News

The Government is launching tomorrow a 30-day public consultation on revisions to the Legislative Assembly Election Law. The consultation period lasts until 5 June inclusive. The revisions to the Legislative Assembly Election Law aimed to ensure the maintenance of a just, fair and open environment for elections to that body, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan, said today at a press conference. Revisions include: efforts to define what is meant by promotional efforts associated with an electoral campaign and to regulate such promotional efforts; the introduction under the Law of a scheme to monitor campaign expenses; a strengthening of supervision on electoral activity, including on any electioneering done outside Macao; an update to the rules for candidacy; and the introduction of a ban on elected members of the Legislative Assembly holding any political position in a foreign country. The proposed revision of the Legislative Assembly Election Law also covers enhanced management of electoral affairs, including: the appointment of the members of the relevant Electoral Affairs Commission well in advance of each election; an invitation to members of the Public Prosecutions Office to join the commission; a clarification of appeal mechanisms relating to decisions that affect campaign teams; the appointment of a body to handle minor cases of rule infringement; and the imposition of regulations regarding campaign advertising in newspapers and on websites. The suggested revisions were based on the Government’s observation of the fifth Legislative Assembly Election; the findings of a report on the election; and suggestions from the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) and the Public Prosecutions Office, said the Secretary. Parts of the proposed revisions – such as introduction of the concept of criminal responsibility for infringement of provisions in the Legislative Assembly Election Law – were in line with the United Nations Convention against Corruption, said the CCAC’s Assistant Commissioner, Mr Lam Chi Long, during today’s press conference. A full version of the revisions to the Legislative Assembly Election Law – written in Chinese and Portuguese – will be available from Saturday (7 May) at www.elections.gov.mo Members of the public are welcome to contribute their opinions before the end of 5 June to the website www.elections.gov.mo; or by post to: Rua do Campo, nº 162, Edifício “Administração Pública”; or by telephone on +853 8866 8866; or by fax to +853 8987 0011 or +853 8987 0022. If members of the public prefer not to disclose – in any form – their personal information, they should state such intention in their written opinion.
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In order to ensure the proper operation of information technology system, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) will perform maintenance and upgrades on the websites from 10am to 10pm on 10 May (Tuesday) and 11 May (Wednesday). Services on several websites will be unavailable intermittently, including websites of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Macao International Music Festival, Macao Arts Festival, Macao Young Musicians Competition, Parade Through Macao, Latin City, Macao Orchestra, Macao Chinese Orchestra, Research and Publications, other subordinate websites of IC and mobile web, among others. Besides, the IC Activity Registration System will also be unavailable in the above mentioned time. Normal service will resume once the maintenance is completed on the websites.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, said he thought it is likely the report on the mid-term review of the city’s gaming industry would be disclosed to the public next week. The report – containing more than 200 pages in Chinese – was in a final stage of preparation, Mr Leong told reporters on Thursday (5 May). The mid-term review would outline what had been achieved by the city’s six gaming operators; their involvement in the community; the non-gaming offerings at the resorts they operate; and the way they had approached the welfare of employees, including what opportunities had been offered to employees regarding upward mobility or horizontal mobility within their chosen job or career. In other comments to the media, the Secretary stressed the Government would follow the principle of allowing a growth in the number of new-to-market gaming tables of no more than three percent annually, up to the beginning of the year 2023. This is the principle when assessing new applications for gaming tables, he explained. Other factors in assessing application for gaming tables included: whether the resorts of the six gaming operators had contributed to the development of Macao as a world centre of tourism and leisure; whether they had helped maintain a healthy development of the gaming industry; and whether they had helped to enhance Macao’s international competitiveness. In addition, Mr Leong also commented on the target – outlined in the proposal for the city’s Five-Year Development Plan covering the period 2016 to 2020 – of increasing income from non-gaming offerings in local resorts. The proposal for the Five-Year Development Plan suggested that by 2020 such non-gaming revenue ought to account – on average market-wide in Macao – for more than nine percent of casino resort revenue. That would be an increase from the average 6.6 percent in the year 2014. The suggested target for non-gaming revenue was a result of in-depth research, Mr Leong said. The Government was confident that it was an achievable goal, but noted its attainment would require concerted effort from different sectors.
