News

The 15th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) will be held from 21-24 October, 2010 (Thursday to Sunday) at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. The 15th MIF is organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, co-organised by 4 government departments namely Macao Economic Services Bureau, Macao Government Tourist Office, Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangdong Province, and Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission, and 10 chambers of commerce including Macao Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Association of Macau, Macau Importers and Exporters Association, Association of Knitting and Spinning Industry of Macao, Macau Shipper's Association, Macau Association of Banks, Macao Association of Building Contractors and Developers, The Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Macau, The Macau Chinese Enterprises Association and The Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, partnered with the Permanent Secretariat for the Forum on Economic and Trade Co-operation Between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), International Lusophone Markets Business Association and World Federation of Chinese Entrepreneurs Organization, and coordinated by the Macao Convention & Exhibition Association, Macao Fair & Trade Association, and the Association of Advertising Agents of Macao. After 14 years of continued development, MIF has already become one of the major annual international economic and trade events in Macao. Benefiting from the regional cooperative advantages of Macao and the close ties with Mainland China, Portuguese-speaking countries and the international market, MIF has functioned as a business platform which fosters collaboration and communication of international investment and trades, and explores business opportunities for SMEs. MIF is now an integrated exposition comprised of trade and investment exhibition, high rank political and economic forums, international business and trade conferences, business matching, international purchasing and professional presentation. Over the years, MIF has played an active role in promoting trade and investment of brands, economic co-operation and business information exchange in the region. Last year, MIF has attracted 288 trade and economic delegations from 61 countries with over 60,000 visitors. At the 14th MIF, a total of 1,032 sessions of business matching were conducted, and 60 letters of intent/memorandum/agreements were signed, amounting to approximately MOP 4.3 billion. During the 4-day event, more than 36 forums, conferences, seminars and presentations were held to exchange information and discuss business opportunities. Results were encouraging. This year, the 15th MIF takes the theme of “Cooperation – Key to Business Opportunities” with a view to showcase the diverse economic development and dynamic corporate environment of Macao to local and overseas participants. Positioning Macao as a bridge of economic cooperation and service platform, the 15th MIF aims at promoting regional collaboration by encouraging business cooperation and communication between Macao, China, Portuguese-speaking countries and the ASEAN. It also hopes to assist local and overseas enterprises (especially the SMEs) to broaden market network and explore new opportunities. New measures to promote collaboration
With an emphasis on the theme “Cooperation – Key of Business Opportunities”, the 15th MIF will launch a series of new measures to enhance its functions in recruiting trade visitors, enrich forum and conference content, and strengthen business matching. The measures are designed to reinforce the role of MIF as an investment platform and cultivate more cooperative opportunities. The previous measures were warmly received by local and overseas enterprises during the promotional campaign and drew tremendous attention. ■ Attracting investments with local and overseas projects: as an investment cooperation platform, the 15th MIF incorporates demonstrations of Macao investment projects to foster investment opportunities. The Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai and the Hainan International Tourist Island investment project are among the numerous presentations to attract investors at home and abroad by integrating project display. ■ Themed pavilions to present business opportunities: to facilitate business exchange and matching, the 15th MIF offers various themed pavilions for display and sales with additional themes and expanded scale. Exhibitors will be able to showcase products under specific themes, with unique enterprise image and centralized product display for better promotional effect at the spot. ■Improved “Single-trip, Multi-stop” service for better efficiency: the “Single-trip, Multi-stop” service of the 14th MIF was well-received by the participants and will be continued this year. Trade visitors are encouraged to attend fairs and exhibitions in the region, e.g. the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), and to conduct investment inspection visits to Hengqin of Zhuhai. ■ Fashion shows to encourage contacts along the production chain: the 15th MIF invited relevant parties in Macao to co-organize fashion shows to showcase the dynamics of the fashion industry at home and abroad. Garment producers, brand agencies and designers/design institutes can exchange ideas and cooperate on this platform, which in turn foster contacts and communications along the production chain of the apparel industry.
