News

Consumer Council's latest specific price survey report on tissue and toilet papers has been released. In comparison with data of the same period in last month, most surveyed brands recorded no change or slight decrease in average price this month. Average prices of most brands have been quite stable since this April. The Council conducted the survey on 29th July, surveying 13 samples of tissue and toilet papers from 25 local retail outlets. In comparison with last month's data, 7 surveyed samples showed no change in price, or had decreased slightly in price from around 2.5% to 12.8%. Others recorded slight increase in average price, ranging from 0.3% to 23.4% due to changes in package. Further, the price difference of the same brand sold in different retail outlets observed this time is has shrink from 39% last month to 28% this month. Consumers may visit the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) to use its online price search function; both "Supermarket Price Information Platform" and "Specific Product Price Information Platform" make checking prices of various commodities an easy job. The specific price survey report on tissue and toilet papers is now available online on the Council's official website. For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today met the Secretary of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region CPC Committee, Mr Hu Chunhua, at the start of a four-day visit to the autonomous region in northern China. In the meeting, Mr Hu said that despite possessing enormous resources and an expanding economy, Inner Mongolia still had to open up and it could make use of Macao's role as a platform for Portuguese-speaking countries and other places. Mr Hu also thanked the Macao Foundation for donating 30 million RMB for the construction of a library in Inner Mongolia. The Chief Executive said Macao and Inner Mongolia had been co-operating in various areas for a long time, such as in tourism and trade. Since Macao could act as a business platform for Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao and Inner Mongolia could visit the Lusophone countries together and explore their markets in the future, Mr Chui said. Macao could host a trade event in Inner Mongolia next year to promote trade and in particular, tourism, and other means of co-operation, and to set up a direct flight route in the future. Mr Chui and his official delegation also visited the Inner Mongolia Museum, Dazhao Temple, and the production line of Yili Group, a milk producer. He also attended the donation ceremony by the Macao Foundation and an agreement signing ceremony between Macao entrepreneurs and their Inner Mongolia counterparts. Mr Chui left Macao this morning for this four-day visit, at the invitation of the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers decreased by 10.0% quarter-to-quarter to MOP547 in the second quarter of 2011. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers (MOP562) dropped by 10.1%, while that of unskilled workers (MOP356) increased by 1.1%. Analyzed by occupations, average daily wage of electricians & electrical workers (MOP555) and structural iron erectors (MOP604) decreased by 24.5% and 11.0% respectively over the previous quarter; however, wages of plumbers (MOP616) and concrete formwork carpenters (MOP609) increased by 3.5% and 2.7% respectively. After discounting the effect of inflation, wage index of construction workers was 90.6 in real terms in the second quarter of 2011, down by 7.1% quarter-to-quarter. As regards construction materials, price increase of steel decelerated, with the average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars rising slightly by 0.7% quarter-to-quarter to MOP5,821 per tonne; moreover, the average price of concrete increased by 8.4% to MOP348 per cubic metre. In the second quarter of 2011, price index of construction materials for residential buildings rose by 0.4% quarter-to-quarter to 156.7; in particular, price indices of steel and concrete increased by 1.1% and 8.4% respectively, while indices of timber and electric wires decreased by 0.1% and 6.8%. Compared with the same quarter of 2010, price index of construction materials for residential buildings registered an increase of 13.3%.
