Briefs | Lionel Leong in Pan-Pearl River Delta event

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, delivered a speech yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 12th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Fair, also known as the PPRD Forum. The event, being held in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, has as its theme the concept, “Greater Bay Area: Driving Innovation, Collaboration and Opportunities”. In his address, Leong mentioned the region has been trying to establish itself as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, in a bid to act as a bridge between the PPRD region and Portuguese-speaking countries.

More simplified Chinese books wanted

Jiang Xuchun, member of the Islands District Community Services Consultative Committee, says that since Macau’s youth will take part in the development of the Greater Bay Area, they should read more mainland books. Xuchun proposed for the relevant government department to speed up the renewal of library collections, set up new book lists and contact mainland publishers so as to import more mainland books in terms of both quantity and genres. In particular, Xuchun recommended that local libraries have more books about the mainland’s certification, accreditation and license exams.

New heads appointed to delegations in Beijing, Taiwan

The government announced yesterday that Chief Executive (CE) Chui Sai On has appointed Leong Kit Chi as the new head of the Representative Office of Macau in Beijing, starting from September 26.  Leong, whose term will last for one year, has a Bachelor of Art Degree in Journalism from the National Chengchi University and a degree of Master of Administrative Management from Sun Yat-Sen University.  From November 2011 until now, Leong has been the Director of the Macau Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan. Previously, Leong also worked for the Macao Government Tourism Office. The CE has also appointed Ho Weng Wai as the Director of the Macau Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan. In the past, Ho served the Commission Against Corruption as an assistant and also as an investigator.

Local student receives scholarship to study in Japan

Yip Ka Seng, a fourth-year student of Japanese studies from the University of Macau (UM), has been recommended by the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong to receive the Japanese Government (The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT) Scholarship, for the fiscal year 2018, to study in Japan. Yip, the only student from Macau to receive this scholarship, will study Japanese language at Keio University for one year. According to a statement issued by the UM, Yip described the benefit as a precious opportunity, saying that the scholarship shows recognition of his effort in Japanese studies and that he will continue to study traditional Japanese culture and customs during his stay in Japan. According to the statement, in Macau, only students of Japanese studies from UM are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Man arrested for fraud involving MOP500,000

A 49-year-old local resident has been arrested for fraud involving MOP500,000, the Judiciary Police (PJ) reported yesterday.  The suspect is a civil servant who has been working within the public sector for more than 30 years. In 2017, he reportedly took money from a building’s property management committee. He then signed nine checks, issued to the committee, in order to collect the money. The suspect was the vice-chairman of the committee. He claimed that he took the money to clear his debts.