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The executive, legislative and judiciary branches of Macao had a common understanding of the spirit of the Basic Law and could easily reach consensus on major issues, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today when he met more than 30 Hong Kong and overseas journalists at Santa Sancha. When asked about the comment made by the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Zhang Xiaoming, over the co-ordination between the executive, legislature and judiciary branches of Macao, Mr Ho said that the three performed their duties in line with the Basic Law. He said that the heads of the three branches had a deep understanding of the Basic Law, as he himself, Ms Susana Chou, the former President of the Legislative Assembly, and Mr Lau Cheok Va, the incumbent president, had all been members of the Drafting Committee for the Basic Law, while the President of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Sam Hou Fai, had also taken part in the drafting of the Basic Law. Speaking about Macao’s efforts in building a corruption-free society, Mr Ho said that integrity among civil servants and the entire community had been greatly enhanced. Over the past decade, Macao had attracted more and more investment from listed companies worldwide which demonstrated Macao’s achievements in building a corruption-free society. Mr Ho achknowledged that corruption cases involving officials would harm the image and standing of the Government due to the facts and rumours that emerged. However, the administration should not comment on the rumours involving the cases in order to protect judicial independence. As for constitutional development, Mr Ho said its progress will be achieved in an orderly manner under the provisions of the Basic Law.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho said today some parts of the law on land grants could not catch up with the rapid development of the society -- and the Government has been working closely with the Legislative Assembly to revise this law over the last two years. Meeting with the foreign media today, the Chief Executive was asked why some developers did not develop the property soon after the land grant. Mr Ho said the existing law was an extension of the colonial era and based on that, the allowed development period was relatively short when compared with other countries and that was not realistic. He said if the allowed development period was not long enough, developers could not make any development especially when the economy was in recession. Hence, the allowed development period should be determined reasonably. According to the Joint Declaration of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Portugal on the Question of Macau, the Portuguese Macao Government had a limit in term of granting land. Half of the premium from the granted land was reserved as a land fund for the future Macao Special Administrative Region, said the Chief Executive. He said the Portuguese Macao Government got financial support by granting a lot of land. Although the developers knew it was not a right time to invest, they still paid premium for the land. Macao was not rich in land resources, Mr Ho said, and if the Government withdrew the undeveloped land, it would provoke much litigation and would affect investors’ confidence in doing business in Macao. He said he hoped that after the increase of land resources, the related problems would be solved.
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As a result of Central Government support, Macao made significant achievements in social stability, public order, economic development and better quality of life for residents during the past years, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. He said this during a meeting in the afternoon at Santa Sancha with about 20 reporters from the mainland. He pointed out that the approval by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress over the establishment of the University of Macau’s campus on Hengqin Island was significant to Macao. This decision solved the problem of a lack of space in Macao, and demonstrated the Central Government’s support for Macao in nurturing talent and raising the quality of higher education. The decision was evidence of the vitality and flexibility of the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, Mr Ho said. Speaking about co-operation among cities in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region, Mr Ho said the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and a more advanced and sophisticated railway network in the region would bring more opportunities to Macao, which positioned itself as a global tourism and leisure hub. Mr Ho also said that Macao should strengthen its efforts in diversifying its industrial portfolio, and that the meetings, incentives, conference and exhibition industries (MICE), and the cultural industries could be breakthroughs in the future. Mr Ho said Macao had to study the issue of imported workers objectively as the development of Macao’s industries could not rely only on the local workforce. The administration had to strike a balance between ensuring jobs for local citizens and the competitiveness of the city.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that Total Receipts and Total Expenditure of the Gaming Sector amounted to MOP 111.17 billion and MOP 57.99 billion, up notably by 30.5% and 29.9% respectively; moreover, Gross Value Added that measures the sectoral contribution to the economy also went up by 31.0% to MOP 67.19 billion. However, Gross Fixed Capital Formation fell sharply by 88.3% to MOP 922 million upon conclusion of the construction of major tourism and gaming facilities, as well as suspension of other projects. Total Receipts reached MOP 111.17 billion, of which receipts from Gaming & Related Services such as food & beverages, currency exchange, etc. amounted to MOP 111.01 billion, an increase of 30.6% from 2007; Interest Receipts dropped by 31.3% to MOP 162 million. Total Expenditure amounted to MOP 57.99 billion, with Purchase of Goods & Commission Paid soaring by 37.7% from 2007 to MOP 32.95 billion (56.8% of total); meanwhile, Operating Expenses (MOP 10.88 billion) and Compensation of Employees (MOP 10.74 billion) increased by 11.4% and 23.2% respectively.