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In accordance with the exercise plan approved by the “Facilitation and Security Committee” at the beginning of 2009, a “Full Scale Emergency Exercise” was carried out in Macau International Airport from 03:30 to 08:00 on 31 October 2009. The exercise was deemed satisfactory and achieved its goal. The exercise simulated an aircraft, en-route to Macao, made an emergency landing at the runway under unfavourable weather conditions of turbulence and thunderstorms with heavy rain. An incident occurred upon the landing which led to damages to certain parts of the aircraft. Alert by this incident, the airport declared emergency and the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) was immediately activated to conduct search and rescue work at the first instance. All the passengers and crew members, being injured to varying degrees, were rescued through the coordinated efforts rendered by the EOC. With a participation of 200 people, this exercise was coordinated by the Administration of Airports, Ltd. and joined by Unitary Police Force, Macao Customs Services, Public Security Police Force, Fire Services Bureau, Health Bureau, Maritime Administration, Civil Aviation Authority, Air Macau Company Ltd., CAM-Macau International Airport Company Ltd, Macau Security Company Ltd. (airport security), and Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd. In accordance with the Standards and Recommended Practices of International Civil Aviation Organization, Macau International Airport performs a full scale emergency exercise on a regular basis, with the objectives of testing and assessing the effectiveness of the Airport Emergency Plan and the Operational Plans of the responding entities in respect to command and control, coordination, communications, resource allocation and so on, so that measures contained in the Airport Emergency Plan can be reviewed and amendments be made to improving search and rescue work.
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In 1989, legendary racing driver David Brabham beat the likes of Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Eddie Irvine – not to mention his own brother Gary – to take victory in the blue riband Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix. To help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Macau SAR, Brabham, this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours winner and American Le Mans Series Champion will return Macau two decades after this memorable win there. The youngest son of three-time Formula 1 World Champion, Sir Jack Brabham, who this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of his first title in 1959, brothers Geoff and Gary are also both successful racing drivers. Sir Jack competed at Macau in the famous Race of Giants, held to celebrate the 25th Macau Grand Prix in 1978, along with legends Stirling Moss, Jackie Ickx, Thailand’s Prince Birabongse, and Macau’s own Teddy Yip. David Brabham still has fond memories of his win at Macau, and believes the event has lost none of its cache in the last 20 years, saying recently: “For a Formula 3 driver, Macau is the Holy Grail. I think everybody recognises it’s a tough race to win. It’s still seen as the place for a young driver to demonstrate his talent. “I was fortunate enough to win Macau and Formula 3, and then I went from Formula 3 to Formula 1. Macau can do that to your career.” First getting behind the wheel at the tender age of eight, driving a Holden on the family farm at Wagga Wagga, Australia, Brabham began his racing career in karts in 1983. In what was a rapid climb up the motorsport ladder, he quickly graduated to single seater racing before moving to Europe to further his career in 1989, the year he won both the British F3 Championship and the Macau Grand Prix. He made his Formula 1 debut in 1990 with the Brabham team, founded by his father in 1962, however the outfit struggled to keep pace with better-funded rivals, and he was afforded just a single season. The following year, Brabham embarked upon what would be a stellar career in sports and touring cars, taking victory in the Spa 24 Hours, and the following season the 24 Hours of Daytona. The victories keep on coming, evidenced by his dream season in 2009, highlighted by an outright victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as claiming the ALMS title. In addition to his own successful racing career, Brabham also runs a young driver programme, the MSA British Race Elite. This year, two of his students are entered in the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix: Sam Bird and Alexander Sims, and each hopes to achieve what his mentor did 20 years ago – take a coveted FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup victory. Having not set foot in Macau since 1989, Brabham believes it is time to go back and revisit the event which played such an integral part in his career: “Sometimes you get a flashback, something you read or you bump into someone, and it’s always nice to think about Macau.” The Windsor Arch 56th Macau Grand Prix will be held from November 19-22, and will feature the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix, the final rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, and a host of supporting races. The official Macau Grand Prix website at www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo Macau Grand Prix Committee
