News

To strengthen and implement the measures announced in the Policy Address of Macao SAR Government, with regard to providing support for the development of the local enterprises, in particular, the “door-to-door delivery” service, and the “Expansion Abroad” and “Attraction of Foreign investment” policies, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) strives to develop multiple channels and create innovative platforms, including, inter alia, workshops on seven Portuguese-speaking Countries, the “Forging a closer Relationship with SME” service, as well as workshops and promotional seminars on e-commerce, to help local Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to expand their business network. In recent years, in view of the flourishing development of “Angel Fund” (which provides funds for emerging enterprises to assist them to create and generate business) not only in Mainland China but also in the neighbouring regions, IPIM is actively building a “bridge” to enable enterprises to meet the “Angels”. Some Macao enterprises have successfully won the “good graces” of the “Angels” Through the “one-stop” service provided by IPIM and with the assistance of the business matching and other services offered by the said agency, coupled with the efforts of the company team members, YGA (Macau) International Information Technology CO., LTD has successfully completed its incubation period and started business, being the first company to settle in the “Inno Valley for Macao Young Business Starters in Hengqin”, upon the incorporation of Bringbuys. Furthermore, the said group of companies has successfully obtained a financing of approximately HKD30 Million from “Angel Fund”. Accumulation of business experience plus team composition are crucial to “attract funds” The Director of YGA (Macau) International Information Technology CO., LTD and cumulatively Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bringbuys, Mr. Vincent Chou, speaking in his capacity as an experienced businessman, said that, in recent years, the Macao SAR Government has actively promoted young entrepreneurship as a mean to foster economic diversification. Such measures, coupled with Macao´s role as a services platform for trade and economic co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries as well as Macao´s unique and advantageous geographic location to coordinate with the “One Belt, One Road” national strategy, business opportunities arise everywhere, meaning that “Angels are also present everywhere” in this city. Therefore, he encourages everyone to pursue the “Entrepreneurial Dream” and while waiting for the arrival of the “Angels”, enterprises, especially youth entrepreneurs, should accumulate certain social experience and also experience in the lines of business that they pretend to pursue. Besides, the formation of a team that share the same ideas should also be taken into account. In addition, entrepreneurs should have an open mind, especially in making efforts to match their dreams with the trends of social development and government policies, so as to achieve a multiplier effect. Make good use of the “Angels´s trust” However, he also pointed out that because every dollar and cent invested by the “Angel” represents a trust, enterprises and youth that have successfully obtained the “Angel”´s good graces must have a business plan and regard that “trust” with reverence. Participating enterprises aspire to the establishment of “Macao Angel Funds” On the other hand, last year, IPIM organized for the first time an experience sharing and promotion seminar jointly with business associations, and invited investors, investment platform founders and investment advisers to share their experience, in a bid to assist the SMEs and potential youth entrepreneurs to learn and locate investors for their commercial projects as well as to prepare business plans capable of attracting investors. During the same event, the 11 participating enterprises had the opportunity to meet, on an “one to one” basis, representatives of the “Angel Fund”, to promote their projects and make enquiries. Some of the participants Ms. Tammy Meng , the Vice President of Oxbridge International Education (Macau), and Mr. Franky Ip, the Senior Manager of Central Technology Limited hopes that activities of “Macao Angel Fund” could be held in the future, in order to attract Macao investors to support local projects, while another participant, the person-in-charge of Alpha Solution Company Limited, Mr. Ming Ieong said that he benefited from the event, as it provided him an opportunity to learn about the development of e-commerce in Mainland China, and also inspired him in the way of doing business. IPIM continues to expand its services to the Micro, Medium and Small-sized Enterprises In the future, IPIM is committed to continue its services to the local Micro, Medium and Small-sized Enterprises. In addition to business advising, the said agency will also gather information regarding the new business models of local enterprises, as well as enterprises in the neighbouring countries and regions, and regularly organize all kinds of workshops and training seminars, so as to enhance the participants´ business thinking and competitiveness, which is vital for the diversification of Macao´s economy.