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The "Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Tourism Cooperation Meeting" will commence in Macau next Thursday (26 June) as one of the pre-event activities under the 10th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation & Development Forum and Economic & Trade Fair. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U will officiate the opening along with other guests. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) regional cooperation this year, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau will co-host the "10th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation & Development Forum and Economic & Trade Fair" (PPRD Forum) in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province on 13 – 14 October this year. The 10th PPRD Forum comprises two stages namely "Pre-event activities" and "Forum". "Pre-event activities" will take place from May to September including panel discussions, business matching sessions and activities in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of PPRD regional cooperation, etc. whereas the "Forum" will take place in mid-October including the opening ceremony of the 10th PPRD Forum, an exhibition of the 10-year achievements of PPRD regional cooperation, high-level forum, Chief Executive Joint Conference, superior meetings as well as project presentations by member provinces and regions of PPRD. The Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government will host a number of relevant activities including panel discussions, business matching sessions, high-level forum as well as activities to commemorate the 10th anniversary of PPRD regional cooperation. The Macau SAR Government highly regards and concerns the events in charge. In order to coordinate the overall preparation tasks and maintain the work progress, the Macau SAR Government has established Macau Organizing Committee, Preparatory Committee and seven task forces corresponding to the organizational structure of the PPRD Forum, forging ahead to accomplish the mission. Following the Panel Discussion on the Economic Environment of Portuguese Speaking Countries co-organized by Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province last month, the "Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Tourism Cooperation Meeting" will take place next week as the second panel discussion among other pre-event activities. The "Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Tourism Cooperation Meeting" is co-hosted by nine provinces and two regions ("9+2") of Pan-Pearl River Delta Region as an event organized by MGTO. Tourism officials of the PPRD provinces and regions will come together at the meeting to share their tourism development trends, conclude their experience in regional cooperation in tourism, study and explore their future directions for cooperation. The tourism officials will also sign the Framework Agreement on Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation in Tourism during the meeting. This press release is available at: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (130.06) for May 2014 increased by 6.16% year-on-year, attributable to higher rentals for dwellings and dearer charges for eating out. In comparison with May 2013, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+11.98%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.04%); and Household Goods & Furnishings (+6.02%) on account of rising rentals, dearer prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, and higher charges for eating out and domestic services. The CPI-A (130.63) and CPI-B (130.51) increased by 6.65% and 6.08% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for May 2014 increased by 0.10% month-to-month. New arrival of Summer clothing drove up the price index of Clothing & Footwear by 1.37%. Meanwhile, receding prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas offset part of the increase. On the contrary, price index of Recreation & Culture decreased by 2.47% upon reduced charges for package tours; lower prices of vegetables and fruits tapered off the rise in prices of fresh fish and charges for eating out, pushing down the price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages by 0.22%. The CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.07% and 0.11% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended May 2014, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.89% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+11.19%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.48%); and Household Goods & Furnishings (+6.30%) registered remarkable increase, while price index of Communication decreased by 1.64%. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.47% and 5.78% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first five months of 2014 increased by 6.18% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.72% and 6.09% respectively year-on-year. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
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Consumer Council conducted its sixth 'Supermarket price survey' in June on 19 June for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets in São Lázaro and São Lourenço Parishes. The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo), and the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six 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 third co-ordination meeting for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Tourism Ministerial Meeting of the Macao SAR Government delegation and that of the National Tourism Administration (CNTA) was held today in Zhuhai, to discuss further details of arrangements to ensure the smooth progress of the event. In the morning, the delegation led by Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, met with the Director General of the Department of Tourism Promotion and International Communications, Mr Li Shihong. Mr Li updated the delegation on the CNTA's preparation work for the Tourism Ministerial Meeting, while Ms Senna Fernandes reported on Macao's progress in all related areas. The parties discussed detailed arrangements for the ministerial meeting, protocol, media coverage, publicity and promotion, achieving clear outcomes in all matters. Members of the MSAR delegation led by Ms Senna Fernandes included the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Victor Chan Chi Ping, Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Fung Sio Weng; Advisor to the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Ng Peng In; and the Deputy Commissioner of the Public Security Police, Mr Mui San Meng. Representatives from the CNTA led by Mr Li Shihong included Deputy Director of the department, Ms Zhang Xinhong; Head of the Research Division, Mr Xu Haijun; Head of the Publicity Division, Mr Zhou Wenjie; Head of the External Affairs Division, Mr Wang Jianshe. Established in 1989, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is the highest level and most influential regional economic organization in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC currently has 21 members. After hosting the Ninth APEC Informal Leadership Meeting in Shanghai in 2001, China is now again responsible for organizing the APEC Informal Leadership Meeting and its related ministerial meetings in 2014. The Macao SAR will host the 8th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting in September. With China once again hosting APEC, after 13 years, it is of great significance for Macao to host the upcoming APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting. This will be the highest level multilateral economic summit hosted by China under its new leadership. This is also the first time the APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting is held in China. The choice of Macao as the venue for the meeting reflects the full support of the Central People's Government for the Macao Special Administrative Government.