■Better matching services to attract trade visitors: the 15th MIF puts emphasis on recruiting trade visitors in echo of the theme of “Cooperation – Key to Business Opportunities”. Trade Visitors Incentive Plan for merchandisers, specially-invited trade visitors and trade visitors of the thematic pavilions will be offered and it is expected to receive extensive attention from Macao and overseas visitors once launched. Better exhibition planning to facilitate communication Since the recruitment of exhibitors and trade visitors commenced, local and overseas trade and economic departments, investment promotion institutions, consulates, commerce departments and chambers of commerce have been organizing for exhibitions and the progress is satisfactory. ■ Extended scale and well-defined themes: this year, the scale and content of the MIF will both be upgraded. There will be around 1,200 booths with an exhibition area of approximately 30,000 sqm. The major pavilions will include China’s Provinces and Cities Pavilion, Portuguese-Speaking Countries Pavilion, EU Pavilion, Portugal Pavilion, Macao Pavilion, International Pavilion, Hengqin Investment Project Pavilion, Hainan Investment Project Pavilion, Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion, Small Home Appliances Pavilion, Fashion Show Area, International Convention & Exhibition Pavilion, Enterprises Pavilion and International SME Exhibition, and more. To help SMEs look for new business opportunities, and subsequent to the two successful “SMEs International Business Days” held during the 13th and 14th MIF, the Organiser is expanding the “International SME Exhibition” and enriching its content by adding an array of thematic exhibition areas for this year dedicated to local and overseas SMEs, which will include Taiwan Fine Products Exhibition, Digital Imaging & Photography Equipment Display and Retail Pavilion, and Macao Enterprises Pavilion etc. The Organizer will take an active role in arranging chambers of commerce and enterprises to visit Macao and create rooms of development through the interaction of various network, products, service and technology at the Fair. ■Local and overseas projects on site to attract investment: with a view to enhance the comprehensiveness of investment opportunities for enterprises, the MIF this year will demonstrate cooperation projects in Macao to attract investment. Projects in other regions will also be featured, such as the Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai and the Hainan International Tourist Island investment project, facilitating the collaboration of investment and service industry in the region. Numerous forums and conferences to be held concurrently to promote co-operation Forums and conferences constitute a major feature of MIF. Every year, high ranking and far-sighted speakers make their presence at MIF to deliver talks on specialized subjects and exchange ideas. The forums and conferences planned for this year continue to include top-tier and effective topics with a number of forums focusing on new areas of investors’ concerns. The “International Trade and Investment Forum 2010” will invite high ranking government officials, top management of commercial chambers and business leaders to discuss regional trade and economic co-operation and strategy for industrial development, and “World Summit of Chinese Entrepreneurs” will serve as a platform for Chinese entrepreneurs all over the world and foster multi-regional cooperation. The additional themed forums and conferences are deemed to draw even greater attention of investors. The Organizer planned to co-organize forums on fostering the cooperation between Zhuhai and Macao with governmental departments of Zhuhai, shedding lights on the investment environment and various projects in Hengqin New Area. Meanwhile, forums and presentations on trade and investment cooperation organized by government departments, chambers of commerce and enterprises at home and abroad can also be found at the 15th MIF, which include “Cultural and Creative Industries Forum” and “Cross-Strait Forum on the Development of Printing Industry 2010”. Reinforce early-stage matching to facilitate business cooperation To encourage collaboration and exchange of exhibitors and visitors of the MIF, the Organizer will arrange for an array of business matching services for buyers’ discussion, investment projects and other specialized areas. With a view to enhance effective matching, the Organizer will put more emphasis on the early-stage preparations prior to the MIF and will pre-match the projects through our online business matching service platform, business matching facilitators will offer online services and match suitable businesses in advance. To provide highly efficient and appropriate matching, the Organizer also arranged for on on-site business matching in specialized area and delegations matching services to match with the online effort. A series of buyers’ session and professional presentations are also organized to facilitate more investment and business opportunities. Numerous privileges to SMEs exhibitors
Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute will continue to subsidize local SMEs by offering an array of privileges. 120 booths are already reserved for Macao enterprises in the “International SME Exhibition”. Special privilege for qualified SMEs include: With the 60% subsidies received from the Organiser, the participation charges that cost MOP9,000.00 originally, will be reduced to MOP3,600.00/9 sqm, 10% early bird discount to exhibitors who apply before 30 June, apart from the early bird discount, those who have exhibited at the 12th,13th MIF or 14th MIF, or MIECF or Guangdong Macao Fair or Zhejiang's China Time-honoured Brands and Zhejiang Macao Branded Products Fair 2010 or Macao Franchise Expo will be entitled to an additional 10% discount; non-Macao-resident trade visitor invited by the exhibitor will be entitled to hotel accommodation privileges; each exhibitor can broadcast promotional video for free in 12 “Macao Trade and Invest Kiosks” of the IPIM all over Macao. To encourage more SMEs in Macao to participate in MIF and explore business opportunities, the Organizer has adopted the principles of limited application and priority setting. The allocation of booths will be determined by the drawing of lots. (Please refer to the remarks for details) The Organizer will begin receiving applications for participation and exhibition subsidy for Macao enterprises in the “International SME Exhibition” from Wednesday 23rd June to Wednesday 7th July from 9:00 A.M. to 5:45 P.M. The applicant must apply in person at the 15th MIF Administrative and Service Centre in Macao Business Support Centre located in China Civil Plaza, 20th Floor, Alameda Dr. Carlos de Assumpção no. 263, by submitting the Application Form and the required documents. MIF provides a diverse range of exhibition services
MIF has spared no effort in providing a more comprehensive range of quality services to both local and overseas participants. This year’s MIF will continue to set up on-site service counters which offer travel, postal, telecommunications and on-site transportation services, in order to better facilitate both local and overseas trade visitors. The Organiser will ensure convenience and safety for participants by providing free shuttle buses and official hotels. The “MIF Administrative & Service Centre”, set up to provide a wide range of services to exhibitors and trade visitors at home and abroad at the preliminary stage of recruitment, is located at Macao Business Support Centre (MBSC), on 20th Floor of China Civil Plaza Building, Alameda Dr. Carlos D’Assumpcao no. 263, Macao. For further information about the 15th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF), please contact us at tel: 853-2882 8711, fax: 853-2882 8722, or visit our website at: www.mif.com.mo
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met today with the Vice President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, Dr Guilherme Silva and the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Development of Portugal, Dr José Vieira da Silva. After the meeting in Lisbon, the Chief of the Office of the Chief Executive and Spokesman of the Macao SAR Government, Mr Alexis Tam Chon Weng, told the press that Mr José Vieira da Silva updated Mr Chui and his delegation on the latest economic situation and development. Portugal has oil, wind and solar generated energy and Macao and Portugal would further study the feasibility of co-operation in the energy area, Mr Tam said. Both sides also reviewed Macao’s role as a service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking nations. The China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Co-operation Forum (Macao) Third Ministerial meeting would be held in Macao later this year and Mr Tam said, both parties would strengthen co-operation through such activities. The Chief Executive and his high ranking delegation continued on their seven days visit to Portugal with scheduled meetings with Prime Minister Mr José Socrates, the Minister of Education Ms Isabel Alçada, and the President of the Republic of Portugal Mr Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Composite CPI (104.06) for May 2010 increased by 2.76% year-on-year, attributable to the price increases of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Transport. Price indices of Transport; Miscellaneous Goods & Services; Clothing & Footwear and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rose by 6.60%, 5.66%, 5.55% and 4.94% respectively, on account of dearer prices of unleaded gasoline; motor cars; gold jewellery; men’s and women’s clothing; fresh fish and seafood; and vegetables, as well as