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IPIM Forges Closer Ties with SMEs IPIM’s “Door-to-door Service” Helps with Applications for Inclusion on Consumer Council´s “Certified Shop” List and Provides Business Advisory Service
To be in line with the policy of the Macao SAR Government and with a view to facilitate and simplify the lives of local residents, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) is implementing the SME Outreach Scheme, by making regular visits to Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and by means of “door-to-door service”, provides local enterprises with different types of advisory and support services. Recently, IPIM´s staff, along with the representatives of the Consumer Council, visited several SMEs, to help them with their applications for inclusion on the Consumer Council´s “Certified Shop” list. The initiative received very positive feedback from the enterprises. At the same time, under the outreach Programme, IPIM´s staff visit enterprises (“door-to-door”) to promote exhibitions and workshops organised by IPIM, in a bid to provide inspiration and assist local specialty shops explore new business potentials. IPIM´s Door-to-door Service helps SMEs Prepare Their Applications on Consumer Council’s “Certified Shop” List For many citizens and tourists, the Consumer Council´s “Adherents” and “Certified Shop” are symbols of identity and the signs are considered a symbol of “Attractive Appearance, Good Quality and Reasonably Priced”. Therefore, many local SMEs want to be associated with this scheme, including the “Tong Iec Pak Fa Fui Cheong Un Company Limited”. Third-generation owner of the business, Ms. Jennifer Loi said, “We have always been aware of the Consumer Council´s “Certified Shop” scheme, and also thought of joining, however, we did not know how it operated nor did we have specialised staff to handle the application procedures. Now, thanks to the support of IPIM, the enrolment procedure was completed through simply and easily.” When visiting the enterprises with the “door-to-door service”, IPIM learnt that Ms. Loi wanted to join the scheme, so along with the Consumer Council; IPIM´s staff helped her to complete all the procedures through its “one-stop” service. Helping SMEs to Solve Their Problems Like a Friend To operate a business in Macao, SMEs need government support. According to the Marketing Director of LemonCello Gelato, Ms. Nikita Fu, IPIM´s support is particularly important. “Even if IPIM does not come to our store, I can simply make a phone call and IPIM´s staff will help us solve all sorts of problems as if they were our friends”, she said, with a smile. She thinks that the delegations and workshops organised by IPIM can help local SMEs join together to become a network, and provide them the opportunities to learn from each other. Furthermore, the exhibitions organised by IPIM also helped LemonCello Galato expand abroad, making their products more famous and appreciated. Exhibitions Have Become the Best Platform for SMEs to Showcase Their Products “Thanks to audio-visual advertisements, many cleaning products on the market look powerful, but they are in no way credible.” Mr. William H. K. Chu, Managing Director of Ecolite Environment Products Ltd. (agent of ionised water technology from Japan) feels that the effectiveness of a product cannot be sufficiently expressed with just two or three sentences, and therefore, unlike other products which use exaggerated claims to highlight their features, Mr. Chu decided to skip advertising campaigns and instead participate in trade fairs, to meet his prospective clients face-to-face. His company is a frequent participant in the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF). Through participating in trade fairs, the company not only promotes its environmental protection concept, but also showcases their products on-site and conducts business with integrity. In 2011, when he joined IPIM to participate in the Eco Expo Asia – International Trade Fair on Environmental Protection in Hong Kong, the Kwong Wah Hospital in Hong Kong, immediately showed interest in their products. Upon approval by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, these products are now being used for the environmentally friendly cleaning of kitchens in the hospital’s Department of Dietetics. Merchants Gathering at the “Macao Ideas” Trigger the “Green” Drinks Concept This year, three young entrepreneurs who founded the “Long Prosperity Company Limited”, F. F. Si William, K. K. Chan Quincy and Chen Ren Yung decided to set-up their own shop for freshly brewed drinks – the Gathering, to avoid restrictions imposed by franchising. Applying their own ideas to the making of drinks, they carried out research and developed formulas combining different flavours, given that a introducing a new brand would be more challenging, though providing an opportunity to pursue an innovative and creative path. During the “Gathering of Macao Ideas Exhibitors”, organised by IPIM, they met a local environmental protection enterprise, and learnt that the company has developed technology that can break down plastic cups into small pieces for recycling. Mr. Si said, “We want to take into account environmental protection, for instance, a paper bag costs seventy times the price of a plastic bag, however, we have decided to use paper bags. If cups could be recycled, then the whole thing becomes more meaningful”. In view of this, in their visits to enterprises, IPIM immediately invited them to participate in the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition 2016 (2016MIECF), hoping that they could develop more green business opportunities. IPIM will continue to promote the SME Outreach Scheme, by regularly providing support to SMEs at their establishments, as well as planning to collect information and opinions on the difficulties encountered by SMEs when doing business in Macao. The scheme aims to work in line with the development of the SMEs, by providing them with services that they need, as a mean to promote Macao´s economic diversification.
