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The Premier Mr Wen Jiabao had basically approved Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Framework Agreement, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said when he concluded his four-day duty visit in Beijing. Mr Chui met President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao during the visit, and reported to them the recent development of Macao and his policy blueprint for next year. The Central Government had announced the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2020) and the Hengqin development plan previously and thus supported Macao’s effort in diversifying its industrial portfolio, Mr Chui said, and the approval of the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Framework Agreement would further enhance Macao’s drive. He said that these plans support further co-operation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and Macao would study co-operation with Hengqin and Nansha, the emerging regions in Guangdong. Speaking about the inflation of food prices, Mr Chui said he had visited several Central Government agencies and commissions and the Macao SAR Government would further discuss with these departments in order to safeguard food safety and gradually bring food at affordable prices to the Macao people. Mr Chui returned to Macao this evening.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today visited the Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs to thank their long-term support to Macao. In the last day of his four-day duty visit to Beijing, Mr Chui visited the Ministry of Commerce and met its Minister, Mr Chen Deming. During the meeting, Mr Chui thanked the Ministry for its long-existing support to Macao, which was highlighted by the staging of the Third Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries in Macao last month. As Macao is proactively developing its conference and meeting business in order to diversify its industrial portfolio, the hosting of such large-scale events would enrich Macao’s experience in organising global conferences and events, Mr Chui said. In response, Mr Chen extended his gratitude to Mr Chui for the work of Macao SAR Government in organising the forum. Mr Chui then visited the Ministry of the General Administration of Customs and met its Minister, Mr Sheng Guangzu, and attended a luncheon hosted by the Minister. Mr Chui said that the heavy people flow at the Border Gate Checkpoint had increased significantly in recent years and said he hoped that Macao and the Mainland could co-operate more on Hengqin in the future. Mr Sheng told Mr Chui that the General Administration of Customs was eager to support Macao in its development.
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) continues to assist 143 stranded Macau students, among which 93 have departed from the UK, while the rest have received necessary assistance to travel on other airlines or have made their own arrangements. With assistance and coordination of GGCT, MGTO’s UK representative and Cathay Pacific Airways, the second batch of 19 Macau students stranded in London boarded the second extra flight of Cathay Pacific, CX2252, which arrived Hong Kong International Airport this morning (Dec 23), and returned to Macau with the transportation arrangements provided by GGCT. The first batch of 58* stranded students has returned to Macau via Hong Kong last night (Dec 22). 16 other stranded students with Cathay Pacific tickets have departed the UK on other flights of the airline. To date, 93 students have left the UK on Cathay Pacific Airways. GGCT assisted another 12 stranded students holding tickets of different airlines today (Dec 23) to travel on the third additional flight of Cathay Pacific, CX8250,which is expected to depart London at 2:30pm local time on Dec 23 and will arrive Hong Kong around 10am on Dec 24. According to GGCT’s information, among the remaining 38 students who have registered with GGCT, including holders of tickets of Cathay Pacific and other airlines, 32 have already departed the UK or have rebooked other flights with the help of their airlines. 3 students will make their own travel arrangements while 3 have decided to stay in the UK. GGCT expresses its gratitude to Cathay Pacific Airways for assisting in seats arrangements and TurboJet for ferry arrangements to bring home the students. Regarding package tours, GGCT has maintained close contact with the travel trade for the latest updates of Macau residents who joined tours. Till now, 18 Macau residents, who joined different tour groups originated from Hong Kong, are assisted by the travel agencies. GGCT has received 2 requests for assistance and 21 inquiries today (Dec 23), in addition to 17 requests for assistance and 61 inquiries received yesterday (Dec 22). Till 5pm today, there are a total of 127 requests for assistance and 127 inquiries in the course of the past few days from the beginning of the incident. GGCT reminds Macau residents to contact the Hotline: (853)28333000 for assistance in case of emergency during their outbound trips. * It was announced earlier as 50, but revised after confirmation
