News

Hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, with the Environmental Protection Bureau and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute as Host Co-ordinators, the 2016 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF) will be held at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel from 31 March to 2 April. This year, the event is held under the theme “Green Economy – Opportunities for Waste Management”, providing a multilateral platform for exchanges on green commerce, technology and information between environmental industries in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region and the international markets. Incepted in 2008, this year marks the ninth year of the MIECF. It is a significant annual event in the environmental industry, constantly enhancing its quality and standards and promoting exchange and co-operation between business partners. In 2011, MIECF received recognition from UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and become an important green platform for innovative opportunities in the environmental industry and for publicising environmental concepts. The 2015 MIECF Green Showcase covered an area of around 16,900 square metres and successfully attracted more than 9,600 visitors during the three-day event. The Green Forum, comprising of 6 forum sessions and one seminar were attended by more than 3,600 people coming from nine countries and regions, with the participation of more than 50 speakers including environmental pioneers, leaders in multi-national environmental enterprises and regional policy-makers. The three-day event has concluded the signing of 28 projects, and 296 on site business negotiations have been conducted in the business-matching area. The Green Public Day held during the last day of MIECF was participated by over 2,400 visitors. Other than the two major components, the Green Forum and the Green Showcase, various activities such as the Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception, Green Public Day, Green Matching, Seminars and Presentations will continue to be held during 2016 MIECF to strengthen commercial and technological exchange on advances in environmental protection between international and Pan-Pearl River Delta Region entities, to promote co-operation and developments in international environmental protection, to publicise environmental protection concepts and to create business opportunities in the environmental industry. For further information, please visit the official website:http://www.macaomiecf.com/miecf2016, or call: +853-87989675.
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The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, presents the concert Horn Concerto by Radovan, part of the Shining Virtuosos Series, to be held on 5 March, Saturday, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, featuring international horn player Radovan Vlatković, who will debut in Macao. Tickets are on sale at the Macao Ticketing Network. The concert Horn Concerto by Radovan will be conducted by the Music Director of the Macao Orchestra, Lü Jia, and features Richard Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major, the extremely challenging work for the complex musical instrument, performed by Radovan Vlatković. The OM will also perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 5 “Fate”. Radovan Vlatković was Principal Horn of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and received the First Prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich. His recording of the Mozart concertos was awarded the German Recording Critics’ Prize. He received the Croatian Porin Award for his Life's Work in 2012. Aficionados should not miss this marvelous performance. Tickets for the concert are priced at MOP200, MOP150 and MOP100, and various discount plans are available. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please contact OM through tel. 2853 0782 during office hours or visit the Orchestra webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI increased by 3.81% year-on-year to 107.36 in January 2016, higher than the 3.73% growth in December 2015. The increment was attributable to soaring prices of vegetables, dearer charges for eating out, and rising rentals for dwellings and parking spaces. In comparison with January 2015, notable increase was observed in the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco, up by 39.11%. Higher tuition fee, rising wages of domestic helpers and dearer rentals for parking spaces drove up the price index of Education; Household Goods & Furnishings; and Transport by 8.91%, 5.96% and 5.95%. Meanwhile, price index of Clothing & Footwear (-2.23%) and Communication (-1.26%) registered decrease. The CPI-A (107.60) and CPI-B (105.30) rose by 3.92% and 2.87% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for January 2016 rose slightly by 0.04% month-to-month. Price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco; Health; and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages increased by 1.03%, 0.88% and 0.54% on account of dearer prices of tobacco, rising charges for in-patient services and eating out, as well as higher prices of vegetables due to the extreme cold weather. Despite a slowdown in rental growth, management fees for dwellings increased, causing the price index of Housing & Fuels to rise by 0.34%. On the other hand, seasonal sale of winter clothing and lower charges for package tours pushed down the price index of Clothing & Footwear and Recreation & Culture by 2.08% and 1.80%. The CPI-A increased by 0.06% month-to-month while the CPI-B dropped by 0.10%. For the 12 months ended January 2016, the average Composite CPI increased by 4.48% from the previous period. Price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+20.55%) and Housing & Fuels (+7.39%) showed marked increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 4.76% and 3.55% respectively over the previous period. The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP29,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP30,000 to MOP54,999.