Briefs | IC expects more film applications in 2019

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) believes that more non-local companies will seek to film in Macau in 2019. On the sidelines of yesterday’s Greater Bay Area Film Industry Forum, IC director Mok Ian Ian said she believes that due to the 20th anniversary of the Macau handover this year, there will be more television and film products about Macau, and in view of this, Mok believes that there will be more non-local film industry groups applying to shoot in the city in 2019.

Macau mascot hoped to be as influential as Japanese

The Macau tourism authority is considering inviting local designers to explore products based on the Macau mascot, the black-faced spoonbill Mak Mak.  Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director, Helena de Senna Fernandes, said she hopes local designers and recreational companies can develop a series of souvenirs based on Mak Mak. She also hopes that these products can reach an eventual outcome similar to that of Japanese mascot Kumamon.

50m mainland border crossings made by local residents

In 2018, a total of 50.31 million visitor arrivals in mainland China were the result of Macau residents, according to the latest statistics released by the National Immigration Administration. A total of 650 million crossings were recorded across all of mainland China’s borders, representing an increase of 9.9 percent year-on-year.  Nearly 140 million people crossed the Zhuhai Gongbei border checkpoint. There were 3.3 million crossings recorded across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Zhuhai checkpoint.

Entrepreneurship competition open for applications

The Bank of China Trophy One Million Dollar Macao Regional Entrepreneurship Competition, hosted by the University of Macau, is now open for applications. All students currently studying at higher education institutions in Macau and residents studying at overseas tertiary institutions are eligible to apply. The deadline for applications is Feb. 13. The cash prize for the Macau regional competition is MOP120,000. The top three winners of the regional competition will advance to the grand final stage to compete for a cash prize of RMB1 million and an opportunity to win funding in excess of RMB50 million. 

Hong Kong, Japan set to enhance arbitration cooperation

The Hong Kong Department of Justice and the Ministry of Justice of Japan yesterday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen Hong Kong-Japan collaboration on international arbitration and mediation. The agreement was signed by Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng and Japanese Minister of Justice Takashi Yamashita. It provides a framework for the two sides to strengthen communication, collaboration and cooperation on issues relating to international arbitration and mediation and to facilitate the development of services for international arbitration and mediation in the two places, the HKSAR government’s Department of Justice said.