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Former Motorcycle World Champion Kevin Schwantz will be amongst the former winners heading for China this November as the Macau Grand Prix celebrates the 40th running of its famous motorcycle street race. Joining the Texan for the celebrations will be: The legendary “Rocket” Ron Haslam who won the event an astonishing six times in the 1980s; Belgian Didier de Radigues who, in addition to winning in Macau in 1991, notched up four World Championship Grand Prix wins during his stellar career; and TT hero Mick Grant who took two Macau victories in the 1970’s and 80’s and continued his love affair with the city long after he’d hung up his racing boots, returning many times as a team manager. The only man ever to have equalled Haslam’s record of six wins, British Superbike star Michael Rutter, will also be amongst the former winners in Macau come November. However, the anniversary celebrations won’t be foremost in his mind as the Englishman attempts to set a new record of seven victories right under the gaze of the “Rocket” himself. Schwantz, who won in Macau on a 500cc Grand Prix Suzuki, is looking forward to his first visit to the SAR since 1989, when he attended the event as a guest television commentator: “I’ve heard so much about how Macau has grown and it’s real similar to Las Vegas now…. So, I think it will be neat. It will be interesting to see, as a race, how the event’s grown as well.” Macau may have changed almost beyond recognition, but the Guia Circuit is virtually unaltered since his day, and Schwantz has not forgotten the challenge it presented 18 years ago. When asked whether going from road race tracks to a street circuit, even with a 500cc motorcycle, was intimidating, Schwantz replied recently: “Absolutely! I look back on that and think how did Suzuki ever even think about letting me go do that. As big a kid as I was and as much stupid stuff as I do on a proper racetrack, wow, what might I do there with all those walls and how bad could I get hurt! “So it was, and it took quite some time to learn the track. It’s got some real tricky uphill blind left-right corners and certain parts of it are really, really fast too. It’s not just a walk in the park by any stretch.” But not only did Schwantz conquer Macau, he did it in spectacular style. So convincing was his win – much of it on his rear wheel - that another rider suggested the countless wheelies may have been necessary to preserve his front tyre. Remembers Schwantz: “Jamie Whitham is one of the guys who went and he came down after the weekend and says, “Did you guys get a (tyre) allotment? Were you shorted on your tyre budget? Because every time I saw you, the front wheel was in the air!”” In an illustrious career, during which he became hugely popular for this all-or-nothing riding style, Schwantz competed in seven 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix seasons, finishing 2nd in 1990 and clinching the title three years later. Early in the 1995 season, after a year plagued by crashes, Schwantz decided to retire having notched up an incredible 25 Grand Prix wins, one more than his great rival, Wayne Rainey. This made him the second most successful American road racer after Eddie Lawson and, as a mark of respect, the world motorcycle governing body, the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), retired his racing number 34 as testament to his popularity. However, years before the American hotshot made his trip to Macau, “Rocket” Ron Haslam, so named for his ability to make great starts, had won the hearts of Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix fans with a run of six wins, interrupted only in 1984 when he was unable to make the trip to the Far East Classic and victory went instead to follow Englishman Mick Grant. One of ten brothers and sisters from the mining town of Langley Mill in Nottinghamshire, UK, Haslam started racing at the age of 15 on a 750cc Norton Commando owned jointly by two of his elder brothers. Tragically, Haslam was to lose two of his brothers in motorcycle racing accidents over the next 12 years, but he continued in his chosen sport. Haslam made his debut in 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 1977, and in an eight-year period had 61 top ten finishes including nine on the podium. These results made him Britain’s second best Grand Prix rider after Barry Sheene. Today Haslam lives with wife Ann and his children in the UK, helps son Leon, who has followed in his father’s footsteps, and nurtures stars of the future at his Ron Haslam Racing School at Donington Park. Another rider with a successful racing school is De Radigues, who conquered the Guia Circuit in 1991. The popular Belgian enjoyed a successful World Championship motorcycle career for more than a decade, with 14 podiums and four wins, before turning his hand, just as successfully to sportscar racing and television commentary. With the return of Schwantz, Haslam, de Radigues and Grant to Macau this November, a host of celebrations planned to mark the 40th running of the Far East Classic, plus Rutter’s attempt at setting a new record of wins on the Guia Circuit, motorcycle fans can look forward to a rare treat. Over the four-day 53rd Macau Grand Prix – Rio Hotel, practice and qualifying sessions will take place on November 16th and 17th (Thursday and Friday), with the races on November 18th and 19th (Saturday and Sunday). The 40th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix is scheduled for the Saturday afternoon. In addition to the 40th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – Rio Hotel, the exciting line-up includes the Polytec Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix, the unofficial “world cup” of the category, the final round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, and a host of support races. More information can be found at the official Macau Grand Prix website at www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo.
