News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the total number of licensed vehicles was 184,090 at the end of 2008, a year-on-year increase of 5%, of which 53% (97,724) were motorcycles and 39% (71,695) were light private cars. New registration of vehicles decreased by 9% year-on-year to 19,979 in 2008, with motorcycles and light private cars accounting for 63% and 29% respectively. For the whole year of 2008, the total number of traffic accidents dropped by 1% over 2007 to 12,834 cases, resulting in 4,515 victims and 9 of them were killed. Traffic flow by land between Macao and Mainland China decreased by 1% to 3,785,863 vehicle trips and the Border Gate was the major passage that took up 81% of the total. Commercial flight movements at the Macao International Airport decreased by 7% year-on-year to 46,036 in 2008. Taiwan, China; Mainland China; and Malaysia were the major routes that accounted for 38%, 27% and 10% of the total commercial flights to/from Macao. Helicopter flights between Macao and Hong Kong totalled 17,553 and those between Macao and Mainland China were 2,933, down by 1% and 4% respectively from 2007. Passenger transport by sea between Macao and Hong Kong decreased by 4% compared with 2007 to 84,375 ferry trips, while that between Macao and Mainland China increased by 20% to 20,914 trips. For containerized cargo, total seaborne container throughput for the whole year of 2008 was 126,335 TEUs or 89,914 containers handled, down by 9% and 7% respectively from 2007. Gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo was comparable to that in 2007, at 328,196 tonnes, with 20,918 tonnes of transshipment goods. Meanwhile, gross weight of containerized cargo by land increased by 38% to 104,312 tonnes, including 23,621 tonnes of transit goods. Outward air cargo fell sharply by 40% year-on-year to 41,548 tonnes in 2008. Taiwan, China; and Mainland China were the main destinations that accounted for 67% and 11% of the total respectively. Concurrently, inward air cargo decreased by 27% to 16,705 tonnes, with those from Taiwan, China taking a predominant share of 83%. In addition, transit air cargos dropped significantly by 52% over 2007 to 42,515 tonnes. At the end of 2008, the number of mobile telephone users rose by 17% year-on year to 932,596 whereas fixed-line telephone users decreased by 1% to 175,920. As regards internet services, number of subscribers reached 128,502 and the cumulative duration of usage totalled 253 million hours for the whole year of 2008, up by 7% and 42% respectively.
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Macau Government Tourist Office kicked off the food festival entitled “Flavors of Macau” yesterday (Feb 3) in Manila. Representative of MGTO in the Philippines has invited 150 local media and top clients of the chefs to the launching ceremony to taste and promote Macau’s unique cuisine. 7 restaurants in the Philippines will take part in the “Flavors of Macau” in February and April to showcase Macau’s culinary culture and lift the profile of Macau. A culinary tour comprised chefs and owners of restaurants, media representatives from the Philippines visited Macau last October, when the chef learnt to prepare Macanese dishes and experience Macau’s culinary culture through one of their five senses “taste”. The launching ceremony of the “Flavors of Macau” was held at Green Beltz 5 in Manila and 7 chefs each prepared two dishes for the guests who savored Macau’s specialties and interact with the chefs. The ceremony featured video clips showing the culinary tour in Macau last October and restaurants participating in the “Flavor of Macau” and the menu were also announced to draw more publicity. Lucky draws giving out 14 travel packages to Macau will also be held during the food festival. The food festival “Flavor of Macau” will be promoted through television, radio and print media in the Philippines, and the representative of MGTO in the Philippines will also enhance the publicity effect through its marketing channels.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the value of total merchandise imports and exports has declined for the fifth consecutive month. The value of total exports of goods amounted to MOP913 million in December, down significantly by 50.0% year-on-year, with the value of domestic exports decreasing by 60.3% to MOP503 million and that of re-exports dropping by 26.6% to MOP410 million. The value of total imports of goods amounted to MOP3.27 billion, down by 13.3% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP2.36 billion was recorded for December 2008. For the whole year of 2008, total merchandise exports fell by 21.6% year-on-year to MOP16.03 billion, the lowest value since 1996, with the value of domestic exports and re-exports declining by 29.1% and 6.8% respectively; meanwhile, total merchandise imports dropped slightly by 0.2% to MOP43.03 billion. The trade deficit for 2008 reached MOP27.01 billion and the exports/imports ratio also decreased from 47.4% in 2007 to 37.2%. In 2008, the value of merchandise exports to the USA, Mainland China and the EU decreased by 22.8%, 35.1% and 57.3% respectively year-on-year, but that to Hong Kong rose by 18.3%. The value of Textile & garment exports declined by 31.7% year-on-year to account for 57.1% of the total exports of goods in 2008, down from 65.6% in 2007; meanwhile, the value of Non-textile exports dropped by 2.2%, with exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear falling by 45.2% and 65.6% respectively, but exports of Image & sound appliances rising by 45.1%. The value of imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong amounted to MOP21.29 billion, accounting for 49.4% of the total imports in 2008. In terms of broad economic categories, the value of imports of Fuels & lubricants and Consumer goods expanded by 16.2% and 13.0% respectively year-on-year, but that of Raw materials & semi-manufactures and Capital goods decreased by 19.0% and 10.6% respectively.