higher charges for meals bought away from home. On the contrary, apart from the 9.81% decrease of the price index of Education, lower charges for mobile phone services drove the price index of Communication down by 3.53%. The CPI-A (103.61) and CPI-B (104.24) for May 2010 increased by 2.15% and 2.97% year-on-year respectively. The Composite CPI for May 2010 increased by 0.37% month-to-month, of which the price indices of Clothing & Footwear; and Recreation & Culture rose by 3.16% and 0.96% respectively, attributable to rising price of men’s and women’s clothing and higher charges for outbound package tours. However, price indices of Transport and Communication fell by 1.52% and 0.14% respectively on account of lower prices of gasoline and mobile phone. The average Composite CPI for the first five months of 2010 increased by 1.97% year-on-year. For the 12 months ended May 2010, the average Composite CPI rose by 0.83% from the preceding period. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today (20 June) witnessed the signing of two agreements between Macao and Portugal organisations to promote Macanese cuisine in Europe. Mr Chui, on a seven-day official visit to Portugal, also attended Macau Government Tourist Office’s promotional activities in Lisbon. Tomorrow he is scheduled to meet the Vice-President of Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, Dr Guilherme Silva, and the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Development, Dr José Vieira da Silva.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On today said the opening of an exhibition in Lisbon demonstrated the long-existing and cordial co-operation between Macao and Portugal. He said this at the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, as he officiated the opening of the “Decade of Achievements Exhibition for the 10th Anniversary of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) in Portugal” in Lisbon. In a speech, Mr Chui said the exhibition displayed the achievements of Macao and the implementation of the principles of ‘One country, two systems’, ‘Macao people governing Macao’ and a high degree of autonomy, as well as the life styles of Macao people since the establishment of the Macao SAR, and Macao’s growing co-operation with Portugal. After the ceremony, Mr Chui met some Macao students studying in Portugal and urged them to study hard and to return and serve Macao after graduation. As for the law students, he urged them to accumulate more experience in their work in order to become excellent law professionals. After the meeting, Mr Chui hosted a reception for the students. Mr Chui and his delegation are on a seven-day official visit to Portugal. They also visited Cape Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, and watched a performance of a Macao dragon dance team.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, and the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Mr Luís Filipe Marques Amado, jointly announced today that Macao and Portugal would hold a meeting in Macau to enhance co-operation towards the end of this year. On arrival in Lisbon, Mr Chui and the high ranking official delegation held a working meeting with Mr Amado and their Portuguese counterparts to exchange opinions on enhancing mutual co-operation. Mr Chui and Mr Marques Amado jointly met the press after the meeting. Mr Chui said the Portuguese had a long history in Macao and that they were one of the most important parts that made up Macao. He said as there was an increasing number of Portuguese enterprises in Macao, the SAR Government would continuously and dedicatedly act as a service platform that would help them open new markets in China. Mr Chui also said the Government would continually give support to the Portuguese School in Macao. The School was very important to the Portuguese community and the Government would invest more resources to support its future development. He re-iterated that the Government would not interfere in its internal affairs. The Foreign Minister said he was happy to receive Mr Chui and the Macao delegation; he said Mr Chui’s maiden trip as Chief Executive would definitely strengthen the relationship between Macao and Portugal. Portugal valued very highly the relationship with China, Mr Amado said, and his country would make use of Macao, which has been performing an important role on economic and political aspects, to strengthen co-operation with China. Under “The Co-operation Framework Agreement between the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Portuguese Republic”, Macao and Portugal would hold a meeting in Macao at the end of this year to discuss bilateral co-operation on business, tourism, education and culture, he said, adding that he hoped the meeting would be held every year. During the visit, Mr Chui officiated the opening of the “Macao week in Lisbon” to promote Macao.