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The University of Macau (UM) has published more than 367 papers on Chinese medicine in SCI-indexed international journals over the last three years, with many new research findings published this year. This is testament to UM's ever-increasing research capacity and international influence in the field of Chinese medicine. On the rise is not just the quantity, but also the quality of the papers. Many of the papers by the faculty members and students of UM's Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS) and the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine (QRCM Lab) have appeared in top international scientific journals with high impact factors. One of the papers, co-authored by ICMS associate professor Leung Chung-hang and Hong Kong Baptist University Department of Chemistry assistant professor Dr. Edmond Ma, has been published in the Nature Publishing Group's Cell Death & Disease journal. Dr. Leung and Dr. Ma's study, entitled "The Identification of a Natural Product-like STAT3 Dimerization Inhibitor by Structure-Based Virtual Screening", successfully identified a natural product-like STAT-3 dimerization inhibitor by using advanced computer-aided design (CAD) technology and biological activity evaluation, which can potentially inhibit tumor cell growth. The study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for potentially developing a new anti-tumor drug.
Additionally, Dr. Leung and Dr. Ma, in collaboration with experts from Kaosiung Medical University in Taiwan, have become the first in the world to successfully develop a novel compound that could potentially be used to treat skin cancer. Dr. Leung and his collaborators found that the rhodium(III) complex was able to effectively hinder the growth of melanoma in the mouse model. They are the first in the world to utilise a rhodium(III) complex to inhibit STAT3 directly. The related paper, entitled "Antagonising STAT3 Dimerization by a Rhodium(III) Complex", has been published in the prestigious chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie (International Edition, 2014)
Apart from Dr. Leung, numerous other faculty members have published papers on Chinese medicine this year. The research team headed by ICMS Director Prof. Wang Yitao and their collaborators from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences have co-published a paper on the possible applications of DNA barcoding in natural products and Chinese medicine research in Biological Reviews, a top biological journal. ICMS assistant professor Dr. Su Huanxing and his collaborators from Hong Kong and mainland China have co-published research papers in the Nature Publishing Group's Nature Methods. Dr. Su and his collaborators proposed a new technique for extracting neural progenitor cells from urine samples, offering a new direction for regenerative medicine. Dr. Wang Chunming and his collaborators from Nanjing University have co-published a paper entitled "Harnessing the Power of Macrophages/Monocytes for Enhanced Bone Tissue Engineering" in the Cell Press's Trends in Biotechnology journal.
