News

The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP146.6 billion (USD18.35 billion) at the end of December 2009. The reserves rose by 0.5% from the revised value of MOP145.8 billion (USD18.26 billion) for the previous month. When compared with the same period last year, the reserves increased by MOP19.4 billion or 15.3%. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-December 2009 represented 30 times the currency in circulation or 247.0% of Pataca M2 at end-November 2009. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency’s exchange rates against the currencies of Macao’s major trading partners, rose by 0.45 points month-to-month but fell by 2.74 points year-on-year to 89.24 in December 2009.
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A página electrónica da Comissão de Acompanhamento das Medidas de Dissuasão do Tráfico de Pessoas já entrou em funcionamento no mês corrente(www.anti-tip.gov.mo). Ao longo dos anos, o Governo da RAEM tem sido reforçado no combate ao tráfico de pessoas, e mediante a criação desta página electrónica, a Comissão pretende aumentar a transparência dos seus trabalhos e ao mesmo tempo, fornecer um meio mais conveniente ao público para melhor conhecer os respectivos trabalhos de Macau no âmbito de combate ao tráfico de pessoas, tudo isto com vista a elevar o conhecimento dos cidadãos relativo ao tráfico de pessoas. Esta página electrónica é feita por 4 línguas, cujo os conteúdos se incluem: a apresentação da Comissão, a Lei do Combate ao Tráfico de Pessoas, as actividades, as formações e o número de casos, as medidas de protecção das vítimas, bem como a divulgação e a promoção. Poderá ainda, mediante o correio electrónico(info@anti-tip.gov.mo), informar ou apresentar queixa relativa à actividade do tráfico de pessoas.
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Our First Decade, a special publication by the Government Information Bureau (GCS) of Macao to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the city’s return to China, will be given out to the general public for free starting from tomorrow. Compiled in Chinese, Portuguese and English languages, the 125-page publication is enriched by 208 photographs, and consists of six parts: Message from the Chief Executive; Our Joys; Loving Our Country; Building a Home Together; Our Everyday Lives; and Our Heritage. The publication makes use of pictures to tell the story of Macao’s growth in political, economic and social terms based on the principles of “One Country, Two Systems”, “Macao people governing Macao” and a high degree of autonomy. A total of 5,000 copies are available for free distribution on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Each person is entitled to one copy while stocks last. The general public is welcome to go to the following places to get a copy of Our First Decade to share in the stories of Macao and its people: Public Information Centre (2,000 copies)
Address: Rua do Campo, Nos. 188-198, Vicky Plaza, Macao IACM Northern District Services Centre (2,000 copies)
Address: Rua Nova da Areia Preta, No.52, Macao IACM Islands District Services Centre (1,000 copies)
Address: Rua da Ponte Negra, Bairro Social da Taipa, No. 75K, Taipa The opening hours of the three places are from 09:00 am to 6:00 pm (including noon time) from Mondays to Fridays; they are closed on weekends and public holidays.
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The 3-day “Zhejiang’s China Time-honoured Brands and Zhejiang Macao Branded Products Fair 2010 (the Fair)”, organised jointly by the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province and Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) comes to a close today (17 January). Results of Business Talks and Deals Within Expectation
The main purpose of organising the Fair is to help the exhibitors from Zhejiang and Macao find business partners. The Organiser has received a total of 217 business matching projects before and during the Fair period. As at 6:00 pm on 17 January, the 3-day event has conducted 251 sessions of business matching, 95% of which were participated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Over 50% of them are local enterprises. A total of 15 agreements were signed, which included 3 agreements, 6 letters of intent, 4 contracts and 2 memorandums. Among them, there are 3 items of branded product distribution, 9 investment cooperation projects and 3 items of other categories. The agreements signed included: a memorandum of cooperation between the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, IPIM and the commercial and industrial sectors for the Macao Hall in “Yiwu International Trade City”; a memorandum of cooperation between Zhejiang Tourist Bureau and Macao Government Tourist Office; a joint venture agreement to establish Zhejiang Brand (Macao) Trade & Exhibition Centre Co. Ltd.; a letter of intent to promote cooperation between time-honoured and famous brands of Zhejiang and Macao; an agreement between a travel corporation of Zhejiang and an airline of Macao to foster closer cooperation and exchange; a Zhejiang Danshan investment project for coal washing; an agreement for manufacturing precision molds and simulation models; a contract for application of industrialization of the new membrane separation technology in aloe vera series of cosmetics; the setting of a travel agency in Zhejiang; a letter of intent to produce high class solid wood doors; a letter of intent to distribute Wufangzhai brand products; a letter of intent to commission the production of pharmaceutical goods of “Bao He Tang” and “Bao An Tang”; and a letter of intent to commission the