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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today met with the President of the Republic of Benin, Mr Boni Yayi, to discuss the feasibility in bilateral co-operation on trade, culture and tourism. The meeting took at Santa Sancha where Mr Chui welcomed Mr Yayi, who was on a private visit after attending the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation held in Beijing. Mr Chui introduced the guests to the latest social and economic development of the Macao SAR established 13 years ago with the successful implementation of "One country, two systems" principle. Mr Yayi said the Republic of Banin and African Union have co-operated well and has gained fruitful results at the Forum this time. He said to have a better understanding of bilateral co-operation on trade and tourism was the chief aim of this visit. The President then briefly introduced the social and economic development of Benin to his Macao counterparts, adding that he believed bilateral co-operation could achieve a win-win result. Mr Chui agreed that there was room to open up co-operation with Republic of Benin, based on the good co-operative foundation with the Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa. Ministry of Foreign Affair of Republic of Benin, Mr Nassirou Bako Arifari, Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Lambert Koty, Special Assistant to the President for External Relations Issues, Ms Mariam Aladji Boni Diallo, the Secretary for Public Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, the Secretary-General of the Executive Council, Ms O Lam, and the Advisor of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Fung Sio Weng also attended the meeting.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (117.11) for June 2012 increased by 6.19% year-on-year, attributable to higher charges for meals bought away from home and dearer price of vegetable. For the 12 months ended June 2012, the average Composite CPI increased by 6.44% from the preceding period; the average CPI-A and CPI-B also rose by 6.40% and 6.66% respectively. In comparison with June 2011, notable increase was observed in the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+32.18%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+8.94%) on account of rising charges for meals bought away from home, as well as dearer prices of vegetable and fresh pork. On the contrary, price index of Communication and Transport decreased by 6.58% and 0.11%. The CPI-A (116.56) and CPI-B (117.74) increased by 6.60% and 6.37% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI increased by 0.22% month-to-month, with the price index of Clothing & Footwear; and Recreation & Culture rising by 1.73% and 0.93% respectively. Besides, gasoline prices were lowered four times in June and receded vegetable prices pushed down the price index of Transport; and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages by 1.81% and 0.07%. The CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.21% and 0.23% month-to-month. The average Composite CPI for the first half year of 2012 increased by 6.42% year-on-year, of which the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+29.19%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+9.53%) saw noticeable increase, while that of Communication decreased by 6.50%. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.56% and 6.68% 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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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was confirmed by the Immigration Department of the Republic of Fiji that holders of the Macao SAR Passport can be exempted from visa requirements when entering the Republic of Fiji for a maximum stay of 4 months. At present, a total of 102 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the Macao SAR passport holders, while 9 countries have agreed to grant the visa-free access to the Macao SAR Travel Permit holders.
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Three PhD students of the University of Macau's (UM) Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS), who are no strangers to giving quality evaluation on Chinese medicines, were recently put on the receiving end of quality evaluation at their oral defenses. They passed the oral defenses with flying colours, receiving unanimous praise from Examination Committee members from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao. According to Examination Committee member Prof. Karl Tsim, who is from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the quality of the UM candidates is so high that it compares favourably with the quality of his top PhD students at HKUST. The three PhD candidates highly praised by the international experts on the Examination Committee are Qian Zhengming, Huang Weihua and Chen Xiaojia. Qian's thesis is titled "Analysis of Global Components in Water Extracts of Ten Valued Traditional Chinese Medicines Using Liquid Chromatography System with Multiple Columns and Detectors". Chen's thesis, titled "Development of Microscale Separation Techniques for Quality Control of Chinese Medicines", focuses on the analysis of flavonoids and nucleosides in selected Chinese medicines using microscale separation techniques including capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography. Both the theses are helpful for the overall quality control of traditional Chinese medicines. Huang's thesis is titled "Chemical Study of Oplopanax horridus", and focuses on the discovery of active substances from Oplopanax horridus to make the use of this traditional medicine safer and more efficient. Apart from Prof. Tsim, other members on the Examination Committee included UM's Vice Rector (Research) Prof. Rui Martins; ICMS and the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine (UM) Director Prof. Wang Yitao; Prof. Li Shaoping, Prof. Lee Ming-Yuen, Prof. Zheng Ying and Dr. Zhang Qingwen from ICMS; Prof. Ziad El Rassi from Oklahoma State University, U.S.; Prof. Frantisek Svec from the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.; Prof. Jun Haginaka from Mukogawa Women's University, Japan; Prof. Yeong Shik Kim from Seoul National University, South Korea; Prof. Zhang Yukui from the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Prof. Yu Rongmin from Jinan University, China.
