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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Composite CPI for May 2008 rose by 8.95% year-on-year to 123.35, of which the price indices of Food & non-alcoholic beverages, Health and Transport soared by 18.60%, 14.20% and 12.15% respectively. Among the subgroups of Food & non-alcoholic beverages, notable increase was observed in the prices of canned meat (+80.60%), fresh beef (+69.00%), rice (+67.53%), fresh pork (+58.80%), edible oil (+57.67%), chilled or frozen pork (+46.10%), fresh water fish (+35.78%), noodles (+27.11%), chilled or frozen poultry (+24.14%) and charges for meals bought away from home (+14.58%). For the subgroups of Health and Transport, charges for medical consultation service (+25.79%) and price of unleaded gasoline (+29.53%) registered marked increase. For the subgroups in Housing & fuels, prices of LP Gas (+26.49%), charges for maintenance & repair services of dwelling (+27.26%) and rentals for housing (+14.17%) rose sharply, yet the Government’s payout of the electricity subsidy to all households slowed down the increment of the index of Housing & fuels to 7.45%. On the contrary, the price indices of Communication and Education registered year-on-year decrease of 6.87% and 5.83% respectively, due to lower charges of mobile phone service and higher government subsidies to students studying in schools that did not join the free education network. The CPI-A and CPI-B for May 2008 were 125.02 and 122.84, up by 9.03% and 8.83% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for May 2008 increased by 0.79% month-to-month, of which the price indices of Clothing & footwear, Transport and Housing & fuels rose by 2.68%, 2.03% and 1.35% respectively, as a result of new arrivals of Summer clothing, dearer prices of gasoline and higher rentals for housing. Meanwhile, the CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.69% and 0.84% respectively month-to-month. The average Composite CPI for January to May went up by 8.99% over the same period of 2007. For the 12 months ended May 2008, the Composite CPI rose by 7.40% over the preceding period. The Composite CPI reflects the impacts of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 49% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP 3,000 to MOP 9,999. The CPI-B relates to about 31% of households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP 10,000 to MOP 19,999.
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The Macao SAR Government today signs the participation contract of 2010 Shanghai World Expo with the municipality’s authorities. According to the agreement, Macao will build a pavilion in the Expo site to display Macao’s varied cultural features. It is expected that the Expo will draw more than 70 million visitors. The signing ceremony is witnessed by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, and Mr Yang Xiong, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Committee and Vice Mayor of Shanghai. The contract is signed by the Director of Office for Preparation of Macao’s Participation in the Shanghai World Expo, Ms Ieong Pou Yee, and the Vice Secretary of Shanghai Municipal Government and the Director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, Mr Hong Hao. Prior to the ceremony, Mr Yang met Mr Tam and other members of the Macao delegation. He briefed Mr Tam on how Shanghai had been preparing for the event and expressed his gratitude for Macao’s participation. Mr Tam said that Macao attached much importance to its participation in the event and had formed a designated office to prepare it. The office is supported by a number of bureaus, he said. Macao would endeavor to build an impressive Macao Pavilion so as to support the Shanghai World Expo, he said. Officials from Macao that attended the ceremony included the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping, Victor; the Acting President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Chang Chou Weng; Deputy Director of Macau Government Tourist Office, Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, and Member of the Administration Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Mr Lo Veng Tak. Representatives from the Shanghai authorities that were present at the ceremony included the Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China, Ms Zhong Yanqun, and the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government, Mr Li Mingjun. After the ceremony, Mr Yang Xiong hosted a luncheon for Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen and other members of the delegation from Macao. The Expo is to be held in Shanghai from May to October 2010. By the end of April 2008, 205 countries and international organizations had pledged their participation in the event. The Expo site will be divided into National Pavilions, Corporate Pavilions and Urban Best Practices Area. There will also be an online exposition to show the event on the internet. The Expo will also feature a wide range of activities, performances, seminars and other events. Macao is the only place in China that has two concrete constructions at the Shanghai World Expo Site. Macao Pavilion will be located southwest of China Pavilion, the main theme of which is “Macao – Spirit of Culture, Essence of Harmony”. Macao Pavilion occupies an area of 600 sq. meter, with 1,100 sq. m. construction area and 800 sq. m. exposition area. The SAR Government will also replicate Tak Seng On on a 1:1 ratio in the Expo’s Urban Best Practice Area. At that time, Tak Seng On will reveal to the international audience in Shanghai the fruit of the SAR Government’s efforts in driving the restoration and use of Macao historic buildings. Macao will also participate in the Shanghai Online Expo. Through internet, simulation and other technical means, contents of actual Expo will be transmitted over the internet, offering an internet platform for interactions between interviewers and Expo units. To promote participation of Macao populace in the construction of Macao Pavilion, the SAR Government launched the Macao Pavilion Concept Design Competition in May this year. Winning entries will be used as blueprints for the design of Macao Pavilion. The deadline for application to the competition is July 4. Winning entries will be announced in August. In addition, to strengthen the Macao populace understanding of Expo 2010, the Shanghai 2010 World Exposition National Organizing Committee will organize the “2010 Shanghai World Expo Promotion Week” in Macao coming October. Through a series of expositions, forums and promotional activities, the organizers aim to strengthen both understanding of and support to the World Expo. The SAR Government places high importance to Macao’s participation in the Shanghai Expo. Due to the wide scope of work needed, the preparation work involves joint efforts of several governmental departments. These departments include the Government Information Bureau, Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Economic Services, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Cultural Affairs Bureau and Macau Government Tourist Office. The overall work is coordinated by the Office for Preparation of Macao’s Participation in the Shanghai World Expo.