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Gaming revenue in first quarter within Government’s expectation
The year-on-year decrease in casino gaming revenue recorded in the first quarter of 2016 was within the Government’s expectation, said the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac. Mr Leong made the comments on Tuesday (5 April) after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the new Director and the new Deputy Director of the Macao Economic Services. Official data showed gaming revenue in March amounted to approximately 18 billion patacas, showing a 16.3 percent reduction compared to the same period in 2015. Casino gaming revenue in the first quarter recorded a 13.3 percent year-on-year decline, to approximately 56 billion patacas. The fall in revenue for March and for the quarter was in line with the Government’s forecast for 2016 gaming revenue, made when the Government was preparing the budget proposal for this fiscal year, Mr Leong said. The 2016 estimate took as its starting point the casino revenue recorded in 2015. Mr Leong said the issues impacting Macao’s gaming industry were related with the performance of economies in other places and other external factors beyond the control of the Macao SAR. He noted that external conditions had not significantly altered. Local casinos would benefit if there were positive changes in the performance of neighbouring economies, he added. Amid the ongoing adjustment period for the local gaming industry, the Government would step up efforts to promote high quality services and to boost development of non-gaming offerings in casinos. These efforts would help further diversify the sources of Macao’s visitors. Such visitors might include a greater number of middle class families from international markets, Mr Leong said. When asked by reporters about the effectiveness of the “Macau Loves Locals” campaign, the Secretary said he believed such a campaign need not be thought of as a way to increase gaming revenue: rather, it was a campaign to allow local residents to enjoy non-gaming offerings at hotels and resorts operated by the city’s six casino operators. Mr Leong additionally said he had directed the team of people involved in translation work related to the mid-term review of the city’s gaming industry, to speed their efforts. The mid-term review is examining the achievements of the city’s six gaming operators since the liberalisation of the gaming industry in 2002. The concessions and sub-concessions will expire on dates between 2020 and 2022.
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Acclaimed French pianist Alexandre Tharaud steers Macao Orchestra’s concert The Great Pianist Tickets on sale from 5 April
The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, joins hands with French pianist Alexandre Tharaud, acclaimed as a modern “poet of the piano”, in the concert The Great Pianist: Alexandre Tharaud and the Macao Orchestra, to be held on Sunday, 5 June, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, featuring the lyrical Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. Tickets are on sale from 5 April at the Macao Ticketing Network. Alexandre Tharaud became well-known for his role as an outstanding pianist in the French film “Amour” – winner of the Palm dÓr at the 65th Cannes Film Festival in 2012 and of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Mentored by Carmen Taccon-Devenat who was a student of Marguerite Long, Tharaud won a series of prizes including the First Prize at the International Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona and the Second Prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich, and recorded more than 20 successful albums. With his unique music style and perfect performance skills, he received great critical acclaim. The Washington Post described Tharaud as “a pianist of brilliant thought and action”. Led by Jean-Philippe Tremblay, the Macao Orchestra will join hands with Alexandre Tharaud in performing the lyrical Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. The programme of this concert also features the delicate Symphony No. 8 by Ludwig van Beethoven, certainly bringing pure joy to the audience. Tickets for the concert The Great Pianist: Alexandre Tharaud and the Macao Orchestra are priced at MOP350, MOP300, MOP200 and MOP100. Early bird discounts of 40% are available between 5 and 15 April upon purchasing 4 or more tickets for the concert. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please visit the Orchestra webpage: www.icm.gov.mo/om.
