Briefs | Chief Executive to propose budget on November 12

Chief Executive Chui Sai On will be attending a plenary session on November 12 to deliver a summary on policy implementation work in 2019 and introduce a budget proposal for 2020. The session will be held at 3 p.m. and will be followed by a press conference at the Government Headquarters at 5 p.m., where Chui will respond to questions from the media. The policy implementation summary and the budget proposal, as well as the subsequent press conference, will be broadcasted live on the television and radio channels of TDM. The Chief Executive’s work summary regarding policies implemented in 2019 is to be issued in Chinese and Portuguese. It will be available for download from government websites, including that of the Chief Executive’s Office, the Government Information Bureau and the Macau SAR Government Portal.

SSM stresses Chinese medicine promotion is a priority

The Director of the Health Bureau (SSM), Lei Chin Ion, has stressed that every effort is being made to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Macau. Lei said that the SSM recently organized a visit to the Greater Bay Area for young Chinese medicine practitioners, to promote the sector and encourage the training of more professionals. The director pointed to the utilization rate of Chinese medicine in Macau, which according to Lei, is used by a similar proportion of residents as those that use Western medicine. The Center for Traditional Medicine Cooperation in Macau was established in collaboration with the World Health Organization. It follows a commitment in supporting the development of traditional medicine from other regions, such as India and China.

Tourism chief delivers speech at Creative Cities conference

Officials from Macau are attending the first Asia-Pacific Creative Cities Conference, which is being held in Adelaide, Australia, from October 23 until 26. Organized as an initiative of the UNESCO Creative City of Music of Adelaide, the conference brought together government officials, cultural and creative industries professionals, and academics, aiming to outline a vision and strategy for the cooperation among the Creative Cities in the Asia-Pacific region. Macao Government Tourism Office’s (MGTO) director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes delivered a speech at the conference, sharing the city’s experience on tourism promotion policies and marketing strategies. MGTO actively joins events organized by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network member cities for exchange and collaboration opportunities. The annual “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao 2020” organized by MGTO, slated to be held next April, will also bring together Creative Cities from around the world, mainly from the gastronomy cluster.