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The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the air transport market between mainland China and Macao on 3 February 2009. The new MOU, which lifted some of the restrictions imposed on airline designation and capacity in the old memorandum, will help to enhance the air transport market between the two places. With the rapid economic development in mainland China and the opportunities driven by the economic boom in Macao, there are great potentials in the expansion of the air services between the two places. The two aeronautical authorities met in April 2008 in Macao for exchange of opinions about the sustainable growth of the air transport market between mainland China and Macao and reached preliminary conclusions on liberalizing the MOU provisions. The old MOU was signed in December 2006. According to the old memorandum, the number of mainland destinations opened for operation was 57. The designation of airlines and the capacity provisions had certain restrictions, depending on the destinations. Although the new MOU is still confined to 57 destinations, the restrictions imposed on airline designation and capacity, however, are partially lifted. The main provisions of the two memoranda can be compared in the following table:
(* Please find attached file.) Presently, the mainland destinations for scheduled services which Macao now connects to amounts to 12: Beijing, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Guilin, Kunming, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Wuhan, Tianjin and Wuxi. These services are operated by 6 mainland and Macao airlines which are Air Macau, China Eastern Airlines, East Star Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. The signing ceremony was conducted at the cabinet of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works. With the presence of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr. Lau Si Io and the Vice Minister of CAAC, Mr. Yang Guoqing as the guests of honour, President of AACM, Mr. Chan Weng Hong and Vice Director of the Air Transport Bureau of CAAC, Mr. He Jinri signed the new MOU. Secretary Lau Si Io and Vice Minister Yang Guoqing had a meeting before the signing ceremony. Secretary Lau thanked the Central Government for its long-term support rendered to Macao’s aviation and explained how the SAR government has helped the local aviation industry and the local airlines to develop their business by adopting flexible measures. In addition, Secretary Lau raised the following issues to CAAC for their study and consideration: allowing the mainland airlines to fly beyond points via Macao, allowing Macao’s airlines to fly to beyond points via mainland cities and allowing foreign airlines to fly to mainland cities via Macao. Facing the realization of cross strait direct flights, Secretary Lau also wished that the market between Macao and Taiwan can be opened up, for example, more destinations in Taiwan and more Taiwanese airlines to be allowed to fly between the two places. Vice Minister Yang indicated that the Central Government will continue to render support to the development of Macao’s aviation and will study deeply into the issues requested by the Macao side. Both sides agreed that the aeronautical authorities of Macao and mainland China should meet regularly to continually discuss and exchange opinions and establish cooperation regarding the enhancement of the air transport market between mainland China and Macao. *The 57 mainland cities opened for operation are as follows: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Dalian, Chengdu, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Xian, Chongqing, Qingdao, Urumqi, Nanjing, Guilin, Changsha, Wuhan, Ningbo, Shantou, Haikou, Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Changchun, Harbin, Taiyuan, Sanya, Huangshan, Wenzhou, Zhengzhou, Jinan, Lijiang, Hefei, Nanchang, Luoyang, Yantai, Beihai, Wuyishan, Meixian, Zhanjiang, Lanzhou, Nanning, Guiyang, Zhangjiajie, Hailar, Yanji, Jiamusi, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Weihai, Xishuangbanna, Lhasa, Kashi, Yinchuan, Yichang and Hohhot.
