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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, today hosted a reception in Beijing to thank officials of the Central Government and the relevant Ministries and Commissions in the State Council for their support in having Macao's scenic spots listed by the United Nations as World Heritage. Mr Ho was in Beijing to receive the World Heritage Certificate for ''the Historic Centre of Macao'', a cluster of Macao's historic sites which presence highlighted the blending of Eastern and Western cultures in the city, which earned the recognition of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Addressing guests at the reception, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Fernando Chui Sai On, said Macao would enhance its efforts in conserving its heritages. Mr Chui expressed his gratitude for the support of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the MSAR, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and other departments. Among the guests at the reception were Minister of Culture Mr Sun Jiazheng, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Qiao Zonghuai, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Mr Zhang Xiaoming, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the MSAR Mr Wang Jinxiang, and Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Mr Shan Jixiang.
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At the invitation of the Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, the Shenzhou-6 delegation will commence their three-day visit to Macao on Wednesday (November 30). Delegation members are scheduled to arrive in the morning and will meet local professionals from science and technology fields, as well as teachers and students from tertiary colleges, to share with them their with experience with the Shenzhou-6 Manned Space Flight Mission. In the evening, the members will attend a welcoming dinner to be hosted by the SAR Government. On December 1, the two astronauts, colonels Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, will meet primary and secondary school students. They will also meet local residents. While in Macao they will also visit scenic spots before leaving on a special flight on December 2. Members of the 30-strong delegation, led by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of China's Manned Space Flight Programme, Mr Hu Shixiang, include Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Mr Zhou Bo, Deputy Director of China Manned Space Engineering Office, Mr Su Shuangning, Deputy General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, Mr Xu Dazhe.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah today received the World Heritage Certificate for “The Historic Centre of Macao” in Beijing. State Councilor, Ms Chen Zhili relayed the certificate to Mr Ho at the ceremony, held in the Great Hall of the People, during which the certificates for the world heritages in Jilin and Liaoning provinces were also relayed. Mr Edmund Ho pledged the SAR’s commitment to conserve, display, educate, publicise and promote its world heritage, alongside other mainland cities and provinces with world heritages, making them last for generations. “We are delighted to be here today to receive the World Heritage Certificate distributed by the Central Government. While acknowledging that this is a hard-won honour, we recognise our responsibilities have been increased given that “The Historic Centre of Macao” along with the classified sites in Liaoning and Jilin Provinces, part of China’s heritage and the common wealth of humankind” he said. ‘“The Historic Centre of Macao’ is one of the most unique reflections of the meeting of Chinese and western cultures on Chinese soil. For more then four centuries, not only did Macao produced many “First in China”, but it also demonstrated the peaceful coexistence of different religions, cultures and ways of life, as well as reflecting the extent of Chinese culture’s vitality and tolerance. This tradition of peaceful coexistence and cultural, religious and ethnic diversity is of universal value to human progress and also serves as concrete inspiration for the Chinese people and their Macao compatriots to work together in building a harmonious society.” He said the inscription of “The Historic Centre of Macao” and other historical sites in the Mainland on the World Heritage List had “contributed to a more balanced and representative selection of China’s cultural heritage at the same time as it has enriched the treasures of the world.” Mr Ho convey his gratitude to the UNESCO, especially to the Director-General, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, the Central Government for its great support and meticulous care throughout the process of Macao’s inscription on the World Heritage list, and the Invaluable guidance and assistance of the experts and various organs of the State Council Vice Minister of Education, Chairman of the National Commission for UNESCO and China’s representative to UNESCO’s Executive Board, Mr Zhang Xinsheng and the Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Mr Shan Jixiang also spoke at the ceremony.
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Due to the conclusion of the exhibition “When China Ruled the Seas”, and the necessity to rearrange the setting of the museum, the Maritime Museum (including the esplanade) will be temporarily closed to the public on Thursday, 1st December 2005. The Museum will be reopened on Saturday, 10th December 2005. Our apologies for any inconvenience caused.
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According to the results of the Employment Survey released by the Statistics and Census Service, unemployment rate for August - October 2005 was 4.1%, which remained at the same level as recorded in July - September 2005 and decreased 0.4 percentage point compared with the same period of 2004. The underemployment rate was 1.5%, unchanged compared with July - September 2005 and the same period of 2004. Number of the unemployed searching for their first job was about 1,700, which represented 16.1% of the total unemployed population, down by 2.6 percentage points over July - September 2005. Compared with July - September 2005, unemployment situation was improved in Construction, Transport, storage & communications and Manufacturing sectors, while it was worsened in Wholesale & retail trade and Hotels, restaurants & similar activities. Total labour force was estimated at 253,000 in August - October 2005; the employed and the unemployed populations were 243,000 and 10,000 respectively. Labour force participation rate was 63.6%, up by 0.2 and 1.0 percentage point compared with July - September 2005 and the same period of 2004 respectively.