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The Global Chinese Real Estate Congress (GCREC) and the University of Macau's (UM) Faculty of Business Administration recently held a gala dinner at Grand Hyatt Macau in celebration of the fourth annual conference of GCREC. During the dinner, three Doctoral Dissertation Awards and fourteen Best Paper Awards were presented. The gala dinner received generous sponsorship from the Melco Crown Entertainment. In her speech on behalf of Melco Crown Entertainment's Co-chairman and Chief Executive Mr. Lawrence Ho, Ms. Akiko Takahashi, executive vice president and chief human resources/corporate social responsibility officer, emphasized the company's commitment to life-long learning, as demonstrated by various learning initiatives for the employees and scholarships extended also to the employees' immediate family members. Prof. Rose Neng Lai, chair of GCREC's 2012 annual conference, indicated that the conference had been widely publicized via different media in the Greater China region. In addition to the six sessions, with nine concurrent paper sub-sessions in each, there were six roundtable panel discussions hosted by professional entities, during which participants discussed real estate issues from academic, policy-making and social perspectives. All the sessions were well received and enriched the outcome of the conference. During the dinner, twelve groups of postgraduate students from universities in the Greater China region, including Tsinghua University (Beijing), Chengchi University (Taipei) and Zhejiang University (Hangzhou), were invited to perform on stage. Three Doctoral Dissertation Awards and fourteen Best Paper Awards, sponsored by E-House (China) Holdings Limited, were presented. The closing dinner came to a grand finale when Prof. Feng Changchun, chair of GCREC's 2013 annual conference, director of the Real Estate Research Institute and associate dean of the Capital Development Research Institute of Peking University, expressed his congratulations on the success of the 2012 annual conference and conveyed his best wishes for the next year's conference. The conference provided a platform for experts, scholars, industry practitioners and postgraduate students to have in-depth discussions on the opportunities and challenges facing the real estate sector under macro-control.
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Owing to the flooding in Krasnodar Krai of Russian Federation (Russia), Macao Post announced that the mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to that area are subject to delay until further notice. Thank you for your kind attention.
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The SAR Government will carry out a series of work in preparation for the planned new pedestrian passageway between Macao and Zhuhai, a project that would enhance Macao's long-term development, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said this evening.
Speaking to reporters upon his return from a three-day visit to Beijing, Mr Chui said the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, would lead an inter-departmental working group to discuss the planning of the new project with Guangdong Government shortly.
He said the two governments would then jointly propose the application of the new passageway to the Central Government.
A series of work would have to be carried out in the pre-planning stage, such as relocating the Nam Yue Wholesale Market site situated in the northern part of the territory, said Mr Chui.
Meanwhile, he also revealed that more ad hoc working groups would be set up to work towards approval for building the new channel.
Mr Chui was in Beijing from 15-17 July and visited three ministerial departments, namely the Ministry of Public Security, the General Administration of Customs and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. He introduced to officials the advantages of the new project which would benefit Macao's entire development and to ease the flow of people passing through the Gongbei Checkpoint.
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Consumer Council recently conducted a price check on over-the-counter drugs. Selling prices of the surveyed items sold in various outlets differed, consumers are advised to check with the Council's price survey for reference. In response to the demand of consumers to remedies for cold and flu, cough syrup, and stomachache medicine, etc., Consumer Council surveyed selling prices of 6 different over-the-counter drugs and increased the number of surveyed outlets from 26 to 28 in the current survey. Consumer Council conducted its price check on over-the-counter drugs on 12th July, survey result showed that prices of the surveyed drugs had been stable in these two months but certain brands still recorded different levels of price increases and decrease. In the current survey, the lowest price difference recorded for the surveyed items was 18.7% while the highest was 51.2%; the figures recorded in the last survey were 14.9% and 81.8% respectively. Consumer Council indicates that its specific price survey aims at helping consumers make price comparison for the same product, consumers are therefore advised to check with the report prior to making purchase. The specific price survey on over-the-counter drugs is now available on the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo).
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met with the Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Zhong Shan, in Beijing today and exchanged views on the supply and safety of Mainland's farm products to Macao. Mr Chui expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Commerce for its long-term support, especially on ensuring the supply of the quality farm products to Macao. The Ministry had also backed Macao's drive in diversifying its industrial spectrum, especially in areas of conference industry and links with the Portuguese-speaking countries, Mr Chui said. The Vice Minister told Mr Chui the Ministry would work in accordance with the policies of the Central Government in supporting the development of the Macao SAR. As for the supply of agricultural products, he said the Ministry would spare no efforts in getting the job done. Mr Chui and Mr Zhong also exchanged ideas on expanding the current food supply and implementing the recently signed CEPA Supplement IX. Mr Chui and his delegation later attended a banquet hosted by the Ministry. Ministry figures for 2011 showed that farm products from the Mainland accounted for 100 per cent of live pig, live cattle and live chicken consumed in Macao; 27 per cent of pork; 74 per cent of mutton; 48 per cent of chilled or quick frozen chicken; 67 per cent of live fish; 67 per cent of flour; 88 per cent of eggs; 81 per cent of vegetables, and 19 per cent of fruits and nuts.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today that three Central Government ministries responded positively about the proposed new Macao-Zhuhai passageway. Mr Chui met respectively with the Minister of the Public Security of the People's Republic of China, Mr Meng Jianzhu, the Director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), Mr Zhi Shuping, and the Director of the General Administration of China Customs, Mr Yu Guangzhou. Mr Chui introduced to them the proposal of the new Macao-Zhuhai passageway, which Guangdong and Macao authorities had formally proposed to the Central Government previously, and exchanged ideas with them on this project. He said the new passageway would bolster Macao's drive to become a global tourism and leisure hub, benefit the general public, and help divert travelers flow from the current checkpoints. The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, who was also in Beijing with Mr Chui, said the Government would follow up on the budget and timetable of the project when it received approval from the Central Government. The new passageway would not only expand and upgrade customs facilities but also enable the Government to find new means to shorten the time needed for people to cross into Zhuhai or Macao, he said.
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