ICMS Director Prof. Wang Yitao stressed, "The new campus represents a new beginning and brings new opportunities." He says that after moving onto the new campus, ICMS and the state key lab will continue to make full use of Macao's advantage of being a place where the East meets the West to strengthen cross-regional and cross-disciplinary collaboration, nurture and introduce talent in various fields, build a platform for international collaboration in Chinese medicine research, increase ICMS's academic influence and its capability to carry out innovative research, so as to repay the support of society and the faith Macao people have in the university and ICMS. The QRCM Lab was established in 2011.Over the past three years, the ICMS and the QRCM Lab have not only continuously increased investment in research and recruited outstanding academics from various backgrounds, but they have also encouraged cross-disciplinary and cross-regional collaboration to explore new areas of research in Chinese medicine in collaboration with universities in Macao, Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas. Currently the ICMS and the QRCM Lab are working on numerous academic collaboration and research exchange programmes with universities in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
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A full-scale replica of the precious map Gujin xingsheng zhi tu (Map of advantageous terrain past and present) from Jiajing's reign (1555), featuring interesting references to the Portuguese presence in Macao, will be donated to the Macao Historical Archive, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, by the Research Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, in a public ceremony to be held on 25 June 2014 at 10am at the Cultural Affairs Bureau auditorium.
The Gujin xingsheng zhi tu is a woodblock print made at the Jinsha Shuyuan Academy in Longxi County in Fujian Province, China in 1555 (34th year of the reign of Jiajing during the Ming dynasty). Under the influence of Spanish and Chinese traders from Amoy, the map embarked on a journey across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and finally arrived in Seville, Spain in 1574. In 2013, the Research Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of the National Tsing Hua University of Taiwan obtained authorization from the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain to reproduce the Gujin xingsheng zhi tu. The map to be presented to the Macao Historical Archive is an original size reproduction (115cmx100 cm).
The Gujin xingsheng zhi tu is an invaluable resource for the study of history. It not only illustrates the ancient Chinese knowledge of geography, but also how the Chinese viewed East Asia and the world at large at the time. In addition, the historical information described on the map reflects the exchanges between China and Spain at the time. Furthermore, the map gives important information about the settlement of the Portuguese in Macao, which makes it of great significance to the territory.
To mark the special occasion of the presentation of Gujin xingsheng zhi tu, the ceremony will be followed by a seminar which counts with the following participants: Mr. Manuel Ravina Martín, Director of the General Archive of the Indies; Prof. Huang Yi Long, Director of the Research Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of the National Tsing Hua University of Taiwan and Professor Lee Yu Chung of the same university. The topics of the papers include: "The history, collection and digitization program of the General Archive of The Indies in Seville, Spain"; "Current situation and prospects of studies on the history of the East Asian sea territory"; and "Records related to Macao in the collection of the General Archive of the Indies and the current situation and prospects of relevant studies".
The seminar will be conducted in Mandarin and Spanish with Cantonese and Portuguese simultaneous interpretation. Admission is free. For enquiries, please visit the website www.archives.gov.mo or call 2859 2919 during office hours for more details.
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To help hospitality and food and beverage professionals understand more about Mexican cuisine, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) together with the Consulate General of the Mexico in Hong Kong and Macao SAR, and the Macao Association for the Promotion of Exchange between Asia-Pacific and Latin America (MAPEAL) hosted the Mexican Cuisine Cooking Demonstration Workshop on 19 June. Chef Juan Miguel Prada was invited to share the concepts of Mexican cuisine and demonstrate several recipes. Born in Mexico, Chef Juan Miguel Prada is the founder of Prada Consulting, one of the most renowned food and beverage consulting companies in Mexico. With his broad experience, Chef Prada has acquired international recognition and has represented Mexican cuisine in several high-profile events in Europe and North America. Specialised in Mexican Haute Cuisine, Mexican traditional food, fusion and contemporary cuisine, Chef Prada is a multifaceted cook who has collaborated with very important restaurants in Mexico, and has worked as Executive Chef for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico. Chef Prada has much experience representing Mexico in international culinary fairs and exhibitions, with the support of the Mexican Embassies and Consulates in many countries, including Canada, Germany, India, Spain and Sweden. He has been chef collaborator in writing award-winning cookbooks such as "La Vainilla Mexicana Cookbook" and "Mezcal Cookbook", as well as a columnist and food critic in several specialised culinary magazines. The workshop was composed of five sessions: introduction to Mexican culinary and its ingredients, recipe and mise-en-place of the demo Mexican