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that in the first nine months of 2005, 19,149 acts of deed, with a total value of MOP20.29 billion, were notarized on sales and purchases of real estate and mortgage credits. The number and value of these deeds were up 27.5% and down 12.7% respectively in comparison with the same period of 2004. In the third quarter of 2005, 5,376 acts of deed were notarized on sales and purchases of real estate and mortgage credits, down 1.1% year on year. The total value of these acts of deed was MOP5.20 billion, down 62.1% year on year. The number and value of the acts of deed decreased 30.2% and 37.2% respectively compared with the second quarter of 2005. In the first nine months of 2005, 16,638 contracts of sales and purchases of real estate were made, and their value amounted to MOP13.73 billion. The number and value were up 21.9% and 34.0% respectively over the same period of 2004. In the third quarter of 2005, 4,502 contracts of sales and purchases of real estate were made, of which 6,160 real estate units were transacted, amounting to MOP3.55 billion. The number and value went down 10.1% and 3.9% respectively over the third quarter of 2004. In comparison with the second quarter of 2005, the number and value decreased 31.5% and 36.7% respectively. In terms of end-use, transactions of residential units still topped the list (60.8%) in the third quarter of 2005. According to the records of the notary offices, in the first nine months of 2005, the total value of mortgage credits reached MOP12.12 billion, down 26.5% year on year. In the third quarter of 2005, the total value of mortgage credits amounted to MOP3.31 billion, of which MOP1.66 billion (50.2%) was related to purchases of real estate and MOP1.65 billion to mortgage credits not involving actual property transactions. The total amount decreased 70.9% over the third quarter of 2004; credits involving actual property transactions registered an increase of 21.7%. In comparison with the second quarter of 2005, the above indicators fell 30.6% and 20.9% respectively.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that foreign direct investment to Macao reached MOP 4.00 billion in 2004, of which investments from the United States, Hong Kong and Portugal accounted for MOP 2.41 billion, MOP 920 million and MOP 230 million respectively. In addition, outward direct investment made by Macao enterprises was MOP 3 million, resulting in a net inflow of foreign direct investment to Macao, at MOP 3.99 billion in 2004. At the end of 2004, stock of foreign direct investment in Macao amounted to MOP 31.91 billion, an increase of MOP 3.38 billion compared with 2003. Stock of outward direct investment made by Macao enterprises increased by MOP 150 million over 2003 to MOP 3.92 billion in 2004. In terms of industry, stock of foreign direct investment to Macao was mainly invested in Cultural, Recreational, Gaming & Other Services, with MOP 18.91 billion, up by MOP 2.33 billion over 2003; followed by Financial sector (MOP 7.14 billion) and Industrial Production (MOP 2.76 billion), which registered an increase of MOP 480 million and a decrease of MOP 32 million respectively compared with 2003. Analyzed by investors’ place of usual residence, the majority of Macao’s foreign direct investors were from Hong Kong, their stock of direct investment grew by MOP 520 million to MOP 20.78 billion in 2004. Followed by investors from Mainland China and the United States, with MOP 3.72 billion and MOP 3.04 billion, up by MOP 160 million and MOP 2.42 billion respectively over 2003. Income earned from foreign direct investment in Macao totalled MOP 8.15 billion, a significant increase of MOP 4.18 billion over 2003. On the other hand, outward direct investment made by Macao enterprises reported a loss of MOP 65 million. Direct Investment Statistics include information on the main industries of Macao, namely Industrial Production; Construction; Wholesale & Retail; Hotels & Restaurants; Transport, Storage & Communications; Financial Services; and Cultural, Recreational, Gaming & Other Services. Altogether, there were 1,024 foreign direct investment enterprises in 2004, among which 979 were engaged in the Non-financial sector and 45 enterprises were engaged in the Financial sector.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the resident population of Macao was estimated at 482,000 as at 30 September 2005, an increase of about 17,000 persons compared with the end of 2004. In the third quarter of 2005, number of live births increased 26.5% over the second quarter to 994 and 52.2% of live births were male. At the same time, 369 cases of death were reported. The major cause of death included “Malignant neoplasms” and “Diseases of the circulatory system”. In addition, the Health Bureau received 346 cases of “notifiable diseases”, which included 151 cases of “Varicella (chickenpox)”, 90 cases of “Tuberculosis of lung” and 29 cases of “Enterovirus infection”. In this quarter, 407 cases of marriage were registered, which increased by 1.2% over the previous quarter whereas the figure was identical to the number of cases registered in the third quarter of 2004. In the third quarter of 2005, there were 677 legal immigrants from Mainland China, a decrease of 72% compared with the same quarter of 2004, while 131 illegal immigrants were repatriated to Mainland China. The quarter-end balance of persons that were authorized to reside in Macao totalled 47,369, up 2,846 and 10,060 persons over the previous quarter and the third quarter of 2004 respectively. At the end of this quarter, total number of non-resident workers in Macao was 34,718, up 3,621 and 8,184 persons compared with the previous quarter and the same quarter of 2004 respectively.
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The two Shouzhou VI astronauts who completed a five-day manned space mission last month, will play a three-day visit to Macao next Wednesday, at the invitation of Chief Executive Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah. The astronauts, colonels Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, will be part of a delegation, which will include experts who contributed to the mission, led by Deputy Commander-in-Chief of China's Manned Space Flight Programme, Mr Hu Shixiang. Members of the 30-strong delegation will include Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Mr Zhou Bo, Deputy Director of China Manned Space Engineering Office, Mr Su Shuangning, and Deputy General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, Mr Xu Dazhe. During the visit, the astronauts will give a briefing to local students and residents to share with them their experience.
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Macao will be host of the Secretariat of the UNESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee, the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau announced today. The Director of the Bureau, Mr Fong Soi Kun, said that Macao was elected to host the Secretariat in the 38th annual session of the Typhoon Committee, which was jointly established by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Mr Fong said an advisory group from the organisation was in Macao last month to assess its standard in meteorological technology, economy, telecommunication and transportation. Winning the bid confirmed Macao’s achievements in these areas, he said. He said that Macao would set up the Secretariat within 12 months. The Secretariat would be responsible for advising members of the Typhoon Committee, namely 14 countries or regions, on the technical and administrative co-ordination of plans for the implementation of improved meteorological, hydrological, disaster prevention and preparedness, plus other facilities needed in the mitigation of typhoon damage. Macao became a member of the Typhoon Committee in 1992.
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