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today announced the appointment of Mr Vong Iao Lek as the new Director-General of the Macao Customs Service. The State Council made the appointment on Friday (19 February), following Mr Vong’s nomination by the Chief Executive. According to the Basic Law, the Chief Executive shall nominate and propose to the Central Government for appointment the principal officials of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), including the Director-General of the Customs Service. Mr Vong’s nomination was made after careful consideration of his capabilities, including planning, management and leadership skills, Mr Chui said in a press conference held at the Government Headquarters this morning. Mr Vong is a seasoned senior civil servant with extensive experience in leadership roles across different sectors of the public administration. He is also widely recognised for his decision-making abilities, Mr Chui stated. The Chief Executive said he believed that – under the leadership of Mr Vong – the Customs Service would continue to provide an excellent service to the Macao SAR and its community. As the new head of the Customs Service, Mr Vong takes on the challenges related with the management of Macao’s newly demarcated 85-square-kilometres of maritime waters. In his new capacity, he will also play a role in taking advantage of the development opportunities arising from the transformation of Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure, and contribute for Macao to become a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (known as “Centre and Platform” policies). Also attending today’s press conference, the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, said he believed Mr Vong had the leadership and management skills required to successfully lead the Customs Service. Asked by reporters why the new Director-General was not someone from within the Customs Service, Mr Wong said Mr Vong’s nomination was made after thorough consideration. The decision was well accepted by all staff of the Customs Service, said the Secretary. All public bodies are part of the same team, and all have the same duty to carry out the Government’s policies, he added. The Chief Executive and Mr Wong spoke highly of the contribution to the development of the Macao SAR of all staff in the Customs Service over the past decade, in particular their excellent work in clarifying Macao’s management role of its maritime waters, and their enforcement efforts regarding Macao’s coastal affairs. Also present at the press conference, Mr Vong expressed his gratitude to the Central Government for appointing him as Director-General of the Customs Service. He said he was honoured to join such a professional and highly efficient team, to better serve Macao. Mr Vong additionally said he would uphold the principles of an impartial and people-oriented leadership to rise to the challenges he might face in his new post. He added that he would perform his duties in a pragmatic manner. Prior to his appointment as Director-General of the Customs Service, Mr Vong served as President of the Management Committee of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau since 2014. He became acting President of the Management Committee in 2013. Mr Vong served in several leading positions related to sports administration since he joined the public administration in 1994. Mr Vong holds a PhD degree and a Master’s degree from the Beijing Sport University, and a bachelor’s degree in management from the Instituto Superior de Línguas e Administração de Lisboa, in Portugal. Following Mr Vong’s appointment as Director-General of the Customs Service, his position at the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau will be taken over by Mr José Maria da Fonseca Tavares. Mr Tavares joined the public administration in 1984 and was currently the President of the Sports Bureau. Mr Pun Weng Kun, Vice-President of the Sports Bureau, will be the new head of the bureau. The Secretary for Security served temporarily as Director-General of the Customs Service since 31 October 2015, following the death of the former Director-General, Ms Lai Man Wa.