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said he was confident that – under its new leadership – the Customs Service would strive to provide the city with better services, namely regarding the management of Macao’s maritime waters, thus contributing to the city’s development. Mr Vong Iao Lek was sworn in this afternoon as Director-General of the Macao Customs Service. The ceremony was held at the Government Headquarters and was presided over by the Chief Executive. Mr Chui stressed the need to ensure a smooth leadership transition and to maintain the regular operations of the Customs Service. The Chief Executive convened a work meeting on Saturday (20 February) – following the announcement of Mr Vong’s appointment – to review the leadership transition in the Customs Service. Mr Vong and the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, attended the meeting. Mr Wong served as interim Director-General of the Customs Service since 31 October 2015. Mr Chui said today that the work of the Customs Service was of particular importance to the development of Macao, especially following the demarcation of the city’s maritime boundaries. Such boundaries include a newly demarcated area of 85 square kilometres of maritime waters to be administered by Macao. The Customs Service will also play an important role in helping the city to take 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), Mr Chui added. Asked by reporters, the Chief Executive reiterated that Mr Vong had been nominated to lead the Customs Service after careful and comprehensive consideration of his capabilities and past experience in leadership roles. The State Council ratified Mr Vong’s nomination on Friday (19 February). Mr Chui said that the Macao SAR principal officials do not necessarily have to be appointed from the field they are put in charge. He added that there had been similar cases to that of Mr Vong in the past, with those appointed achieving successful results. The main factors under consideration when selecting a candidate for a principal official position included policy-making abilities, sense of responsibility, and management and execution skills, the Chief Executive added. During today’s ceremony, Mr Vong said that to head the Customs Service is a challenging position. He added that, with the support of a professional and united team, he was confident to contribute for Macao’s stability and help achieve the Government’s vision for the city. Mr Vong’s priority at the Customs Service would be to ensure the proper management of the city’s newly demarcated maritime area. Building an effective and efficient team – making use of modern equipment and facilities – would help achieve that goal, he added. Earlier today – prior to the swearing-in ceremony – Mr Wong and Mr Vong met with the top management of the Customs Service. During the work meeting – held at the Customs Service headquarters – the Secretary urged all staff to support Mr Vong; he added that his office would give full assistance to the Customs Service whenever needed. The Secretary extended his gratitude to all staff of the Customs Service for their work during the period he headed the service.
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The number of crimes reported to police in 2015 fell by 2.6 percent year-on-year, and there were no cases of the most serious forms of violent crime reported last year, said today the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak. The Secretary made the comments at a press briefing this morning, when he disclosed the figures for crime cases recorded last year. Mr Wong said the police conducted a total of 13,653 criminal investigations last year, a decline of 363 cases compared to 2014. A total of 5,476 people were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation in 2015, an increase of 680 people from the prior year. The Secretary said the authorities would continue the efforts to maintain public order and use effective crime-fighting measures to ensure the stability of Macao. A total of 1,553 gaming-related cases were recorded in 2015, an increase of 38 percent from 1,125 cases in 2014. The cases reported last year were mostly related to false imprisonment and usury, said Mr Wong. The Government remains on alert for any possible negative impact on security brought by the ongoing adjustment in Macao’s gaming industry, said the Secretary. Intelligence gathered so far showed no unusual activity, he added. Mr Wong additionally said the authorities would constantly keep assessing the situation and would step up enforcement efforts in order to reduce the number of gaming-related crimes in Macao. There were 7,584 cases of crime against property last year, representing a 3.3 percent decline from 2014. A total of 2,721 crimes against persons were reported in 2015, a slight increase of 0.1 percent from the previous year. The number of violent crimes reported last year showed a 24-percent increase compared to 2014, to 755 cases. The increase was mainly due to more cases of false imprisonment: a total of 410 such cases were reported in 2015, an 86.4 percent rise from 220 cases in 2014. The most serious forms of violent crime – such as murder, kidnap and grievous assault – were either at low levels or non-existent in 2015. Cases of telephone fraud fell by 42.9 percent to 161 from 282 cases reported in 2014. The decrease in the number of telephone fraud cases was partly due to the police’s anti-crime promotional campaigns, Mr Wong said. The police would pay special attention to the most recent trends in crime and launch more promotional campaigns to raise awareness among larger sectors of the community, he added. Crimes against society saw a decrease of 9.3 percent year-on-year, to 813 cases. Crimes such as using forged documents went up by 8.7 percent year-on-year in 2015, but there was a 44.7-percent decline in cases related to transferring counterfeit money. A total of 25 cases of arson were reported to the authorities last year. Cases of juvenile delinquency fell by 27.7 percent year-on-year to 47 in 2015, involving 78 youngsters. There were a total of 30,506 illegal immigrants and over-stayers detected last year, representing a significant decline of 38.6 percent from 2014. Of these incidents, 25,053 involved mainland residents and 3,140 involved people from overseas that overstayed their visas. In 2015, there were a total of 5,079 infractions relating to taxi services. The cases included 1,874 incidents of refusing to take passengers; 1,233 cases of overcharging; and 357 cases of unlicensed transportation services. Mr Wong said the police would beef up efforts to implement the Government’s policy strategy for the security area in 2016 – “proactive policing”, “community policing” and “proximity policing” – in a bid to strengthen promotion and communication with the public.