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The closer trading and economic relationship across the Taiwan Strait will bring new opportunities for Macao, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today. Asked by reporters on what he felt about the weekend chartered flights between the Mainland and Taiwan, Mr Tam said increased trade and better relations across the strait would benefit Macao, which plays the role of a regional trading platform. As regards to the adjustment of the facilitated individual travel (FIT) scheme by the Mainland, Mr Tam said that this would benefit Macao. Given the rapid economic performance in recent years this was the appropriate time to review Macao’s economic policies and strategies, he said. Mr Tam was speaking to reporters at the airport before he left to attend the 2008 China Cross-Straits Technology and Projects Fair, to be opened in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, tomorrow. More than 60 representatives from Macao’s business sector will also attend the event.
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With the objective of enhancing aviation safety, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR and the Investigation Bureau for Civil Aviation of France (Le Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la Sécurite de l’Aviation civil (BEA) France) met in Macao on 17 June 2008 to discuss mutual cooperation relating to aircraft accident and incident investigation. The two parties signed a Declaration of Intent in which Macao and France will cooperate in aircraft accident and incident investigation, investigation training and sharing of information and expertise. The areas of cooperation are as follows:
1. Both parties will exchange views on the latest development of international standards, and share experiences on the making of laws and rules administered in each party that govern aircraft accident and incident investigation. Each party will offer assistance if necessary.
2. The parties will facilitate exchanges of personnel for training and development, including investigation training courses, hands-on experience and observer status at major investigation accident sites. 3. Each party will offer assistance and the use of air safety investigation facilities and equipment to the other party as it deems appropriate and as resources permit. 4. The parties will maintain regular contact and each party will organize visits to or meetings with the other party with the aim of exchanging experiences, skills and technical knowledge.
5. Each party will endeavour to share with the other party relevant information about an investigation it is conducting. Such information will not be released by the other party without the express consent of the party conducting the investigation.
6. Each party will, where applicable, endeavour to facilitate relations between the other party and aircraft accident investigation authorities of third parties with which it has closer relations or to which it is geographically closer. In the meeting, the two parties introduced to each other the functions of their organizations and the management of aircraft accident and incident investigation administered in their area. Both parties reaffirmed that the sole objective of the investigation of an aircraft accident or incident should aim at the prevention of accidents and incidents and not the apportionment of blame. Maintaining aviation safety has always been the focused attention of AACM. For this reason, the effective management of aircraft accident and incident investigation is considered significant by the Authority. Facing the inadequate experience in this aspect, the rapid development of the industry and the remarkable increase of aircraft number and aircraft type in the near future, AACM wishes to establish cooperation with the other places so that assistance can be drawn from these places to Macao, including the provision of technical support and the use of investigation facilities in case of an accident or incident in our community, as well as provision of training to the Macao investigators to strengthen their knowledge in the respective field. In addition to the cooperation with BEA – France, AACM has held a meeting with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) in Beijing in April this year for the discussion of similar cooperation between Macao and the mainland. The meeting concluded with a preliminary consensus in which CAAC agrees to offer aircraft accident and incident investigation training, the use of investigation facilities and all other necessary assistance to Macao. Furthermore, if situations permit, CAAC will invite the Macao investigators to participate as observers in the investigation of aircraft accidents or incidents that occur in the mainland. AACM and CAAC are presently drafting the respective cooperation arrangement which is expected to be signed within this year.