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, agreed to strengthen cooperation with Hong Kong, in a bid better to grasp opportunities arising from the nation’s development. Such cooperation would be especially helpful in what was a consolidation period for the economies of the two SARs, he added. The comments were made on Thursday (18 February), during a meeting in Macao with the Hong Kong Government’s Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, who was on an official visit. Issues discussed at the meeting included the nation’s 13th Five-Year Plan; cooperation within the Pan-Pearl River Delta; opportunities in the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone; and policies to support youth entrepreneurship. Mr Tam also paid a courtesy call to the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam, at Government Headquarters. In addition, the Hong Kong delegation toured community facilities at Seac Pai Van Public Housing Estate, better to grasp the latest developments in Macao’s public housing. The visitors were accompanied by the Vice President of the Housing Bureau of Macao, Ms Kuoc Vai Han.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors in the fourth quarter of 2015 amounted to MOP 13.05 billion, down by 7.1% from MOP 14.05 billion in the same quarter of 2014 and up by 4.7% from MOP 12.47 billion in the third quarter of 2015. For the whole year of 2015, total spending of visitors was MOP 51.13 billion, down by 17.2% from MOP 61.75 billion in 2014, marking the first decline since the data was first released in 2010; total spending of overnight visitors (MOP 40.17 billion) decreased by 21.1% while that of same-day visitors (MOP 10.96 billion) increased by 0.9%. In the fourth quarter of 2015, per-capita spending of visitors was MOP 1,660, down by 5.5% year-on-year and yet up by 7.8% from the third quarter (MOP 1,540). Per-capita spending of visitors from Mainland China decreased by 4.9% year-on-year to MOP 1,938, with spending of those travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) dropping by 10.3% to MOP 2,349. Meanwhile, per-capita spending of visitors from Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan registered year-on-year decrease. Among the long-haul visitors, per-capita spending of those from Australia increased by 1.0% year-on-year, while that from the United Kingdom and the United States decreased. In 2015, per-capita spending of visitors was MOP 1,665, down by 15.0% from MOP 1,959 in 2014. Visitors from Mainland China spent an average of MOP 1,965, down by 16.5% year-on-year; spending of those from Guangdong Province (MOP 1,565) rose by 1.1% while that from Fujian Province (MOP 1,535) fell by 23.2%; per-capita spending of IVS visitors dropped by 16.5%, at MOP 2,292. Meanwhile, per-capita spending of visitors from Singapore (MOP 1,726), Malaysia (MOP 1,556) and Japan (MOP 1,524) registered year-on-year decrease. As regards long-haul visitors, per-capita spending of those from Australia (MOP 1,375) and the United Kingdom (MOP 1,329) dropped year-on-year, while that from the United States (MOP 1,281) remained unchanged. In the fourth quarter of 2015, per-capita spending of overnight visitors and same-day visitors was MOP 2,733 and MOP 658 respectively, down by 11.3% and 3.2% year-on-year. For the whole year of 2015, per-capita spending of overnight visitors dropped by 19.6% year-on-year to MOP 2,807, while that of same-day visitors rose by 4.3% to MOP 668. Analysed by countries and places, per-capita spending of overnight visitors from Mainland China (MOP 3,360), Singapore (MOP 2,728), Malaysia (MOP 2,336), Japan (MOP 2,294), Thailand (MOP 2,108) and Taiwan (MOP 2,950) recorded double-digit decrease, while that of same-day visitors from Mainland China (MOP 812) and Singapore (MOP 510) saw increase. Analysed by consumption structure, visitors spent mainly on shopping (46.0%), accommodation (25.5%) and food & beverage (20.4%) in the fourth quarter of 2015, with per-capita shopping spending dropping by 3.9% year-on-year to MOP 764. The consumption structure of visitors in 2015 was similar to that in the fourth quarter, with shopping (45.8%) and accommodation (25.4%) predominating. In 2015, per-capita shopping spending of visitors decreased by 20.0% year-on-year to MOP 762, with local food products sharing 29.4%. Visitors from Mainland China spent an average of MOP 1,051 on shopping, with IVS visitors spending MOP 1,442, down by 20.1% and 17.1% respectively. Meanwhile, long-haul visitors spent primarily on accommodation and food & beverage. In the fourth quarter of 2015, visitors’ satisfaction towards various services declined compared with the third quarter. About 87.9% of the visitor-users were satisfied with the services and facilities of hotels, down slightly by 0.9 percentage points quarter-to-quarter, while those who complimented about the services of gaming establishments (83.0%) and retail shops (81.7%) dropped by 1.2 and 3.4 percentage points respectively. Moreover, 78.5% of the visitor-users expressed satisfaction with the services of travel agencies, down substantially by 7.5 percentage points quarter-to-quarter, while visitors who were satisfied with public transport services had the lowest percentage, at 67.8%, down by 4.7 percentage points. Visitors who commented that points of tourist attractions were adequate dropped by 2.7 percentage points to 42.4%, while those considered the services were inadequate rose by 1.6 percentage points to 15.0%.
