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Macao would adopt different measures to promote the use of public transport, at the same time “greening” the transportation system, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, said today. Mr Lau was in France for an eight-day fact-finding visit to study the country’s transportation systems, especially the light rail rapid transit system, transit facilities and the bicycle rental programme. He said his preliminary opinion was that it was possible for Macao to introduce the travellator, a kind of conveyor belt-like system used in airports and ferry terminals including in Macao, for the movement of people, to complement other transportation means. In the visit that began on September 16, Mr Lau and his delegation went to Paris, Lyon, and historic cities such as Avignon, Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Cannes and Nice, where they studied these cities’ measures to balance the needs of transportation and conservation of the old districts. Mr Lau and his delegation returned to Macao today.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government will organize an Academic Research Lecture in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Auditorium (Edifício do Instituto Cultural, Tap Seac Square, Macao) at 6:30pm on September 28 (Friday). Dr. He Sibing from Miami University will give a lecture on “Macao in the Making of Early Sino-US Relations, 1784-1844”. In the late eighteenth century, American merchants in the Canton Trade formed a trade-centered community in Macao that became the first Sino-American meeting place. The following century witnessed a significant expansion of American economic interests in East Asia. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the China trade, which ranked third in importance for the United States, surpassed only by trade with England and Cuba, evinced the preeminent role of commerce in American relations with that region. American trade with China was indeed the cardinal nexus out of which Sino-US diplomacy and missionary activity ultimately evolved. In 1844, the first Chinese-American treaty was signed at Kun Iam Temple in Wangxia, a village on the outskirts of the Portuguese settlement of Macao. This agreement, which included the most-favored-nation clause and extraterritoriality, created a mechanism that was to infringe China’s sovereignty for nearly a century to come. In this process, as a traditional entrepôt and the sole European settlement on the China coast, Macao functioned as a nexus between the old Celestial Empire and the emerging imperial state in the new continent, playing a pivotal role in the evolution of early Sino-US relations. This lecture provides a sketch of Macao’s role in the evolution of Sino-US relations during these formative years. It begins by reviewing the position of Macao during the period of the Canton trading system, from the arrival of the first trading vessel from America, the Empress of China, in 1784 to the conclusion of the Anglo-Chinese Opium War in 1842. It then examines the international status of Macao and Wangxia on the eve of the signing of the first treaty between the United States and China, in order to explain why the two governments opted to negotiate and conclude the treaty at that place. It also reveals the diplomatic role the leading American firm, Russell and Company, played in the interactions between Chinese and Americans, and finally discusses the historical implications of the Wangxia Treaty from the comparative perspective of international law. He Sibing obtained a Ph.D in US Diplomatic History from Miami University, USA, in 1997 upon the completion of his doctoral dissertation “Russell and Company, 1818-1891: America’s Trade and Diplomacy in Nineteenth-Century China”. His academic researches include Sino-US relations, overseas Chinese studies and space policy. He is currently the executive editor of Newsletter on Overseas Chinese Studies published by the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library. He has taught courses in international affairs at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and was also the editor of Space Age Publishing Company, Kona, Hawaii, USA from 2000 to 2003. He Sibing has published a number of articles related to international relations, which include his book History of the Philippine Chinese, coauthored with Huang Zisheng, Guangdong Higher Education Press, 1st edition, 1987; enlarged edition to be published in 2007 (in Chinese) and the dissertations “Macao in the Making of Sino-US Relations: From the Empress of China to the Treaty of Wangxia, 1784-1844”, “Russell & Company and America’s Trade with Canton in the 19th Century” and “The Philippine Chinese and Sino-Philippine Relations in the Nineteenth Century.” This research topic was awarded a grant in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Academic Research Grant. The lecture will be given in Mandarin with Cantonese, Portuguese and English simultaneous interpretation. Entrance is free. For further details, please contact Ms. Chu of the Macao Historical Archives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 5986544.
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Macao has suspended the import of poultry and related products from a wide area in Panyu where avian influenza has been confirmed. A member of the Management Committee of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Mr Ng Peng In, said at a press conference this afternoon that the suspension, which went into effect yesterday, would be for a period of 21 days. He said this would cover all farms and processing plants producing live poultry, frozen meat and related products within eight kilometres of the location of the outbreak. However, he stressed that supply should not be affected since live poultry and frozen meat imported to Macao is largely produced in farms and processing plants in Zhuhai, Gaoming, Doumen, Shenzhen and Zhaoqing, far away from the outbreak location. Mr Ng said despite this, the Government would continue to liaise closely with related departments on the Mainland and implement all necessary inspection and control measures.