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Commemorative envelope of Stamp Exhibition “XXII LUBRAPEX”
Macao Post will participate the stamp exhibition “XXII LUBRAPEX”, located at Viana do Castelo, Portugal, during 26th April to 1st May, 2016. To commemorate this Exhibition, Macao Post issues the commemorative envelopes and provides the commemorative postmark cancellation service on site of the exhibition. For the convenience of the philatelist, the commemorative envelope with stamp priced at MOP5.00 will also be available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters starting from 26th April. You may send your mail of this cancelled commemorative envelope at the following locations *: Philatelic Shop at Macao Post Headquarters: 26th April 9:00 – 17:45 Post Offices: 26th April to 1st May Office Hours to Public * No commemorative postmark cancellation service will be provided in Macao.
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Monetary and financial statistics – February 2016
According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, money supply retreated in February. As total deposits increased at a faster pace than total loans, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector dropped from a month earlier. Money supply Currency in circulation and demand deposits dropped 1.0% and 3.3% respectively. M1 thus decreased 2.9% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities dropped 0.6%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, decreased 0.9% to MOP469.6 billion. On an annual basis, M1 grew 3.0% whereas M2 dropped 2.5%. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 30.7%, up 0.1 percentage point from a month ago or 3.2 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 51.4%, up 0.2 percentage points month-to-month or 1.1 percentage points year-on-year. The share of Chinese Yuan (CNY) was 5.8%, down 0.6 percentage points month-to-month or 6.1 percentage points year-on-year. The share of United States Dollar (USD) was 9.8%, up 0.4 percentage points month-to-month or 1.7 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits Resident deposits decreased 0.9% from the preceding month to MOP456.6 billion. Of which, MOP, HKD, CNY and other foreign currency deposits decreased at respective rates of 0.6%, 0.6%, 9.9% and 2.6% whereas USD deposits increased 2.9%. Non-resident deposits rose 2.2% to MOP292.4 billion. Public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 5.1% to MOP136.5 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 1.0% from a month earlier to MOP885.6 billion. The shares of MOP, HKD, CNY and USD in total deposits were 20.6%, 44.5%, 7.5% and 24.3% respectively. Loans Domestic loans to the private sector increased 0.4% from a month ago to MOP390.8 billion. Among which, MOP110.0 billion was MOP-denominated, MOP258.3 billion was denominated in HKD, MOP2.1 billion was denominated in CNY and MOP17.0 billion was denominated in USD, representing 28.1%, 66.1%, 0.5% and 4.4% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans dropped 0.1% to MOP364.2 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP, HKD, CNY and USD accounted for 1.7% (MOP6.2 billion), 26.3% (MOP95.8 billion), 18.5% (MOP67.2 billion) and 47.6% (MOP173.4 billion) respectively. Operating ratios At end-February, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector kept virtually stable from the previous month at 65.9%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors dropped 0.7 percentage points to 85.3%. The one-month and three-month current assets to liabilities ratios stayed at relatively high levels, marked at 55.8% and 60.3% 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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Fourteenth issue of C2 discusses the stories behind cultural and creative rising talents in Macao
Published by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and produced by 100 Plus Cultural Creative Development Ltd., the fourteenth issue of C2 magazine will be launched on 6 April. In recent years, Macao has launched different academic subsidy programmes and scholarships to attract and cultivate cultural and creative talents in Macao. In this edition, three cultural and creative rising talents are invited to share how they carve out their own niche in their respective areas. In the column “Feature”, C2 interviews three cultural and artistic rising talents who have studied abroad and returned to Macao. Lau Chi Keung, who studied sound production and gained practical experience in Singapore, has returned to work in collecting audio recordings and film scores for local films. Mok Sin Ting, director of physical theatre, chose to study in a renowned theatre school in Belgium. With her more mature attitude and creative skills, she began to receive positive feedback recently. The painter Lei Ieng Wai, born in the 1980’s, has developed outstanding skills during his study at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. He is now a full-time oil painter and works as a teacher at the same time. The column “Opinion” invites Michael I.F. Fong, an experienced local music producer who established the first individual brand and audio and video entertainment company in Macao, to give his insight on local music. He believes that music creation based on the unique culture of Macao can help the development of the music industry. “Extravaganza” highlights the Poly Macau Hotel Art Fair. Director of Poly Auction Macao Limited and founder of Chiu Ying Culture Co. Ltd., Sabrina Ho, is glad to know the success of sales and marketing of the fair. Besides, the fair also provides information about the market direction and the status of the art industry for local artists. “Brand Story” tells the story of the local theatre Hiu Kok Drama Association, which has been established more than 40 years. It devotes its passion to educating script and stage talents in the areas of scriptwriting and acting, and establishes a local brand image. “Blogs” columnists, Joe Tang, Ho Ka Cheng, Yi-Hsin Lin, Yap Seow Choong, Ron Lam, Ashley Chong and Cheong Sio Pang give more perspectives on the development of the cultural and creative industries. C2 is a trilingual magazine (in Chinese, Portuguese and English). Readers are welcome to browse or download the magazine at www.c2magazine.mo. C2 is a bimonthly magazine and issue on the first Wednesday every two months. The next issue will be launched on 1 June 2016. The email subscription function is now available. Please simply click the “subscribe” button on the right corner of our webpage and enter your email address to subscribe to C2 magazine. For the latest updates, you may also visit the magazine’s page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/c2magazine.macau, or on WeChat, by clicking “add friend” and inputting “c2magazine” in the ID column. For enquiries, please send an email to c2magazine.macau@gmail.com.