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The University of Macau (UM) today signed an agreement with the University of Porto (UP) to promote their collaboration in humanities, science and technology, particularly in Portuguese teaching, health sciences, and medicine. The agreement was signed during a visit by the UP delegation, led by its Vice Rector (Cooperation and Culture) Prof Maria de Fátima Marinho. The delegation met with UM’s Vice Rector (Research) Prof Rui Martins. During the meeting, both parties exchanged ideas on the educational philosophies of their respective universities and shared information about their latest developments and future goals. They also expressed their hope to make greater contributions to teaching and research by making use of their unique strengths. In this regard, medical research and Portuguese language education will be the key areas of their collaboration. The agreement was signed by Prof Fátima Marinho and Prof Rui Martins. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prof Amélia Ferreira, dean of UP’s Faculty of Medicine; Prof António Sousa Pereira, dean of UP’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences; Prof Luís Baldaia, vice dean of UP’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences; Prof Vladimiro Miranda, professor of UP’s Faculty of Engineering and researcher of the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC-TEC); Prof Isabel Margarida Duarte, professor of UP’s Faculty of Arts and director of the Master of Teaching Portuguese as a Foreign/Second Language Programme; Prof Hong Gang Jin, dean of UM’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities; Prof Ge Wei, associate dean of UM’s Faculty of Health Sciences; Prof Tam Kam Weng, associate dean of UM’s Faculty of Science and Technology; and Prof Richard Dequan Ye, deputy director of UM’s Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences. After the meeting, the UP delegation visited the UM Wu Yee Sun Library and Chao Kuang Piu College, where it was warmly received by the college master, Prof Liu Chuan Sheng. The guests also visited the two state key laboratories at UM, namely the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, and the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, and were briefed about the latest developments and research achievements of the two laboratories.
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In order to mark this year’s International Museum Day, eighteen Macao museums co-organize the “2016 Macao International Museum Day Carnival”, themed “The Mobile Museum – The Blending of Chinese and Western Cultures in Macao”. The Carnival’s opening ceremony will be held on Sunday, 8 May, at 3pm, at Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro. Representatives of the invited cultural entities from Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau and its respective museums will kick off a series of activities. The ceremony also includes the awards presentation ceremony of the “Photography Contest of the International Museum Day of Macao 2016”. The general public is welcome to the ceremony (in case of severe rain, the ceremony will be held at the Mount Fortress Corridor, located at Caminho dos Artilheiros. The public may refer to the relevant announcements). The theme of the 2016 Museum International Day is “Museums and Cultural Landscapes”. In consonance with the theme, this year the “Macao International Museum Day Carnival” will create in Bairro de S. Lázaro a “mobile museum”. A series of excellent activities will be inaugurated, including thematic exhibitions such as “Photography Contest of the International Museum Day of Macao 2016”, “Auguste Borget: A Painter-Traveller in Macao”, “Festive Stamps”, “Macao Cultural Heritage Architecture Models”, “Food Ingredients - Plants Exhibition”, among others. These activities also include the workshops “Chinese and Western Cuisines - Mini Clay Models”, “Tea Sets Design”, “Street Name Plates Painting”, “Herbs Planting”, “3-D Macao Cultural Heritage Book DIY”, “3-D Pen Street Name Plate Magnet DIY”, “3-D Holographic Projection DIY”, “On-site Hand Drawing of Cartoon Portrait”, “English Name Drawing and English Calligraphy”, “Architecture x Seal Carving - Engraving Demonstration and Marking Experience”, “Architecture x Woodcut - Woodcut Demonstration and Printing Experience”, “My Loving Heart”, “Workshop - Recreating our Museum in Miniature” and “Wine and Taste”; as well as the seminars “Western Architecture Styles and Characteristics” and “Decoding the Fortress”; and the guided tour “The History of Religious Symbols of St. Lazarus’ Church”. On the same day, outstanding musical and dance performances will be held. T-shirts with thematic prints will also be available. All activities are suitable for families. Also on that day, the Communications Museum offers free distribution and commemorative franking service of postcards. In addition, each museum organizes a series of activities during the month of May, including workshops on printmaking, clay modelling, tea sets design, street plates painting, seal engraving, herb planting, remote-control boats and stained glass painting, among others; guided tours to churches, gardens, cemeteries and wetlands, among others; as well as seminars by renowned scholars about art and culture topics, among others, thereby presenting the different aspects of the blending of the Chinese and Western cultures in Macao and showcasing its unique characteristics. Special traffic arrangement is made on 8 May. Some of the parking meters and motorcycle parking on adjacent streets are not allowed to use from 10pm on 7 May until the end of the event. For more information about the event, please visit the Macao Museums webpage (www.museums.gov.mo), or follow the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office’s WeChat accounts, or call through tel no. 8394 1217 during office hours.