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Macao would like to support Sichuan in its post-quake reconstruction efforts, especially in rebuilding schools and other community facilities, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, said today. Mr Chui said this at the airport where he met members of a 20-member medical team who returned from Sichuan after helping treat quake victims at a Chengdu hospital. He said that he might visit Sichuan in a fact-finding trip soon to learn more about the reconstruction of schools, sports and community development facilities. He acknowledged that reconstruction is a long-term mission and Macao would fully co-operate with the Sichuan authorities and help rebuild the affected areas. Another medical team of about 20 medical staff will depart for Nanchong, Sichuan, next week to help there, he said. More than 500 medical staff have registered to take part to offer help to the quake victims. Macao would continue to co-ordinate with the related authorities and provide disaster relief and medical support to Sichuan, he said.
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The Macao Historical Archives operates under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and is responsible for the preservation of records of historic value. Given Macao’s geographical location in a sub-tropical zone, it is essential to actively protect paper records in order to avoid deterioration and ensure their correct preservation. Such measures include regular pest control. The next scheduled pest control in the Macao Historical Archives will take place on 6th and 7th of June. The Reading Room will be closed to the public from 2.30pm on Friday 6th June, and throughout the day on Saturday 7th June. It will re-open to the public on Monday 9th June.
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With a new title sponsor on board, Macau luxury residential development Windsor Arch, the Macau Grand Prix has announced an exciting new race programme for the 55th edition, to be held from November 13-16 this year. Topping the bill for the Windsor Arch 55th Macau Grand Prix are: The Windsor Arch Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix, which is also the official FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup; the final round of the prestigious 2008 FIA World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC), the Guia Race of Macau; and the unique Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix. The Windsor Arch Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix will be the 26th running of the Blue Riband event, which was first held in 1983. No fewer than 16 of this year’s 20 FIA Formula One World Championship drivers have raced on Macau’s famous Guia street circuit, and former Macau champions include Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. This year will mark the fourth time the final round of the FIA WTCC will be held at Macau. Each year the Championship has come down to the wire at the SAR, and Briton Andy Priaulx has taken the title on all three occasions. The Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, dubbed by many one of the greatest road races in the world and now in its 42nd year, was won for the second time last year in breath-taking fashion by Steve Plater. In keeping with the high calibre of the blue riband event, the support programme has undergone major enhancements for 2008, with no fewer than four new races. The Windsor Arch Macau GT Cup is a 10-lap invitational race for popular grand touring racing cars. Thirty six of these impressive machines will line up on the grid to take the start on the Sunday of the Grand Prix week. The Windsor Arch Macau Road Sport Challenge is another new addition to the programme. Also an invitational race, the event is open to modified road cars which comply with relevant safety regulations. The field will be divided into classes A, B and C, depending on cylinder capacity. Each of the new additions will have an international field, and invited drivers with International Class C racing licenses will be eligible to compete. The neighbouring SAR’s leading touring car drivers will go head-to-head with Macau’s finest in a thrilling racing season-closer, the Hotel Fortuna Macau and Hong Kong Interport Race. A large number of talented drivers are emerging from Macau who hone their skills throughout the year at nearby Zhuhai International Circuit, as well as further afield on tracks such as Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Touring Car Championship ensures the city’s racers have plenty of track-time throughout the season before tackling the Guia street circuit once a year. The 10-lap showdown is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th, and will see up to 36 drivers, 18 from each city, compete in a variety of Group N 2000cc racing cars. The ever-popular CTM Macau Touring Car Race (previously the CTM Cup) returns once again as part of the Windsor Arch 55th Macau Grand Prix. Open to up to 36 drivers from across the Asian region, the 12-lap sprint is for Super Production racing cars. Making its debut on the demanding Guia Circuit this year will be Formula BMW Pacific, designed specifically to help young karters, some as young as 15, make the transition to single seater racing. The racing car, the FB02, reaches speeds of up to 230kph and exceeds the FIA safety requirements for its class.This formula for success, which also runs in Europe and the Americas as well as in the Pacific, has already proven effective, with current Formula One drivers Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Timo Glock and Adrian Sutil amongst the most famous Formula BMW graduates. Formula BMW Pacific, although only established in 2003, has already seen its drivers graduate to GP2, European and Asian Formula 3, A1GP and Speed Car, and several are well on the ladder to the highest echelons of the sport. In addition to an action-packed programme of races, long-time Macau Grand Prix partner Yokohama will be putting on a display of the enormously-popular drifting, featuring Japan’s Nobuteru Taniguchi and Manabu Orito, both of whom have competed in Macau’s Guia Race in the past, and Hong Kong’s James Tang and Raymond Mak. Tickets for the Windsor Arch 55th Macau Grand Prix are already being snapped up fast. Places in the most popular grandstand, at the famous Lisboa Bend, are going fast as racing aficionados from the USA, the UK, Korea and Japan, as well as many local fans, grab the hottest seats in the house for the November spectacular. Tickets are available from the organisers on +(853) 87962242 / 87962268, and via Macau Ticket on Macau +(852) 28 555555/Hong Kong +(852) 2380 5083/Mainland China +(86) 139 269 11111. The Official Macau Grand Prix website is at www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that in the first quarter of 2008, imports of Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) reached 12,145 tonnes and the respective consumption totalled 11,759 tonnes, up by 16.2% and 19.8% respectively over the previous quarter. Along with the soaring fuel prices in the international market, the average price of LPG imports rose by 13.0% quarter-to-quarter, with the list price of Bottled LPG and Centralised LPG going up by 13.6% and 11.6% respectively. In the first quarter of 2008, imports of Electricity rose by 3.7% over the previous quarter to 499 million kWh, while the respective consumption registered a decrease of 11.0%. Besides, the rising proportion of Electricity imports has accounted for 73.7% of the gross available supply. Imports of Gasoline was 13.65 million litres and the respective consumption totalled 14.90 million litres, down by 9.8% and 4.5% respectively over the previous quarter. On account of the 11.4% increase in the average price of Gasoline imports, the list price of Unleaded gasoline went up by 4.4% quarter-to-quarter. Imports of Gas oil & diesel decreased by 1.4% from the previous quarter to 39.76 million litres, but consumption increased by 5.5% to 42.11 million litres. The list price of different types of Gas oil & diesel went up by 7.3% to 10.1% quarter-to-quarter, due to an 11.1% rise in the average price of imports.
