News

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met today with the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Mr Paulo Sacadura Cabral Portas. At Santa Sancha, the official premises where the Chief Executive receives guests, Mr Chui welcomed Mr Portas and his delegation, who were visiting Macao as part of their visit to China. Mr Chui and Mr Portas discussed a range of issues including means to deepen and consolidate co-operations between Macao and Portugal, Macao's function in Sino-Portuguese relations and as a business platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Chui said the Macao SAR Government highly regarded the co-operative relations between Macao and Portugal, and said Portugal was the first foreign country he officially visited since he assumed office as Chief Executive. Mr Chui reviewed that during his visit to Portugal, Macao and Portugal agreed on holding regular meetings to enhance co-operation on trade, tourism, science, public security, legal and other areas, in accordance with the Co-operation Framework Agreement between the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the Portuguese Republic, signed in 2001. He said that the visit of Mr Portas to Macao represented their consensus of encouraging visits between high-ranking officials. He said Macao would continue to act as a platform and encourage companies in the Mainland and Macao to invest in Portugal. Mr Portas said Portugal had constantly and highly regarded relations between Portugal and Macao and Macao's function in the development of Sino-Portuguese relations. He said Portugal and Macao could strengthen their co-operation in different areas with inputs from officials and civil levels. He extended gratitude to Macao for its efforts in maintaining Portuguese language education and keeping Portuguese culture in Macao, and said they should facilitate co-operations in education and culture. Mr Chui acknowledged that Macao and Portugal should continue and strengthen their co-operation in trade, education, culture and especially training in languages. The Macao SAR would, in accordance with the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macao, continue to maintain the Portuguese culture, language and customs in Macao, said Mr Chui. He also said he wished the Portuguese community in Macao would continue to live and prosper in Macao. Mr Portas said he cared about the development of the Portuguese School of Macao and Mr Chui said the Government would continue to support it. Macao officials who attended the meeting included the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan; the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng; the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Cheong Chui Ling, and the Head of Office of Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, Mr Raimundo Arrais do Rosario. The Portuguese officials who attended the meeting included Portuguese Ambassador to China, Mr Jose Tadeu Soares; the Secretary of State for Tourism, Ms Cecília Meireles; the Consul-General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong, Mr Manuel Carvalho; the President of the Agency for Investment and External Commerce of Portugal, Mr Pedro Reis, and the President of Instituto Camões, Ms Ana Paula Laborinho.
…

Macao 2012-Jul-06 – Jointly organized by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Brazilian Franchise Association, Association of Chain and Franchise Promotion, Taiwan, Macao International Brand Enterprise Commercial Association, Macao Chain Stores and Franchise Association and Licensing and Franchising Association of Hong Kong, supported by Chinese Chain Store & Franchise Association, International Franchise Association and Japan Franchise Association, co-organized by Korea Franchise Association, Malaysian Retailer-Chains Association, Philippines Franchise Association and Thailand Franchise Association, and coordinated by Association of Advertising Agents of Macao, the Grand Opening of the Macao Franchise Expo 2012 (2012MFE) takes place at Hall D of the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel.
With the slogan "Brand Expansion Continues, Business Opportunities to be seized" this year, the event continues to strive to promote international franchise and chain business, and brand co-operation through various types of means, including exhibition, forum, business matching and product/service presentations. Also, 2012MFE promotes local brand products on an international scale and fosters a more desirable business communication platform for local young business beginners and SMEs. A total of 493 business matching sessions is successfully achieved on July 6 and of 15 cooperation protocols are signed.
Representatives of IPIM stresses that, in line with the regional strategy to build Macao into a "world-class tourism and leisure centre" and an "economic and trade co-operation platform", the 2012MFE provides new opportunities for brand co-operation, chain and franchising operations. In recent years, a number of world famous brands have entered the Macao consumer market by means of franchising, chain operation and licensing, bringing in new content and fresh ideas to the local consumer market. The awareness and participation of local business and industrial sectors, particular SMEs, in such business models have been increasing largely and constantly, Chan notes.