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2011 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair (2011 GMBPF) concluded successfully today. The four-day event attracted a total of over 110,000 attendance by 5pm today and the sales volume of this year reached MOP39.74 million. In addition, the Organisers successfully held 1 forum and 1 seminar on different topics, and 10 seminars and presentations, and concluded 237 projects in the business matching sessions for Guangdong and Macao branded products and 13 cooperation projects in different aspects. 2011 GMBPF concludes 13 cooperation projects
The 2011 GMBPE concluded the signing of 13 cooperation projects (an increase of 30% year on year), including 4 protocols, 7 letters of intent, and 2 contracts between participants from various countries and regions. Of these signatories, corporations from the Chinese Mainland accounted for 50% (with Guangzhou 27%, Jiangmen 18%, Zhongshan 18%, Huizhou 9%, Foshan 9%, other provinces and cities 18%), Macao 41%, Hong Kong 4.5%, and Singapore and Finland 4.5%. The cooperation projects mainly covers the following areas: the construction of Macao's cross-sea bridge, supplies of cultural, educational and sports products, manufacturing of recycled paper, and sales of seasoning materials, etc. 2011 GMBPF concludes a number of projects in business matching and trade talks The Organisers received a total of 237 projects for business matching for branded products from Macao and Guangdong. During the event, a total of 771 business matching and trade talks were organised, an increase of 25% compared to that of last year. Among them, 495 business matching and trade talks or 64.2% were conducted between Macao and Guangdong corporations, an increase of 24% year on year; 91 or 11.8% were conducted between Macao corporations, an increase of 32% year on year; 135 or 17.5% were conducted between Guandong corporations, an increase of 22% year on year; and 50 or 6.5% were conducted between Macao, Guangdong and overseas corporations, an increase of 28% year on year. The participants of the business matching and trade talks mainly consist of corporations from Macao, Guangdong province (including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, Shunde, Foshan, Shaoguan, Heyuan, Meizhou, Huizhou, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Yangjiang, etc) and Hong Kong. The projects discussed involve food, supermarket supplies products, consumer goods, daily necessities, electronic products and domestic appliances, hotel supplies products, clothing and accessories, toys and children products, etc. Cultural and Creative Industries Forum & Seminar for Promoting Brands in the International Marketing seek to strengthen cooperation between Macao and Guangdong corporations
On the first two days of 2011 GMBPF, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province jointly organised the"2011 Guangdong & Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Development and Cooperation Forum" and "Seminar for Promoting Brands in the International Marketing", in hopes of further strengthening cooperation between the two regions, making full use of the manpower, and enhancing the influence of cultural and creative industries via the forum. The seminar is expected to deepen the communications between the business chambers and associations of branded products from both Guangdong and Macao, as well as exchanges between the corporations from the two regions, thereby strengthening cooperation in the development of branded products and exploration of more business opportunities. Furthermore, 10 seminars and presentations were held in the four-day event, which cover the areas of drink products, crystal, embroidery, Chinese tea ceremony, healthcare food, mobile banking services, etc. Organisers actively promote and boost carnival atmosphere
Prior to the opening of the fair, the Organisers carried out extensive promotional activities and campaigns via different channels, such as media report, advertisement and website publication in order to enable the event to reach a broader range of audience, including the local residents and tourists. By 5pm today, the 2011 GMBPF received a total number of over 110,000 visitors in the four days and the business turnover reached MOP39.74 million. To attract more residents and tourists, the Organisers specially arranged a few cultural and arts performances during the fair. The performers are invited from Macao, Hong Kong and Guangdong and the contents cover dance and singing, magic shows, and music performance. In addition, the lucky draw activities were available at the fair, with 129 winners awarded numerous prizes. The results of the lucky draw will be published on the Macao Daily News and the official website of 2011 GMBPF (http://www.guangdongmacaofair.com) on 2nd August, 2011. A "never-ending" platform to promote GMBPF
To disseminate the influence of 2011 GMBPF on a long-term basis, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute will upload all information and photos related to the exhibitors and exhibits on IPIM's website (http://www.ipim.gov.mo/) after the conclusion of the event so as to provide a "never-ending" virtual publicity platform for the Guangdong and Macao branded products. 2011 GMBPF deepens economic and trade cooperation between Guangdong and Macao
The 2011 GMBPF is a grand event jointly organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province and coordinated by the Macau Fair & Trade Association, which aims to make full use of Macao's role as an exhibition platform and Guangdong's role as a manufacturing base to showcase the branded products of the two regions and enhance the reputation of their products and the two regions via the business matching sessions and trade talks. Hence, the event is of special significance to building a platform for economic and trade cooperation between the two regions and deepening their cooperation in economy and trade. The 2012 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair is scheduled from 26th to 29th July, 2012. Through the platform of GMBPF, the Organisers will strive to actively strengthen the economic and trade cooperation between Macao and Guangdong, disseminate and promote the brands and products from the two regions, thereby creating more business opportunities for the corporations from the two regions.