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The Government has created a committee to push forward the role of Macao as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries (known as “Platform Policy”). The committee was set up by an Executive Order published today in the Macao SAR Gazette. The Committee for Development of the Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries will be responsible for drafting a development blueprint for Macao based on the Platform Policy. The advisory body will also conduct research related to the Platform Policy. It will additionally suggest guidelines on related matters. The Chief Executive will chair the new committee; the Secretary for Economy and Finance will be the vice chairperson, according to the Executive Order. The Platform Policy – endorsed by the Central Government – leverages on Macao’s unique position and aims to further contribute to China’s development. It is intended to offer mutual benefits to the mainland, the Portuguese-speaking countries and Macao. Macao’s achievements under the Platform Policy include: boosting cultural exchanges and trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries; and providing assistance and consultancy services to involved parties in translation/interpretation and other language-related matters, finance, legal affairs and accounting. The next stage in implementing the Platform Policy – including the creation of the new committee – aims to increase resource efficiency in the public administration regarding Macao’s role as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, said today that the Government’s 200-billion-pataca forecast for casino gaming revenue in 2016 was reasonable based on the industry’s performance in the Lunar New Year period. The Secretary told reporters that gaming revenue during the Lunar New Year holiday period this year was similar to that recorded in the same period in 2015. The Government would continue to closely monitor external developments and cautiously evaluate any potential impact on Macao’s economy, he added. Mr Leong said the Government would strive to gain a better understanding on the latest developments impacting local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by collecting more data on tourist and local consumption patterns. The development of the city’s SMEs is essential to the prosperity of Macao, he stated. The Secretary said the entire community – including young people and local businesses – was confident on Macao’s long-term prosperity. Mr Leong said people he had met recently told him they were devoting a lot of effort to improve their skills during the ongoing adjustment period in the city’s gaming industry. Asked by reporters, Mr Leong said gaming operators in Macao had well-defined development plans; he added that delays in the completion of some integrated resort projects currently under construction were related to a number of factors. The Secretary added that – by launching international promotional campaigns to promote non-gaming elements and attract more international visitors – gaming operators were showing their confidence in Macao’s tourism sector.