November 2, 2009
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Since the academic year of 2006/07, Venetian Cotai Limited supports the Institute For Tourism Studies by establishing the “Venetian Cotai Scholarship”, which reward students who participate in overseas exchange programmes with excellent academic achievements. This year, the cheque presentation ceremony was held on 30 October at IFT. Mr. Timothy Chan, Executive Director of Human Resources of the Venetian Macau Limited presented the cheque to President of IFT, Dr. Fanny Vong, while the scholarship will be presented to 5 outstanding local students at the graduation ceremony on 4 November. Being one of the large enterprises operating in the comprehensive entertainment complex, Venetian Cotai Limited does not only invest remarkably in various projects but also offer copious employment opportunities and contribute to the development of Macao’s tourism industry. Through offering the scholarship to IFT, Venetian Cotai Limited is pleased to affirm the students for their efforts and encourage more students to participate in the overseas exchange programme. It also hopes to forge the future tourism professionals through supporting the higher education in Macao. IFT is grateful for the continued sponsorship of the Venetian Cotai Limited. For many years, IFT was supported by various associations, individuals and corporations to grant a wide range of scholarships to over 60 distinguished students. IFT anticipates that, with the establishments of various scholarships, students are encouraged to learn and achieve higher academic goals, to be prepared for their future responsibilities in the tourism industry. IFT has been actively developing student exchange programmes with global higher education organisations, to expose both teachers and students to academic exchange opportunities. At the same time, IFT strives to expand and maintain cooperative relationship with the tourism industry to provide more internship opportunities to students and to meet the demands of human resources in the industry.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the value of total exports of goods amounted to MOP703 million in September 2009, down by 51.2% year-on-year, with the value of domestic exports falling by 69.7% to MOP234 million and that of re-exports dropping by 29.9% to MOP470 million. The value of total imports of goods amounted to MOP3.36 billion, down by 6.6% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP2.65 billion was recorded for September 2009. In the third quarter of 2009, the value of total exports (MOP1.88 billion) and imports (MOP9.66 billion) went down by 56.9% and 14.8% respectively over the same quarter of 2008, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP7.78 billion. From January to September 2009, total value of merchandise exports fell by 55.1% year-on-year to MOP5.78 billion, of which the value of domestic exports and re-exports declined by 69.5% and 32.5% respectively; meanwhile, total value of merchandise imports slid by 19.3% to MOP26.45 billion. The trade deficit for the first nine months of 2009 widened by 3.9% year-on-year to MOP20.67 billion; the exports/imports ratio went down by 17.4 percentage points to 21.9%. Analyzed by destination of Macao’s exports, in the first nine months of 2009, the value of merchandise exports to the USA, the EU and Mainland China decreased by 79.3%, 59.6% and 45.4% respectively year-on-year. The value of Textile & garment exports declined by 72.7% year-on-year to account for 35.7% of the total exports of goods; meanwhile, the value of Non-textile exports dropped by 30.3%. Regarding the country of origin of imported goods, the value of merchandise imports from Mainland China dropped by 38.2% year-on-year, but that from the EU rose by 5.4%. The value of imports by Broad Economic Category registered year-on-year decrease, of which Raw materials & semi-manufactures and Fuels & lubricants fell by 40.9% and 25.7% respectively; meanwhile, the value of imports of Consumer goods recorded a mild decrease of 5.8%, with that of Food & beverages rising by 17.8%.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP142.2 billion (USD17.82 billion) at the end of September 2009. The reserves rose by 0.8% from the revised value of MOP141.1 billion (USD17.68 billion) for the previous month. When compared with the same period last year, the reserves increased by MOP17.7 billion or 14.2%. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-September 2009 represented 30 times the currency in circulation or 241.7% of Pataca M2 at end-August 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, fell by 0.47 points month-to-month but rose by 0.40 points year-on-year to 89.59 in September 2009. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, money supply M2 decreased slightly in August. As total loans rose at a faster pace than total deposits with banks, the loan-to-deposit ratio grew slightly from a month ago. Money supply
