News

The 2nd Permanent Committee of the Legislative Assembly is conducting a public consultation regarding the bill on “The Regime of Tobacco Prevention and Control”. Those who are interested can present opinions or suggestions in written form via mail, e-mail (info@al.gov.mo) or fax (28973753) addressing to the President of the 2nd Permanent committee from 18th January to 18th February 2010.
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As a highlighted event of the Macao-Zhejiang Week 2010, the Zhejiang’s China Time-honoured Brands and Zhejiang Macao Branded Products Fair 2010 (the Fair), 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, will be held from Friday to Sunday, 15 to 17 January 2010 at the Macao Venetian-Resort-Hotel (Exhibition Hall A). The Fair is co-organised by the economic and trade authorities of major cities in the Zhejiang province (including the Hangzhou Municipal Economic Committee, Hangzhou Municipal Trade Bureau, Ningbo Municipal Trade Bureau, Wenzhou Economic and Trade Committee, Jiaxing Economic and Trade Committee, Huzhou Trade and Grain Bureau, Shaoxing Municipal Commercial and Trade Office, Jinhua Municipal Domestic Trade and Food Bureau, Quzhou Trade and Grain Bureau, Taizhou Trade and Grain Bureau, Lishui Economic and Trade Committee, Zhoushan Economic and Trade Committee), Macao Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Association of Macao, Macao Importers and Exporters Association, Macao Small and Medium Enterprises Association, as well as Macao Association of Fellows Provincials from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. The event is co-ordinated by the Zhejiang Time-honored Brand Association, Zhejiang Zhongzhe International Exhibition & Commerce Co Ltd and the Macao Fair & Trade Association. Key Event for Zhejiang-Macao’s Economic and Trade Co-operation
The Fair, as a key event for Zhejiang and Macao’s economic and trade co-operation, showcases Zhejiang’s long-established brands and culture and promote economic and trade co-operation and exchanges. Economic exchange and links between Zhejiang and Portuguese-speaking countries could be enhanced through Macao as a service platform. The Fair will focus on showcasing Zhejiang’s long established Chinese enterprises, products manufactured in Macao, Macao brands and agent represented products. It will give a full play of Macao’s role as a platform and enhance Zhejiang and Macao’s trade and investment co-operation. Zhejiang’s long-established brands and famous brands area as well as Macao featured products area are set up. Business matching and trade negotiation sessions are arranged to assist exhibitors and visiting merchants in exploring business opportunities.
The Fair covers an exhibition area of 5,000 square metres with 211 exhibition booths, among them are 167 booths for Zhejiang long-established brands and Zhejiang’s branded products, 44 booths for Macao products. A total of 110 enterprises from the Zhejiang province including 61 Zhejiang long-established brands (56 long-established brands enterprises and 5 intangible cultural heritage items), 42 enterprises from Macao, and 49 Zhejiang famous brands enterprises are taking part at the Fair. The 109 long-established brands exhibition booths represent 10 different cities of Zhejiang, 56 enterprises and 5 intangible cultural heritage items. The long-established brands enterprises include those from Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Jinhua, Ningbo, Lishui, Quzhou and Taizhou. While those 49 participating Zhejiang famous branded products covering 58 booths come from 11 cities of Zhejiang representing industries such as food products, spinning and weaving, gifts and green products. The 44 Macao special product booths will display products which include food, souvenirs, green products, healthy products and daily commodities. More than 4000 items will be showcased and available for sale, covering close to 20 different traditional crafts and skills as well as intangible cultural heritage items. Gathering Zhejiang Long-established Brands for Economics and Trade Co-operation The participating long-established Chinese brands in Zhejiang covers 5 main industries, with 8 enterprises from the Chinese traditional medicine and health care field, 25 enterprises from the food and drink industry, 4 from general services, 19 from the cultural art and crafts, 1 from the tea products and art. Participating famous enterprises include: Hu Qingyu Tang Chinese Traditional Medicine and Fanghuichun Tang