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“Restoration and Reuse of Historic Building of Macao – Tak Seng On Case” has been selected for exhibition in the Urban Best Practices Area of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. In addition to the construction of Macao Pavilion, Macao will also construct the Tak Seng On Pawnshop in the Urban Best Practices Area. Tak Seng On will be an attraction of the Expo. Macao is the only participant in China that will have two concrete constructions at the Expo site. The restoration and reuse of Tak Seng On has been awarded with the Honorable Mention in the UNESCO 2004 Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation. The building of Tak Seng On occupied an area of 500 sq. meters and was composed of three parts, including the Pawnshop Business Exhibition Area and the Cultural Exhibition Hall. The restoration and reuse of the historic building was Government-led. The Government proposed the owner to abandon the commercial plan of rebuilding the pawnshop and proposed to put up capital restoring and maintaining it, which would then be run by non-governmental operator. In this way, the Government, owner and operator have jointly showcased an innovative management model for successful preservation of historic building. The MSAR Government will reconstruct Tak Seng On on a 1:1 basis in the Urban Best Practices Area. When the time comes, Tak Seng On will be reproduced in Shanghai, revealing to the international audience fruit of the MSAR Government’s efforts in restoration and reuse of historic buildings. A technical team from Macao went to Shanghai from 28-30 May for a meeting with related departments of the Shanghai Expo organizers to exchange views on the construction of Tak Seng On. Led by Ms Ieong Pou Yee, Director of the Office for Preparation of Macao’s Participation in the Shanghai Expo, the technical team was composed of the following members: Mr Lo Veng Tak, Member of the Administration Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau; Mr Tony Lam, President of Macau Fair & Trade Association; Mr Cheong Cheok Kio, Chief of Cultural Heritage Department of Cultural Affairs Bureau; Mr Mac Vai Tong, Head of Economic Activities Development Department of Economic Services; Mr Fong Man Seng and Mr Chang Wun Kong, Engineers and Architects of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau; and Ms Sit Kit Man and Ms Chong Lei Peng, Senior Officers of Economic Services. Representatives from the Shanghai Expo organizers include Mr Sun Lian Sheng, Director of Urban Best Practices Area Department; Professor Tang Zi Lai, Planner of Best Urban Practices Area; and representatives from other departments. The two sides had in depth discussions on technicalities the Tak Seng On construction and reached consensus on a workable proposal. The two sides also discussed matters concerning the signing of participation contract. During its stay in Shanghai, the technical team also visited “Eco-house in Shanghai” and the Exhibition Center of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP116.7 billion (USD14.5 billion) at the end of April 2008. The reserves increased by 1.5% from the revised value of MOP114.9 billion (USD14.3 billion) for the previous month. When compared with the same period last year, the reserves increased by MOP32.2 billion or 38.1%. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-April 2008 represented 29 times the currency in circulation or about 223% of Pataca M2 at end-March 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 0.54 points month-to-month or 5.20 points year-on-year, from 87.52 in March to 86.98 in April 2008. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel：83952532; Fax：28353042)
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released the summary of the expenditure-based GDP for the first quarter of 2008. The rates of change mentioned in the text refer to the year-on-year change in real terms, unless otherwise specified. In the first quarter of 2008, performance of the gaming sector continued to stay vibrant, with gross gaming revenue (excluding gratuities) soaring substantially by 61.8% in nominal terms compared with the same quarter of 2007, while total visitor spending (excluding gaming expenses) rose slightly by 4.3%; gross fixed capital formation dropped by 17.6% upon successive completion of large-scale construction projects, and exports of goods fell by 11.2%. Taking all relevant data together, GDP for the first quarter of 2008 expanded by 31.6% in real terms, higher than the 22.1% growth in the fourth quarter of 2007. In terms of major GDP components, private consumption expenditure in the first quarter of 2008 increased by 9.6%, lower than the 9.7% growth in the previous quarter. Household final consumption expenditure in the domestic market rose by 8.6%, while that abroad fell slightly by 1.7%, with the expenditure in Mainland China amounting to MOP 606 million. Government final consumption expenditure increased by 16.1%, lower than the 19.5% growth in the previous quarter, with compensation of employees going up by 4.7% and net purchases of goods and services rising notably by 165.4%. Gross fixed capital formation, a gauge of investment, fell by 17.6%, decreasing further from the 11.9% drop in the previous quarter. In the private sector, total investment declined by 17.7%, mainly attributable to a 20.5% decrease in construction investment and a 9.3% drop in equipment investment. Total government investment advanced