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The Vice Premier, Ms Wu Yi, met the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, in the afternoon, who was in Changsha for the Expo Central China 2006. Leading a Macao SAR Government dedlegation, Mr Ho arrived in the capital city of Hunan Provine about noon, and was welcomed by the Vice Governor of the province, Mr Xu Xianping. The Chief Executive is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Expo Central China 2006 and deliver a speech at a related trade forum.
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The curtain on the two-day Second Ministerial Conference of the China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum in Macao fell this morning with an action plan that covered a wide range of areas for economic co-operation signed by China and seven Lusophone countries. The conference, which brought together ministerial-level officials and businesspeople from China, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, East Timor and Brazil, provided a platform for them to further their co-operation. In his closing remarks, the Minister of Commerce, Mr Bo Xilai, said the event successfully brought partnership between the participating countries to new heights. According to the objectives inscribed in the action plan, the participating countries wil target doubling the volume of trade and amount of investment between them within the next three years. The minister also expressed his gratitude for the support of the Macao SAR Government for the conference and the related events. On behalf of the seven Portuguese-speaking countries, the Minister of Economy, Growth and Competitiveness of Cape Verde, Mr João Pereira da Silva, said that the potential for the Lusophone countries was rising, with the amount of bilateral and multi-lateral volume of trade continuing to rise. The ministerial-level officials and their delegation left Macao this morning for the Expo Central China 2006 in Changsha, Hunan Province. Macao will stage the next ministerial conference in 2009.
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There are 11 Symposiums, Forums and Promotion Projects held at the 3rd day (25/9) of MIF. There are total of 9,200 visitors attending to it and there are 257 programs were discussed in the business matching meeting. In addition, various co-operation agreements related to Red Wine and Distilled Water are reached at MIF activities. “Guangzhou –Macao Cooperation Development Seminar” was took place at 3:00 this afternoon. The 50 delegates led by Director of Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guanzhu Municipality: Xiao Zhenyu and 30 Macao business entrepreneurs attended this event. During the forum, Director of Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guanzhu Municipality: Xiao zhenyu introduced the advantage of industrial structure and investment environment in Guangzhou municipality. He pointed out that there are historical origins and close connections between Guangzhou and Macao. Up to now, there are 252 investment projects, which include Real Estate, Transportation, Storehouse Service, Communication, Leasing Business, Trading, Service Industry, Hotel and Catering carried out by Macao business companies. On the other hand, Macao is also an ideal place invested by 15 Guangzhou enterprises, which include Travel Industry, Labor Service Cooperation and Construction Industries. Mr. Xiao zhenyu considered that there is an economic complementarity between Guangzhou and Macao. Macao SAR has been playing an active role as an economic and trade service platform between European and Portuguese-speaking countries. Guangzhou could take Macao’s advantage at Traveling Service, Information System, Professional Assistance, Shipping Freight by Air and Offshore Finance Services to get mutual benefits by taking Macao as a good channel to build a strong and competitive overseas market in the world. In the end, Mr. Xiao zhenyu said that Macao SAR has taken part in the business cooperation through the region of “Pan-Pear River Dealt” and Free Trade Agreement of Sino-ASEAN. As the members of those two economic zones, Guangzhou and Macao will embrace new and precious development opportunities in the future. Executive Director of Macao Trade & Investment Promotion Institute: Zhang zurong, Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation of Yuexiu District: Peng xiaohui, Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation of Tianhe District: Zhu Yuan and President of Macao Businesswoman Association: Liao guanzhi delivered speeches in today's forum.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, left Macao this morning to attend Expo Central China 2006 to be held in Changsha, Hunan Province, tomorrow. The Minister of Commerce, Mr Bo Xilai, and seven ministerial-level officials from seven Lusophone countries, who had just attended the Second Ministerial Conference of the China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum in Macao, departed for the trade fair together with Mr Ho. The exposition, Expo Central China 2006, is jointly hosted by a number of departments of the State Council, trade-promotion institutes and the provincial governments of six provinces in the central region of China, namely Shaanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan. Mr Ho will attend the opening ceremony of the exposition and deliver a speech during a forum under the theme of 'Business Going West', which is expected to be attended by high-ranking official of the state and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and principal officials of the six central provinces. Also attending the events will be the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen.