Chinese Traditional Medicine which are both famous pharmaceutical and health care brands; Zhiweiguan and Yangtang Fandian which enjoy more than a century’s history in the cuisine industry; regional delicacies and wines such as Hangzhou Caizhizhai Chinese Desserts, Jiaqing Wufangzhai Dumpling, Huzhou Tinglian Fangqianzhang Bun, Zhaoqing Kuque Longshan Wine, Huiqishan Wine, Tapai Yellow Wine, Ningbo Fenghengda Chinese Cake, Jinhua XueFangJiang Ham; and diversified services such as Hangzhou QingheFang, Wenzhou Yibai, Wuwei and Qinsanyi; whereas arts and crafts include Dujinsheng Brocade, Wangxingji Chinese Fans, Zhangxiaoquan Scissors, Longquan Ceramics, Longquan Treasure Swords, Wangyizhai Chinese Ink Brushes, Dongxiang Chinese Printed Cloth, Kongfengchun Cosmetics, tea arts includes Taichi Tea art. Art and Crafts Displays and Performances Vividly Demonstrate Traditional Chinese Culture This Fair is a debut showcase of Zhejiang long-established Brands in Macao and it will be the first time that the brands are showcased in Macao which have significant impacts on the promotion of traditional Chinese culture. The Fair attached great importance on the interactiveness and appreciation value of the format of the events, together with product sale as well as art and crafts performances, it is hoped that it can provide a lively demonstration of traditional Chinese culture and skills. Performing items include the making of Chinese medicine by Hu Qingyu Tang Chinese Traditional Medicine, Chinese arts and crafts by Wangxingji Chinese Fans, Zhangxiaoquan Scissors and its forging techniques, the making of green porcelain by Ge Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty, Tongxiang handicraft printing, herbal dyeing, Danxi wine-making, the art of Taichi Tea, and the making of Shaoyongfeng Cakes. The activities will be the focus of the Fair and play a vital role in better promoting the unique skills of these long established enterprises. Five intangible cultural heritage enterprises will take part in the event.. Many of these enterprises are indeed the base of conserving the intangible cultural heritage and traditional Chinese culture. It is a special gathering of intangible cultural heritage and traditional long-established brands. Assisting Zhejiang-Macao’s Long-established Brands and SMEs to Explore Business Opportunities The Fair focuses on promoting Zhejiang’s long-established Chinese brands and Famous branded products. The Organiser has made reference to the views expressed by participating long-established brands and collected information on their business negotiation and co-operation intents. These include the intention of seeking potential Macao agents for their products, traders for cultural products, distributors for ceramics, and merchandisers for wine products. There are also large decoration companies, antique shops and food product merchants looking for brand co-operation with relevant enterprises. Business matching sessions are arranged for Zhejiang long-established Chinese brands, famous brands and Macao enterprises to conduct one-to-one business matching sessions, with the objective of assisting Zhejiang enterprises in tapping Macao market, and in turn disperse their products to Hong Kong and Portuguese-speaking countries. In order to encourage local enterprises to take part in the Fair, the Organiser provides subsidies of 60% of the participating fees for eligible participants including Macao manufactured products, Macao brands and products with agents represented in Macao, with an objective of assisting local SMEs to explore their business opportunities. Series of promotion launched
To attract more local exhibitors and the general public to take part in the Fair, the Organiser has launched a series of promotional activities, including distributing leaflets and mailing promotional flyers to disseminate information about the activities. Promotional flyers are distributed at various tourism spots to attract tourists. Support Services
As part of our quality services to local exhibitors and participants, the Organiser has set up on-site enquiry counter. Free shuttle bus service and free parking spaces are also available. During the Fair, 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 10am to 9:30pm 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 enquiries, please contact Ms Wong/Mr Tsang of IPIM’s Promotion and Activities Department on Tel: 853-87989152/267/286, Fax: 853-28590309, Email: zjmf@ipim.gov.mo, or on the website: www.ipim.gov.mo/zjmf.
