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The University of Macau (UM) Moon Chun Memorial College (MCM College) recently received the Macau European Chamber of Commerce (MECC) Award for Euroexcellence in Innovation for its unique European-style approach to education that encourages interaction between different nationalities and cultures. The 2016 MECC Award for Euroexcellence in Innovation was presented to Prof Kevin Thompson, master of the MCM College, by Mr. Lino Ho, Vice President of the Board of Directors of MECC at the Macau European Chamber Gala, in the presence of Vincent Piket, head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao; Dr Ambrose So, honorary chairman of the MECC; and Vitor Sereno, consul general of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong. The MCM College is part of UM’s residential college system that aims to nurture well-rounded individuals whose academic knowledge and scholarly achievements are complemented by the cultivation of interpersonal communication skills, a wide range of interests, and a sense of belonging to a collegial community. The MCM College has shown inspired leadership in founding a unique, innovative European-style college. Its connective partnerships and engagement with international business and cultural communities, reaching out across national chambers, have been resolute. It celebrates diversity, intensifies internationality, and enables a wide range of undergraduates to identify, make sense, relate and engage with collegiate life in the round. The MECC Award for Euroexcellence in Innovation encourages organisations to innovate by embracing Macao’s history of Sino-Western cultural exchange, and to develop new partnerships for the future.
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The two agreements newly signed with the General Administration of Customs had great significance to the development of Macao, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On. Mr Chui made his comments during a meeting at Santa Sancha Palace on Wednesday (25 May) with the Minister of the General Administration of Customs, Mr Yu Guangzhou. Mr Yu was in Macao for the signing of the two agreements: the “Cooperation Arrangement between the General Administration of Customs and the Macao SAR Government on the Prevention and Fight against Smuggling in Waters Managed by the Macao SAR and within Macao’s Land Boundaries”; and the “Cooperation Memorandum between the General Administration of Customs and the Macao SAR Government on Origin of Transhipment Cargo in the Macao SAR under Free Trade Agreements”. During the meeting, Mr Chui said the General Administration of Customs had established close cooperation with Macao over the years. Such ties had been important in the process – lasting several years – of clarifying Macao’s management responsibility over its nearby waters, said Mr Chui. The Government would continue working closely with the General Administration of Customs on matters relating to the management of Macao’s waters and to the clearance of shipped goods, said the Chief Executive. Mr Yu said closer and deeper ties – such as cooperation on a new supervisory system, on information exchange and on law enforcement – between his department and its counterpart in Macao brought mutual benefits in terms of effective management. Mr Yu added that cooperation on customs matters would reach a new and higher level. This was in line with the Central Government’s vision for optimising customs policy and for further collaboration with Macao. Macao officials attending the meeting included: the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak; the Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Mr Vong Iao Lek; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Security, Ms Cheong Ioc Ieng; and the Deputy Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Mr Sin Wun Kao. Representatives of the General Administration of Customs present at the meeting included: the Chief of the General Office, Mr Zhang Guangzhi; the Chief of the Department of Customs Control and Inspection, Mr Xu Daowen; the Chief of the Department of Supervision and Internal Auditing, Mr Meng Yang; and the Chief of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau, Mr Liu Xiaohui.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in May on 25 May for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets at Lam Mau, Patane and San Kio areas in Santo António Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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The Government today signed two agreements with the General Administration of Customs in an effort further to prevent smuggling and boost trade in goods and services with the mainland. The two agreements signed today are: the “Cooperation Arrangement between the General Administration of Customs and the Macao SAR Government on the Prevention and Fight against Smuggling in Waters Managed by the Macao SAR SAR and within Macao’s Land Boundaries”; and the “Cooperation Memorandum between the General Administration of Customs and the Macao SAR Government on Origin of Transhipment Cargo in the Macao SAR under Free Trade Agreements”. The agreement on prevention of smuggling enables Macao’s overseeing agencies to establish closer ties with counterparts on the mainland. The establishment of a mechanism for regular and emergency communications between the relevant authorities should prove an effective way of minimising the risk of smuggling between Macao and Guangdong Province. Such an agreement also helps further to protect legitimate trade in goods and services between Guangdong and Macao. The other agreement aims at simplifying clearance measures for transhipment cargo in Macao, without the need to clear such cargo twice, i.e., under the respective regulatory regimes of Macao and of the mainland. This measure also allows Macao and mainland counterparts to strengthen information sharing and to accelerate transhipment cargo clearance procedures. The two agreements are part of the strategy to help diversify Macao’s economy and to help Macao’s economic development integrate further with the country’s development. The two agreements were signed today at Government Headquarters by the Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Mr Vong Iao Lek; and the Minister of the General Administration of Customs, Mr Yu Guangzhou. Officials attending today’s ceremony included: the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On; the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; and the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Security, Ms Cheong Ioc Ieng. In addition, the Chief Executive held a meeting at Santa Sancha Palace with the Minister of the General Administration of Customs, Mr Yu Guangzhou, to exchange views on strengthening cooperation in customs matters and on work relating to management of Macao’s waters.