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The Statistics and Census Service released the results of the Survey on Manpower Needs and Wages for the first quarter of 2008. The survey coverage included the Manufacturing; Hotels & Restaurants; Financial Intermediation and Electricity, Gas & Water Supply sectors, but excluded own-account workers, as well as insurance agents and brokers not directly employed by insurance companies. The survey results were extrapolated from the information collected from 589 statistical units successfully interviewed. At the end of the first quarter of 2008, the Manufacturing sector had 25,869 paid employees, down by 12.4% over the same period of 2007, with 17,148 working in the Manufacture of Wearing Apparel. In March 2008, the average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) for full-time employees amounted to MOP 5,144, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.4%. Sewing machine operators of the Manufacture of Wearing Apparel earned MOP 3,536 in average. The Hotels & Restaurants sector took on 47,802 employees, up by 56.4% over the first quarter of 2007. The openings of several new hotels in the second half of 2007 increased the number of hotel employees to soar by 95.8% year-on-year to 31,245. The average earnings for full-time employees in March 2008 increased by 34.8% year-on-year to MOP 9,541, with the Housekeeping employees of hotels earning an average of MOP 5,426. The Financial sector had 5,389 paid employees, up by 10.7% compared with the first quarter of 2007, with 4,590 working in banks. The average earnings for full-time employees in March 2008 went up by 17.6% year-on-year to MOP 17,227 and that of the Bank tellers was MOP 10,061. The Electricity, Gas & Water Supply sector had 1,074 paid employees, up by 4.9% year-on-year. The average earnings for full-time employees decreased slightly by 0.8% over March 2007 to MOP 20,289. At the end of March 2008, the Manufacturing sector reported to have 4,238 job vacancies; Hotels & Restaurants sector had 5,030; the Financial sector had 340 and the Electricity, Gas & Water Supply had 33 vacancies. As regards recruitment prerequisites, 67.6% of the vacant posts in the Manufacturing sector required working experience; 97.3% of the vacancies in Financial sector and 69.7% in Electricity, Gas & Water Supply required senior secondary or higher in educational attainment. Besides Cantonese, Mandarin (43.4%) and English (40.9%) were the more preferable language skills in the Hotels & Restaurants sector; furthermore, 90.1% of the job vacancies in the Financial sector required knowledge of English.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao releases today the credit card statistics for the first quarter of 2008. The total number of credit cards in circulation reached 340,043 at the end of March 2008, up 2.3% from the previous quarter. Among this total, the numbers of Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards were 267,430, 64,949 and 7,661 respectively while the number of other foreign currency (OFC) cards stayed constantly at 3. Renminbi (RMB) cards and Pataca (MOP) cards increased by 5.5% and 2.7% respectively whereas Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards edged down marginally by 0.1%. Compared with the same period last year, Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards grew 11.5%, 3.4% and 15.0% respectively. As at the end of March 2008, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao reached MOP6.0 billion, 2.9% up from end-December 2007. Credit card receivables amounted to MOP0.9 billion while the rollover amount reached MOP0.4 billion, accounting for 44.8% of credit card receivables. Meanwhile, the delinquency ratio stood at 0.34%. In the first quarter of 2008, the credit card turnover totalled MOP1.5 billion, 0.6% up on last quarter. The cash advance turnover amounted to MOP0.1 billion, which accounted for 8.2% of total credit card turnover. Credit card repayments (including payments for interest and fees) grew by 11.2% from the previous quarter to MOP1.6 billion.
The local merchant turnover, including purchases with credit cards issued domestically and abroad, amounted to MOP9.3 billion in the first quarter of 2008, up 7.7% quarter-to-quarter.
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The Executive Council has reviewed draft bills on the ranks and grades of civil servants and the ‘General rules for bureau directors, department heads, division chiefs and supervisors’. The two draft bills will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly for further discussion soon. The new ranks and grades scheme will apply to all civil servants with permanent tenure and contract staff. The draft bill proposed an increase in the number of salary scales to provide more incentive to staff that have reached the highest levels in their promotion path. The recruitment and promotion of civil servants would be centralised, to enhance management. According to the draft bill of ‘General rules for bureau directors, department heads, division chiefs and supervisors’, these officials are prohibited from working for the private sector within six months after the termination of their contracts. But they could apply for exemption to the Chief Executive, who is responsible for making a decision after consulting with a designated committee. If the application is turned down, the applicant is eligible for a compensation of six months’ salary. The draft bill also proposed an allowance for bureau directors, department heads, division chiefs, and supervisors, which varies from 15 to 20 per cent of their salary. It also proposed the setting up of an enhanced programme to evaluate the performance of officials.