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Second Ministerial Conference of the Economic Cooperation Forum between China and Portuguese-speaking countries opened this morning at the Macao East Asian Games Dome, with a ceremony officiated by State Councillor and State Council Secretary General, Mr Hua Jianmin, under the theme 'Deeper Cooperation and Mutual Development'. In his opening speech, Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah told the Forum that favourable factors such as the Closer Economical Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Macao's closer integration with the Pan-Pearl River Delta and its inscription on the World Heritage List, had made the territory better equipped as a business services platform. As the Forum gradually grew in prominence and influence, Macao's role as a bridge and springboard also gained increasing attention and recognition, said the Chief Executive. For his part, Minister of Commerce, Mr Bo Xilai said the volume of trade between China and the Lusophone countries would reach US$33 billlion this year, showing significant growth compared with the US$11 billlion in 2003. Mr Bo's counterparts from the seven Lusophone countries, namely Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, East Timor and Brazil, also addressed the Forum in the opening ceremony. The Vice Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade of Brazil, Mr Ivan Ramalho, said that Brazil and China could complement each other in a number of industries. The Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Communication of Portugal, Mr Mário Lino, said co-operation between China and Portugal in various areas had enhanced since the last ministerial conference in 2003, and he expected yet better results in the next three years. The Minister of Commerce of Angola, Mr Joaquim Muafumua, the Minister of Economy, Growth and Competitiveness of Cape Verde, Mr João Pereira da Silva, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicraft of Guinea Bissau, Mr Domingos Pascoal Baticã, the Minister of Energy of Mozambique, Mr Salvador Namburete, and the Minister of Development of East Timor, Mr Areanjo da Silva expressed the importance they placed on the relationship with China and their desire to attract further investment from businesspeople in China. This year's event is aimed at enhancing dialogue on sustainable development and cooperation on different fronts between China and the Portuguese-speaking bloc. Since the Forum's first ministerial conference held in Macao three years ago, Sino-Lusophone trade and investments have expanded rapidly, with bilateral trade breaking the US$20 billion mark for the first time last year. The Second Ministerial Conference will end tomorrow, to be followed by the Expo Central China 2006, in Changsha, Hunan. The Chief Executive, the Minister of Commerce and the ministerial-level officials of the Lusophone countries are scheduled to leave Macao tomorrow for the exposition in Changsha.
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The holding of the Second Ministerial Conference of China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum in Macao would promote partnership between the participating countries, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. Mr Ho said this as he addressed some 900 guests from the Central Government, including the Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Wei Jianguo, as well as officials from the Portuguese-speaking countries, representatives from a number of international institutes, business chambers and enterprises. The advantage of traditionally enjoying a close relationship with the Portuguese-speaking countries, said Mr Ho, enabled Macao to promote the partnership with these countries in trade and other areas. He said that with the mechanism of the Cooperation Forum and the efforts from all parties, Macao's function as a business platform was well recognised.
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The prospect for Sino-Lusophone trade cooperation was bright in the wake of strong growth potentials on both sides, said State Councillor and State Council Secretary General, Mr Hua Jianmin, at this morning's opening of the Second Ministerial conference of the Sino-Lusophone Forum. Addressing the 1000-strong gathering composed of trade ministers, officials and entrepreneurs from China and seven Lusophone countries (Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor), Mr Hua also spoke highly of Macao's efforts in facilitating the implementation of the first Sino-Lusophone cooperation action plan signed three years ago. Looking ahead, the State Councillor put forward four suggestions to strengthen Sino-Lusophone ties, namely expanding the scale of economic cooperation, opening up more areas of exchange, enhancing human resource collaboration and perfecting the Forum cooperation mechanism. He said he hoped that these efforts would help bilateral trade between China and the seven Lusophone countries reach between US$45 to US$50 billion by 2009, and help double bilateral investments over the next three years. Mr Hua also announced that the Chinese government would provide RMB800 million in preferential loans to Lusophone countries in Asia and Africa over the next three years to finance infrastructure projects in these countries. Macao's unique role as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries was also reaffirmed by Mr Hua, who called attention to the region's historical ties with the Lusophone world and its close link with the international business community.
