Briefs | Zhuhai listed as key transportation hub

The Ministry of Transport of China has listed Zhuhai as one of the region’s key transportation hubs in addition to 50 other cities, according to reports by Chinese press. The department released a national logistic channels and node diagram in January which shows that the nation will build 11 great logistics avenues and 85 nodes to improve its transportation network. In Guangdong province, the cities of Zhanjiang, Shantou, and Dongguan are also listed as key transportation hubs. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Foshan are included as part of the national transportation backbone.

PSP to hold community ‘fun day’ in March

The Public Security Police Force (PSP) will conduct a new round of collections for “Police Stories III” when it holds the “Police and Community Fun Day” on March 5 in Tap Seac Square. The PSP aims to boost the interaction and cohesion between police officers and members of the community, according to a statement released by the bureau. On the sidelines of the bureau’s annual luncheon with local media, which was held on Wednesday, Commissioner Leong Man Cheong noted that last year’s event enabled the force to promote its new guiding principles of “proactive policing”, “community policing” and “public relations policing”. This year, the PSP said, the police force will continually strive to uphold its spirit of “Integrity, High Efficiency, Competence and Professionalism.”

Lawmaker says casinos pressured government

Lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong believes that Macau’s six gaming operators have pressured the government to rescind its support of a smoking ban inside casinos. Ng claimed that the casinos led the Chief Executive and the Secretaries have taken a step backwards, which consequently prompted the Health Bureau (SSM) – which had previously said that smoking lounges cannot isolate the risks associated with smoking – to also change its standpoint. Ng believes that the city’s laws regarding tobacco controls will be amended and that the SSM’s early suggestions on smoking lounges will also be approved by the Legislative Assembly.

200 people apply for DSPA compensation

The Environment Protection Bureau (DSPA) received more than 200 applications for the government’s compensation for the disposal of two-stroke engine vehicles. This number was registered on the first day that the DSPA’s new measure came into effect. The measure states that the government’s financial support plan will compensate vehicle owners by up to MOP3,500 for the disposal of the aforementioned vehicles. Applications for the program are open from February 25 until June 30. Earlier government statements noted that the DSPA expects to receive responses from the owners of around 30 percent of the total number of vehicles.

New Liaison Office department director appointed

China’s Liaison Office in Macau has appointed Gao Qixing as the office’s new head of research at the Liaison Office, according to Chinese press yesterday. Prior to this appointment, Gao was the secretary of the Director-General of the Coordination Department of the Liaison Office, deputy Director-General of the Coordination Department, and an inspector at the Liaison office’s research sector. According to the Liaison Office, Gao’s appointment is “in line with the work’s needs.” 

Macau diaspora exhibition in Portugal

An exhibition on the Macanese diaspora in Shanghai during the mid-20th century will be held in the Alfredo Pimenta Municipal Archives in Portugal on March 3. The exhibition, organized by the Macau Archives under the guidance of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, is titled “Shanghai Portuguese Refugees in Macao (1937-1964)”. Both Shanghai and Hong Kong were popular destinations for the Macau diaspora in the last century. Due to the Japanese invasion of 1937, World War II, the Chinese civil war and other factors, the Macanese were forced to leave Shanghai and seek shelter in Macau. Some of them later resettled in places such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, Portugal, Angola and Mozambique. This exhibition showcases a selection of over 100 records that illustrate the historical background of the Macanese diaspora around the world, the social inclusion of the Macanese in Shanghai and the journey of the Portuguese refugees to Macau.

Chief Executive to visit Fujian and Guangdong

Chief Executive Chui Sai On will visit Fuzhou (Fujian Province) and Guangzhou (Guangdong Province) to discuss the advancement of joint efforts for the development of the “Belt and Road” initiative. According to a statement issued by the government, the MSAR hopes to assume a larger role in developing the country’s Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, particularly in relation to boosting cooperation efforts with Guangdong and Fujian. Chui will meet the leaders of both Provinces on February 22 to 24 to expedite cooperation in several fields. Several Macau officials will be part of the delegation to Fuzhou and Guangzhou, including the president of the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Jackson Cheong, and the director of the Macau Government Tourism Office, Helena de Senna Fernandes. In Chui’s absence, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, will be Acting Chief Executive.