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) held a promotion seminar of the “Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme” (QTSAS) today (22 February) to call for applications from local catering sector this year. This is the third year for the Scheme to roll out in Macao. This time, not only the catering industry is targeted but also travel agencies are eligible for application, as part of MGTO’s efforts to encourage local travel trade and related sectors to keep upgrading their service quality. QTSAS 2016 is open for applications from local catering sector from 1 to 31 March. Details for participation of travel agencies will be announced soon. MGTO is dedicated to enhancing service quality in tourism and related sectors. In 2014, QTSAS was officially launched to establish service quality standards for the tourism industry, encourage and support industry partners to enhance their service quality as well as recognize tourism merchants for their outstanding service and excellent service management. Two accolades, namely “Star Merchant Award” and “Service Star Award”, will be presented through the Scheme. The QTSAS promotion seminar was held at Tourism Activities Centre today (22 February) to introduce the assessment criteria and application procedures to catering businesses. MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong; President of the Executive Committee of the Consumer Council, Wong Hon Neng; Head of Training and Quality Management Department of MGTO, Doris Leong; representative of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Cham Iu Van; representative of the Institute for Tourism Studies Dr. Chan Ka Sik; Assistant Director, Market Research and Subsidiary Operations of Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency, K T Ting; Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Association of Macau Small and Medium Enterprise of Catering, Lao Sam Chun; President of the Supervisory Committee of Macau Hotel Association, Noel Wong; Deputy Chairman of Association of Macao Tourist Agents, Tang Ka Man; as well as Deputy Managing Director of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, Chiang Io Kei, among others, were present at the seminar. Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency presented an introduction about the QTSAS assessment criteria at the occasion. During his speech, Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong expressed that QTSAS has harvested fruitful results last year. The overall grade received by merchant participants was higher than that in 2014. This year, the Scheme will cover travel agencies as well. In addition, the Office will keep optimizing the flow and assessment criteria of the Scheme, while studying the feasibility to cover more different sectors. With the above efforts, MGTO hopes to extend QTSAS step by step to other tourism-related industries as well, so that overall tourism service quality in Macao can be enhanced under concerted efforts to foster quality tourism in line with the SAR Government’s endeavor to build Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The Deputy Director also briefed industry partners on application procedures and benefits of participation. Back in 2014, MGTO established the QTSAS Assessment Committee for effective management and promotion of QTSAS, review as well as approval on award winners. This year, the Scheme is open for applications from travel agencies as well. In light of that, the Assessment Committee is restructured with two new segments included, “Food and Beverage Industry Committee” and “Travel Agency Industry Committee”, to support the work of the Assessment Committee by conducting effective analysis from a professional angle. According to license classification, MGTO established four categories namely "Deluxe Restaurant", "First Class Restaurant", "Second Class Restaurant" and "Food and Beverage Establishments" in the Scheme. Any licensed restaurant or catering establishment which has operated its business in Macao for one year or above is eligible for participation, with a quota of 100 applications in total. Merchants interested in participation can submit an application to MGTO between 1 and 31 March. For details, please browse MGTO’s website: http://industry.macaotourism.gov.mo. Merchants who applied last year but were not drawn by lot or did not pass the assessment are given the priority to join the Scheme upon application this year. Details for participation of travel agency sector will be unveiled soon. Merchant participants are required to go through a range of assessments on their service performance and management system. Merchants who fulfill the criteria will be awarded the "Star Merchant Award", effective from 2017 until 2019. On top of that, the merchant who achieves a final score no less than 85 and gets the highest score among other winners of "Star Merchant Award" under the same category will be presented the "Service Star Award” as well. Through participation in the Scheme, merchants can also self-assess their service quality according to the assessment criteria and apply the operation guideline in their business to keep raising their service standard. Up to present, a total of 167 qualified catering businesses have been presented the "Star Merchant Award". Details about award-winning merchants are listed in the "Star Merchant Award" – Restaurants and Eateries Guide. The public can obtain printed versions of the guide from MGTO’s Tourist Information counters or download its electronic version from MGTO’s website: www.macaotourism.gov.mo.
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Dr Brian Hall from the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau (UM), recently received the Theodore Blau Early Career Award for Outstanding Contribution to Professional Clinical Psychology, from the American Psychological Association (APA). The award is given by the APA’s Society of Clinical Psychology, with an aim to honour clinical psychologists for their professional accomplishments within the first ten years of receiving their PhD degrees. The award also aims to reward psychologists for their contributions to education, research, service, and clinical practice. Founded in 1998, the award has been given to directors of research centres and clinical researchers at top universities, including Yale University and the University of California at Los Angeles. Dr Hall will receive the award at the award presentation ceremony to be held this August in Denver, Colorado, the United States. Dr Hall has published nearly 30 peer-reviewed articles in leading SSCI journals since joining UM in January 2014. As an epidemiologist and a professional in the field of global public health, Dr Hall is currently involved in a collaborative multidisciplinary research project aimed to improve people’s health in the Greater China region, with an emphasis on the population in Macao, and the migrant communities across the Pearl River Delta region. Dr Hall is a co-editor of an upcoming special issue of the European Journal of Psychotraumatology on global mental health and migration. He recently gave a talk on migration and mental health during the first TEDx event at UM.
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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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