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A transport consultation has revealed that the three things of most concern to the people are public bus services, a public transport-priority program for a thoroughfare, and more supervision of hotel and casino shuttle buses. The newly established Transport Bureau disclosed this today when it announced the results of a consultation on a proposal to optimise the city’s public transport network. A total of 466 responses were received in the one-month consultation period, which opened three months ago. Of these 312 responses (67 per cent) showed concern on bus services, mostly on the difficulties in getting on buses, especially during rush hour periods. Some people expressed dissatisfaction over duplication of bus stops and complexity and overlapping of routes. About 95 per cent of responses about bus services agreed with the Government’s decision to open up the public bus market and launch a bus service evaluation programme, so as to improve the quality of services. Some people said that the number of bus companies should not exceed four, and that the present companies should introduce an interchange programme to facilitate passengers. Some respondents urged the Government to optimise bus routes, minimise the overlapping of routes and cut the number of bus stops. Generally most respondents agreed that the Government could subsidise the public bus fare, but felt the programme should be fair, well-monitored, and benefit senior citizens, children and the needy only. Sixty-three per cent of the responses disagreed with the introduction of nine-seater buses, which taxi operators said would affect their business, worsen the shortage of drivers, and cause more traffic congestion. On the contrary, those who supported its introduction believed that it could facilitate residents living in the inner and older districts, considering the lack of buses and taxis in those areas. About sixty-nine per cent of the responses agreed with the public transport priority measures for Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, the main avenue in the central district of Macao Peninsula. A majority of responses urged the Government to strengthen administration on hotel and casino shuttle coaches, such as their number, their routes and parking space for these shuttles.
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The Government today put into effect new measures in its efforts to prevent the spread of avian flu, following the discovery of the virus among poultry in four Hong Kong markets. The Avian Flu Task Force announced at a press conference today that if poultry in a stall or a wet market is tested positive for the H5 virus, the stall or market will be suspended from doing business for seven days. All live poultry in that stall or market will be culled. The sales ban could be extended to 21 days if the health authorities deemed it necessary. But if approved by the health authorities, the involved stall or market could sell poultry slaughtered in abattoirs. Vendors and staff of the stall or market will then be kept under medical surveillance during these seven days. The Task Force would collect more samples at wet markets and all poultry sales points, step up efforts to fight poultry smuggling and enhance surveillance of wild birds. The authorities would also carry out exercises at the poultry wholesale market, to enhance promotion on prevention and work closely with their counterparts in Hong Kong and neighboring regions.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) promoted both leisure and business tourism at the 22nd International Travel Expo Hong Kong (ITE). As one of the official supporters of the event, MGTO organized a delegation which included 29 Macau trade partners to participate in this travel fair. The delegation was led by Deputy Director Helena Senna Fernandes who also represented MGTO at the opening ceremony this morning. The International Travel Expo is a prime travel expo held annually in Hong Kong. It has attracted an international portfolio of exhibitors and visitors, and provided platform for mutual exchange among the travel industry. In order to position Macau as a leisure and business destination, MGTO’s booth has been designed to serve both trade and public visitors as well as to facilitate Macau travel entities to present their products to the audience. This afternoon, MGTO hosted an in-booth cocktail to greet HK trade partners, MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention & Exhibition) organizers and media friends. Two seminars will also be held during consumer days (14 & 15 June) to promote 3 thematic routes as well as to introduce the “Macau Feel and View” Digital Video Campaign to the public. The MGTO booth was specially designed with reference to Rua da Felicidade, a famous old street in Macau. Information on Macau’s World Heritage sites, events and festivals in 2008 were displayed on the walls of the traditional 2-storey Chinese-style buildings. At the rear end of the booth, a “Ruins of St. Paul’s” backdrop served as a photo area for the public. Prior to the opening of ITE, MGTO has organized a Macau familiarization tour yesterday for the Expo’s hosted buyers, to showcase Macau’s potentials in leisure and business tourism development. The 22nd International Travel Expo is held from 12 to 15 June 2008 (12 & 13 June are trade days while 14 & 15 June are public days) at HK Convention and Exhibition Centre. According to official release, there are over 600 international exhibitors from 50 countries and regions participating in the Expo.
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