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PPRD recognizes MIECF´s efficacy in helping enterprises “going global”
Since its inception in 2008, the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region (*9+1*) has always given its strong support to the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF) by jointly promoting the development of the convention and exhibition industry, so that MIECF could gradually become a branded environmental activity in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region (PPRD). Exhibitors at this edition of the MIECF, coming from PPRD, recognize that MIECF is a highly effective green development platform in helping enterprises to “go global”. The 13th 5-Year Plan of the People´s Republic of China has proposed to support Macao in building a world-class tourism and leisure centre and services platform for trade and economic co-operation between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, and actively developing MICE and trade, so as to promote the diversification and sustainable development of local economy. In the meantime, Macao SAR Government is also making efforts in building “One Centre, One Platform”. Environmental protection has always been a focal point in the SAR Government´s policy, and relevant supporting work has already been launched, aiming to build a low-carbon city and to promote the sustainable development of the environmental industry. The MIECF, being held on a yearly basis, has made great contributions in this regard, such as information and technology exchange and so on. In order to align perfectly with the “Guiding Opinions on Deepening Regional Cooperation in the Pan-Pearl River Delta”, promulgated recently by the State Council of the People´s Republic of China, and to deepen regional co-operation in the PPRD, given its geographical position in the core area of co-operation between Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, this year’s MIECF continues to count on a strong support from the PPRD governments and relevant entities, with the participation of 215 related exhibitors. Fujian Enterprise: Successfully reached co-operation agreements with Dutch and Italian environmental companies Mr. Fu Taiping, CEO of Quanzhou Tianlong Environmental Engineering Co., Ltd., said that his trip to Macao and participation in MIECF have been very satisfactory. His company is engaged in refinery and large-scale shipbuilding and container business in Mainland China for over 25 years. He disclosed that through his company´s participation in the MIECF, he has contacted many merchants, including European environmental enterprises. In addition, his company has also reached co-operation agreements with Dutch and Italian companies. He agrees that MIECF has been a great help in developing the company´s business and hopes that next year he could again participate in the event. Guangdong Province: MIECF´s efficacy has been well recognized The Deputy Secretary-General of the Association of Environmental Protection Industry of Guangdong Province, Mr. Ou Jun, said that in this edition of MIECF, Guangdong Province has set-up a 300-square metre stand. He mentioned that, among the provinces and regions in the PPRD, Guangdong Province and Macao maintain the closest relationship, either in terms of economic development or of geographical location. Therefore, Guangdong Province has always supported Macao in building an important green platform for the PPRD Region. Taking the opportunity of Guangdong participation in the MIECF, he organized a delegation of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Guangdong Province, the Economic and Information Commission of Guangdong Province, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Guangdong Branch, and the Federation of Industry and Commerce of Guangdong Province to travel to Macao for study visit and exchange. Summarizing the three-day event, Mr. Ou Jun stressed that some results have been achieved, particularly in the exchange of environmental technology, green matching and negotiations and new cooperation intentions. He hopes that the MIECF exhibition venue could be enlarged, so as to attract more exhibitors. Guangxi enterprise: Successfully introduced products to overseas clients through MIECF Guangxi Hong Sheng Yuan Environmental Protection Science Technology Co., Ltd. has been accompanying the growth of MIECF since 2008. The Chairman of Hong Sheng Yuan, Mr. Huang Min, said that through MIECF, his company has been appreciated by a United States and products have already been launched to the market and received very positive feedback. He added that, when joining the first edition of MIECF, the company´s annual turnover was only 30 million RMB, and that last year the turnover increased to 300 million RMB. He pointed out that MIECF´s efficacy is indeed spectacular. He hopes that MIECF could improve year after year, so that the environmental industry could make the best use of this green platform to conduct exchange and co-operation. Sichuan enterprise: MIECF helps enterprises to extend international environmental perspective This edition of the MIECF has attracted the participation of many large-scale enterprises, including the Xing Rong Group, a prime water supply and sewage treatment enterprise in Sichuan. The Deputy General Manager of the enterprise, Mr. Zhou Wenlin, said that, in addition to water supply and sewage treatment, it has also developed waste treatment business, including garbage power plants and hazardous waste disposal centre. While providing construction and technical support, the company also provides management services, to ensure smooth operation of the facilities at the location where they are installed. The company´s participation in MIECF is to better understand the actual situation of Macao, and to follow-up on the latest environmental development around the world, as this could help to extend the company´s international market perspective.