Following the boom of the local retail industry, the retail sales volume amounted to Mop 12.88 Billion in the first quarter this year, a rise of 28% year on year. The growth, along with the gradual introduction of world-renowned brands into the local market, has resulted in a diverse range of products and services for local residents and nearly 3 million tourists annually, she points out. 2012MFE – The Expanding International Business Platform
Building on foundations of previous fruitful results and experiences, 2012MFE, being the fourth edition of the event, is committed to promoting and establishing a business platform to welcome international brands from different countries and regions to take part in the exhibition to look for business partners in Macao. 20I2MFE has recruited 156 exhibitors from 14 different countries or regions, which include Mainland China, America, Japan, South Korea, Britain, France, Malaysia, Thai, Singapore, Philippine, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, attracting over 150 franchise and chain operators and brand agencies from a variety of industries like food and beverages, retail, services, education, strategic planning and marketing, and so on, showcasing a total of 165 brands. The venue this year covers a total of 5,400 square metres with 207 booths. The number of premium booths has reached to 23 (comparing 9 in the MFE 2011), an increase of about 155%. There are a total of 107 overseas exhibitors (around 70%. The number of Macao exhibitors increases from 38 in 2011 to 49 this year, an increase of 28%. The event has gained ever increasing worldwide and market exposure, with the greater participation of international organizations. It has also introduced four franchise associations as co-organizers and two local enterprises as partner organizations.
During the event, three sessions of Forum on Chain and Franchise Business Opportunities of International Brands under different themes, as well as a number of thematic seminars and presentations will be held. A series of one-stop support services is provided, enabling local and overseas business visitors to obtain practical information on franchising operations.
The forum on the first day of the expo is themed at "Beyond Macao – Opportunities of Development in Regional Franchise Business", and groups of famous international chain business specialists and senior corporate officials from Taiwan and Macao were invited to shares their visions. 15 Cooperation Protocols Signed On the First Day On the first day of the event, a total of 493 business matching is successfully achieved and has contributed to the signing of 15 cooperation protocols, including cooperative brand product promotion, brand chain operation and licensing, agency stores of Australia Milk powder, Europe snack and beverage brands, establishing branded delicacy centre and food research and development centre and so on. The cooperation protocols are initiated and signed by enterprises from numerous countries and regions including Macao, Mainland, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia and Britain Virgin Islands.
Officiating guests at the Macao Franchise Expo 2012 included Echo Chan, Acting President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Wang Jia Bao, Director of Economic Affairs Department (Representative of Wang Xin Dong, Director General) of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Liu Jianbo, Director-General, Department of General Affairs, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Sou Tim Peng, Director of Economic Services of the Government of the Macao SAR, and representatives of 2012MFE organizers, supporting organizers and co-organizers, etc. The opening ceremony presided over by the officiating guests marked the kick-off of the 3-day event.
Forum Highlight on July 7
The topic of the forum on July 7 is "From Building Your Own Brand to Managing Chain Store Operations" and will be held in the Ballroom J of the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel from 3:00 pm to 4:45 pm. Through focus questions by the moderator and experience sharing of guest speakers of the field, including professors, leaders and senior representatives from Taiwan brand enterprises and business associations, it is expected that the audience can gain more knowledge on formula of success for franchise and chain business, as well as future trends of industry development. The forum is free of charge and open to public. Brand Re-packaging Consultancy Pavilion Enhances Product Value
In order to strengthen the brands both locally and internationally, the Organizers specially invite representatives from Beijing, Taiwan, and Hong Kong counterparts, who are expertise in brand packaging services, to share their insights and provide opinions tailored to different needs for international brands in "2012MFE Brand Re-packaging Consultancy Pavilion". Invited consultants illustrate and explore the techniques and skills in product packaging and examine how brand packaging strategically enhances the brand value. Also, on-site consultancy services will be available for business beginners and SMEs.