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The one-month Beijing exhibition titled “The Decade of Achievements Exhibition for the 10th Anniversary of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR)” drew to a close today, after having attracted more than 140,000 visitors. The exhibition, hosted by the Macao SAR Government and organised by the Government Information Bureau, opened on 12 December last year at the Capital Museum in Beijing. The Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Victor Chan Chi Ping, presented some 20 student guides with certificates of appreciation at a ceremony this morning and thanked them for their assistance during the exhibition, which showcased Macao’s development and its relationship with the Motherland over the past decade. With the assistance of Beijing (College) Macau Student Association, the Government Information Bureau recruited some 20 Macao students in Beijing to receive visitors and perform other duties at the exhibition venue. At the ceremony, two of the students said they were grateful for the opportunity to introduce Macao to their compatriots and make more friends. The Bureau planned to bring the exhibition to other major cities in the Mainland and finally back to Macao.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours increased by 5.3% year-on-year to 496,726 in November 2009. Visitors from Mainland China (365,788) and Japan (22,338) increased by 9.9% and 23.3% respectively, while those from Taiwan, China (27,867) and Hong Kong (22,389) decreased by 13.6% and 34.4% respectively. In the first eleven months of 2009, visitor arrivals in package tours decreased by 5.4% year-on-year to 4,161,804. In November 2009, the number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours increased by 1.2% year-on-year to 20,312, with Mainland China (78.4% of total), Japan (5.3%) and the Republic of Korea (3.7%) being the most popular tour itineraries. In the first eleven months of 2009, residents travelling outbound in package tours decreased by 12.3% year-on-year to 181,090. Meanwhile, outbound residents travelling under own arrangements using services of travel agencies totalled 42,344, up notably by 50.4% year-on-year; the main destinations were Mainland China (35.3% of total), Hong Kong (32.1%), and Taiwan, China (16.3%). In the first eleven months of 2009, outbound residents travelling under such arrangements rose by 21.6% year-on-year to 418,652. At the end of November 2009, total number of available guest rooms at the hotel sector increased by 2,200 (+12.9%) year-on-year to 19,216 rooms. A total of 630,662 guests checked into hotels and guest-houses in November 2009, up by 11.1% year-on-year, with the majority coming from Mainland China (51.9% of total) and Hong Kong (20.4%). The average hotel occupancy rate dropped by 0.8 percentage point year-on-year to 78.4%, with 4-star hotels leading at 88.2%. The average length of stay of hotel guests increased by 0.08 night to 1.5 nights. The cumulative number of hotel guests increased by 1.6% in the first eleven months of 2009 to 6,016,944. In the first eleven months of 2009, visitor-guests of hotels accounted for 61.3% of the total number of tourists, up from 58.0% in the corresponding period of 2008.
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The Expo Forum will be held at 9am – 1pm, January 19 (Tuesday) at the MGM Grand Macau Hotel to promote World Expo 2010 Shanghai China (Shanghai Expo) and Macao’s participation in the event. Expo Forum (Macao) serves as the key platform for different regions in Mainland China to participate in the event and promote 2010 Shanghai Expo. The forum is jointly host by the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China Executive Committee and the Macao SAR Government. The speakers are the governmental officials, engineers and architects from Mainland China, Thailand, Portugal and Macao SAR. The theme of the event builds on the theme of Shanghai Expo “Better City, Better Life”; the first and second sessions of the Forum are “Heritage by technology and innovation” and “Infrastructure development – Accelerated by staging global events” respectively. It will be an excellent opportunity to share views on sustainable urban development for better life. The speakers of the event are: HE Suriya Soucksakit, Vice-Minister of the Thailand Ministry of Culture; Mr. He Jing Tang, Chief Designer of the China Pavilion of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai; Mr. Carols Couto, Design Architect of Portugal Pavilion; Mr. José Chui Sai Peng, Macau well-known Engineer; Mr. Wu Jiang, Vice President of Tongji University, Shanghai; Mr. Wang Yi, Vice Director-General of the Institute of Policy and Management; and Ms. Ieong Pou Yee, Director of the Office for Preparation of Macao’s Participation in Shanghai World Expo. Moderators are Ms. Susana Chou, Member of the Standing Committee of the 11th National Committee of the CPPCC and Mr. Ieong Tou Hong, Chairman of Macau Economic Development Promotion Association. They will discuss and share successful practice, technologies of sustainable urban development and the economic and social development of the host location of major global events accelerated by infrastructure development. Interested parties should call Ms. Lai at 2848 3711 on or before January 15 for registration. Seating is limited and is available only on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Medical experts worldwide acknowledged the safety of Influenza A (H1N1) vaccine and believed that its protection is far greater than risks, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, said today. Chief Executive Mr Chui Sai On and Mr Cheong visited a number of social services organisations today. Asked about yesterday’s death of a 79-year-old male who had received the second injection of Influenza A (H1N1) vaccine three days ago, Mr Cheong said a panel of physicians concluded that he was died of heart disease and heart failure and there was no evidence linking his death to vaccination. According to the information by the Health Bureau, the late 79-year-old male had been suffering from chronic health problems including hypertension, diabetes and chronic renal insufficiency. He showed no signs of feeling unwell when received vaccines of seasonal influenza, Influenza A (H1N1) and pneumococcal three weeks ago. Figures from the Health Bureau showed that more than 75,000 residents had been vaccinated so far and only 37 people were reported to be feeling unwell, such as having fever and allergy. Mr Cheong expressed his condolences to the family members of the deceased.