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) continues to assist 136 stranded Macau students to fly back to Macau, among which, 50 are expected to arrive Hong Kong tonight (Dec 22). With assistance and coordination of GGCT, MGTO’s UK representative and Cathay Pacific Airways, the first batch of 50 Macau students stranded in London has boarded the first additional flight of Cathay Pacific, CX2250, which departed at midnight local time from Manchester and is expected to arrive Hong Kong International Airport about 8:20pm (Hong Kong time) tonight (Dec 22). As the arrival time is quite late, GGCT will provide transportation arrangements to the students for returning to Macau from Hong Kong. 27 other stranded students will travel on the second additional flight, which is expected to depart noon today (Dec 22) local time and arrive Hong Kong tomorrow (Dec 23) morning. 31 students holding tickets of different airlines have rebooked other flights with the help of their airlines or assistance by GGCT. GGCT also learned that 6 students have decided to stay in the UK. Currently, GGCT is following up with the remaining 22 cases to help with seat arrangements and to provide necessary assistance. Regarding package tours, GGCT has maintained close contact with the travel trade for latest updates of Macau residents who joined tours. Till now, 18 Macau residents, who joined different tour groups originated from Hong Kong, are assisted by the travel agencies. GGCT will continue its close contacts with the Chinese Embassy in the UK, Security Bureau of Hong Kong SAR, the Office of the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs in the Macau SAR and MGTO's UK Representative, Macau’s travel trade and airlines to follow up on the situation in London. GGCT has received 9 requests for assistance and 39 inquiries today (Dec 22), in addition to 90 requests for assistance and 43 inquiries received yesterday (Dec 21). Till 4pm today, there are a total of 117 requests for assistance and 84 inquiries in the course of the past few days from the beginning of the incident. GGCT urges affected Macau residents or those with family members stranded in London to contact the following numbers for assistance in case of emergency: －Hotline: (853)28333000；
－MGTO's Representative in the UK: (44)2083348328 or
－the Embassy of the PRC in the UK: (44)2072998431 / (44)7551436721
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The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) continues to assist Macau students stranded in the UK due to adverse weather and has obtained information of 108 stranded students with air tickets and provided necessary assistance. Among the 108 stranded students, 84 are holding tickets of Cathay Pacific Airways. GGCT has submitted their information to Cathay Pacific and requested the airline to assist the stranded students on the list to travel on the additional 3 flights arranged by the airline in the next three days. MGTO’s UK Representative is assisting the coordination of the matter at the hotel arranged by Cathay Pacific. A number of stranded Macau students have been arranged to take the first additional flight, which will depart from Manchester to Hong Kong at 7:30pm on Dec 21 local time and is expected to arrive Hong Kong International Airport at around 3pm on Dec 22. With the announcement of Cathay Pacific Airways that 3 additional flights will be arranged to depart from the UK to Hong Kong within 3 days to fly the stranded passengers, GGCT is maintaining close contact with Cathay Pacific to provide updated information to assist the stranded Macau students holding the airline’s tickets to board the additional flights. According to GGCT, 8 out of the remaining 24 students holding tickets of different airlines departed the UK yesterday (Dec 20), 3 have rebooked flights that will depart tomorrow (Dec 22) with the help of their airlines, while 13 are still waiting for seats. GGCT urges affected Macau residents or those with family members stranded in London to contact the following numbers for assistance in case of emergency: －Hotline: (853)28333000； －MGTO's Representative in the UK: (44)2083348328 or －the Embassy of the PRC in the UK: (44)2072998431 / (44)7551436721 Tourism Crisis Management Office
21 December 2010
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On said the Government would provide assistance to Macao students stranded at London airports due to flight delay and cancellation caused by severe weather, according to a statement by Government Spokesperson’s Office. The Chief Executive had instructed the Tourism Crisis Management Office yesterday evening to follow up on the situation of the students and the Government would assist them by providing necessary food, accommodation and transport to return to Macao.
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Due to adverse weather conditions in Europe, numerous flights were delayed and cancelled at airports in London. Through the contact of the Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) and Macau Government Tourist Office's (MGTO) UK Representative, to date, information of 99 stranded Macau students in possession of tickets were obtained and GGCT will provide necessary assistance. Staff from MGTO's UK Representative visited the stranded Macau students at the hotel arranged by the airline to learn about their condition and offered necessary assistance. Among the 99 stranded students, 77 are holding tickets of Cathay Pacific Airways. GGCT has submitted their information to Cathay Pacific for assistance. 50 students, together with other passengers of the same airline, are staying in a nearby hotel or the hotel’s function room while waiting for seats. There are also students who returned to their host family or local relatives, while ten some cases are being followed up.
According to GGCT, 17 students holding tickets of different airlines were helped by their airlines to rebook other flights to depart in the next two days. 5 new cases are being followed up.
GGCT will continue to liaise with Cathay Pacific Airways to update information of Macau travelers who request assistance and learn about the latest arrangement. It will also follow up closely on the latest situation of the stranded students to provide timely assistance.
