that the effectiveness of a product cannot be sufficiently expressed with just two or three sentences, and therefore, unlike other products which use exaggerated claims to highlight their features, Mr. Chu decided to skip advertising campaigns and instead participate in trade fairs, to meet his prospective clients face-to-face. His company is a frequent participant in the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF). Through participating in trade fairs, the company not only promotes its environmental protection concept, but also showcases their products on-site and conducts business with integrity. In 2011, when he joined IPIM to participate in the Eco Expo Asia – International Trade Fair on Environmental Protection in Hong Kong, the Kwong Wah Hospital in Hong Kong, immediately showed interest in their products. Upon approval by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, these products are now being used for the environmentally friendly cleaning of kitchens in the hospital’s Department of Dietetics. Merchants Gathering at the “Macao Ideas” Trigger the “Green” Drinks Concept This year, three young entrepreneurs who founded the “Long Prosperity Company Limited”, F. F. Si William, K. K. Chan Quincy and Chen Ren Yung decided to set-up their own shop for freshly brewed drinks – the Gathering, to avoid restrictions imposed by franchising. Applying their own ideas to the making of drinks, they carried out research and developed formulas combining different flavours, given that a introducing a new brand would be more challenging, though providing an opportunity to pursue an innovative and creative path. During the “Gathering of Macao Ideas Exhibitors”, organised by IPIM, they met a local environmental protection enterprise, and learnt that the company has developed technology that can break down plastic cups into small pieces for recycling. Mr. Si said, “We want to take into account environmental protection, for instance, a paper bag costs seventy times the price of a plastic bag, however, we have decided to use paper bags. If cups could be recycled, then the whole thing becomes more meaningful”. In view of this, in their visits to enterprises, IPIM immediately invited them to participate in the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition 2016 (2016MIECF), hoping that they could develop more green business opportunities. IPIM will continue to promote the SME Outreach Scheme, by regularly providing support to SMEs at their establishments, as well as planning to collect information and opinions on the difficulties encountered by SMEs when doing business in Macao. The scheme aims to work in line with the development of the SMEs, by providing them with services that they need, as a mean to promote Macao´s economic diversification.
…

The year-on-year decrease in casino gaming revenue recorded in the first quarter of 2016 was within the Government’s expectation, said the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac. Mr Leong made the comments on Tuesday (5 April) after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the new Director and the new Deputy Director of the Macao Economic Services. Official data showed gaming revenue in March amounted to approximately 18 billion patacas, showing a 16.3 percent reduction compared to the same period in 2015. Casino gaming revenue in the first quarter recorded a 13.3 percent year-on-year decline, to approximately 56 billion patacas. The fall in revenue for March and for the quarter was in line with the Government’s forecast for 2016 gaming revenue, made when the Government was preparing the budget proposal for this fiscal year, Mr Leong said. The 2016 estimate took as its starting point the casino revenue recorded in 2015. Mr Leong said the issues impacting Macao’s gaming industry were related with the performance of economies in other places and other external factors beyond the control of the Macao SAR. He noted that external conditions had not significantly altered. Local casinos would benefit if there were positive changes in the performance of neighbouring economies, he added. Amid the ongoing adjustment period for the local gaming industry, the Government would step up efforts to promote high quality services and to boost development of non-gaming offerings in casinos. These efforts would help further diversify the sources of Macao’s visitors. Such visitors might include a greater number of middle class families from international markets, Mr Leong said. When asked by reporters about the effectiveness of the “Macau Loves Locals” campaign, the Secretary said he believed such a campaign need not be thought of as a way to increase gaming revenue: rather, it was a campaign to allow local residents to enjoy non-gaming offerings at hotels and resorts operated by the city’s six casino operators. Mr Leong additionally said he had directed the team of people involved in translation work related to the mid-term review of the city’s gaming industry, to speed their efforts. The mid-term review is examining the achievements of the city’s six gaming operators since the liberalisation of the gaming industry in 2002. The concessions and sub-concessions will expire on dates between 2020 and 2022.
…

