News

Organized by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and co-organized by Hong Kong Commercial Radio, “A World of Difference, the Difference is Macau” roadshow was held at “apm” concourse today, attracting a substantial number of satisfying audiences. Engineer João Manuel Costa Antunes, Director of MGTO and Coordinator of Macau Grand Prix Committee (MGPC), Ms. Helena Fernandes, Deputy Director of MGTO, Ms. Davina Chu, Deputy Coordinator of MGPC, and Mr. Charles Lo Keng Chio, Coordinator of Marketing and Advertising Subcommittee of MGPC, officiated the event. Representatives from MGTO, MGPC and Macau travel trade also attended the event. Autumn and winter in Macau have always been two exciting seasons with an array of amusing events – Macau 2005 4th East Asian Games, 52nd Macau Grand Prix, 17th International Fireworks Display Contest and etc. Moreover, “the Historic Centre of Macao”, which has been inscribed on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List earlier this year, will become a new focus for tourist attraction. MGTO took the opportunity to promote all these attractive tourist elements to Hong Kong people through this roadshow. In order to show to the audience “the Historic Centre of Macao”, a travel route with all the major spots displayed was set up in the venue. Besides, there was an exhibition of a touring car which has participated in the Guia Race of the 51st Macau Grand Prix, and a game booth of GT4 Prologue racing game to create a festive atmosphere of Macau Grand Prix. Information of other Macau events could also be found from other booths and panel displays. The organizer has also arranged an on-stage performance featuring pop singers Denise Ho, Stephy Tang, Niki Chow, Yan Ng and EO2. They sang songs and played games with the audience. In addition, rider, Mr Lo Ka Kit, was also invited on stage to share his on-track experience with the audience. The show entertained over 100,000 audiences during the day. Information links:
The Historic Centre of Macao: http://www.macauheritage.net/mherit/indexC.asp
Macau Grand Prix: http://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/mgpc/public_html/
East Asian Games http://www.east-asian-games2005.com/cn/
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The Macao Special Administrative Region Government and the Central People's Government today (21 October) signed a supplementary agreement to further liberalising the scope of the Mainland and Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).
The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, and the Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Liao Xiaoqi, signed the agreement and two appendices this afternoon, after the High Level Meeting of the Joint Steering Committee under CEPA. Under the supplementary agreement, the Mainland will give all products of Macao origin tariff free treatment starting next year, upon the CEPA rules of origin (ROOs) being agreed and met. In addition, The ROOs for 91 products covered under this phase of CEPA have already been confirmed, making the total of Macao-origin products enjoying tariff free treatment to 600. The 91 products were proposed by Macao enterprises, mainly in the categories of textiles (47 products), metal wares (11 products) and plastic materials (10 products). Other products include spectacles frames, spirit, water and foodstuff. On the trade of service, new liberalisation measures would be applied to nine areas which are already open to operators in Macao, including legal, accounting, audio-visual, construction, distribution, banking, tourism, transport and individual owned stores. Meanwhile, The total number of areas opened to operators from Macao remains at 26. Mr Liao Xiaoqi said after the signing ceremony that this would further promote the economic development between Macao and the Mainland. As the agreement was open, further liberalisation would be considered in accordance to the development in the future. Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen said that CEPA provided an outlook for the diversification of Macao’s economy and an open agreement meant there was no limit to new development. He urged Macao businessmen to look for more opportunities in the Mainland prescribed by the CEPA.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that total number of visitor arrivals was 1,453,325 in September 2005, up 10.7% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, China increased 8.4%, 14.4% and 2.4% respectively. Meanwhile, same-day visitors accounted for 51.0% of the total arrivals, at 740,795. The majority of visitors came from Mainland China (54.8% of the total), Hong Kong (30.8%) and Taiwan, China (8.3%). Among the Mainland visitors, 386,029 (48.4%) travelled to Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme. In the first nine months of 2005, visitor arrivals totalled 13,774,455, up 13.0% over the same period of last year. Visitors from Mainland China increased 9.8% to 7,641,105 (55.5% of the total), with 3,920,926 arriving in Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme. Moreover, visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan, China shared 30.4% (4,184,067) and 8.3% (1,142,042) of the total arrivals respectively. Same-day visitors accounted for 52.0% of the total, at 7,169,213. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by sea went up 5.4% year-on-year to 4,924,945 in the first nine months of 2005, with 4,795,528 arriving at the Outer Harbour (+4.8%); the majority of these visitors were from Hong Kong (60.2%) and Mainland China (28.9%). Visitor arrivals at the Inner Harbour rose 33.8% to 129,417, within which 68.9% were from Mainland China. In the first nine months of 2005, arrivals by land increased 16.8% to 8,067,883, with 7,458,506 arriving through the Border Gate. The majority of these visitors came from Mainland China (76.8%) and Hong Kong (16.5%). Visitor arrivals through the Checkpoint of CoTai were 609,377. In addition, arrivals by air were 781,627, up 28.6% compared with the same period of last year, with 773,389 arriving at the Macao International Airport (+29.9%). Visitors from Taiwan, China (70.0%) and Mainland China (15.8%) were the major users of this access.