production of pharmaceutical goods of “lion city orchard”, “SAPAIN”, “VATICAN”, “SAO PAULA” AND “KALATA”; a sole agent agreement for distributing “Huiji Hill Shaoxing Wine” series products in Macao; and a letter of intent to distribute Zhejiang’s time-honoured cereals, oils and foodstuffs. The enterprises that participated in the business talks came from Macao and 11 cities of Zhejiang Province, including Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing and Jinhua, etc. There were also trade visitors from overseas. The main areas of their business talks included consumer goods, food products, daily necessities, electronic goods and apparel, etc. As at 5:00 pm on 17 January, the 3-day Fair has recorded a total of more than 30,000 visits. In the past two days of the weekend, especially today (Sunday), the visitors flow has peaked. The venue has been filled with innumerous local residents who came for shopping and entrepreneurs who carried out their business talks and negotiations. The satisfactory on site retailing results have reinforced the confidence of Zhejiang’s exhibitors in the Macao market. Many Zhejiang products have sold better than expected. The Zhejiang’s time honoured food items, apparel, arts and crafts have been very much sought after by consumers. The famous products of Macao have also been the targets of the purchasing delegations from Zhejiang. Cultural Shows and Performance of Traditional Skills of Long-Established Brands Much Appreciated by Visitors
During the Fair, the Organiser has arranged cultural performances to take place on the stage inside the exhibition hall, which included the playing of music of the south of Yangzi River and classical dramas. Besides, there were also live performances of traditional skills by the long-established brands such as Shaoyongfang Cakes, Southern Song Dynasty’s Ge Kiln, Hu Qingyu Tang Chinese Traditional Medicine, Taichi Tea art and Zhangxiaoquan Scissors, which were greeted with loud applause of the audience. Governments of Both Regions to Broaden Scope of Cooperation
The Zhejiang’s China Time-honoured Brands and Zhejiang Macao Branded Products Fair 2010, supported by the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province and the Macao SAR Government and co-organised by the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province and IPIM, has the objective of deepening the trade and economic cooperation of Zhejiang and Macao to create a new growing point for the economic development of both regions. The Fair has given full play to Macao’s role as a commercial and trade service platform. It has targeted at both local residents and overseas trade visitors, to promote Macao’s economy and help both Zhejiang and Macao’s famous products to enter the local market more quickly and to be promoted to overseas markets, and assist the enterprises in Macao and in the region to seize business opportunities. Meanwhile, it has also helped Zhejiang Province open up a new path to explore the Portuguese speaking countries markets. Promotion of Zhejiang and Macao’s Branded Products Continues
The Fair has turned over a new page in the exchange between the branded products of Macao and Zhejiang Province. The related promotional work will continue to be carried out. In particular, the “Zhejiang Brand (Macao) Trade & Exhibition Centre” was already opened on 15 January. There are 75 Zhejiang’s time-honoured brands and branded products on permanent display at the Centre, totaling 150 booths. By way of “brand promotion, display and sale, retail and wholesale” modes of operation, the Centre has become a new channel for Zhejiang brands to enter the Macao market. Besides, preparations for the Macao Hall in “Yiwu International Trade City” are also in progress.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, money supply M2 witnessed a slight increase in November. As loans grew at a faster pace than deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio continued to rise.
Money supply
Due to the increases of currency in circulation and demand deposits, M1 rose 5.3% compared with the previous month. Quasi-monetary liabilities edged down by 0.7%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, grew slightly by 0.2% to MOP211.4 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 47.2% and 14.2% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 28.1%. It remained unchanged from the previous month but dropped 0.6 percentage points when compared with a year earlier. Concurrently, the share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 54.4%, up 0.6 percentage points month-to-month or 1.8 percentage points year-on-year.
Deposits
Resident deposits edged up 0.2% from the previous month to MOP206.6 billion. Of which, MOP deposits and HKD deposits grew at respective rates of 0.3% and 1.3%, while other foreign currency deposits dropped by 3.5%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits grew 1.3% (to MOP73.7 billion) while public sector deposits with the banking sector dropped 0.4% (to MOP13.3 billion). As a result, total deposits with the banking sector increased 0.4% from the previous month to MOP293.7 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.1% and 45.9% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector expanded 1.7% month-to-month to MOP98.7 billion. Among which, MOP24.8 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP67.2 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 25.1% and 68.0% of the total respectively. Meanwhile, external loans grew 2.1% to MOP81.9 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 1.2% (MOP1.0 billion) and 47.5% (MOP38.9 billion) of the total respectively.