Video:【新聞局】海關關長黃有力談海關總署與特區政府簽署的合作安排和備忘錄
Please go to GCS YOUTUBE Channel for more video clips: http://youtube.com/macaogcs

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On 25 May 2016, Moody’s Investors Service published a press release that announced to downgrade Macao SAR’s government issuer rating to “Aa3” from “Aa2”. Macao has remained in the “double-A” rating category, reflecting that the international rating agency recognises Macao’s sound economic fundamentals. “Aa3” is three notches lower than the highest rating. Moody’s also assigns “Aa3” rating to Mainland China and Belgium. The Monetary Authority of Macao reiterates that Macao’s economic and financial conditions are fundamentally sound and the SAR is able to deal with fluctuations. On public finance, the fiscal balance for the first four months of 2016 stayed in surplus, valued at MOP15.5 billion, after registering a surplus of MOP29.3 billion in 2015. At the end of the first quarter of 2016, Fiscal Reserve assets were preliminarily estimated at MOP436.0 billion, which was equivalent to 59 months of 2016 budgeted government expenditure. In addition, the SAR Government has no debt. A credible linked exchange rate system and sufficient foreign exchange reserves have lent crucial support to the SAR’s external financial position. As at the end of April 2016, Macao’s foreign exchange reserves were preliminarily estimated at MOP151.8 billion, representing 12 times the currency in circulation or 106.9% of Pataca M2 at end-March 2016. The SAR’s financial system has remained stable. In the first quarter of 2016, banks’ profits reached new high and continued to maintain good asset quality and adequate capital level. Banks’ operating profits before tax increased 16.1% year-on-year to MOP3.5 billion in the first quarter of 2016. At the end of the first quarter of 2016, the non-performing loan ratio remained at an ultra-low level of 0.12% and the capital adequacy ratio, mainly composed of tier-one capital, marked at 15.5%. Meanwhile, the SAR’s economic fundamentals have remained positive. In a period of deepened economic adjustment, especially when Macao’s gross domestic product recorded a negative growth of 20.3% in 2015, its employment situation remained stable as the unemployment rate stayed below 2.0%. Its GDP per capita reached USD71,984, which was one of the highest in the world. Over the long term, Macao’s economic resilience and creditworthiness will continue to be effectively supported by its fiscal strength, solid external financial position, credible policy framework, reliable linked exchange rate system, sound financial system and strong economic fundamentals. The SAR Government will continue to monitor the overall economic development, and will orderly drive Macao forward with proper economic diversification and sustainable development by capitalising on opportunities arisen in a period of economic adjustment.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the Sports Bureau (ID), the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), all under the governance of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, cooperate in the “Anim’Arte NAM VAN Project” in order to create a leisure space by the lakeside for building the Anim’Arte NAM VAN into a distinctive leisure plaza. In order to enhance the cultural and creative ambience and beautify the facilities of the Nam Van Lake area, IC will invite local professional art group to create art in the same area. Therefore, IC invited the local professional art group GANTZ 5 to create graffiti artwork at the Anim’Art NAM VAN Graffiti Display Area in the period between end of May and early June. The work is themed “Discovery”, alluding to the inspiration and new experiences the visitors may enjoy at the Nam Van Lakes, such as creative and leisure activities, dining, performances and entertainment offered there. GANTZ 5 is a local professional graffiti art group, founded in 2004, which has been cooperating with local and foreign organizations in order to promote local graffiti art and culture. In conjunction with the development in the Nam Van Lakeside district, IC hopes to introduce more creativity and vitality elements through the cooperation with the art group. This year the Macao S.A.R. Government implements a planning of shops and facilities along the Nam Van Lake Plaza and Promenade, located at Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, through cross-departmental cooperation. The district will combine elements such as specialized dining, pedal boats, cultural and creative products, outdoor performances, among others, in order to transform the Nam Van Lakeside into a leisure plaza with a rich and distinct ambience. The project aims to provide residents and tourists with more diverse experiences and tourism services, thereby creating more elements of culture, tourism and leisure in Macao.