Free Admission. Don't Miss the Opportunity!
Admission throughout the three-day event is free. Business representatives and general public are all welcomed to visit the expo. Similar to the previous MFE, some of the exhibitors will provide free-tasting, together with MFE Square, a multi-functional area, which is expected to allow exhibitors to demonstrate their products and boost the match making atmosphere with fabulous Wedding Dress Shows, Latte Art demonstration, parade of MFE Mascot and cartoon characters. July 7 and July 8 will be open to general public. The opening hours on July 7 (Saturday) are from 11:00am to 8:00 pm and the opening hours on July 8 (Sunday) are from 11:00 am to 06:00 pm.
For public convenience, two routes of shuttle bus service will be available on Saturday and Sunday. Round trip shuttle 1 goes between Estrada Marginal do Hipodromo (near Royal Supermarket, Areia Preta) and MFE venue. Round trip shuttle 2 goes between Avenida Doutor Mário Soares ( Macao Square ) and MFE venue.
For other enquiries, please contact the secretariat of 2012MFE, Tel: (853) 6212 88ll or visit the MFE official website: www.mfe.mo.
…

What can the University of Macau (UM) learn from the governance model reforms of public universities in Europe, the United States and Asia? What employment and education prospects do UM graduates face? Why are universities around the world attaching importance to the Learning Commons? Answers to these questions and more can be found in the latest issue of umagazine. One thing governing a university and governing a society or company have in common is that different governance models are required during different stages of development if the institution is to grow constantly and meet society's demand. Now the country and the SAR government have placed an important historical mission on UM: to become a world-class university. But to achieve that goal, a university needs not just world-class facilities, but also a world-class governance model. In recent years, public universities in Europe, the United States and Asia have adopted new governance models that suit their unique needs. Determined not to be marginalized in the process, UM is also revising its Charter and studying the experience of other universities, in hopes of finding a governance model that best suits its own needs and stage of development. This issue's cover story, titled "Tailor-making Governance Models with the Times: The Way to Success", provides an in-depth discussion about this topic. Early this year, UM held a series of academic events, and one of them was a seminar by Nobel laureate in economics Prof. Robert A. Mundell, on the European debt dilemma and its impact on East Asia and the world economy. In the interview for this issue of umagazine, Prof. Mundell shares his insightful views on the future trends in the world economy as well as on student training. We cannot talk about student training without mentioning the fact that UM graduates face good employment and education prospects. According to a survey, nearly half of last year's UM graduates received job offers before graduation, and nearly 20 percent were accepted by top universities both at home and abroad for further studies. In fact, many UM alumni have carved out a niche for themselves in different professions. In the article titled "Gaining a Head Start upon Graduation", UM graduates share their experiences and views, giving readers a better understanding as to why UM graduates can gain a head start upon graduation. Other exciting topics covered in this issue of umagazine include the joint research centre for innovative Chinese medicine co-established by UM, Peking University, Taiwan University and the University of Hong Kong, which is hoped to inject new technologies and energy into Chinese medicine development in the four Chinese-speaking territories, UM's microelectronics team's special "date" in Beijing which brought home the first second-class State Scientific and Technological Progress Award for macao, the Learning Commons that makes learning a more enjoyable experience, the origin of .mo and the pivotal role UM played in the process, and the story of a UM alumus who thinks that academic study is a game to be won. umagazine is a bi-annual publication launched by UM in 2009. For e-versions, please visit www.umac.mo/umagazine.