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Jointly organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province, the "2011 Guangdong and Macao Branded Products Fair" (2011 GMBPF) continued into its third day this Saturday. The event has attracted a great number of local residents and tourists, with a total of 22,000 visitors by 5pm, the largest number of single day since its opening. The crowded fair becomes a popular visiting place this weekend
This Saturday, the "Guangdong and Macao Branded Products Fair" has been one of the popular visiting places for the family of local residents who flooded into the event to purchase their favorite products. In particular, the healthcare products, food and household products have been the top items in the buying list of the visitors. The fair has entered its third day today and the number of visitors recorded remains the largest compared to the previous two days. According to the statistics from the Organisers, the total number of visitors exceeded 22,000 as of 5pm. The Organisers also employs measures to diverse the large number of visitors, and in generally the event remained in good order. In order to attract more potential buyers, the exhibitors seized this opportunity to launch a variety of sales promotion activities, such as offering discount rates, gifts and souvenirs and after-sale service. Free trial service is available at most booths, which were crowded with people. A local exhibitor of food products remarked that the sales is very satisfied, and with the growing demand for high quality food, the natural products are widely received by local residents and tourists. Moreover, the Organisers arranged a series of activities, i.e. the cultural and arts performances, interactive games and lucky draw, to boost the atmosphere of the event. Four promotion seminars held on the third day
The Organisers have held four promotion seminars in the areas of tea products, healthcare food, embroidery and banking services. These include the "Chao Zhou Embroidery" presented by the Chaozhou Embroidery Institute, the "Introduction on the kind of Chinese medicinal herb 'Ling-zhi mushroom' and 'Yu-zhi mushroom'" by the Profit Trading, the BOC Mobile Banking Services by the Bank of China, Macau Branch, and the Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony by the Macao Tea Story Limited. 210 business matching and 1 protocol concluded
The Organisers concluded a total of 210 business matching and 1 protocol today. The protocol on "recycled paper" was signed between the Macao and Guangzhou participants, namely the Wuyi (Macau) De Engerharia De Andaime Sociedade Unipessoal Limitada and the Xingmin Papermaking Co. Ltd. of Xinxing County, Guangzhou. All interested parties not to miss this sales carnival
The day 31st July marks the last day of the fair. All exhibitors will seize this opportunity to kick off the final sales of their products. It is believed that residents can purchase their favorites at an even lower price tomorrow. The fair opens from 11am to 8pm. On the last day of the fair, more professional promotion seminars, cultural and arts performances and interactive games will be held in tandem with the lucky draw. All visitors to the Fair can join the lucky draw scheduled from 7:30pm to 7:45pm to take home abundant prizes. Don't miss the final chance to participate in this fascinating sales carnival, which integrates shopping, cultural exchange, leisure and entertainment. To facilitate the visitors of this fair, the Organisers have specially arranged the free shuttle bus service to 2011 GMBPF at different locations. In addition, visitors can also enjoy a 3-hour free parking service in the car park of Macau Fisherman's Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more detailed information of the 2011 GMBPF, please visit our official website http://www.guangdongmacaofair.com or call (853) 8798 9605.
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The "2011 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair", organized by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province comes into its second day. Until 5:00 p.m. of today, more than 13,800 attendances have visited the event. Sales and purchase are flourishing with the active support of the local residents. The "Seminar for Promoting Brands in the International Marketing" held in the morning strengthened the connection and information exchange between the enterprises from Macao and from Guangdong. Both parties shared their successful experience in sales and also discussed how to bring the local brands out of the box and establish an internationally renowned brand. "Seminar for Promoting Brands in the International Marketing" boosts connection between Macao and Guangdong The "Seminar for Promoting Brands in the International Marketing" is the highlight on the second day of the Fair. Arranged by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province, the Seminar took place at the Tourism Activities Centre at 10 a.m. today. Ms. Irene V. K. Lau, Executive Director of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and Mr. Zhong Jianhui, Deputy Director of Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province delivered their speeches at the Seminar. The Seminar aims to enhance the connection between the chambers of commerce of branded products and enterprises from Guangdong and from Macao, so as to promote cooperation