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, joins hands with French pianist Alexandre Tharaud, acclaimed as a modern “poet of the piano”, in the concert The Great Pianist: Alexandre Tharaud and the Macao Orchestra, to be held on Sunday, 5 June, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, featuring the lyrical Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. Tickets are on sale from 5 April at the Macao Ticketing Network. Alexandre Tharaud became well-known for his role as an outstanding pianist in the French film “Amour” – winner of the Palm dÓr at the 65th Cannes Film Festival in 2012 and of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Mentored by Carmen Taccon-Devenat who was a student of Marguerite Long, Tharaud won a series of prizes including the First Prize at the International Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona and the Second Prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich, and recorded more than 20 successful albums. With his unique music style and perfect performance skills, he received great critical acclaim. The Washington Post described Tharaud as “a pianist of brilliant thought and action”. Led by Jean-Philippe Tremblay, the Macao Orchestra will join hands with Alexandre Tharaud in performing the lyrical Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. The programme of this concert also features the delicate Symphony No. 8 by Ludwig van Beethoven, certainly bringing pure joy to the audience. Tickets for the concert The Great Pianist: Alexandre Tharaud and the Macao Orchestra are priced at MOP350, MOP300, MOP200 and MOP100. Early bird discounts of 40% are available between 5 and 15 April upon purchasing 4 or more tickets for the concert. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please visit the Orchestra webpage: www.icm.gov.mo/om.
…

Macao Post will participate the stamp exhibition “XXII LUBRAPEX”, located at Viana do Castelo, Portugal, during 26th April to 1st May, 2016. To commemorate this Exhibition, Macao Post issues the commemorative envelopes and provides the commemorative postmark cancellation service on site of the exhibition. For the convenience of the philatelist, the commemorative envelope with stamp priced at MOP5.00 will also be available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters starting from 26th April. You may send your mail of this cancelled commemorative envelope at the following locations *: Philatelic Shop at Macao Post Headquarters: 26th April 9:00 – 17:45 Post Offices: 26th April to 1st May Office Hours to Public * No commemorative postmark cancellation service will be provided in Macao.
…

According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, money supply retreated in February. As total deposits increased at a faster pace than total loans, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector dropped from a month earlier. Money supply Currency in circulation and demand deposits dropped 1.0% and 3.3% respectively. M1 thus decreased 2.9% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities dropped 0.6%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, decreased 0.9% to MOP469.6 billion. On an annual basis, M1 grew 3.0% whereas M2 dropped 2.5%. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 30.7%, up 0.1 percentage point from a month ago or 3.2 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 51.4%, up 0.2 percentage points month-to-month or 1.1 percentage points year-on-year. The share of Chinese Yuan (CNY) was 5.8%, down 0.6 percentage points month-to-month or 6.1 percentage points year-on-year. The share of United States Dollar (USD) was 9.8%, up 0.4 percentage points month-to-month or 1.7 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits Resident deposits decreased 0.9% from the preceding month to MOP456.6 billion. Of which, MOP, HKD, CNY and other foreign currency deposits decreased at respective rates of 0.6%, 0.6%, 9.9% and 2.6% whereas USD deposits increased 2.9%. Non-resident deposits rose 2.2% to MOP292.4 billion. Public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 5.1% to MOP136.5 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 1.0% from a month earlier to MOP885.6 billion. The shares of MOP, HKD, CNY and USD in total deposits were 20.6%, 44.5%, 7.5% and 24.3% respectively. Loans Domestic loans to the private sector increased 0.4% from a month ago to MOP390.8 billion. Among which, MOP110.0 billion was MOP-denominated, MOP258.3 billion was denominated in HKD, MOP2.1 billion was denominated in CNY and MOP17.0 billion was denominated in USD, representing 28.1%, 66.1%, 0.5% and 4.4% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans dropped 0.1% to MOP364.2 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP, HKD, CNY and USD accounted for 1.7% (MOP6.2 billion), 26.3% (MOP95.8 billion), 18.5% (MOP67.2 billion) and 47.6% (MOP173.4 billion) respectively. Operating ratios At end-February, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector kept virtually stable from the previous month at 65.9%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors dropped 0.7 percentage points to 85.3%. The one-month and three-month current assets to liabilities ratios stayed at relatively high levels, marked at 55.8% and 60.3% respectively. The non-performing loan ratio, an indicator for bank asset quality, was 0.1%, virtually unchanged from one month earlier and one year ago.
…