Currency in circulation noted a decline of 0.1% whereas demand deposits increased 3.6%. M1 thus rose 2.9% compared with the previous month. Meanwhile, quasi-monetary liabilities went down by 0.8%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, dropped 0.3% to MOP207.8 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 22.6% and 9.3% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 28.3%, up 0.6 percentage points over a month ago and a year earlier. Concurrently, the share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 53.5%, down 1.0 percentage point month-to-month or up 1.7 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits fell slightly by 0.3% from the previous month to MOP203.1 billion. Of which, HKD deposits dropped by 2.1% while MOP deposits and other foreign currency deposits grew at respective rates of 1.8% and 2.0%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits rose 2.2% (to MOP74.0 billion) while public sector deposits with the banking sector slid 0.4% (to MOP13.3 billion). As a result, total deposits with the banking sector edged up 0.3% from the previous month to MOP290.4 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.3% and 45.4% respectively. Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector grew 2.0% month-to-month to MOP95.3 billion. Among which, MOP21.1 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP67.8 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 22.2% and 71.2% of the total respectively. Meanwhile, external loans rose by 2.7% to MOP66.1 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 1.6% and 53.9% respectively of the total, at values of MOP1.0 billion and MOP35.6 billion. Loan-to-deposit ratios
Due to the decline in resident deposits and increase in domestic loans to the private sector, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-August 2009 increased by 1.0 percentage point month-to-month to 44.0%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors stood at 55.6%, up 1.1 percentage points.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for July-September 2009 was 3.7%, down by 0.1 percentage point over the previous period (June-August); the underemployment rate went up by 0.1 percentage point to 2.0%. Total labour force was 328,000 in July-September 2009, with the employed population decreasing by 3,000 from the previous period to 316,000. Analyzed by industry, employment of Real Estate & Business Activities and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities increased from the preceding period, while that of Gaming registered a decrease. In July-September 2009, number of the unemployed dropped slightly by 400 over the preceding period to 12,000, with 17.6% (2,200) being fresh labour force entrants searching for the first job, up by 3.8 percentage points from June-August 2009. In comparison with July-September 2008, the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate rose by 0.6 and 0.5 percentage point respectively. Meanwhile, the labour force participation rate (72.0%) fell by 0.6 percentage point from the previous period and by 0.9 percentage point year-on-year. In the third quarter of 2009, the unemployment rate of local residents stood at 4.6%, up by 0.1 percentage point over the second quarter of 2009; the labour force participation rate of local residents dropped by 0.2 percentage point to 67.1%.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the total number of visitor and non-resident arrivals was 2,204,014 in September 2009; visitor arrivals for September 2009 increased by 3.8% year-on-year to 1,689,007. Analyzed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China grew by 16.1% year-on-year to 878,479 (52.0% of total visitor arrivals), with 354,443 travelling to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme, similar to that in September 2008 (354,329). Visitors from Japan (44,763) and Indonesia (30,098) rose by 24.8% and 65.5% respectively; however, those from Hong Kong (492,603); Taiwan, China (96,382) and Malaysia (22,714) decreased by 9.6%, 6.4% and 29.1%. Same-day visitors (851,758) accounted for 50.4% of the total visitor arrivals, with 446,735 coming from Mainland China. The cumulative visitor arrivals totalled 15,880,425 in the first nine months of 2009, down by 8.4% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (7,908,936); Hong Kong (5,067,229); Taiwan, China (957,044); and Malaysia (222,666) fell by 11.9%, 2.5%, 4.4% and 28.7% respectively; however, those from Japan (277,013) registered an increase of 7.4%. Cumulative number of same-day visitors accounted for 52.8% of total visitor arrivals, at 8,388,079. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea totalled 6,335,065 in the first nine months of 2009, down by 6.7% year-on-year. Visitors arriving at the Outer Harbour decreased by 22.7% to 4,404,437, while those arriving at the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa surged by 113.4% to 1,723,980. Visitor arrivals by land dropped by 9.8% year-on-year to 8,386,241 in the first nine months of 2009; those arriving through the Border Gate totalled 7,796,764 and the majority were visitors from Mainland China (77.1%) and Hong Kong (14.8%). Visitor arrivals by air went down by 7.1% year-on-year to 1,159,119 in the first nine months of 2009. Visitors arriving at the Macao International Airport fell by 7.1% to 1,135,084, with the majority coming from Taiwan, China (39.1%), Mainland China (24.9%), Malaysia (7.6%) and Thailand (6.8%).