on brand marketing and to explore more business opportunities. The Seminar is divided into two sessions: keynote speeches and a panel discussion. Dr. Cheris W.C. Chow from University of Macau shared her views and experiences on strategies of brand promotion, choice of marketing mode and other relative topics. The managing directors of two famous local brands "Wong Chi Kee" (Mr. Wong Kam Chun) and "Koi Kei" (Mr. Leong Chan Kuong) also shared their successful story in marketing their products. The Director of The Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Mr. Kevin Ho King Lun moderated the panel discussion with the group of speakers and discussed their experience in merchandising. After the Seminar, the organizers escorted the participants to visit "Macao Ideas" – a display centre of Macao products, and also brought them to explore the Macao branded enterprises. In order to boost the development of branded industry in Macao, visitors and potential buyer are directed to "Macao Ideas" during their visit to the Fair, and hence to further promote the products "Made in Macao", products "Designed in Macao", and products carrying the "Macao brands", as well as products from the Portuguese-Speaking Countries with authority of agency in Macao. Newly Added Special Product Showcases Promote Cultural and Creative Industry
This 2011 GMBPF has added more elements to the event. In addition to the Typical Macao Products and Guangdong Branded Products Sales displaying and selling branded food, commodity, electronic product, and art and craft from the two regions, more special product showcases -"Cultural and Creative Area" and "MinM" (Made in Macao) - have been located at the venue with the aim to highlight brands and products made in Macao and to promote the cultural and creative industry. Some of the local designers first exhibit their products at the event, and show their confidence in the quality of the local fashion designs. They look forward to introducing their brands to the potential markets and to opening up opportunities in the Mainland market. Some residents also claimed that it was the first time they get to know the local brands, yet their quality is beyond satisfaction. So they were more than happy to purchase the locally made products. Furthermore, a newly added area "City Exhibit Gallery" gives an overview on the development, investment environment and authentic products of Guangzhou, Chaozhou, Shenzheng, Zhuhai, Shantou, Foshan, Shaoguan and other areas, opening the door for visitors to learn more about the branded products from the Guangdong Province. Three Protocols Signed and 231 Business Matching Held
Exhibitors and buyers continued to meet each other today at the business matching area. Two hundred and thirty-one sessions of business matching were successfully held, and three protocols (one was signed out of the ceremony) were signed. The protocols are "Intention of purchase of motorbikes", "Sales Agreement on Chinese Foodstuff" and "Sales Agreement on Organic Buckwheat Food". Investing parties come from Jiangmen, Huizhou and Macao. Mr. Jackson Chang, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute; Mr. Vong Kok Seng, Vice-President of Macao Chamber of Commerce; Ms. Zhao Zhuang Hao, Representative of The Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Jiangmen Municipality; Mr. Kevin Bi, Director of The Association of Advertising of Macau; Ms. Sandy Leong, Director of Macao Department Store and Provision Association; and Mr. Ieong Man Kin, Director of Macau Association of Retailers & Tourism Service witnessed the contract signing ceremony. Professional Introductions Received Positive Feedback
The four sessions of professional introductions, namely "Health Value of Natural Soda Water", "Famous brand of wine-Wuliangye and its series", "Establishing Macau as the World Tourism Centre", and "Amazing Business Value in Natural Crystal Market", attracted professionals from the two regions. Many Macao residents attended the introductions and showed great interest in the business potential presented and the branded products displayed. Active Participation of Locals Boosts Sales and Purchase
On the second day of the event, sales and purchase are increasing along with the visiting flow of the local residents. Exhibitors provide special discount to further stimulate sales. Some of them even demonstrate their latest products on site which have attracted a great number of audiences. An exhibitor selling Singapore gourmets said the positive reaction of the visitor added confidence to their further investment and enhanced the possibility in opening an overseas branch in Macao. Visitors commented that their purchasing impetus was stimulated by the good variety of cuisines sold at reasonable prices at the venue. Some mentioned that the products presented were various with strong characteristics of origin. They would be happy to come back to these branded sellers if they decided to set up retail branches for their branded products in Macao. More Upcoming Excellent and Exciting Activities at the Weekend