Regarding package tours, GGCT has maintained close contact with the travel trade for latest updates of Macau residents who joined tours. Till now, 18 Macau residents, who joined different tour groups originated from Hong Kong, are assisted by the travel agencies. GGCT will continue its close contact with the Chinese Embassy in the UK, Security Bureau of Hong Kong SAR, the Office of the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs in the Macau SAR and MGTO's UK Representative, Macau’s travel trade and airlines to follow up on the situation in London. GGCT has received 35 requests for assistance and 3 inquiries today, in addition to 18 requests for assistance and 2 inquiries received yesterday (Dec 20). Till 17:30pm today, there are a total of 53 requests for assistance and 5 inquiries. GGCT urges affected Macau residents or those with family members stranded in London to contact the following numbers for assistance in case of emergency: －Hotline: (853)28333000；
－MGTO's Representative in the UK: (44)2083348328 or
－the Embassy of the PRC in the UK: (44)2072998431 / (44)7551436721
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, visited some Central Government agencies during his duty visit in Beijing today. In the afternoon, Mr Chui met the Minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, Mr Zhi Shuping, and extended gratitude for the agency’s support in guaranteeing the safety and quality of food supplied to Macao. He told Mr Zhi that the rise of Remminbi raised the cost of food imported from the Mainland and hoped that the agency could help increase food exporters for Macao. Mr Zhi said minimising the number of intermediary agencies could lower the price of imported food and he advised that the importers of Macao should try to find more food exporters. Mr Chui said he would report to the state leaders about the rise of food prices when they met tomorrow. In the morning, Mr Chui met the Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Wang Guangya, and the Minister of Public Security, Mr Meng Jianzhu. He said he believed that the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Framework Agreement could be signed in the near future, with the support of the related Central Government departments and commissions. He also said that Macao and Guangdong had reached consensus on lengthening the working hours of customs services gradually and the ultimate goal is providing round-the-clock services.
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To take on the then global financial crisis, to maintain the stability of the financial system, the MSAR Government announced in October 2008 full protection for all deposits placed by customers with banks operating in Macau (offshore banks excluded) until 31 December 2010. In scrutinizing all operational and regulatory targets, we have witnessed that the financial system of Macao now has never been better; adequate capital, ample liquidity, excellent asset quality have rendered the system, as usual, secure and stable. Nevertheless, in view of the enhancement of the security of the financial system brought about by deposit protection, the MSAR Government has decided, after taking into consideration the most up-to-date deposit protection arrangement made available by neighbouring regions and the practical situation of Macao, to continue deposit protection with effect from 1 January 2011. The maximum amount under protection is however adjusted to MOP500,000 (five hundred thousand Patacas), namely, the maximum amount of protection available to each depositor in any individual bank shall be MOP500,000. Other related provisions shall remain unchanged. All deposits denominated in Pataca or other currencies in name of individuals or organizations shall be protected. However, structured deposits, pledged deposits, bearer commercial papers and other financial products, such as bonds, stocks, investment funds are not included. The aforementioned deposit protection arrangement will cover 95% of depositors, aligned with the standard suggested by relevant international organizations.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) publishes the first release of the chain volume measures of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the third quarter of 2010. In addition, data users can download the original series of GDP prior to the major revision from the DSEC website. In the third quarter of 2010, the economy of Macao expanded by 27.1% in real terms that was spurred by favourable performance of the tourism and gaming sector. Analyzed by major components, exports of gaming services soared by 45.4% when total visitor spending (excluding gaming expenses) increased by 24.6%; though investment continued to shrink, yet the decrease narrowed considerably; however, decline in merchandise exports plunged further. In the third quarter, implicit deflator of GDP that measures the change in overall prices rose by 3.3% year-on-year. As the unemployment rate held stable at low level and total employment increased in the third quarter, private consumption expenditure increased by 7.5%, of which final consumption expenditure in the domestic market rose by 4.8%; at the same time, final consumption expenditure abroad surged by 24.7%, with that in Mainland China amounting to MOP 1.195 billion. Government final consumption expenditure increased by 9.2%, of which compensation of employees and net purchases of goods and services rose by 9.7% and 8.5% respectively. In view of the recommencement of several major construction projects in the private sector, gross fixed capital formation, the gauge of investment, shrank by 11.6%, moderating from the decrease in the second quarter. Private investment contracted by 18.7%, attributable to the 26.3% decrease in construction investment, while equipment investment rose by 9.8%. Government investment increased by 36.9%, in which construction and equipment investment grew by 41.0% and 1.7% respectively. Merchandise trade continued to fall in the third quarter, of which the decline in merchandise exports widened further from the second quarter to decrease by 13.2%. Merchandise imports rose by 9.9%. As regards trade in services, rising visitor arrivals and visitor spending boosted total exports of services to expand by 41.6% in the third quarter, with exports of gaming services soaring by 45.4% and total visitor spending (excluding gaming expenses) rising by 24.6%. Moreover, imports of services increased by 33.6%.
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