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2016MIECF promotes co-operation between the PPRD (“9+2”) environmental operators and their international counterparts
Since its inception, nine editions of the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF) have been held so far. The Provinces and Regions in the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) have always given their strong support to the said event. As a matter of fact, MIECF has already become a green platform for the environmental protection industry in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region, and also for other countries and regions in the world, to share environmental technology and information, and to develop business. More activities were introduced to this edition of MIECF, aiming to promote exchange and co-operation between the environmental sector in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region and their counterparts in the international market. MIECF is the first PPRD regional co-operation event since the promulgation of the “Guiding Opinions” Since its inception in 2008, the provinces and regions in the Pan-Pearl River Region (PPRD, collectively known as “9+1”) have always acted as Co-Organizers of each edition of MIECF. Every year, each province and region organizes high-level delegations to participate in the event. As a matter of fact, MIECF has already become a branded activity within the co-operation framework of the PPRD. This is also the first PPRD co-operation event since the recent promulgation of the “Guiding Opinions on Deepening Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Cooperation” by the State Council of the People´s Republic of China. A total of 215 units from PPRD are participating in MIECF this year. During the event, the Organizer arranged a visit to the European Union Pavilion for over 20 business representatives from PPRD, to learn about the latest environmentally friendly products and technologies, such as the kitchen waste processing technology of the Czech Republic, the French air detection and filtering techniques and the waste disposal technology designed by the Netherlands. Some companies have expressed intention to further co-operate with the owners of the environmental technologies displayed at the European Union Pavilion. Exchange of the latest solid waste treatment technologies and policies through MIECF The “PPRD Session - Solid Waste Management Policies and Technology in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region” - which is part of the Green Forum, was held today (April 1). Representatives of the nine provinces and regions in the PPRD introduced and exchanged views on the solid waste disposal policies and measures in their respective localities. Given that the environmental characteristics differ from place to place, it is necessary to attend to the local conditions and adopt targeted measures. Therefore, a lot of business opportunities will arise, but generally speaking, there is a common demand for high technology in setting-up facilities for treatment and management of waste. In another session held today – “PPRD Environmental Technology Exchange” – apart from operators of the PPRD environmental sector, the environmental elites from Europe, Portuguese-speaking Countries, the United States of America and Southeast Asia were invited for exchange on their environmental technology transfer and co-operation. The attendees were of the opinion that their participation in the MIECF allowed them to understand the latest environmental technologies and products; in addition, enterprises could also find co-operation opportunities, therefore playing an active role in the development of PPRD environmental protection industry, highlighting, at the same time, the MIECF's role as a green platform.