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To celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Historical Archives will hold a Binding Workshop on Saturday 9th of January from 14.00 to 17.00. Participants can learn more about binding, one of the techniques used to protect Macao’s precious documentary heritage, as well as gain a deeper understanding of how handmade books are sewn together. Conservation professionals will introduce and demonstrate this traditional technique and support participants as they make their own hardcover notebook. By the end of the three-hour session, participants will be able to take home their own hardcover notebook … and perhaps offer it as a beautiful New Year gift! No previous experience is required but participants must be at least ten years old. Please visit the Historical Archives of Macao (open Mon-Fri, 09:30-18.30) on Tap Seac Square to register beforehand and pay the workshop fee of MOP$20. Places are limited and will be distributed according to order of registration. Please call Miss Chu if more information is required, tel: 8598 6537.
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Chief Executive Mr Chui Sai On today urged the residents to receive vaccination for Influenza A (H1N1) and help prevent the influenza, in accordance with a press release issued by the Office of the Chief Executive. Mr Chui, who is also the president of Co-ordination Centre for Preparedness and Response to Influenza Pandemic, received vaccination today. To prevent the spread of the Influenza A (H1N1) during the upcoming peak season for influenza, the Macao SAR Government has been providing free vaccination for H1N1 influenza to all Macao resident identification card holders since the beginning of this year. Mr Chui urged the residents to receive vaccination in order to protect themselves and their family members, saying that it was the most effective way to prevent the influenza.
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Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, today urged the residents to protect themselves and their neighbours by receiving Influenza A (H1N1) vaccines. The Macao SAR Government today begins to provide free vaccination for H1N1 influenza to all Macao resident identification card holders. Mr Cheong U this morning inspected the operation at the vaccination clinic at Areia Preta Health Centre, and also received his vaccination for Influenza A (H1N1). Mr Cheong said the SAR Government valued the health of the residents and had purchased enough vaccines for all Macao residents. He said the process of the vaccination was smooth and the medical staff were skillful. Up to now, more than 50,000 residents had been vaccinated for Influenza A (H1N1). Mr Cheong said he hoped to increase vaccination rate and the Health Bureau would work with schools, civic associations and organisations to arrange vaccination program.
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Macao has the prerequisites to promote Macao-Taiwan relations and should contribute to the peaceful unification of the motherland, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today. Mr Chui said this at a seminar hosted by the Liaison Office of the Central Government in the MSAR on the remarks made by President Hu Jintao in his “Message to Compatriots in Taiwan” speech at a ceremony last December. The Chief Executive said over the past year, both sides across the Straits had made positive exchanges and Macao-Taiwan relations had been enhanced. Mr Chui said he had four suggestions to help promote Macao-Taiwan relations: First, to enhance exchanges and co-operations between Macao and Taiwan, learning the experience of Taiwan in developing its society and providing services to Macao citizens in Taiwan; Second, to promote co-operation between Macao and Taiwan in the areas of business, tourism, convention and exhibition, culture, education and creative industry; Third, to serve as a services and business platform for Taiwan enterprises and its people; Four, to study methods and mechanism to enhance Macao-Taiwan relations, based on the principle of “One Country, Two Systems.” Also at the seminar were the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan; the Chief-of-Office of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Alexis Tam Chon Weng; and officials from Central Government’s agencies in Macao and representatives from people from all walks of lives.
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