by 22.4%, in which construction investment grew by 58.4%, while that in equipment fell by 21.0%. Integrating data on both sectors, overall investment in construction decreased by 20.3% in the first quarter of 2008, slowing further from the 18.3% drop in the previous quarter; overall investment in equipment fell by 9.4%, which was the first quarterly decrease since the third quarter of 2003. In terms of visible trade, total value of exports of goods declined by 7.1% in nominal terms and 11.2% in real terms, manifesting that the increase in the fourth quarter of 2007 was just a seasonal rebound. Analyzed by major destinations, merchandise exports to the United States, the European Union and Mainland China went down by 3.6%, 32.3% and 33.1% respectively in nominal terms. Total value of imports of goods increased by 11.0% in nominal terms, but registered zero growth in real terms due to rising prices of imports, lower than the corresponding growth of 17.6% in nominal terms and 10.6% in real terms in the previous quarter. As regards invisible trade (exports of services), exports of gaming services surged remarkably by 62.5%; total visitor spending (excluding gaming expenses) rose slightly by 4.3% as the 15.1% rise in the Tourist Price Index had partly offset the increases in the number of visitor arrivals and the respective per-capita spending. Integrating the principal data on the exports of services, overall exports of services recorded an increase of 46.3%, higher than the 34.5% growth in the previous quarter; moreover, imports of services grew by 40.4%, higher than 31.3% growth in the previous quarter.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the total value of exports of goods amounted to MOP1.35 billion in April 2008, down by 14.2% year-on-year; domestic exports decreased by 11.6% to MOP830 million, and re-exports dropped by 18.1% to MOP523 million. Total value of imports of goods amounted to MOP3.78 billion, up by 4.4% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP2.43 billion was recorded for April 2008. During the period of January-April 2008, the total exports fell by 9.0% year-on-year to MOP5.36 billion, of which domestic exports and re-exports declined by 8.4% and 10.1% respectively. Meanwhile, the imports grew by 10.8% to MOP14.15 billion, bringing about a trade deficit of MOP8.79 billion. The exports/imports ratio decreased from 46.1% in the first four months of 2007 to 37.9% in the same period of 2008. Exports of Textile & garment, accounting for 59.5% of the total exports in the first four months of 2008, declined by 12.9% over the same period of 2007; moreover, exports of Non-textile fell by 2.7%, of which Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear dropped by 49.2% and 45.9% respectively. In the first four months of 2008, exports to the USA, Mainland China and the EU decreased by 5.0%, 38.6% and 35.6% respectively year-on-year, while that to Hong Kong rose by 21.9%. The main suppliers of imported goods to Macao concentrated in the Asian region, imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, comprising 51.6% of the total imports in the first four months of 2008, rose by 6.6% and 20.3% respectively year-on-year. In terms of broad economic categories, imports of Fuels & lubricants and Consumer goods in the first four months of 2008 expanded by 32.7% and 28.7% respectively year-on-year, but imports of Raw materials & semi-manufactures and Capital goods decreased by 10.6% and 1.4% respectively.
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Macao today sent 20 medical staff to Sichuan to help provide medical treatments to victims of the catastrophic earthquake, after getting the Central Government’s approval. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Chui Sai On, saw the team off at the airport this morning. He told the press that Macao had made donations and sent food and other supplies to the affected area earlier. Soon after the earthquake, the Macao SAR Government contacted the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Macao and expressed its intention to send medical staff to Sichuan to help the victims. He said that more than 300 medical staff from the Health Bureau and Kiang Wu Hospital voluntarily registered for this medical team. The medical team will work at the Chengdu Third Peoples Hospital for two weeks.
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In relation to the article released by the magazine “East Week” on 28th May stating that UNESCO has suspended all promotional activities on world heritage of Macau, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) denies any refusal of UNESCO in Paris to promote Macau’s world heritage. MGTO has issued a clarification on 14th May stating that UNESCO in Paris has not refused to promote Macau’s world heritage and there is no reference at all by UNESCO about any change of status of Macau Heritage Sites. Last year MGTO acknowledged a proposal from her French Representative Office to launch an exhibition around the theme of Macau heritage in cooperation with artist Mr. Charles Chauderlot with UNESCO headquarters as a venue proposed by the artist. However, considering a relatively lengthy procedure to get the permission for any exhibition at UNESCO headquarters, MGTO Head Office instructed the French Representative Office to seek another venue for this exhibition. At present, MGTO’s preparations to promote Macau’s world heritage in Paris are still in progress.
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