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The Government has no immediate plans to revise the legal framework governing the private real estate market, said the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo do Rosário. He stated that the Government was not currently planning to introduce changes to the rules governing the sale of units in buildings under construction; or to other regulations related to the private real estate sector. Mr Rosário was speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event on Thursday (18 February). The local authorities would nonetheless continue to monitor closely the development of, and changes to, the local property market, he added. The Secretary also commented on the progress of the proposed urban renewal committee. He said the consultative body would be set up officially in the next few weeks, and its members would be appointed shortly. In response to comments relating to the Government’s administrative procedures in various areas of work, Mr Rosário explained such procedures were necessarily time consuming in order to be fair and effective. He added that he had instructed all public bodies under his portfolio to speed up administrative procedures where practicable.
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The Government expects a public consultation relating to the revision of the Legislative Assembly Election Law would be held some time between March and April. The Government would strive to submit to the Legislative Assembly a bill for revision of the Legislative Assembly Election Law in July, said the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan, on Thursday (18 February), after a committee meeting at the Legislative Assembly. Suggested revisions would be based on findings contained in a report – published last December – on the fifth Legislative Assembly Election, said Ms Chan. In particular, the suggested revisions would cover issues regarding how to enhance the competitiveness of the electoral process for those Legislative Assembly seats assigned to the indirect election system; and how to increase the overall fairness of the electoral process. Ms Chan said the work on revision of the Legislative Assembly Election Law had to be concluded by the end of this year, given that the next election of the Legislative Assembly would be held in 2017. Ms Chan also commented to reporters about a bill on Macao’s regional judicial cooperation with the mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The bill took into account the principle of double jeopardy; and also the need to respect Macao’s own legislation when handling requests for judicial cooperation from other jurisdictions, she said. The Secretary said adherence to the principle of “One country, two systems” was an essential foundation of the judicial cooperation bill, a measure submitted to the Legislative Assembly last December. Ms Chan also commented on the Government’s liaison with the committees of the Legislative Assembly regarding the analysis of proposed legislation. She said that the schedule for such work was dependent on rounds of discussion both with members of the Legislative Assembly’s relevant committees and with legal advisors. She added it was important that the Government made a thorough analysis of such matters. The Government would maintain its effort to communicate effectively with the Legislative Assembly regarding legislative matters, she added.
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Please be informed that the stamp issue plan for the current year will be revised as follow: Alteration The stamp issue “Rio 2016 Olympic Games”, issue on 29 July will be renamed as “Games 2016”. Besides, the stamp issue “Traditional Chinese Culture”, issue on 9 October will be renamed as “Chinese Landscape Painting”. Insertion Macao Post will launch an additional stamp issue named “Paintings of Macao’s Famous Artists” on 25 August.
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To facilitate the public and philatelists for ordering new philatelic products, please note the followings: (* please find the attached file)
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Since the first issue of "Literature and its Characters – The Outlaws of the Marsh" released by Macao Post in 2003, the second issue of the series was released in 2014. “The Outlaws of the Marsh” is based on a peasant uprising during the Song Dynasty. Within this framework, the novel features the spirit of freedom and rebellion against unrighteousness and injustice. The work is characterized by its vivid and sinuous plots as well as its individualized characterization. It is a well-received masterpiece known to everyone, with the aim of transmitting the knowledge of Chinese tales to the next generations. Macao Post will launch the thematic pack "Literature and its Characters – The Outlaws of the Marsh" on 1st March 2016. This exquisite pack with the two stamp issues dedicated to Chinese Literature will certainly be a collectable item at reasonable price. The thematic pack is priced at MOP180.00. It will be available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters, Rua do Campo Post Office, Maritime Ferry Terminal Post Office, Airport Post Office and the Communications Museum. Get the opportunity to add value to your collection!
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To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Communications Museum, Macao Post announces that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at our Philately Shop located at Macao Post Headquarters and Communications Museum, from 9:00 to 17:30 on 1st March 2016 to provide the commemorative postmark cancellation service for the “10th Anniversary of Communications Museum”. Welcome to visit and collect Macao Stamps!
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