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The promotion of 7 Hi-tech Projects provided by China Hi-tech Transfer Center (ShenZhen), Macao Convention & Exhibition Association and Sichuan province government was held today(24/9). Over 25,000 merchants and local residents went to Convention & Entertainment Centre to attend events. There were 104 business match meetings and 3 agreements which related Jewry Exhibition, Chinese Medicine & Healthy Food and Forestry singed in today’s event. “Hi-Tech Project Matching (Macao) of 8th China Hi-tech Fair” was co-sponsored by “China Hi-tech Transfer Center (Shenzhen)” and “Macao Convention & Exhibition” at 2:00 yesterday afternoon. The director of China Hi-Tech Transfer Centre: Liu mingwei, President of Macao Convention & Exhibition Association: Jin zhongyun, Executive Director of IPIM: Jackson Chang delivered speeches in the opening ceremony. Mr. Liu weiming considered that Macao’s economy continues increasing those years and it provides good opportunities for developing its Hi-teach products and environmental protection system. This fair will play an important role to promote the cooperation between Macao and those regions and provides more and more new Hi-teach products in Macao. Mr. Jin Zhongwun said the reason that local clients are interested in Hi-tech products is the development of Macao tourism and hotel industry. He considered that this year’s MIF makes overseas and Macao merchants understood there is bright future in this competitive market.. Today’s fair promotion included a series of new Hi-tech projects, such as “Family Information System” made by Shenzhen FeiYang Hi-tech Co. Ltd. and 7 items new products were displayed to the customers. Today’s other 6 professional promotion events included: “The Development of the Fushan Ceramics”, “Presentation of Business Opportunities of Anhui Huoshan 2006”,
“Scope of Banking Service Provided by Commercial Banking”, “Portuguese Wine & Olive Oil Promotion”, “Poland – the Offer for You from the Leading Central European Economy” and “Utilize the Western China Expo. Develop the Market of the Western China” -- presentation on How International Enterprises Making Use of the Western China Expo. As the Platform for the Development of the Market of the Western Part of Mainland China. With the progress of promotion and deliberation activities, there will be more programs arranged tomorrow between 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. “Macao Convention & Exhibition Strategy Seminar” will be held by 10:00 am – 1:00pm and the other forums: “ The Development of Barrier Free Access in Macau” is at 10:00 am – 11:30 am, “How to take the advantage of Quota to make more business opportunities in Macao” is at 10:00 am – 2:30 pm, “Automated Car Parking Technology” is at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, “Buyer’s Briefing for Hospitality Sector” presented by Venetian Macau Limited will be at 11:00 am – 12 pm, “Buyer’s Briefing For Construction Materials Sector” is at 12:00pm – 1:00 pm, “China and the Portuguese –speaking Countries Products Sourcing” is at 11:00am- 1:00pm, “Forum for Marketing Strategies for Conference & Exhibition” is at 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm, “Guangzhou-Macao Cooperation Development Seminar” will be held by Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of GuangZhou Municipality and IPIM at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon.
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China and seven Portuguese-speaking countries today signed an action plan to further co-operate in economic, trade, infrastructure and a wide range of areas. The accord was signed at the Second Ministerial Conference of China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum held in Macao today. The protocol, titled 'The Economic and Commercial Co-operation Action Plan between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries', was signed by the Minister of Commerce, Mr Bo Xilai, and ministerial-level officials from seven Portuguese-speaking countries, namely Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, East Timor and Brazil. In the conference, ministers from China and the Lusophone countries reviewed their partnership in the past three years and highly valued the results obtained. The action plan, which would be implemented from 2007 to 2009, covered a number of measures for stepping up co-operation in areas such as trading, investment, agriculture, fishery, infrastructure, natural resources and training of human resources. Moreover, the ministers agreed that the member countries and Macao should encourage their enterprises to co-operate in different areas, and Macao would continue to host the Third Ministerial Conference in 2009, and go on to function as the economic platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, for the betterment of their partnership in economic areas. The closing ceremony of the Second Ministerial Conference will be held tomorrow morning, to be followed by a press conference attended by Mr Bo and the ministerial-level officials from the Portuguese-speaking countries.
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