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A partir da tarde do dia 12 até às 18h00 da tarde do dia 18 de Junho, os Serviços de Saúde foram notificados de um total de 24 casos de infecção por enterovírus. Até ao momento, registaram-se em Macau, cumulativamente, 554 casos de infecção por enterovírus. Dos novos casos registados, 12 são de ambos os sexos, com idades entre os 7 meses e os 12 anos e 9 meses. Para além disso, dois casos classificados como casos suspeitos, nomeadamente, um bebé com 1 ano e 4 meses e outro com 1 ano e 10 meses, estão internados no Centro Hospitalar Conde de São Januário e encontram-se em condição estável. Até ao presente, não se registou nenhum caso com complicações.
Desde o dia 12 até ao dia 18 de Junho, nenhum caso foi notificado de infecção colectiva por enterovírus em estabelecimento de ensino ou creche.
Os Serviços de Saúde continuam a acompanhar com estreita atenção o desenvolvimento da situação epidemiológica e sublinham que a maioria dos doentes infectados por enterovírus pode recuperar por si próprio. Contudo, uma parte muito reduzida dos infectados pode sofrer de complicações fatais. Macau nesta altura já se encontra no pico da estação epidémica de enterovírus, motivo pelo qual se apela aos pais, alunos e pessoal das instituições educativas e lares para tomarem as medidas preventivas de enterovírus.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP158.3 billion (USD19.72 billion) at the end of May 2010. The reserves rose by 0.6% from MOP157.3 billion (USD19.66 billion) for the previous month. When compared with a year earlier, the reserves increased by MOP17.6 billion or 12.5%. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-May 2010 represented 31 times the currency in circulation or 262.1% of Pataca M2 at end-April 2010. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency’s exchange rates against the currencies of Macao’s major trading partners, rose by 1.21 points month-to-month and 0.45 points year-on-year to 91.79 in May 2010. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today he hoped his current visit to Portugal would further strengthen the friendship and bilateral co-operations between the two places. Mr Chui, who was leading a 60-member delegation to Lisboa, was speaking to reporters at the ferry terminal before he left for Hong Kong for his flight to Portugal. He said that based on the good foundation of a co-operation agreement inked in 2001 between Macao and Portugal, this visit would help step up co-operation, as well as reinforcing Macao’s function as a platform for Portugal and Portuguese-speaking nations. During the seven-day visit, Mr Chui will meet the President of Portugal, Mr Aníbal Cavaco Silva, and the Prime Minister of Portugal, Mr José Sócrates.
Members of the delegation included the President of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Lau Cheok Va, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Cheong U, and a number of local entrepreneur.
The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan will be the acting Chief Executive while Mr Chui is away.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, money
supply M2 witnessed a slight increase in April. As loans grew at a faster pace than deposits, the loan-to-
deposit ratio continued to rise. Money supply
Currency in circulation decreased 1.2% whereas demand deposits increased 1.5%. M1 thus rose 1.1% compared with the previous month. Meanwhile, quasi-monetary liabilities increased slightly by 0.3%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, grew 0.4% to MOP216.9 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 26.2% and 9.9% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 27.8%, down 0.3 percentage points over a month ago or 0.4 percentage points from a year earlier. Concurrently, the share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 54.6%, unchanged from the previous month but up 1.1 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits rose 0.5% from the previous month to MOP211.8 billion. Of which, MOP deposits declined 0.8% while HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits grew at respective rates of 0.5% and 2.2%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits increased by 0.5% to MOP73.3 billion while public sector deposits with the banking sector dropped 2.0% to MOP15.7 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector rose 0.3% from the previous month to MOP300.8 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.3% and 46.4% respectively. Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector expanded 1.1% in April to MOP106.2 billion. Among which, MOP31.6 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP67.9 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 29.7% and 63.9% of the total respectively. Meanwhile, external loans grew 1.7% to MOP108.0 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.8% (MOP0.9 billion) and 40.2% (MOP43.4 billion) of the total respectively. Loan-to-deposit ratios
As domestic loans to the private sector rose at a faster pace than resident deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio
for the resident sector at end-April 2010 rose 0.4 percentage points month-to-month to 46.7%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors stood at 71.2%, up 0.7 percentage points.
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