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As Macau makes its mark in international motor racing circles as the standard of its “home grown” competitors continues to rise, two more drivers will join Andre Couto for the grand finale of the newest FIA World Championship in the FIA WTCC LG – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A on November 17-20. Asian Touring Car Championship racer, team owner and instructor, Ao Chi Hong, will be at the wheel of his Ao’s Racing Team BMW 320i, while Lei Chong Seng, who finished an impressive 8th overall in last year’s SJM Guia Race at Macau (and top South East Asian driver), will drive a Honda Civic Type-R. Said Ao: “Although Macau does not have a large population, we have several racing drivers who compete at regional level all season, and I am extremely proud to be amongst them. Of course, for any Macau driver, it would be a privilege to compete in an FIA World Championship, and the fact that the final round of the inaugural season will be held right here in Macau makes it even more special.” Ao began racing in 1992 in Macau’s ACP Trophy Race, before briefly moving to single seater racing and Formula Campus. He has been competing in touring cars for the last six years, finishing 9th overall in the 2002 SJM Guia Race, and 3rd in the Asian Touring Car Series Division 1 in 2003 and 2004. Ao also dedicates much of his time to developing the skills of both drivers and engineers in Macau and Mainland China. Lei began his career on two wheels, moving to saloon car racing in 1992, when he finished 2nd in Macau’s ACP Trophy Race. In 1996, he was 3rd in the Macau Cup event, and has also competed in endurance events in Korea and Malaysia, as well as the Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macau Touring Car series. This year, he has been competing in the Hong Kong and Macau Touring Car Championships where he is a front runner, and is also looking forward to the challenge of going head-to-head with the world’s leading touring car experts: “Last year, several of this season’s FIA WTCC drivers came to Macau to compete, and I was very pleased to finish in 8th position against such experienced drivers. I will certainly be doing my very best for Macau next month!” The FIA WTCC LG – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. is scheduled to begin at 11:40am on Sunday, November 20, and will be run over two races of nine laps each. Further information can be found at www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo
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The Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, stressed today that both efficiency and quality must be observed in the judicial process facing the new challenges created by rapid development. Mr Ho, speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2005/2006 Judicial Year, said that some of Macao's laws had yet to adapt to the rapid development, which would definitely give rise to more intense conflicts. It was predictable that the Judiciary would face many new tasks and a heavier workload. Thus it was up to everyone, including the Judiciary to find a way to deal with the situation feasibly, he said. ''Certainly, we must clearly realise that efficiency and quality are the two faces of the same coin and it is certainly our goal to achieve harmony between the two,'' said Mr Ho. ''We should not ignore quality in the pursuit of efficiency or to sacrifice justice and impartiality of law in exchange for performances that could not stand the test of time''. He said that faced with rapid development, judges should understand the reasonable aspirations of the public and be committed to solve situations of incompatibility between the pre-occupation of the public and the reality prescribed by the law. Mr Ho urged the judges, judicial staff and academics to contribute more to the usage of Chinese in the judiciary, without compromising the rigidity of law, or judicial quality and efficiency. In the past judicial year, the establishment of the Court for Minor Civil Cases and the processing of civil and criminal cases in separate courts demonstrated the Judiciary's efforts to enhance the operation of the courts, he said. Mr Ho said the Macao SAR Basic Law was the source of SAR's judicial power, and he was glad to see that the courts and the Public Prosecutor's Office exercised their power independently and put into practice the ''One Country Two System'' policy. At the same ceremony, the President of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Sam Hou Fai, said that in the previous judicial year, Macao had made significant progress in the reorganisation of the judicial system as well as the training of judges, prosecutors and judicial assistants and had increased the use of Chinese in the courts. The Prosecutor General, Mr Ho Chio Meng said that like many other countries and regions, we are faced with two challenges: first, the incompatibility between social development and the law and second, limited resources and the growth of demand in the judicial process. He said that to fulfill the public's expectation to the Judiciary efficiently and impartially was the issue that needs to be addressed most urgently. Both Sam Hou Fai and Ho Chio Meng said that it was necessary to enhancing the Judiciary's efficiency and quality.