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of the Employment Survey for the third quarter of 2009, of which principal indicators such as the labour force participation rate (72.0%), unemployment rate (3.7%), etc. have been published in October. Total labour force was 328,000 in the third quarter of 2009, comprising 316,000 employed and 12,000 unemployed. Compared with the second quarter, total labour force registered a decrease of 4,800, with the number of the employed decreasing by 5,200 but that of the unemployed increasing by 400. Analyzed by industry, the majority of the employed were engaging in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services (23.2%) and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (14.1%). In terms of occupation, most of the employed were Clerks (including casino dealers, floorpersons, betting service operators, etc.) and Service & Sales Workers, accounting for 25.6% and 23.1% respectively. Median monthly employment earnings of both the employed (MOP8,500) and the local residents (MOP10,000) held stable as the second quarter of 2009. Number of the underemployed totalled 6,500, with 71.5% engaging in Construction and 12.9% in Transport, Storage & Communications. Within the unemployed, 82.4% were searching for a new job and 17.6% were fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job. With regard to the educational attainment, 34.6% of the unemployed had primary education or lower, 29.0% had junior secondary education and 19.8% had senior secondary education. For the unemployed that were searching for a new job, analyzed by industry previously engaged, 29.1% had worked in Construction and 15.9% in Wholesale & Retail Trade. Analyzed by previous occupation, 24.1% were Service & Sales Workers and 22.3% were Unskilled Workers.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is to conclude the policies implemented in 2009 and announce the budget for the fiscal year 2010 at the Legislative Assembly at 15:00 on Wednesday. The session will be broadcast live on the Portal Website of the Macao SAR (http://www.gov.mo), the website of the Government Information Bureau (http://www.gcs.gov.mo) and the website of the Legislative Assembly (http://www.al.gov.mo). Teledifusão de Macao will also carry live broadcasts of the session.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that per-capita spending of visitors decreased by 9% year-on-year to MOP 1,621 in the third quarter of 2009. Analysed by place of residence, per-capita spending of Mainland visitors took the lead, at MOP 3,268; per-capita spending of those from Southeast Asia; Taiwan, China; and Hong Kong amounted to MOP 1,645, MOP 1,258 and MOP 1,088 respectively. Compared with the third quarter of 2008, per-capita spending of tourists dropped by 3% to MOP 2,337, while that of same-day visitors rose by 14% to MOP 543. In the third quarter of 2009, per-capita non-shopping spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors fell by 12% year-on-year to MOP 931, of which expenses on Accommodation and Food & Beverage accounted for 47% and 31% respectively. Meanwhile, per-capita shopping spending decreased by 4% to MOP 690, with expenses on Local Food Products and Clothing sharing 28% and 16% respectively. Per-diem spending of visitors amounted to MOP 1,467 in the third quarter of 2009, a year-on-year increase of 2%. Mainland visitors had the highest per-diem spending of MOP 2,419 and the respective spending of visitors from Southeast Asia; Taiwan, China and Hong Kong was MOP 1,511, MOP 1,258 and MOP 1,052. The average length of stay of visitors shortened by 0.1 day year-on-year to 1.1 days, with Mainland visitors staying an average of 1.4 days. The average of tourists remained unchanged at 1.7 days but that of same-day visitors increased by 0.1 day to 0.3 day.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 5,345 building units were purchased and sold at MOP8.98 billion in the third quarter of 2009 according to Stamp Duty records, up substantially by 44.0% and 96.3% respectively from the second quarter. Among them, 1,880 were new units, at MOP5.16 billion, still within the property tax exemption period, up notably by 70.4% and 107.0% respectively quarter-to-quarter. The majority (3,681 units) of these transactions were residential units amounting to MOP7.66 billion, soaring by 61.7% and 103.5% respectively quarter-to-quarter, of which 3,000 units were situated in the Macao Peninsula and 672 in Taipa. In terms of the price of transaction, 1,300 units were sold for MOP1,000,000 or less and 1,083 units for over MOP1,000,000 to MOP2,000,000. Analyzed by year of completion of the building, 1,370 residential units were completed in 2000 and after, with 1,439 units in 1990-1999 and 872 units in 1989 and before. As regards the floor area of the unit, 1,846 units (50.1% of total) had an area of 50 to 99.9 square metres. In the third quarter of 2009, the average transaction price of residential units rose by 27.6% quarter-to-quarter to MOP24,154 per square metre of usable area, with the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula increasing by 35.8% to MOP24,158 per square metre, of which the area of NAPE e Aterros da Baía da Praia Grande went up by 29.6% to MOP51,296 per square metre; meanwhile, the average price of those in Taipa increased by 6.8% to MOP23,897 per square meter. In addition, the average price of residential units purchased and sold under Intermediate Transfer of Title stood at MOP34,357 per square metre, up by 10.2% quarter-to-quarter. The average transaction price of office units rose by 2.5% over the preceding quarter to MOP20,049 per square meter, while that of industrial units went down by 5.8% to MOP5,480 per square metre. There were 2,825 cases of real estate sale and purchase contracts made in the third quarter of 2009, involving 3,323 units valued at MOP3.94 billion, up by 16.7% and 19.9% respectively quarter-to-quarter. The total value of mortgage loans amounted to MOP5.97 billion. In the third quarter of 2009, approvals were granted to the construction of 17 buildings with a gross floor area of 121,681 square metres, which will provide a total of 534 units, 529 parking spaces for cars and 117 parking spaces for motorcycles upon completion. Meanwhile, construction of 12 new buildings with a gross floor area of 10,118 square metres has been started which, upon completion, will provide 63 units, of which 43 are residential units. In addition, a total of 19 buildings with a gross floor area of 436,310 square metres were completed, altogether providing 1,245 units (1,217 are residential units), 2,146 parking spaces for cars and 377 parking spaces for motorcycles.
