To Deepen the Role of Regional Business Platform<br> To Promote Diversification of Macao’s Economy

The 13th MIF has come to the third day. The Organiser has organised numerous international conferences as well as trade and economic related seminars and presentations, which have attracted a large number of trade visitors and residents. The aim is to strengthen the efforts in promoting MIF and further deepen Macao’s advantage as a regional business platform. Organised by IPIM and co-organised by Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association Ltd. (HKVCA), the Conference on “International Fund Raising and Private Equity Opportunities was held this morning. Commercial chambers and enterprises from the Mainland, U.S. and Hong Kong have delivered their speeches on topics including: “How Venture Capital can create value in your company and how to access Venture Capital”, “Criteria in seeking funding”, “Listing Opportunities in Hong Kong, London and U.S.”, and experience sharing of enterprises’ entry into China market, etc. The aim of the conference is to assist local SMEs to further understand the franchising business model, introduce advanced management concepts and open up more opportunities for development. Another seminar entitled “Meet the Buyers - An Introduction to the AmCham Macau SMEs Cooperative Program” was held also this morning. The representatives from the three large U.S. companies in Macao, namely MGM Grand Macau, The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel and Wynn Macau briefed local SMEs on the requirements of their procurement process and gave related suggestions so as to establish potential co-operations. During the “Luncheon Meeting for Foreign Economic Cooperation and Implementation of CEPA6 between Guangzhou and Macao”, Ms. Echo Chan, Executive Director of IPIM said that the CEPA6 agreement signed in July this year had introduced several measures in facilitating service trade and investment. It is believed that with the implementation of the measures, Guangzhou and Macao shall further advance their complementary advantages on the existing foundation of co-operation, and reinforce mutual trade and economic interchange and co-operation. According to Mr. Marc Pacheco, Senator of Massachusetts & International Trade Specialist from U.S. Commercial Service, at present the U.S. and the global economy are encountering a severe period. It is difficult to predict how long such a period is going to last. However, in terms of exports of the U.S. there is still certain growth. It is believed that with the continuous efforts of the enterprises, and by ensuring the entrepreneurs’ access to capital, the difficulties shall be overcome in due course. At the “Seminar on EU Market Business Opportunities and Enterprise Co-operation” held this afternoon, Mr. Wolfgang Ehmann, Board Member of The European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, the Executive Director of German Industry and Commerce HK, and Mr. Sales Marques, President of ENN have delivered their speeches, followed by business matching sessions and ENN corporate service presentation. On the same day, Romania Products Presentation and Wine Tasting was held, in which Mr. Eduard Romulus GOEAN, Consul General of Romania in Hong Kong, introduced the trade and economic environment of Romania. Meanwhile, promotions of Romanian wine and cosmetics were carried out. While enjoying the taste and aroma of Romanian wines, attendees gained a deeper understanding about the economic situation of the country. Other activities held today included: “The credit line of 300 million euros agreed between the Portuguese Republic and the People’s Republic of China to finance trade between China and Portugal--Terms and conditions, eligible projects and application procedures”, “BIPM (Business Intelligence and Project Management) Conference”, “Indonesia as the Base of Production for Overseas Manufacturers”, “Poland as a Gateway to the EU Market”, “Management Strategies in Business Innovation & Diversification”, and “Cultural Industry / Media Forum”. For today, the Organiser has recorded a total of 17,249 visitors and held 217 sessions of purchase negotiations and business matching, in which 83 sessions were related to franchising business. A total of 8 agreements were signed in respect of products/service supplies, branding and distribution as well as investment projects. The four-day event will come to a close tomorrow 26th Oct at 5:00 P.M. On this final day, the seminar entitled: “About eSignTrust, - What is Electronic Certificate? - What is Electronic Signature? - What is Data Encipherment?” will be organised by Macao Post eSignTrust Certification Services. We warmly welcome you all to come and join us at the 13th MIF!