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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 of Macao (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 of 2006 are summarised as follows: On 31 December 2006, the 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 MOP83.2 billion at current market value, up 25.6% or MOP16.9 billion from 2005. Of this, equity securities, long-term debt securities and short-term debt securities were valued at MOP28.8 billion, MOP48.8 billion and MOP5.6 billion respectively. In comparison with the previous year, the investment in equity securities and long-term debt securities soared by 27.4% and 30.2% respectively whereas that in short-term debt securities fell by 8.6%. The investment in securities issued by Hong Kong entities accounted for the largest share, representing 18.7% of the total market value of Macao residents’ portfolio investment abroad. The rest was mainly invested in the United States (11.7%), Mainland China (9.8%), the United Kingdom (8.8%), the Netherlands (6.7%), Australia (6.0%), Germany (5.2%) and the Cayman Islands (4.2%). The market value of investment in securities issued by Hong Kong entities reached MOP15.6 billion, an increase of 10.2% or MOP1.4 billion from 2005. Among these securities held by Macao residents, equities accounted for MOP7.5 billion, long-term debt securities MOP6.9 billion and short-term debt securities MOP1.2 billion, constituting 26.0%, 14.2% and 21.5% of the total in the corresponding categories. On the other hand, the investment in securities issued by Mainland Chinese entities remained on the rise. The respective market value more than doubled from a year ago, and its share in the total securities investment rose from 6.1% in 2005 to 9.8% in 2006. Among the three types of securities issued by Mainland Chinese entities, equities skyrocketed by 170.4%, making up 22.7% of the total value of equity securities. The share of investment in European securities increased slightly from 34.4% in 2005 to 34.9% in 2006. As major European currencies strengthened against the US dollar during the survey period, the market value of investment in European securities rose by more than 60%. Although the market value of British securities investment fell by 11.0% over one year earlier to MOP7.3 billion, the United Kingdom still accounted for the largest share among all European countries or regions. In the meantime, Macao residents’ investment in securities issued by entities from the Netherlands grew significantly by 146.9% to MOP5.6 billion. The United States remained the largest debt securities issuer in the globe. At end-2006, the market value of US securities held by Macao residents reached MOP9.8 billion, up 9.9% over the same period of 2005. Long-term US debt securities were valued at MOP8.5 billion, accounting for the largest share in the respective category. Partly attributed to the strong Australian dollar, the market value of investment in Australian securities rebounded 14.5% from 2005 to MOP5.0 billion. The investment was mainly concentrated in debt securities; of which, long-term debt securities rose 14.8% from the previous year to MOP3.9 billion, while short-term debt securities advanced by 8.1% to MOP0.9 billion. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department
Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel：3952532Fax：28353042)
19 September 2007
(Detailed report on CPIS2006 is available on: http://www.amcm.gov.mo/publicaton/Publication.htm) Annex Table
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The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will hold the 36th Session of its Assembly from 18 to 28 September 2007 in its headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The meeting will be attended by delegates from ICAO’s 190 Contracting States and aviation-related international organizations, who will meet to discuss ICAO’s activities in the past three years and approve the work programme and the budget of ICAO for the period 2008 to 2010. The Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) will participate in the meeting as members of the Chinese Delegation. The themes for the meeting will include aviation safety and security, air navigation and environmental protection. In addition, the meeting will also discuss air transport policies, and various economic, medical and legal issues related with aviation. Being a specialized body of the United Nations and the global forum for civil aviation, ICAO aims at enhancing the safety and the sustainable development of civil aviation through cooperation with its member states. The Assembly is held every three years so that participants can gather and discuss issues on enhancing global civil aviation safety and security, minimizing the adverse effect of civil aviation on the environment, enhancing the efficiency of and maintaining the continuity of aviation operations, as well as strengthening laws that govern international civil aviation. AACM delegates include the President, Mr. Chan Weng Hong and representatives from air transport and international relations, airport infrastructure and air navigation, airworthiness, flight standards and licensing.