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During the Seminar on “Conserving Water and Combating Salt Tide in Zhuhai and Macau”, Mr Guo Zhongqiu, Director of Zhuhai Ocean and Fisheries Bureau told the media that the third round of water transfer has been launched. All the standby pumping machines in Pinggang Pumping Station have been in use and a total of 1,300,000 cubic meters of water is drawn daily. He said, according to the present situation, water supply to Macau and Zhuhai can be safeguarded until Spring next year. He then urged the public of Macau to be relieved. He added that water conservation is a social behavior in a conservation-oriented society, and yet the two governments are confident in securing their water supply. Since the construction of Zhuyin Reservoir is going to be completed by the end of next year, with its water capacity of 43,000,000 cubic meters, the needs of water supplied to Macau and Zhuhai can be met until 2020, provided that the economic development of both cities is at a pace like today’s. Speaker of the seminar, Ms. Zhao Xiaolin, Assistant Chief Engineer of Pearl River Water Resources Commission (PRWRC) said that the water transfer project is a short-term measure. She said that if we wanted to solve the problem of Macau’s water supply, apart from searching water sources in Zhuhai, we had to establish a controlled system of the basin. She explained that the Datengxia Hydroelectric Project, which is to be constructed shortly, would be able to help Macau to solve such problem fundamentally. According to Ms. Zhao, the project is undergoing approval from the National Development and Reform Committee. The construction is expected to start at the end of this year, at the soonest, and is going to take 9 years to complete. Speaking of the Datengxia Hydroelectric Project, Susana Wong Soi-man, Head of the Working Group on the Development of a Water Conservation Society, revealed that in addition to the Expression of Interest signed by the Macau SAR government with the PRWRC, the SAR government is going to sign a formal agreement on the granting of a financial assistance of 800 million RMB to support the project. Wong said that the amount would be mainly used for the relocation of residents and for the soil and water conservation in the affected areas due to the construction. Besides the Datengxia Project, which is a long-term measure to tackle the problem of Macau’s water supply, the SAR government has already granted an interest-free loan of 450 million RMB to support the construction of Zhuyin Reservoir, which is comparatively an interim measure.
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The popularity of the Internet enables quick and effective dissemination of information around the world and creates a business environment which is not restricted by time or geographical boundaries. The application of e-commerce enables SMEs to conduct businesses with trade partners around the world and establish an extensive global partnership network. Enterprises can promote their products and businesses on the service platform provided by e-commerce operators to create more business opportunities and widen publicity for themselves. With the objective of providing more diversified services to local enterprises and assisting them to make the best use of the Internet for marketing and enhance comprehensive competitiveness, IPIM will introduce the E-Commerce Promotion Incentive Measures on 1 November 2009, to encourage local enterprises to develop e-business usage and explore unlimited development potentials. SMEs can promote and publicise their products and businesses on the websites of “Accredited E-commerce Operators” approved by IPIM. A subsidy will be provided by IPIM to cover up to 70% of the publicity and promotion expenses, the subsidy for each SME will be limited to a total of MOP20,000. IPIM’s SMEC strives to assist local enterprises to explore overseas and local markets and motivate local enterprises to participate in exhibitions and conferences through a series of incentive measures, eg. the Regulations on Participation in IPIM’s Activities which provides financial assistance to local enterprises for enrollment fees and costs related to publication, is highly supported and recognised by the local business community. Since 2007, the programme has already provided financial assistance of over MOP 5 million to 472 enterprises and organisations in the participation of 33 local exhibitions. On the foundation of encouraging local enterprise to participate in exhibitions, IPIM extends its support service to cover the e-commerce service platform, to enable businesses to take advantage of the timeless and borderless Internet to promote their products and services, to strengthen publicity and promotion and thus explore business opportunities. For further information on the programme and application form, please visit SMEC at Alameda Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção No. 263, Edif. China Civil Plaza, 19-20° andar, Macao, or download from IPIM’s website (www.ipim.gov.mo). For enquiries, please contact SMEC (Tel: 2872 8212) during office hours.
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