Loan-to-deposit ratios
As domestic loans to the private sector rose at a faster pace than resident deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-November 2009 increased by 0.7 percentage points month-to-month to 44.9%. The ratio for residents and non-residents reached 61.5%, up by 0.9 percentage points.
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The Zhejiang’s China Time-honoured Brands and Zhejiang Macao Branded Products Fair 2010 (the Fair), to be held over 3 days, received more trade visitors and sold more products on site on the second day (16 January). On 16 January, a total of 96 business matching sessions were arranged and 2 agreements were signed. Prominent Results in Business Matching
Business talks and negotiations were being held in many areas at the Fair, resulting in a number of cooperation agreements and letters of intent. A total of 96 business matching sessions were arranged and 2 agreements were signed. One of the agreements is related to the establishment of Zhejiang Branded Products Trade Exhibition Centre (Macao) Co. Ltd; the other one is the general distribution agreement for a Macao enterprise to distribute “Huiji Hill Shaoxing Wine” series products in Macao. At the Fair, there is an exhibition area dedicated to Zhejiang’s China Time-honoured Brands and Famous Branded Products and another area for Macao’s featured products. To help exhibitors and trade visitors to open up business opportunities, the Organiser has arranged such activities as business matching and trade talks with an aim to give fuller play to Macao’s advantage as a service platform and enhance the trade and economic cooperation between the two regions and with overseas markets. As the second day fell on the weekend, more local residents visited the Fair and made purchases on site. Some products even went out of stock. Xuefangjiang Ham is a renowned product among the different kinds of Jinhua Ham. Their objective for participating in this Fair is to promote their brand name in Macao. Surprisingly, their hams of various grades and qualities were already sold out on the first day. There are already several Macao trade visitors who seek to distribute the Jinhua Ham products. Dinglianfang’s Qianzhang Buns sold out quickly on the first day. More fresh pork and beancurd sheets had to be replenished for the second day. Caizhizhai’s desserts were welcomed by visiting guests. Blue calico is a characteristic product in the textile industry of Zhejiang and their different types of fabric arts and crafts and decorative items were selling well. Hangzhou’s Xiaoxiangsanxun garments were also attractive to trade visitors. Besides the time-honored brands, Zhejiang’s branded products and Macao’s featured products were also popular buying items for trade visitors. Another highlight of the Fair is the live performance of skills in arts and craft that vividly demonstrative the traditional Chinese culture. In particular, the performance of the art of Taichi Tea, the amazing making of Shaoyongfang Cakes, the carving of exquisite patterns on Zhangxiaoquan Scissors, and the throwing skills for Longquan porcelain were warmly welcomed by visitors. 17 January (Sunday) will be the final day of the Fair, which will open from 10:30 am to 8:00 pm (no entry after 7:30 pm) for trade visitors and residents. Free shuttle bus service is available at the Macao Square, Pak Wai Bus Stop, Royal Supermarket at Areia Preta and the venue. The service hours are from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm at a 30-minute-interval. Free parking space is also available at Exhibition Hall B of the venue and provided on a first-come-first-served basis. For further information, please call 62401584.