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Green Public Day Promotes Green Lifestyle
The Green Public Day was held today (2 April), as part of the activities under 2016 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2016MIECF). A large number of visitors joined the event and participated in parent-child activities, enjoyed the various performances and shopped at the newly-introduced “Green Life Market”. Through these activities, the Organiser aimed at promoting green living and environmental behaviour in our daily life. Large number of interesting environmental activities The theme of this year´s Green Public Day is “Reducing Waste for a Green Lifestyle”. A series of activities encompassing environmental education, leisure and entertainment, such as game booths, environmental workshops, stage events and a lucky draw were specially designed for the visitors, as well as providing tips on waste reduction in our daily life, concerning clothing, food, shelter and transportation. Potted plants were also distributed at the venue. Through this series of parent-child activities and attractive performances, the Organiser aimed at promoting to the public the concept of green living and encouraged them to adopt environmentally-friendly practices. Guided tours for teachers and students to increase environmental awareness During the Green Public Day, the guided tours for local education institutions (universities, secondary and primary schools) were participated by over three hundred teachers and students from eight education institutions. During the visit, the visitors were briefed on the MIECF concept as well as the zoning and characteristics of the exhibition, so that they could have a deeper understanding of MIECF, reduction of waste at source as well as learning more about the cutting-edge environmental products on display at this annual event. In addition, the Organiser also set up a “Green Life Market”. About 20 enterprises showcased their green products which could be used in our daily life. The event attracted many visitors, giving a lively atmosphere to the venue. MIECF received many visitors today. Many of them were very interested in the products on display and considered that Macao should use more environmentally friendly products, to better protect the environment and enhance environmental awareness of the city.
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2016MIECF Plays the Role as a Platform Exhibitors hope to bring products to Portuguese-speaking Countries and countries along the route of the “Belt and Road” through Macao
Several activities were held on the second day of the 2016 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (2016MIECF). Exhibitors said that MIECF has provided them with a co-operation platform, to look for business opportunities and, at the same time, obtain the most updated information about environmental technologies from around the world, that will benefit their business development and planning in the future. Tomorrow (2 April), the last day of MIECF, is the Green Public Day. The event is open to the public and there will be a series of educational activities to promote the environmental message among residents, so as to adopt environmentally friendly practices in our daily lives. Satisfactory results in the PPRD-related activities In addition to the Green Forum, the most important event of MIECF, business matching and promotional seminars were also held today and obtained fruitful results. A total of 120 business matching sessions was arranged, including 53 involving the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region ( “9+2”). In addition to a session under the Green Forum, there was also a PPRD Session under the theme “Solid Waste Management Policies and Technology in the Pan-pearl River Delta Region”, to discuss about management policies for waste management and treatment in that region. Electric cars utilise Macao as a bridge for expansion to Portuguese-speaking Countries and the countries along the route of the “Belt and Road” One of the exhibitors, Koln Environmental Engineering Consultancy, has specially brought from Australia two big electric buses for exhibition at MIECF. According to its Managing Director, Mr. Johnny Ma, the company has confidence in the Macao market. As Macao is a small city with narrow roads and a large number of vehicles, the exhaust gas from vehicles seriously damage the environment, and therefore, this is the place that is particularly suitable for electric cars. Mr. Ma said that each fully charged vehicle manufactured by his company can travel up to 1200 km, and the longest charging time takes only 4 hours, and, if the electricity voltage is appropriate, then the charging will only take 2 hours. These vehicles are therefore time-saving, convenient and environmentally friendly, and therefore very suitable for the Macao market. Their participation in this year’s MIECF has already attracted the attention of the targeted markets, such as hotels and bus companies and therefore he believes that there are great potential for development. The company also plans to sell electric motorcycles in the future, and also expects to expand their business to Portuguese-speaking Countries and countries along the route of the “Belt and Road” using Macao as a bridge. Several enterprises have expressed intent to co-operate in the area of black cork from Portugal Another exhibitor, Hua Hong Construction & Engineering Co., Ltd., is promoting black cork imported from Portugal at MIECF. Mr. Zhang Jun Xian, Assistant Engineer of Hua Hong, revealed that the raw material of these black cork products come from the bark of oak trees, which can be regenerated. Such products are mainly used as building materials, their durability, thermal insulation, sound proof and fire retardant functions are especially suitable for the cold northern regions. Furthermore, the product can be reused and is environmentally friendly. It has been well-received and enterprises from Kunming and Harbin have already expressed intention to co-operate with the company. It is believed that as the product becomes more famous, more markets could be opened. All are welcome to join the Green Public Day activities 2016MIECF will close tomorrow (2 April). The Green Public Day is opened to the public and offers a series of very interesting activities. Free shuttle bus service will be provided, from Macao Central District, Northern District and Taipa District, to and from the venue. Parking spaces are also available at Exhibition Hall D, on a first-come first-served basis.
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