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said he would encourage Macao’s young people to make unremitting efforts to improve themselves, and to strive for the pursuit of their goals. He added that the Government would create more favourable conditions to support young people’s education, employment and business start-up opportunities. The policy is highlighted in the recently released proposal for Macao’s first Five-Year Development Plan. The development blueprint covers the period from 2016 to 2020. Mr Chui made his comments on the expansion of youth opportunities in an article released in his online column “Words from the Chief Executive”. It was published on Wednesday (4 May), coinciding with Youth Day in China. He said there was a direct relationship between the city’s achievements and the contributions to the economy made by successive generations of young people. From his past experience in the field of education, Mr Chui understood that developing the qualities of the younger generations of Macao people was important to the city’s future. The Government would work closely with schools, the community and parents to cultivate a generation of principled and highly responsible young people; and to promote among them love for the country and love for Macao, he said. The full text of the article is published in Chinese and Portuguese, and is available on the website of the Chief Executive’s Office (https://www.gce.gov.mo). “Words from the Chief Executive” is a new section on the website, in which the Chief Executive shares with the general public his thoughts and opinions regarding society, the economy and the livelihood of the people.
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The online registration process for the exchange of the Monkey and Rooster Zodiac Banknotes for the two Issuing Banks has already been completed successfully. After consolidating the registration data, it is confirmed that each registered Macao resident can proceed with the exchange for 30 pieces of Monkey and 30 pieces of Rooster Banknotes of each Issuing Bank, namely 60 pieces of Monkey and Rooster Banknotes respectively from each of the two Issuing Banks. Hence, each registrant can exchange for 120 notes in total after completing the online registration. As scheduled, all participating banks will conduct the exchange of the mentioned Zodiac banknotes with registrants during business hours starting from 9 May 2016 (Monday) to 22 July 2016 (Friday). To ensure orderly completion of the exchange by the banks concerned, the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) would like to remind all registrants to strictly adhere to the originally selected schedule, and bring along their valid ID card and proceed in person to exchange for the notes at the selected location. Alternatively, they can elect to have the notes exchanged by authorized representatives on the selected date and location in accordance with related stipulated requirements. In respect of the requirements concerning note exchange conducted by authorized representatives, please browse the webpage of AMCM (www.amcm.gov.mo) or call our hotline (Tel: 2856 5071 / 2856 5072) for enquiry.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both number of new incorporations and total value of registered capital registered year-on-year decrease in the first quarter of 2016. Number of new companies dropped by 338 to 1,117 while total value of registered capital fell by 21.8% to MOP123 million. Analysed by industry, most of the new incorporations were operating in Business Services (338) and Wholesale & Retail Trade (323). Companies in dissolution totalled 196, up by 38 year-on-year; value of registered capital of companies in dissolution increased by 101.8% to MOP52 million. Analysed by size of registered capital, there were 845 new companies (75.6% of total) registered with capital under MOP50,000, and the total value of capital was MOP22 million (18.1% of total); meanwhile, 18 new companies were registered with capital of MOP1 million or over, and the total value of capital amounted to MOP66 million. As regards origin of capital, the majority of the capital came from Macao (MOP71 million) and Mainland China (MOP40 million), including MOP28 million from Beijing. Capital from the 9 Provinces of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region totalled MOP8 million (44.6% from Guangdong province), of which companies operating in Wholesale & Retail Trade and Construction accounted for 62.5% and 16.4% respectively. Analysed by combination of shareholders, there were 761 new companies established solely by Macao shareholders, and 103 joint ventures between shareholders from Macao and other countries or regions. At the end of the first quarter of 2016, number of registered companies totalled 53,978, an increase of 4,052 from a year earlier.