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“Zhejiang’s China Time-honoured Brands and Zhejiang Macao Branded Products Fair 2010 (the Fair)” was inaugurated yesterday morning (15 January) at the Macao Venetian-Resort-Hotel, Hall A. The Fair was co-organised by the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province and Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM). The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Chairman of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Congress, Mr. Zhao Hongzhu; Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, Mr. Li Qiang; Vice-Chairman of Zhejiang Provincial Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of Zhejiang Federation of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Xu Guanju; Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, Mr. Gong Zheng; Vice Commissioner of Foreign Ministry in the Macao SAR, Mr. Song Yanbin; Director General of Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, Mr. Jin Yonghui; President of IPIM, Mr. Lee Peng Hong; and Chairman of Board of Directors of Industrial Association of Macao, Mr. Ho Iat Seng. The Fair is a key event of the Macao-Zhejiang Week 2010 to showcase Zhejiang’s Chinese long-established brands with a wide array of famous branded products from both Zhejiang and Macao. There are 211 exhibition booths, represented by 110 enterprises from 11 cities of Zhejiang Province, such as Hangzhou and Ningbo, and 42 enterprises from Macao. More than 4000 items will be on display and available for sale, covering close to 20 different traditional crafts and skills as well as intangible cultural heritage items such as live demonstrations of arts and crafts skills. On 15 January, a total of 101 sessions of business matching were conducted and 3 agreements were signed, which included a letter of intent of a Macao enterprise to distribute Wufangzhai which is a long-established brand for good in Zhejiang; a letter of intent of a Macao enterprise to commission the production of pharmaceutical products of “Bao He Tang” and “Bao An Tang”; and a letter of intent of a Macao enterprise to commission the production of pharmaceutical products of “lion city orchard”, “SAPAIN”, “VATICAN”, “SAO PAULA” AND “KALATA”. At the Fair, there is an exhibition area dedicated to Zhejiang’s China Time-honoured Brands and Famous Branded Products and another area for Macao’s featured products. To help exhibitors and trade visitors to open up business opportunities, the Organiser has arranged such activities as business matching and trade talks with an aim to give fuller play to Macao’s advantage as a service platform and enhance the trade and economic cooperation between the two regions and with overseas markets. Interesting Performances of Chinese Traditional Skills by Long-established Brands
The Chinese traditional skills of Zhejiang’s long-established brands have caught the attention of many visitors. At the opening ceremony, the “tea champion” from the China’s national tea art contest and the champion of national “duanwei” contest gave live demonstrations of tea culture, which they performed previously in Spain, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. The Long Quan Ge Kiln has brought to the Fair the ancient skill to make celadon porcelain. The celadon porcelain, the color of which is refined and graceful, has always been an object of interest and collection for the upper class in the Chinese society. As described by Hui Emperor of Song Dynasty, the colour of celadon porcelain was that of the sky when the clouds broke apart. On this occasion, visitors in Macao will have the opportunity to see these exquisite arts and crafts as well as live performance of the throwing skill in making porcelain. The 44 exhibition booths of Macao are showcasing Macau’s featured products such as food items, souvenirs, energy saving products, health products and household goods, etc, which are also welcomed by residents and tourists alike. Zhejiang’s Long-established Brands and Macao Products Very Well Received
Wangxingji Chinese Fans, Zhangxiaoquan Scissors, Jinhuaxuefangjiang Ham, Du Jinsheng Brocade, Zhiweiguan Restaurant, Shaoxing Nu’erhong Wine are some of China’s well known time-honored brands. Having learnt that these famous brands are coming to Macao for this Fair, many trade visitors and residents have made enquiries with the Organiser in advance. These famous products are selling very well at the Fair. As soon as the Jinhuaxuefangjiang Ham was put on the counter, it attracted customers instantly who came over to place orders. Other food products such as Yangtang Restaurant’s Siu Mai dumplings, Dinglianfang Buns and Shaoyongfeng Cakes have all attracted long queues of customers. Aside from Macao residents, visitors to the Fair included tourists from the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Macao’s famous products like almond cakes, egg rolls and electronic goods were widely popular among tourists. The Fair will run until Sunday 17 January. The 3-day fair will be a great place to visit by Macao residents for amusement, appreciation of Chinese culture, traditions and food, as well as shopping for time-honoured products. During the Fair period (15 – 17 January), which opens from 10:30 am to 9:00 pm(until 8:00 pm on Sunday), free shuttle bus service is available at the Macao Square, Pak Wai Bus Stop, Royal Supermarket at Areia Preta and the venue. The service hours are from 10:00 am to 9:30 pm at a 30-minute-interval. Free parking space is also available at Exhibition Hall B of the venue and provided on a first-come-first-served basis. For further information, please contact Ms. Fong at tel: 62401584.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the fourth quarter of 2009 rose by 9.23% year-on-year to 158.58. The price indices of Miscellaneous Goods; Accommodation; and Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco increased notably by 26.16%, 13.16% and 4.12% respectively, attributable to dearer prices of jewellery led by rising gold prices, higher hotel room rate during the National Day holidays, the Macao Grand Prix and Christmas holiday period, as well as general increase of food prices. On the contrary, lower airfares pushed the price index of Transport & Communications down by 3.47% year-on-year. The fourth quarter TPI went up by 7.39% quarter-to-quarter, of which the price indices of Accommodation and Miscellaneous Goods increased by 36.66% and 11.85% respectively. On the other hand, price indices of Entertainment & Cultural Activities; and Clothing & Footwear decreased slightly by 0.90% and 0.21% respectively. The average TPI for 2009 increased by 3.81% year-on-year, with marked increase of the indices of Miscellaneous Goods (+8.81%); Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco (+6.34%); and Restaurant Services (+4.95%). However, price index of Transport & Communications registered a decrease of 1.73%. TPI reflects the price changes of goods and services purchased by visitors, which is compiled based on the consumption pattern of visitors derived from the Visitor Expenditure Survey. TPI covers 8 sections of goods and services, namely Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco; Clothing & Footwear; Accommodation; Restaurant Services; Transport & Communications; Medicine & Personal Goods; Entertainment & Cultural Activities; and Miscellaneous Goods. The base year of TPI is from July 1999 to June 2000.