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The four-day 14th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF), has come to a close today, 25th October 2009. The 15th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) will be held from 21st to 24th October 2010. Conclusion of activities Considering the organizational scale, no. of participating countries and regions, and radiative impact, the 14th MIF has been the largest ever. As at 3:00 PM this afternoon (25th October), over 60,000 visits were registered, representing an increase of more than 21 % compared with the approximate 50,000 visitors last year, of which more than 8,000 being trade visitors, up more than 43 % year-on-year. A total of 1,032 sessions of business matching were conducted. Over the last 4 days, 60 letters of intent/memorando/agreements were signed, valued at approximately MOP 4.3 billion. During the period, a total of 36 forums, conferences, seminars & presentations were held with 5,335 attendees. The scale of this year’s MIF regarding the no. of booths increased by 20%. Including the co-located Wine and Gourmet Asia, there were altogether 644 exhibitors coming from 48 countries and regions comprising 1,074 booths. Not only the scale of the exhibition has been expanded, a number of new, independent overseas pavilions such as ASEAN and Russian Far East have more enriched and extensive contents, highlighting the theme of internationalization. This year, the exhibition area for specialized trades has also been expanded with the addition of pavilions for creative industry pavilion and digital photography. In respect of expansion, there has been a more detailed classification for type of business. Not only the contents are enriched, the themes for the various pavilions have been more concentrated and specialized, thus enhancing the attractiveness to trade visitors. During the period, numerous sessions of conferences, forums and business matching as well as product and service promotion activities have been held, with encouraging response. The opening ceremony of MIF has been officiated by Mr. Edmund Ho, Chief Executive of Macao SAR and was attended by a record number of over 3,000 guests from 61 countries and regions. In the conferences and forums, speakers included government officials, business leaders, industrial elite, experts and scholars, who have elevated the professionalism and results of exchange. In the “International Trade and Investment Forum 2009”, representatives and business leaders from numerous overseas countries and regions get together to explore regional trade and economic investment and cooperation. The 6th Summit of Chinese Entrepreneurs has been attended by over 1,000 trade visitors from across the world to gather in Macao to exchange and discuss the business opportunities in the Greater China region. The number of participants has been the highest with the widest representation in terms of participating regions. During the Fair, there have been a series of economic and trade seminars between Macao and Vietnam, the Philippines, European Union, Latin America, Portuguese-speaking countries and Mainland China. Participants from different countries and regions presented enthusiastically the economic and trade development conditions and industrial policies of their own country or region. It is intended that through the exchange platform provided by the seminars, the countries and regions are able to promote their economic image as well as economic and trade exchange and cooperation for joint development. During these exchange seminars, a number of cooperation agreements or strategic cooperation memorandums for a wide array of industries within the region have been reached. Looking back at the various forums, conferences and commercial promotion seminars of this year’s MIF, when compared with past years, the number of participants and their respective levels, and the number of countries have been increased year after year, resulting more fruitful results. It can been seen that Macao’s internationalized platform and MIF as a service platform for specialized, international exchange have gained more and more international recognition. Business matching and agreement signing Prior to and during the 14th MIF, the Organiser has received a total of 2,404 business matching projects (a year-on-year increase of 1.74%), which include 1,819 investment cooperation projects, 158 franchising and chain store brands, 300 supplies projects, 69 buyers with 127 procurement projects. During the fair, a total of 1,032 on-site business matching sessions (up 20% year-on-year) were arranged which brought about business partnerships, which include 371 procurement meetings (35.95%), 304 sessions for products/services supplies (29.46%), 141 franchising/brand distribution (13.66%), 179 specialized matching sessions (17.34%) and 37 sessions for investment projects (3.59%). As at 3:00 PM (25th Oct), a total of 60 projects (up 62.16% year-on-year) have been signed (including the ones signed off-site as informed by Organiser), valued