…

Consumer Council conducted its price check on 16 brands of rice from 20 retail spots (including supermarkets and grocery stores) on 2nd July, relevant data has been uploaded to the 'Specific Product Price Information Platform' on the Council's website. In comparison with the data collected in the specific survey on rice in May, prices of 11 brands of rice remained unchanged, while for the other 5 brands, price increase was found in specific retail spots only. For the data collected during the monthly supermarket price supermarket in June, most brands of rice recorded a slight decrease in price. This reflected stability in price when compared with all the prices of rice collected in the recent surveys. In the current specific price survey, the price of 'Golden King Rabbit (8kg)' was $118, which was the same in all the retail spots surveyed. As for the other brands, the percentage difference in price ranged from 1.02% to 20.98%. Consumers may access the relevant resources on the 'Specific Product Price Information Platform' on the Council's website and make price comparisons. For enquiry, please call 89889315.
…

With the objective of testing and assessing the efficiency of the Airport Emergency Plan, the Macau International Airport carried out the "Full Scale Emergency Exercise 2012" in the early morning on 06 July 2012. The exercise simulated the scenario of two aircraft crashing at the taxiway junction which ended up in a number of casualties. The Airport Emergency Plan was immediately activated to deal with the accident. The relevant government bodies and the aviation operators took part in the search and rescue actions. The whole exercise involved the participation of 100 people which was deemed a success. The exercise took place at 04:00 in the early morning. The scenario was as follows: a general aviation aircraft carrying 10 people on board experienced steering problems after landing on the Macau International Airport runway and was forced to a stop at the taxiway junction. At this moment, another aircraft carrying 88 people on board could not avoid but collided with the first aircraft, although the pilot had already applied full breaks attempting to stop the aircraft. As a result, the general aviation aircraft was broken into two sections due to the impact. The aft section caught fire. The second aircraft rested against the runway seawall and fuel was spilling out from the left wing. The accident led to a number of casualties. After it had happened, the Airport Emergency Plan was immediately activated. All responsible parties arrived at the Airport Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate with each other for search and rescue actions. With the effort of the coordination team and the search and rescue team, all the injured were admitted to hospital in a timely manner. The search and rescue actions ended at 05:45. The simulated operations of the uninjured passenger handling area and the family assistance centre still continued after the conclusion of the search and rescue actions. The whole exercise was eventually concluded until 07:00. Conducted in accordance with the work schedule approved in the beginning of this year by the Facilitation and Security Committee, the exercise was coordinated by Administration of Airports, Ltd., and the search and rescue actions were led by Fire Services Bureau. Participating entities also comprised Unitary Police Force, Macao Customs Services, Public Security Police Force, Judiciary Police, Security Coordination Office, Health Bureau, Maritime Administration, Civil Aviation Authority, CAM-Macau International Airport Company Ltd., Air Macau Co. Ltd., Macau Jet International Co. Ltd., Macau Security Company Ltd. (airport security) and Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd. Full scale emergency exercises are carried out on a regular basis in Macau International Airport with the objective of testing and assessing the effectiveness of the Airport Emergency Plan and the capacity of the participating entities on command and control, coordination, communication, resource allocation and so on when facing emergencies, so that the participants can further improve themselves in recognizing and dealing with contingencies.
…

According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, broad money supply continued to grow in May. Driven by a faster increase in total loans, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector rose from a month earlier.
Money supply
Currency in circulation and demand deposits dropped 0.8% and 4.6% respectively. M1 thus decreased 4.0% from one month earlier. In the meantime, quasi-monetary liabilities rose 2.0%, pushing M2 to increase by 1.2% to MOP320.5 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 1.8% and 18.6% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 25.8%, staying flat from a month ago but down 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 54.3%, down 0.7 percentage points month-to-month and 0.3 percentage points year-on-year.
Deposits
Resident deposits grew 1.3% from the preceding month to MOP313.6 billion. Of which, MOP deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 1.4% and 5.2% while HKD deposits dropped 0.2%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits dropped 3.2% to MOP123.5 billion and public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 3.9% to MOP39.4 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector rose 0.3% from a month earlier to MOP476.6 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 21.3% and 44.5% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 1.6% on a monthly basis to MOP175.3 billion. Among which, MOP47.6 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP110.4 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 27.2% and 63.0% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans rose 2.8% to MOP188.5 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.6% (MOP1.2 billion) and 26.2% (MOP49.3 billion) respectively.