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Macau's Andre Couto, the only local winner so far of the prestigious Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix in 2000, is confirmed as the fifth driver in the Alfa Romeo 156 works team for the final round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Macau on November 17-20. Couto will join fellow Alfa Romeo drivers Briton James Thompson, Brazil's Augusto Farfus Jr, and the Italian duo of Gabriele Tarquini and Championship contender Fabrizio Giovanardi, in the FIA WTCC LG – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Sociedade de Jogos de Macau. S.A. No stranger to Macau's demanding 6.2km street circuit, Couto has competed both in single seaters and, in recent years, in the region's premier touring car race. Neither is he a stranger to Alfa Romeo, racing in Macau in 2003 in a 147 in the SJM Guia Race, taking pole position for Leg One. Said the 29-year-old: "It is a tremendous honour for me to be flying the flag for Macau amongst the best touring car drivers in the world. I am certainly relishing the prospect of competing in the final round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship next month in front of my fellow Macau residents who are always so supportive of my racing career." Having started racing in karts, Couto competed in the Formula Opel Euro Series in 1995, before graduating to Formula 3 the following year. In 1998, he made the step up to International F3000. In 2001, he competed in the Japan GT Championship and Formula Nippon, and joined the Formula Nissan World Series in 2002. He contested the FIA European Touring Car Championship in 2003, before competing in the Japan GT Championship – this year re-named the Super GT Series – for the last two years. Macau has produced a number of "home grown" drivers and riders, many of whom are now competing at a regional level such as single seater young-gun Rodolfo Avila for whom Couto has been an inspiration and mentor. The FIA WTCC LG – Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Sociedade de Jogos de Macau. S.A. will be held on Sunday, November 20, beginning at 11:40am. Further information may be found on the Official Macau Grand Prix Website at www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo
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In line with the Macau Grand Prix Committee’s pledge to constantly seek new and more exciting avenues through which to promote South East Asia’s most established international motorsport event, the Macau Grand Prix Committee and the Macau Government Tourist Office had the last weekend for the fist time a major promotion at the Formula 1 Grand Prix of China in Shanghai. Inside the 382 square metre area, in a prime position to attract the thousands of visitors to the event, the pit garages were recreated and contained the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix-winning cars of Michael Schumacher (winner in 1990), David Coulthard (1991) and Takuma Sato (2001), on loan from the Macau Grand Prix Museum. In addition, visitors also had a chance to get close to a selection of touring cars plus the motorcycles of two-wheel legends Ron Haslam and Michael Rutter. Racing girls were hand to add to the atmosphere and to make family photographs all the more special. As well as recreating the excitement of the Macau Grand Prix, the exhibit also highlighted the Historic Centre of Macau, newly inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in July this year. With so many friends of the Macau Grand Prix in the Formula 1 paddock – from drivers and race officials to reporters and photographers – the President of the FIA, Max Mosley, FIA Formula 1 World Championship and Macau Grand Prix Race Director Charles Whiting, FIA Steward and Macau Grand Prix Steward Tony-Scott Andrews, FIA Scrutineer and Macau Grand Prix Scrutineer Jo Bauer, Red Bull Racing David Coulthard and BAR Honda F1 driver Takuma Sato came to visit the exhibit. Mr. Shi Tianshu, President of the Federation of Automobile Sports of China, and Mr. Yuzifei, General Manager of the Shanghai International Circuit Management and Development Co. Ltd visited the booth.