at approximately MOP 4.3 billion, (up 22.88% year-on-year) , including “21 agreements, 20 letters of intention, 13 agreements and 6 memorandums, including 20 items for product/service supplies, 3 items for franchising, 6 items for brand distribution, 22 investment cooperation projects, and 9 other items. The business areas included manufacturing, electronics, product distribution, convention and exhibition, real estate, catering and training, supermarket cooperation, environmental protection, investment project, hotel and travel, entertainment, telecommunications software, convention and exhibition, medicine, and friendly cooperation between governments and trade associations. Signing countries include Macao, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, Brazil, Japan, Romania, the Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Singapore, etc. Summarising the business matching and agreements signed during the MIF this year, the position of MIF in regional economic and trade exchange service shall be to continue serving Macao’s SMEs to utilize Macao’s platform, in a variety of flexible business forms to deepen Macao’s economic diversification and reinforce the role of a regional platform, enhance external economic exchange, promoting cooperation of the market of China with the counterparts in ASEAN, EU and Portuguese-speaking countries. Multiple results In the past decade, MIF has been grounded upon Macao’s own economic characteristics and advantages in accordance with the SAR government’s development strategy of economic diversification to adjust and enrich the theme and contents of the Fair. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Macao SAR, the MIF this year has reinforced the contents of display and exchange. Macao Pavilion has presented a general review of Macao’s development and achievements in the past decade by demonstrating to the world Macao’s social stability and prosperity, rapid economic development, the image of the further internationalization of an exchange platform. Macao Manufactures and Trades Pavilion has employed many different means of display to exhibit the products made in Macao and products with agents in Macao, thus solidifying the promotion of Macao’s commerce and industry and developing jointly new business opportunities. MIF has been dedicated to serving SMEs. During the “SMEs International Business Days”, a lot of SMEs were attracted to take part in business matching and presentations. This year, the SME Exhibition has received good responses, with 143 exhibitors, who have displayed and put on sale a vast variety of projects and services to open the Mainland and overseas markets, attracting a great many visitors and residents. The number of booths has increased by 50% with satisfaction results both in display and sale. The Exhibition which is widely popular with the local SMEs, general public and visitors, remains a highlight of the MIF. Last year, Wine and Gourmet Asia (WGA)became a partner fair of MIF. This year, WGA has co-located with MIF for the first time. By way of synergistic effect, both Fairs attract trade visitors of each other and the results have been prominent. During the event, WGA has brought 2,041 more trade visitors to MIF, while MIF has arranged almost 100 business matching sessions, and provided more business opportunities and visitors to the WGA. The newly introduced “One-Trip, Multi-Stop” service have brought in more cooperation and mutual benefits to other fairs in the region, including “China Yiwu International Commodities Fair”, “106th China Import and Export Fair” and “Shenzhen Toys and Gifts Fair”. A total of 1,020 trade visitors have participated in MIF through this service. The Organiser has also arranged one-stop coaches in the region and organized trades visitors from Macao, Portuguese-speaking countries, South East Asia and other overseas countries to participate in the 14th MIF. The MIF has been concerned about the global issue of “resources bottleneck” and is putting an emphasis on the “green” theme of ecological environmental protection by using recyclable building materials and promoting an image of “green exhibition”. Almost 80% of the booths have special decoration, of which over 60% are using recyclable materials and every effort has been made to economize material usage. When MIF is over, the entities concerned will collect the materials used in the booths and turn them back into usable forms. With the evolution of MIF as Macao’s brand name fair, Macao’s convention and exhibition industry also developed at a fast pace. This year’s MIF, in terms of organization, booth construction, exhibition service, has seen a greater participation by local enterprises. Looking at the results of the MIF this year, it proves that Macao’s convention and exhibition industry’s competency has been gradually raised and catching up with international standards. Survey This year’s MIF has entrusted the University of Macao to conduct a survey to collect data for future reference. The report of the survey will be announced shortly.