Loan-to-deposit ratios
As the growth rates of resident deposits (including the public sector) and domestic loans to the private sector were similar, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-May 2012 remained fairly unchanged from the previous month at 49.7%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors was 76.3%, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous month. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met with the Governor of Fujian, Mr Su Shulin, in Macao today to exchange ideas in extending bi-lateral co-operation. At Santa Sancha, the official premises where the Chief Executive receives guests, Mr Chui welcomed Mr Su and his delegation and said he believed that Mr Su's visit would bolster exchanges between people from Macao and Fujian. He said Macao and Fujian had maintained long-term partnership in areas such as trade, tourism and cultural exchanges, and he hoped that they would strengthen their co-operations in the future to their mutual benefit. He said that to turn Macao into a global tourism and leisure hub and a business platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, Fujian's support would be invaluable. Mr Su said that Fujian and Macao had furthered their co-operation in trade, tourism, investment and other areas and that he believed they could deepen their partnerships in the future. He said that he would visit Macao people who originated from Fujian during his stay in Macao and encourage them to continue to work hard for the prosperity and development of Macao.
…

Consumer Council conducted a price check on pre-packaged eggs and dairy products, and the relevant data has been uploaded to the 'Specific Product Price Information Platform' on the Council's website. Consumer Council conducted a price check on 8 kinds of pre-packaged eggs at supermarkets on 28th June. In comparison with the data from last month's survey, prices remained stable, and the percentage discrepancies between the lowest and the highest selling prices of the same products were similar. Two brands of eggs sold at different retail outlets from the same chain store, namely, 'Select US Grade A Fresh Large White Eggs (12 pcs)' and 'Select US Grade A Fresh Extra Large Brown Eggs (12 pcs)', although they were sold at special prices, a price difference of $3, which was around 15% difference was recorded. A price check on 16 brands of dairy products was conducted on 26th June. In comparison with April's data, prices of many brands surveyed remained stable, and the percentage discrepancies between the lowest and the highest selling prices of the same products were similar. An obvious price difference observed this time was 'Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese (250g)', with the highest price of $43.8 and the lowest price of $29.9. The percentage difference on this product from last survey was 32.11%, while the percentage difference this time was 46.49%. The specific price surveys on eggs and dairy products are now available on the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, exchanged views today with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Mr Cui Tiankai, on the opening up Macao's external relations and strengthen co-operation with Portuguese-speaking countries.
The meeting was held at the Government Headquarter where the Chief Executive briefed Mr Cui on the latest development of the Macao SAR.
According to the country's overall development plan, Macao is dedicated to build up as a world leisure tourism centre and a service trading platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, said Mr Chui.
These policies would further provide Macao with more opportunities to work with other region or countries in terms of trading and tourism, in turn creating more need for external affairs contacts.
Mr Chui said that in this case, the support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Macao would be valuable, and the Macao Government will keep close contact and enhance exchanges with the Office. The Vice Minister said was visiting Macao again after three years and was happy to see that Macao has achieved an impressive development, and the thorough implementation of "One country, two systems" principle after the establishment of Macao SAR.
He said the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Macao would support Macao to expand external relation with other nations, to hold international conferences and to protect Macao residents who are in other countries.
The Ministry would co-ordinate Macao to develop as a world leisure tourism centre and a service trading platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.
The Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Macao, Mr Hu Zhengyue, the Director-general of the Department for the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Zhan Yongxin, the Director of the Policy Research Department of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Macao, Mr Xin Juming, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florida 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 were also present in the meeting.
…

Macau Government Tourist Office continues to monitor the New Century Hotel incident and has sent its staff to the hotel today to follow up with the situation. At present, the operation of the New Century Hotel is normal in general.
…