The Fair is opened to public from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 30 July (Sat) and 31 July (Sun). On Saturday, five professional introductions will be held and promote a great variety of branded products from Guangdong and Macao. Many special discounts can be found at the booths. Moreover, cultural performances will heat up the venue from 1:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The grand lucky draw will give out prizes between 5:45 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Industrial and business entities, local residents and visitors are welcome to enjoy this exciting and thrilling annual event. Further information is available on the 2011 GMBPF official website http://www.guangdongmacaofair.com. Interested parties may also call +853-87989605 for details of the event.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for June 2011 amounted to MOP623 million, up by 3.3% year-on-year, with value of re-exports (MOP403 million) and domestic exports (MOP220 million) rising by 2.2% and 5.5% respectively; exports of Tobacco & wine soared by 142.0% year-on-year. Total merchandise import amounted to MOP5.10 billion, up by 40.0% year-on-year, of which imports of Buses (MOP125 million) registered an increase of more than 20-fold on account of the coming operation of a new bus company. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP4.48 billion in June 2011. In the second quarter of 2011, total value of merchandise export (MOP1.78 billion) dropped by 1.5% year-on-year, but that of merchandise import (MOP14.79 billion) rose by 40.6%, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP13.01 billion. In the first half year of 2011, total value of merchandise export decreased by 6.3% year-on-year to MOP3.40 billion, of which value of re-exports declined by 10.4%, but that of domestic exports rose by 2.7%; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 37.3% to MOP27.94 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for the first half year of 2011 widened by 46.8% year-on-year to MOP24.54 billion; the exports/imports ratio dropped by 5.7 percentage points year-on-year to 12.2%. Merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP1.43 billion), Mainland China (MOP582 million) and the USA (MOP303 million) in the first half year of 2011 decreased by 12.7%, 0.4% and 21.2% respectively year-on-year; however, exports to the EU (MOP206 million) increased by 2.7%. Exports of Tobacco & wine (MOP315 million) grew by 78.0%, but that of Jewellery (MOP168 million) and Clocks & watches (MOP145 million) decreased by 68.7% and 37.7% respectively; meanwhile, exports of Textile & garment declined by 8.6% to MOP709 million. In the first half year of 2011, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP8.65 billion) and the EU (MOP6.84 billion) expanded by 37.7% and 54.4% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 39.6% to MOP16.91 billion, with imports of Food & beverages (MOP4.04 billion), Gold jewellery (MOP2.64 billion) and Handbags & wallets (MOP1.40 billion) increasing by 35.4%, 77.8% and 111.1% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP4.99 billion) registered year-on-year increase of 69.0%. In the first half year of 2011, total value of merchandise import and export amounted to MOP31.35 billion, up by 30.7% compared with MOP23.98 billion a year earlier.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the total number of licensed motor vehicles reached 200,169 at the end of June 2011, a year-on-year increase of 4%, of which 54% (108,178) were motorcycles and 39% (78,301) were light private cars. New registration of motor vehicles went up by 11% year-on-year to 8,392 in the first half year of 2011, with motorcycles and light private cars accounting for 56% and 40% respectively. In the first half year of 2011, number of traffic accidents rose by 7% year-on-year to 6,879 cases, resulting in 2,684 victims and 4 of them were killed. Cross-border vehicle traffic by land between Macao and Mainland China increased by 9% year-on-year to 2,004,085 vehicle trips in the first half year of 2011, of which vehicle traffic through the Border Gate took up 82%. Commercial flight movements at the Macao International Airport totalled 17,368 in the first half year of 2011, a decrease of 12 flights year-on-year. The major routes were Taiwan, China (34% of total); Mainland China (32%) and Thailand (10%). Helicopter flights between Macao and Hong Kong (8,000) and between Macao and Mainland China (1,896) increased by 11% and 19% respectively. Passenger transport by sea between Macao and Hong Kong totalled 61,364 ferry trips in the first half year of 2011, up by 6% year-on-year. Ferry trips between Macao and Mainland China totalled 12,020, down by 7% year-on-year. In the first half year of 2011, seaborne container throughput totalled 47,980 TEU or 35,721 containers handled, up by 13% and 18% respectively year-on-year. Gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo decreased by 3% year-on-year to 84,260 tonnes, with 1,836 tonnes of transshipment goods. Gross weight of containerized cargo by land decreased by 17% to 17,602 tonnes, including 5,576 tonnes of transit goods. In the first half year of 2011, outward air cargo (11,750 tonnes) and inward air cargo (5,148 tonnes) decreased significantly by 28% and 38% respectively; meanwhile, transit air cargo dropped by 27% year-on-year to 2,323 tonnes. At the end of June 2011, number of mobile telephone users rose by 18% from a year earlier to 1,262,274 whereas fixed-line telephone users decreased by 1% to 167,529. As regards internet services, number of subscribers reached 185,605 and the cumulative duration of usage totalled 246 million hours in the first half year of 2011, up by 19% and 23% respectively.