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The five members of the Electoral Affairs Committee for the election of the Chief Executive (EACCE) were sworn in today, with its chairman, Mr Chu Kin, saying that the committee will strictly observe “Chief Executive Election Law” in their work. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, officiated the swearing-in ceremony at Government Headquarters in the afternoon. Mr Chu Kin, a judge of the Court of Final Appeal, is Chairman of EACCE. The other four members are the Assistant Public Prosecutors-General of the Public Prosecutions Office, Ms Ma Iek; the President of the Collegial Panel of the Lower Court, Mr Fong Man Chong; the Director of the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau, Mr José Chu, and the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping. The chairman said that one of the legal responsibilities of the committee is to strictly enforce the “Chief Executive Election Law” during the electoral process of the next Chief Executive, as well as the election for members of the Election Committee, which is scheduled to be held on 26 April. The first meeting of the committee is scheduled to be held on Friday.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, has appointed five members to the Electoral Affairs Committee for the election of the Chief Executive (EACCE), it was gazetted today. The appointments were recommended by the Independent Committee for the Nomination of Judges. Mr Chu Kin, a judge of the Court of Final Appeal, is appointed Chairman of the EACCE. The other four members are Ms Ma Lek, the Assistant Public Prosecutors-General of the Public Prosecutions Office, Mr Fong Man Chong, the President of the Collegial Panel of the Lower Court, Mr José Chu, the Director of the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau, and Mr Chan Chi Ping, the Director of the Government Information Bureau. The member will be sworn in tomorrow at a ceremony that the Chief Executive, will officiate at Government Headquarters. According to the Chief Executive Election Law, principal officials, members of the Executive Council and the Legislative Assembly may not be the members of the EACCE. The responsibilities of the EACCE include: 1. Manage and promote the electoral process for members of the Election Committee and for the Chief Executive, specifically acting as the entity with the functions of directing and presiding over the polls at the election of the Chief Executive to be conducted by the Election Committee; 2. Decide on the venue and the hours for the electoral process for the members of the Election Committee and for the Chief Executive; 3. Issue guidelines and give clarifications on subjects related to the election of members of the Election Committee and of the Chief Executive; 4. Supervise and ensure that the electoral process is conducted according to the law; 5. Assess the capacity of the candidates proposed for the election of the Chief Executive, as well as the regularity and legality of the nomination process and, moreover, finally admit the candidates to the office of the Chief Executive; 6. Assess the regularity of electoral contributions received and expenditure made by the candidates to the office of the Chief Executive; 7. Assess the regularity of the acts of the entities involved in the electoral process and report to the competent authorities any act amounting to an electoral offence of which it takes cognizance.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today(30) that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP127.2 billion (USD15.93 billion) at the end of December 2008. The reserves rose by 0.6% from the revised value of MOP126.4 billion (USD15.83 billion) for the previous month.When compared with the same period last year, the reserves increased by MOP20.9 billion or 19.6%. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-December 2008 represented 29 times the currency in circulation or about 239.2% of Pataca M2 at end-November 2008. 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 0.98 points month-to-month but increased by 2.40 points year-on-year to 91.98 in December 2008.
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The Government will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people in facing the challenges of the global financial crisis to will guarantee a stable and harmonious society. This is stated by the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, in his Lunar New Year Message today. He urged the residents of Macao to carry forward their virtues of diligence, enterprise and inclusiveness. He said the Government would stand side by side with the residents and overcome the challenges ahead. By taking into account the motherland and Macao, we will be able to tackle the difficulties and bring a bright future for Macao. Mr Ho also thanked the civil servants and residents who had to work over the holidays. He wished everyone in Macao a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
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The Government would enhance the quality of life and provide more assistance to socially vulnerable groups, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. Mr Ho said this during visits to four social services centres, Caritas Macau, and a low-income family. The four centres are run by the Social Welfare Bureau, the Macao Federation of Trade Unions, the Women’s General Association of Macau and the Macao General Neighbourhood Unions Association. Mr Ho thanked them for their services and commitment to the community. The family Mr Ho visited is comprised of four members. The husband is above 60, and his wife was granted residence only last year. Their two children are aged four and five. The family live in a public housing unit and are social welfare recipients. The children are going to school and receiving book subsidies. Mr Ho said the Government would put a lot of attention to low-income families and provide the necessary assistance to them. He also said the aging population would give rise to an increasing demand for elderly services and the Government would step up co-operation with civil organisations to cope with the demand.
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In accordance with the 2009 policy arrangements and taking into consideration the difficult situation of our export trade, the MSAR Government has decided to adjust the spread between the exchange rates of export settlements and the exchange market in the calculation of foreign exchange delivered to the CCRD. With effect from 1 February 2009, the aforementioned exchange rate spread applied to non-HKD foreign currencies shall be trimmed down by 50% while the exchange rate spread between MOP and HKD shall remain unchanged. The new measure is meant to alleviate the cost of exporters incurred in export settlements and to support and promote the sustainable development of the local economy.
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