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, money supply rebounded in March. As total deposits increased at a faster pace than total loans, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector dropped slightly from a month earlier. Money supply Currency in circulation dropped 2.5% while demand deposits grew 3.4%. M1 thus increased 2.2% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities dropped 0.3%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, increased marginally by 0.1% to MOP469.8 billion. On an annual basis, M1 grew 5.8% whereas M2 dropped 1.6%. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 30.2%, down 0.5 percentage points from a month ago but up 2.7 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 51.7%, up 0.3 percentage points month-to-month or 1.9 percentage points year-on-year. The share of Chinese Yuan (CNY) was 5.9%, up 0.1 percentage point month-to-month but down 6.1 percentage points year-on-year. The share of United States Dollar (USD) was 9.8%, down 0.1 percentage point month-to-month but up 1.2 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits Resident deposits increased 0.1% from the preceding month to MOP457.2 billion. Of which, MOP and USD deposits decreased at respective rates of 1.5% and 0.7% whereas HKD, CNY and other foreign currency deposits increased 0.7%, 1.4% and 7.9% respectively. Non-resident deposits dropped 1.0% to MOP289.5 billion. Public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 8.6% to MOP148.3 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 1.1% from a month earlier to MOP895.0 billion. The shares of MOP, HKD, CNY and USD in total deposits were 20.6%, 45.4%, 8.1% and 22.8% respectively. Loans Domestic loans to the private sector increased 0.8% from a month ago to MOP393.8 billion. Among which, MOP112.0 billion was MOP-denominated, MOP260.1 billion was denominated in HKD, MOP2.1 billion was denominated in CNY and MOP16.1 billion was denominated in USD, representing 28.4%, 66.0%, 0.5% and 4.1% of the total respectively. Analysed by economic sector, “information technology”, “non-monetary financial institutions” and “restaurants, hotels and similar” increased at respective rates of 28.6%, 25.3% and 5.8% compared with a quarter ago, whereas “wholesale and retail trade” and “transport, warehouse and communications” dropped 8.3% and 3.2% respectively. External loans rose 1.2% to MOP368.5 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP, HKD, CNY and USD accounted for 1.7% (MOP6.2 billion), 26.1% (MOP96.2 billion), 17.8% (MOP65.4 billion) and 48.2% (MOP177.5 billion) respectively. Operating ratios At end-March, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector dropped 0.8 percentage points from the previous month to 65.0%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors dropped 0.1 percentage point to 85.2%. The one-month and three-month current assets to liabilities ratios stayed at relatively high levels, marked at 52.5% and 59.8% respectively. The non-performing loan ratio, an indicator for bank asset quality, was 0.1%, virtually unchanged from one month earlier and one year ago.
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The Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, has ordered a review of current arrangements and an update to contingency planning in order to avoid a repeat of technical problems experienced on Saturday (30 April) by electronic immigration clearance systems at Macao immigration checkpoints. The Secretary is paying great attention to the technical incident, which led to the clearance system failing to operate normally. It affected the city’s immigration checkpoints with the mainland, those at the airport, and those serving the ferry ports connecting Macao to Hong Kong. The Government would enhance its capability – such as its contingency measures, crowd control arrangements and cross-departmental communication – in preparation for any future emergency situation, Mr Wong said in a cross-departmental meeting on Tuesday (3 May). Causes of the breakdown might include: previously unidentified problems in the operating system of the clearance service, relating in particular to long periods of non-stop operation at several checkpoints; an unusual breakdown of the server’s subsystem that led to the malfunction of e-channels and of the operating systems at the manned immigration channels; and that a backup system for the server’s subsystem might also have been affected. The Government is aware of challenges arising from the efforts that have previously been made to optimise the immigration service, including the inclusion of more e-channels for residents and e-card channels for mainland passport holders; and the extended operation hours of the city’s checkpoints. The Government understands the necessity and urgency of building another backup for the operating system used for the immigration clearance service: such a backup system was put on trial in the beginning of this year but was not in operation at the time of Saturday’s service interruption. Following the incident, the Public Security Police Affairs Bureau has introduced an internal directive regarding maintenance of the immigration clearance operating system. They have also updated their contingency plan regarding system breakdowns and ordered the supplier to optimise the subsystem used for immigration clearance. In the short term, the Bureau would complete the construction of the backup system and commence a study on whether there was a need for an additional backup system.
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