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The Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey (CPIS), jointly conducted by the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) and the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), is aimed at collecting information on investment by Macao residents in securities issued by unrelated non-residents, in terms of market value and geographical distribution. The results of CPIS for the reference year 2010 are summarised as follows: On 31 December 2010, investment of Macao residents (including individuals, the government and other legal entities but excluding Macao's foreign exchange reserves) in securities issued by unrelated non-residents amounted to MOP125.7 billion at current market value, up by 8.1% from a revised value of MOP116.3 billion at end-2009, a record high value since the inception of this survey in 2002. Among the total, equity securities, long-term debt securities and short-term debt securities were valued at MOP69.6 billion, MOP51.7 billion and MOP4.4 billion respectively. In comparison with the previous year, investment in equity securities, of which mutual funds and investment trust units accounted for MOP16.7 billion, soared by 13.9%. Investment in long-term debt securities rose modestly by 3.6% whereas that in short-term debt securities fell by 16.9%. In terms of geographical distribution, Macao residents' investment in securities issued by entities from Mainland China, including those securities listed on non-Mainland exchanges, surpassed the corresponding investment in Hong Kong entities for the first time, representing 20.5% of the total market value of local residents' portfolio investment outside Macao. The rest was mainly invested in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Cayman Islands, Australia, Luxembourg and Bermuda. Investment in securities issued by entities in the Mainland amounted to MOP25.7 billion, a marked increase of 26.3% or MOP5.3 billion from end-2009. It consisted of MOP22.0 billion in equity securities, MOP3.6 billion in long-term debt securities and MOP0.1 billion in short-term debt securities, constituting 31.6%, 7.0% and 2.8% of the respective total. The share of investment in securities issued by Hong Kong entities fell slightly from 20.2% at end-2009 to 19.5%. However, the corresponding market value increased by 4.1% to MOP24.5 billion, of which the investment in long-term debt securities rose by 7.0% to MOP7.8 billion, accounting for the largest share in the respective securities category, at 15.0%. The share of investment in European securities dropped by 3.6 percentage points from a year earlier to 26.0% and the corresponding market value also fell by 5.0%. Among the European countries, the United Kingdom continued to assume the largest share in the total securities investment (8.3%), with a market value of MOP10.4 billion at end-2010. Meanwhile, portfolio investment in Luxembourg registered a hefty increase of 27.6% whereas investment in French and Dutch securities witnessed notable decreases of 24.1% and 21.6% respectively. The share of US securities held by Macao residents rebounded from 7.7% at end-2009 to 8.1%, and the corresponding market value rose by 13.0% year-on-year to MOP10.2 billion at end-2010. Investment in long-term US debt securities was valued at MOP7.6 billion, representing the second largest share in the respective securities category after Hong Kong. Investment in securities issued by Australian entities grew by 13.8% from one year earlier, bringing the share of Oceanian securities in the total portfolio investment up from 5.0% to 5.5% at end-2010.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, will lead an official delegation to visit Inner Mongolia on Monday to Thursday, at the invitation of the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. A statement by the Government Spokesperson Office said on his first visit to Inner Mongolia as Chief Executive, Mr Chui will meet leaders of Inner Mongolia to explore means of bilateral co-operation and visit Hohhot, Ordos, Manzhouli and Hulunbuir where he will meet officials of the local governments. The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute will sign a co-operation memorandum with the Inner Mongolia Sub-Council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and a business delegation comprising 40 Macao businesspeople will also visit Inner Mongolia together with the official delegation and sign deals on department stores, real estate and beef import with their counterparts. Members of the official delegation will include the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan; the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen; the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng; the Secretary-General of the Executive Council and Advisor of the Office of the Chief Executive, Ms O Lam; the President of Macau Polytechnic Institute, Mr Lei Heong Iok; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; the President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Cheong Chou Weng; the President of Administrative Committee of Macao Foundation, Mr Wu Zhiliang; the Director of the Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region in Beijing, Ms Hong Wai, and a number of members of the Executive Council.
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