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Information from Statistics and Census Service indicated that Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the third quarter of 2005 was 108.06, up by 0.16% over the previous quarter. Due to rising prices in cosmetics, hotel guest rooms and jewellery, indices of Medicine and personal goods, Accommodation and Miscellaneous goods rose by 1.45%, 0.55% and 0.50% respectively. On the other hand, Clothing and footwear was the only section that recorded a drop (-2.45%) in the index, which was resulted from reduced prices in summer clothing and footwear. Compared with the third quarter of 2004, TPI rose by 1.59% in this quarter, of which notable increases were recorded in the indices of Restaurant service (+4.02%), Medicine and personal goods (+3.65%), as well as Entertainment and culture (+3.19%). In addition, the average TPI for the four quarters ended in the third quarter of 2005 surged by 3.19% over the previous period. TPI is an indicator used to reflect the price changes of goods and services purchased by visitors, which is compiled based on the consumption pattern of visitors derived from the Visitor Expenditure Survey. TPI covers 8 sections of goods and services, namely Food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco, Clothing and footwear, Accommodation, Restaurant service, Transport and communications, Medicine and personal goods, Entertainment and culture, as well as Miscellaneous goods. The base year of TPI is from July 1999 to June 2000.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, has written the State Council offering his congratulations on the successful launch and smooth return of the Shenzhou VI manned spacecraft. Mr Ho, on behalf of the Macao SAR Government and the people of Macao, extended the warmest congratulations and highest regards to the motherland and all the participants in the Shenzhou VI mission, astronauts Mr Fei Junlong and Mr Nie Haisheng, and everyone who had contributed directly or indirectly to the mission. The mission not only demonstrated the great strength of the motherland, its advance technology and the excellence of the nation’s elites “but also demonstrated the selfless, fearless and the challenging spirit of the Chinese nation,” Mr Ho said. He said the successes of the country’s space missions offered great enlightenments for the people of Macao. Mr Ho stressed that the excellent qualities demonstrated by the space missions, such as scientific and practical approach, the urge to improve and challenge oneself, the bravery to undertake responsibilities and risks for a great achievement, was the driving force for the success of “One Country Two Systems”, which gave rise to the developments of Macao SAR. Mr Ho also suggested in his letter to the State Council that he would like to invite to Macao the astronauts and the team who mastered the project, so they could share their experience with the people here.
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Beginning tomorrow, October 17, at 6:30 pm, in the Legal and Judicial Training Centre (Luso-International Bank Building, 10th floor), is a Seminar on “Tourism and Gaming Law”, included in the Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao. This seminar will take place daily, between 6:30 and 8:30 pm, until Friday, October 21, and will have as its speaker Fernando Martínez Sanz, Professor at the University Jaume I de Castelló, in Spain. Throughout the five days, several subjects will be approached included in two modules dedicated, respectively, to “Tourism Law” and “Some Topics on Gaming Law”. Under the title of “Tourism Law”, beside the introduction, will be discussed the following topics: “European Law in the field of Tourism: Protection of consumers”, “Time sharing: directive 94/47/EC, 26.10.1994. Basic problems”, “Package holidays and package tours: directive 90/314/EEC, 13.06.1990” and “Management Agreements – ‘Hotel management’ and ‘Theme parks and recreation facilities’”. Under the title of “Some Topics on Gaming Law”, after the introduction, will be discussed the following topics: “Casinos – ‘Licences: brief reference’ and ‘Refusal of acceptance’”, “Gaming and liberalisation: Lotteries and State monopoly” and “Gaming and Internet: problems and solutions – ‘Obstacles to transnational bets’ and ‘The position of the European authorities’”. The seminar is organised by the Legal and Judicial Training Centre and will be conducted in English. It specially targets law degree holders, entrepreneurs and economists, having around 40 local participants registered to attend. The Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao, in which this seminar is integrated, has as its main objective the “Consolidation of the Macao Legal System”. Currently in its fourth year of execution, the Co-operation Programme will proceed until February 2007. The total budget for the programme is of 1.980.000 euros, shared in equal parts by the European Union and Macao. The co-ordination of the Co-operation Programme is at the responsibility of the International Law Office, being the organisation of the pertaining activities ensured by several other entities of the MSAR’s Government, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Economic Services and the Institute of European Studies, other than the International Law Office itself.
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