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HATA (Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents) 35th Annual Overseas Convention kicked off today at the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel attended by a record of more than 300 members, representing around 100 travel agencies in Hong Kong and Macau. On a welcome speech to the convention, director of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) João Manuel Costa Antunes said that Macau has entered into a new era, emphasizing that to keep the current success, quality of tourism services needs to be a top priority. “Macau’s tourism industry is thriving. We have worked very hard to achieve what we are witnessing now: the diversification of our tourist product. Macau has now a product offer that justifies a few day’s visit”, Costa Antunes pointed out. But the MGTO director emphasized that, in these booming times, quality of services must be a priority of the tourism industry, in order to attract tourists to repeat their visit to Macau and to extend their length of stay. “The current success did not come overnight”, he stressed, referring to the UNESCO listing of The Historic Centre of Macau along with the development of the conventions and exhibitions industry. Regarding the plans for the development of the MICE industry, Costa Antunes noted that in April 2006, the Macau Business Tourism Centre, under MGTO, was created, to perform the functions of many conventions bureaux in other cities and countries. The chairlady of HATA, Lily Agonoy, told the convention that this is the perfect time to host the meeting of the association in Macau, due to its fast development. “We selected Macau as many of us have been witnessing Macau develop its fascinating entertainment and tourism business. The theme of our Convention ‘Macau: Friend or Foe?’ on which we want to explore collaborating business opportunities for MICE and Leisure with our Macau partners,” Lily Agonoy said, during the one day long meeting. The HATA 35th Annual Overseas Convention, which is attended by guests and speakers of Hong Kong and Macau including also MGTO Deputy Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Venetian Macau Resort Hotel President Mark Brown, Senior Vice-President for Destination Marketing Aliana Ho, Macau Tourism Development Commission member Eva Lou, Air Macau Co. Ltd CEO. David Fei, Vice Chairman of HATA Paul Leung, HATA 35th Annual Overseas Convention Chairman, Jason Shum, Federation of Hotel Owners Executive Director Michael Li JP, Swire Travel Service Ltd. Managing Director Andrew Leung, Shun Tak – China Travel Ship Management Ltd Deputy General Manager Anna Hong and Associated Tours Ltd Vice President Ken Chang. The Annual Overseas Convention features keynote speeches, product updates, workshop and panel discussion where travel agents from Hong Kong and Macau can gain updates on the development of the tourism industry while enhancing connections with their counterparts. This year is the 50th anniversary since the founding of HATA, which has chosen Macau to host its annual overseas convention to celebrate its golden jubilee. HATA has a total of 260 members, representing 70% of the travel agents in Hong Kong. Its members include outbound travel operators, inbound travel operators and ticketing agents. HATA hosted its first annual overseas convention in Macau in 1972. This press release is available on MGTO’s website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/en/emagazine/press.php
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The Statistics and Census Service released the results of the Manpower Needs and Wages Survey for the second quarter of 2007. The survey coverage includes Wholesale & retail trade; Transport, storage & communications; Security activities; and Public sewage & refuse disposal activities, but excludes the own-account workers engaging in these industries. The survey results were extrapolated based on the data obtained from 843 statistical units successfully interviewed, given as follows: At the end of the second quarter of 2007, a total of 21,841 paid employees were working in Wholesale & retail trade, up by 9.6% over the same period of 2006, with 11,996 working in Retail trade. The average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) for full-time employees in June 2007 was MOP 7,700, representing a year-on-year increase of 13.3%. Sales representatives and Salespersons earned an average of MOP 9,489 and MOP 6,244 respectively. Transport, storage & communications took on 7,388 paid employees, which rose by 9.3% compared with the second quarter of 2006. In June 2007, the average earnings for full-time employees in this sector increased by 4.7% to MOP 13,490. The average for Passenger vehicle/truck drivers in Land transport was MOP 11 486. Security activities had 3,640 paid employees, up by 16.4% year-on-year. The average earnings in June 2007 was MOP 6,205, up by 16.7% over the same month of 2006, with Security guards earning MOP 5,795 in average. There were 590 paid employees working in Public sewage & refuse disposal activities, up by 12.4% compared with the second quarter of 2006; the average earnings in June 2007 increased by 6.5% year-on-year to MOP 10,462. At the end of June 2007, Wholesale & retail trade reported to have 4,328 job vacancies, of which 2,533 were in Retail trade. In addition, Security activities; and Transport and storage & communications had 1,218 and 1,201 vacancies respectively. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 61.0% of the vacant posts in Wholesale & retail trade and 40.1% in Transport, storage & communications required working experience. Furthermore, the majority of the vacant posts in the above mentioned industries required junior secondary or lower in educational attainment, while 85.8% of the vacancies in Security activities required primary education only. As regard the language skill, besides Cantonese, 48.3% of the vacancies in Wholesale & retail trade required Mandarin.