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For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council collects prices of vegetables from wet markets and supermarkets for consumers’ reference. Prices of vegetables including choy sum, lettuce, potato, tomato, and onion are collected. The weekly average prices of the said vegetables are now available in the spreadsheet report on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo). Further, the Council compares local vegetable prices with those in Zhuhai for the past week, and the data can be found on the mentioned spreadsheet available on the Council’s website. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the “Roaming Vision + Digital: Exhibition of Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting” will be inaugurated on Wednesday, 1 June, at 6pm, at the IACM Temporary Exhibitions Gallery, featuring a total of 28 ink works by Hong Kong artist Leung Kui Ting. A talk entitled “Roaming Vision + Digital: Talk about the Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting” will also be held on 12 June, open to the public in general. Leung Kui Ting studied painting under renowned artist Lui Shou-kwan and learnt design with Wucius Wong in his early years. He founded the Hong Kong Chingying Institute of Visual Arts in 1980 and worked as a part-time lecturer at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University over ten years. Currently he is an art expert adviser of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong S.A.R. Government. Leung reveals that he feels the external world with the heart in order to achieve the unity of the mind and objects, so as to observe all things in the universe in the form of the objects themselves. Based on the transformation and exploration of Chinese traditional painting, his landscape ink paintings come from his heart and are abstracted from concrete appearance, instead of being mere reflections of reality. Leung invented a digital landscape painting technique which superimposes digital lines and dots on the outlines of mountains and rocks drawn in a traditional way, which makes his contemporary art ink works truly unique. This exhibition presents Leung’s most recent paintings, allowing visitors to appreciate his unusual painting style and techniques and allowing them to get to know a new approach to ink painting. In conjunction with the exhibition, the organiser will host a talk entitled “Roaming Vision + Digital: Talk about the Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting”, on Sunday, 12 June, from 3pm to 4:30pm, at the Auditorium of the Macao Museum of Art. Admission is free. The talk will be conducted by Leung Kui Ting in Cantonese, who will share with the audience his artistic process of composing traditional landscape paintings with digital elements, in particular the use of dotted lines, the combination of curved and straight lines as well as the dissection of image, allowing participants to deepen their understanding of his works. “Roaming Vision + Digital: Exhibition of Ink Paintings by Leung Kui Ting” will be open from 2 June and 10 July, at the IACM Temporary Exhibitions Gallery located at No. 63, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, and will be open daily from 9am to 9pm, including on public holidays. Admission is free. For registration to the talk and enquiries about the exhibition, please call through tel. no. 8988 4000 or 8988 4128, during office hours.
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Prof Tang Kaijian from the Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau (UM), recently published a pioneering book on Macaology, A Touch of Alienation in the Celestial Empire: Western Civilization in Macau, 16-19 Centuries, via the Jinan University Press. The book is the fruit of Prof Tang’s previous multi-year research project, titled ‘Western Culture in Macau, 16th - 19th Century: Diffusion and Influence’. The two-volume tome, consisting of nearly two million words, is the most pioneering work on Macaology ever published. The book gives a comprehensive account of Western civilisation in Macao between the 16th and the 19th centuries. The author used a new methodology that combined traditional historical textual research with quantitative analysis, in order to determine the numbers and nationalities of Westerners travelling to and leaving Macao over a span of more than 300 years. The book explores how the influence of Western civilisation permeated various spheres of life in the Macao society, including political and judicial affairs, military affairs, city development, religion, science and technology, education, health and medicine, language and literature, arts and sport, and local customs. A noteworthy feature of the book is the diversity of the source material, which includes not only first-hand historical data in Chinese and Portuguese, but also those in foreign languages, such as French, Spanish, German, Russian, Latin, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, and English. The book is the fruit of Prof Tang’s work on Macaology for more than 20 years. It also represents UM’s greatest contribution to Macaology research over the past decade.
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The Government is seeking closer partnership with the mainland’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, including the possibility of Macao having access to a special team of medical professionals based on the mainland. Macao medical professionals would be able to liaise with them, and benefit from their knowledge. Such an arrangement would also assist Macao in the development of its own medical facilities. The mainland-based team of medical professionals would be able to provide their fellow professionals in Macao with advice on the latest developments in surgical procedure and with advice on complex cases. They could also share their experience in treating rare diseases. If necessary they could also come to Macao to demonstrate surgical operations and procedures. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng, mentioned the possibility of such an initiative during a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23 May with the Minister of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Ms Li Bin. Mr Tam and Government representatives joined China’s delegation in Geneva to attend the 69th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO). The Assembly’s agenda included discussions between health ministers from WHO member states on responses to health emergencies, and the latest trends in communicable and non-communicable diseases and the management of such diseases. During the meeting with Ms Li, the Secretary also proposed that medical professionals from Macao’s Health Bureau might receive some training at health institutes on the mainland. Macao would conduct – as planned – exercises to measure the city’s capacity to respond to medical emergency situations. It would also establish certain emergency response mechanisms in order to fulfil an agreement with the mainland authorities on public health emergency issues. Mr Tam also met with the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Ko Wing-man. Topics discussed included: the strengthening of medical training; an emergency response mechanism for public health incidents; patient transferral; management of hospitals; and issues relating to bone marrow transplants. As a result of the meeting, the two parties reached consensus on several issues. During his visit to Geneva, the Secretary is also scheduled to meet the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Ms Margaret Chan. The Macao Government delegation included: the Director of the Health Bureau, Mr Lei Chin Ion; the Deputy Director of the Health Bureau and Director of the Conde S. Januário Hospital, Mr Kuok Cheong U; and consultants to the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture. The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization. Its main functions are to stipulate WHO policies, supervise its finances, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The 69th World Health Assembly, themed “Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, is being held from 23 to 28 May in Geneva.
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