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Up to 6:00 p.m. of the fourth day (24th October) of the Macau International and Investment Fair (MIF), the number of visitors registered was 18,902, an 9.6% over last year (17,249). A total of 305 business matching sessions were held and 23 protocols signed, including the memorandum of understanding between Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Romania Trade Promotion Center, for the establishment of trade and economic cooperation and improvement of trade information exchange between the two sides, and other cooperation agreements, namely in the catering industry, tourism and entertainment projects, investment in the construction of environmentally friendly steel pipe products, product agency and trade, brand catering franchise, medical technology research and development, and management and training, among others. The Fair attracted a large number of public today, being the first day of the long week-end. Booths at the SME Zone, offering retail sale, were especially popular. Many people brought along the whole family, to purchase food, liquor, household goods and other products. Visitors were generally satisfied with the supporting facilities. A number of visitors said that they felt a festive atmosphere at the venue. Booths with retail sale as well as professional booths provided a large quantity of information to the visitors, which will be useful for the development of the economy and trade in different markets. Some exhibitors said that the arrangements were satisfactory and stated that they have achieved the expected results, despite the fact that there is still room for improvement. Other exhibitors said that MIF provided them with an opportunity to showcase their products and also gave visitors from Mainland China and abroad to have a better understanding of Macao products. The Organizer has arranged a series of international conferences and trade promotion activities today, which attracted a large number of traders and members of the public. Response from both the exhibitors and the public was generally enthusiastic. Main activities held today were as follows: The 6th World Summit of Chinese Enterprises One of the most important components of MIF, "The 6th World Summit of Chinese Enterprises" was solemnly inaugurated this morning, attended by 1300 representatives of the Chinese business communities from 35 countries and regions, congregating to explore trade and economic cooperation and discuss about potential business opportunities worldwide, especially across the two margins of the Taiwan Strait, including Hong Kong and Macao. The Summit was organized by the World Federation of Chinese Enterprises Organization, with the support of IPIM. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Mr. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of Macao Special Administrative Region. Guests present included Mr. Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait, Mr. Chih-peng Huang, Director General of Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ms. Gao Yan, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administration Region, Mr. Sun Yao, Vice-Governor of Heilongjiang Province, Dr. Francis Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao Special Administrative Region, and Dr. Lee Peng Hong, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute. 2009 (Macao) Henan Xixiang Trade & Tourism Exchange and Cooperation Fair Organized by the Xixiang Municipal People's Government, Henan Province, with the supported of IPIM, the 2009 (Macao) Henan Xinxiang Trade & Tourism Exchange and Cooperation Fair was held this afternoon. Dr. Lee Peng Hong, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Eng. João Manuel Costa Antunes, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office, Mr. Hui Sai Un, President of the Board of Directors of Macao Chamber of Commerce and over 260 other dignitaries from Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China attended the event. As part of the Cooperation Fair, a presentation was made about the current economic situation and industrial development in Xixiang Municipality. It was also mentioned that, given its urban brand name and gradually growing economic power, Macao is ideally positioned to assist enterprises in Mainland China, including enterprises from Henan Province, to develop the markets in the Portuguese-speaking Countries as well as other markets, through its efficient and convenient platform. Mr. Jackson Chang, Executive Director of IPIM said that he hoped that through the Cooperation Fair, mutual understanding between Henan Province and Macao will be deepened in the future and that bilateral trade and cooperation between the two sides will be further intensified, for mutual benefit. "4th Anniversary of the Establishment of Macau Businesswomen Association" and "Prize Awarding Ceremony of the 3rd Session of Macao Hall of Fame. To mark the 4th anniversary of the Macao Businesswomen Association, a Prize Awarding Ceremony was held this afternoon. Dr. Francis Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao SAR, Ms. Gao Yan, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Mr. Son Yanbin, Deputy Commissioner of the PRC Foreign Ministry in Macao SAR, Dr. Lee Peng Hong, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Eng. Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, Director of Macau Government Tourist Office and Mr. Tong Chi Kin, member of the Executive Council attended the event. Greater China Economy – a Year after the Financial Tsunami Organized by The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, with the support of IPIM, a symposium on "Greater China Economy – a Year After the Financial Tsunami" was held this morning. Teddy Kwon, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Macau, said that the financial tsunami brought an extensive impact on the Asia-Pacific, but that HSBC will assist the enterprises to develop, by providing professional management and service. Key speaker, Mr. George Leung, Advisor, Strategy and Economy, Asia-Pacific, HSBC made an analysis on the crisis facing the Greater China after the financial tsunami as well as potential opportunities, and committed to assist the enterprises to deploy appropriate development strategies to seize business opportunities. Bird Nest Investment Opportunities in Malaysia & Franchising of Cafe Serving Delicacies with Bird Nests Organized by THS Industries SDN BHD, the above event was held today, to introduce the current market situation of the bird's nest business in Malaysia and promoted the franchise business in this area. The following events were also held at the MIF today: "Camera – Cultural & Creative Industry", "7th Special Industry Seminar on how to develop a brand: Unique Business Opportunity", "Coffee Tasting", "eBay Macau Sellers Seminar" and "The 5th International Conference on Health Preservation – Cultural and Scientific Health Care Seminar – Opening Ceremony & Business Matching Session". After four consecutive days, the 14th MIF will close tomorrow. People from all walks of life and visitors from all over the world are welcome and provide us with their guidance. Against presentation of their entry ticket, visitors can enjoy 4-hour free parking at the basement car park of Venetian-Macao-Resort.
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