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“Wynn Macau – 19th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest” kicks off today (September 15) as the fireworks teams from the United Kingdom and Korea light up the sky of Macau with splendid fireworks. Director of Macau Government Tourist Office João Manuel Costa Antunes and President of Wynn Macau Ian Coughlan officiated the opening ceremony at the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza. Held on September 15, 22, 25, 29 and October 1 at the sea area across the Macau Tower, Wynn Macau – 19th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest has attracted ten teams from around the world to vie for the contest. The contest this year features ten teams from the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Chinese Taiwan, Portugal, the Philippines, United States of America, Japan, France and China; each will show off their pyrotechnic wizardry to spectators both from Macau and overseas. This year again, each participating team is requested to complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. MGTO will strive to improve year on year the quality of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest to make it an event not to be missed for residents and visitors. To enhance the effect and audience enjoyment, sound systems are installed at the waterfront of the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza, at the Macau Tower Street seaside and at the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. For the first time, spectators are able to listen to live music of the fireworks displays through Radio Macau’s live broadcast at FM100.7. The teams taking part in this year’s contest are: Kimbolton Fireworks Limited from the United Kingdom, Hanwha Corporation from Korea, Five Star Fireworks from Australia, San Tai Fireworks Ind. Co., Ltd. from Chinese Taiwan, Grupo Luso Pirotecnia from Portugal, Starmaker Inc. from the Philippines, Illumination Internationale Ltd. from the United States of America, Marutamaya Ogatsu Fireworks Co., Ltd. from Japan, Artifices JCO SA from France and Hunan Xintiancheng Fireworks Manufacturing Co., Ltd from China. Each fireworks display will last for approximately 18 minutes, and there will be two displays per evening at 9pm and 10pm. MGTO also launched today the issue of a book titled “Fireworks Art in Macau” and an exhibition of over 20 artworks that illustrate fireworks and historic sites in Macau printed on the book. Published by MGTO and two fireworks enthusiasts Mr. Lei Ip Fei and Ms. Anita Fung Pou Chu, the book “Fireworks Art in Macau” introduces, in five sections, the 18-year history of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, the history and development of fireworks and firecrackers, the art and culture of fireworks, the artistic appreciation of fireworks and a series of artworks (oil on canvas) illustrating fireworks and historic sites in Macau, with the aim to educate the public about the relationship between Macau and the art of fireworks. 1,000 copies have been published and will be available for sale at the lobby of Macau Tower on each of the fireworks displays nights. To further enhance the event, MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau join hands again to present the Fireworks Carnival 2007 on the shorefront beside the Macau Tower The opening ceremony of the Fireworks Carnival 2007 was held today (September 15) at 6pm. Citizens can enjoy an array of live entertainment, cultural activities and culinary delights at the carnival between 5:00 - 11:00 p.m. on each of the fireworks display nights. Over 20 stalls offering snacks and souvenirs will also add sparkle to the party. This press release is available on the website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/en/emagazine/press.php
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To cope with the Open Day of Government Headquarters of the MSAR, Macao Post announced that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at our Philatelic Shop located in front of Government Headquarters, Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho, at 9H00 to 18H00 on 15th to 16th September 2007 providing the commemorative cancellation service for the “Open Day of Government Headquarters of the MSAR”. A commemorative envelope and a post card each priced at MOP2.00 will be issued, together with the various philatelic products available for sale during the above activity. Welcome to visit and collect Macao Stamps.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 320,378 in July 2007, which surged by 41.1% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (218,995) increased by 18.3%, whereas those from Taiwan, China (30,086) and Hong Kong (26,540) recorded remarkable growth of 131.2% and 227.3% respectively compared with July 2006. In the first seven months of 2007, visitors arrived in package tours increased by 35.6% over the same period of 2006 to 2,276,872. In July, the number of Macao residents travelling in package tours dropped by 14.4% year-on-year to 21,391. Mainland China, Thailand, and Japan were the three most popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 66.5%, 10.2% and 6.5% of the total respectively. In the first seven months of 2007, Macao residents travelling in package tours dropped by 23.3% over the same period of 2006 to 119,361. Meanwhile, 38,813 residents travelled under own arrangements using services provided by travel agencies, an increase of 5.4% over July 2006. Hong Kong (49.7%), Mainland China (22.0%) and Taiwan, China (12.3%) were the major destinations. In the first seven months of 2007, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements dropped by 5.6% compared with the same period of 2006 to 196,428. At the end of July 2007, the number of guest rooms available in the hotel industry registered an increase of 1,067 rooms (+9.0%) year-on-year to 12,859 rooms. In July 2007, a total of 470,524 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, representing a year-on-year growth of 17.9%. The average hotel occupancy rate rose by 5.7 percentage points to 77.7%, with 4-star hotels leading at 86.9%. The average length of stay of hotel guests increased by 0.1 night to 1.26 nights. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (48.3%) and Hong Kong (31.0%). Number of hotel guests totalled 3,165,629 in the first seven months of 2007, up by 23.7% over the same period of 2006. In the first seven months of 2007, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 42.6% of the total number of tourists, up from 41.0% in 2006.
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