culinary, key issues of the production process, demonstration, food tasting and Q&A. Three dishes were demonstrated at the workshop: shrimp aguachile with avocado and mango, chicken skewer with peanut adobo and pastor style fish tacos. The workshop attracted a total of 30 chefs from hotels and restaurants. Participants not only gained basic knowledge about Mexican cuisine through the demonstration, but also experienced the whole production process, and tasted the Mexican gastronomy. In 2010, Mexican traditional cuisine was inscribed to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This inscription was based on the acknowledgement of the Mexican cuisine's role in the cultural identity of the Mexican people, which has been transmitted from generation to generation. IFT has always been dedicated to organise promotions of different ethnic cuisines for local industry and the public. At the same time, it arouses the interests of food service industry in Macao to explore more ideas in cooking. Through "Master Chef Cooking Demo Series" IFT forms a communication platform for local and overseas chefs. The institute will make more efforts to offer more training programmes to help enhance the knowledge and skills of industry professionals.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) and commercial real estate loans (CRELs) declined in April 2014. With regard to outstanding balance, RMLs and CRELs both witnessed increases. New Lending Approved In April 2014, new RMLs approved by Macao banks dropped 0.3% month-to-month to MOP3.5 billion; of which, 97.1% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RML to residents decreased 1.4% whereas those to non-residents increased 52.2%. When compared with the same period of 2013, new approvals of RMLs witnessed increase of 7.5%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) increased by 218.3% month-to-month to MOP368.7 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 98.0% of the total, increased 211.9%. When compared with the same period of 2013, new RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units expanded 180.5%. New CRELs dropped by 26.0% month-to-month to MOP7.0 billion; of which, 98.2% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents increased 0.4% whereas those to non-residents decreased 95.1%. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs grew by 246.8%. Outstanding Balances As at end-April 2014, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP126.9 billion, an increase of 1.5% from one month earlier or 24.1% from a year ago. The resident component made up 95.2% of the total. Compared to end-March 2014, outstanding RMLs to residents and non-residents grew 1.3% and 4.6% respectively. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs increased 4.4% from end-March 2014 and was up 32.6% from end-April 2013 to MOP99.8 billion. Residents accounted for 91.8% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents grew 4.8% whereas those to non-residents slid 0.7%. Delinquency Ratios At the end of April 2014, the delinquency ratio for RMLs remained unchanged at 0.07% or increased by 0.02 percentage points from a year ago. The ratio for CRELs increased to 0.07%, up 0.03 percentage points from a month ago or down 0.02 percentage points from end-April 2013.
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Delegations of Macao and the Philippines met on 17 and 18 June 2014 in Macao for air talks. The two delegations inked a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on air transport to increase the Manila capacity to over 7,000 seats per week by each side, an increase of more than 50% compared to the old capacity entitlement. In accordance with the old MOU which was signed last year, the Manila capacity was 4,500 seats per week by each side; the capacity of the other destinations in the Philippines is not restricted. In view of the fact that the old capacity entitlement has been fully allocated and no seats can further be allocated if frequencies are to be increased, the two governments noted that there was a need to increase the capacity in order to cope with the increased demand in the future. They therefore met in Macao to hold a new round of talks and eventually renewed the MOU on 18 June 2014 which raises the Manila capacity to over 7,000 seats per week by each side. Aiming at the direction of open skies policies, both parties will gradually lift the Manila capacity restrictions to enhance the air transport development in order that the tourism, trade and exchange of people between the two places can be further developed. Presently, there are air services between Macao, Manila and Clark. The Manila services are operated by Cebu Pacific Air, Philippines Airlines and Air Asia Zest with a total of 19 upcoming frequencies per week; the Clark services are operated by Cebu Pacific Air with 4 frequencies per week. The air talks were held in the office of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM). The new MOU was signed by the President of AACM, Mr. Chan Weng Hong and the Undersecretary of Department of Transportation and Communications of the Philippines, Mr. Jose Perpetuo M. Lotilla. The two delegations were composed of representatives from (Macao side) AACM, (Philippines side) Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, Civil Aeronautics Board, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and Consulate General of the Philippines in Macao. The industry operators of both sides also attended the discussions as observers.
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Consumer Council conducted its fifth 'Supermarket price survey' in June on 17 June 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), and the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six 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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