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A participant of Lisbon Travel Market (BTL, from the Portuguese abbreviation) since its first edition, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is once again promoting the city at the biggest Portuguese tourism fair with a 54 square-meter booth showcasing the binomial historical-cultural heritage/business tourism and the enormous tourism potential of Macau. BTL opened on January 13 and runs until 17. The Macau booth highlights the high quality of the growing supply existing in the city in the area of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE). Currently, Macau has a number of state-of-the-art MICE infrastructures, including Asia’s largest hotel-convention and exhibition venue. Just to point out an example, on the first six months of 2009, 730 MICE events were held in the city, involving 211,287 participants, a 2,6 percent increase in the number of events organized compare to same period the previous year. A nine people delegation from Macau, headed by MGTO deputy director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, is in Lisbon for the event. The delegation includes artists, namely a calligrapher and two fortune tellers, all already very well-known and most welcome by visitors, as the long lines around the Macau booth from the first to last minute of the trade show can prove. Visitors to the booth can also participate in a lucky draw by filling in a questionnaire about Macau. The prize is one weeklong trip to Macau for two people. The draw of the winner will be done at the booth on the January 17th around 17:00. In addition, this year a group of official entities and travel trade from Sichuan and the cities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan are participating at BTL, as well as being promoted at the Macau booth.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government will organize an Academic Research Lecture in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Auditorium (Edifício do Instituto Cultural, Tap Seac Square, Macao) at 6:30pm on Friday 22 January. Kara Chan, Professor at the School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University, will give a lecture on “Growing up in Macao: A Study of Materialistic Values among Children and Adolescents”. Materialism among the younger generation has become a hot topic among parents, educators, marketers and policy makers. While marketing professionals are keen to promote spending, parents and policy makers are concerned with protecting young consumers from perceived declining moral standards. Educators want to develop a better way to communicate with young people about wealth. Macau is one of the most dynamic economies in the Asia-Pacific region. The gaming and tourism sector boosted the Macau's economy with a real growth of 13 percent in the third quarter of 2008, setting new record in the estimates of GDP and per-capita GDP at current prices. The influx of tourists and the expanding gaming facilities bring the potential threat of materialism and the erosion of traditional family values. A research project in 2008-09 on Macao children and adolescents’ materialistic values obtained a final sample of 667 respondents who were primary and secondary students aged 8 to 17. Results indicated that children and adolescents in Macao did not endorse high level of materialism values. The mean score of materialism measured by the Youth Materialism Scale was 2.8 on a five point scale. Children and adolescents in the sample were asked how they would like to spend if they were given a windfall of $1,000 Macau dollars. The lecture will discuss the findings of the research and present an analysis of materialistic values scores by demographic groups. Kara Chan, Professor at the School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University, received her Ph.D. in psychology at City University of Hong Kong. Her research areas include cross cultural advertising and mass media in Hong Kong and China. She has published over sixty journal articles and book chapters. Her articles published in Journal of Consumer Marketing and Young Consumers had won Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence in three consecutive years in 2006 to 2008. She is the co-author of Advertising to Children in China (Chinese University Press, 2004), she edited Advertising and Hong Kong Society (Chinese University Press, 2006) as well as New Vision in Advertising and Public Relations (City University of Hong Kong Press, 2006). She was a Fulbright Scholar at Bradley University, Illinois. In 2008, she was awarded a research grant to study Materialistic Values among Children and Adolescents in Macao. The lecture will be given in Cantonese with Portuguese and English simultaneous interpretation. Entrance is free. For further details, please contact Ms. Chu of the Macao Historical Archives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 85986537.
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