IPIM NEWS

 

MACAO BUSINESS DELEGATION ACCOMPANIES
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO LISBO

Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) organised a delegation of 32 entrepreneurs from trading, industrial and commercial, tourism, entertainment, IT, banking, energy resources, telecommunication, education, urban planning and aviation industries to accompany Mr. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of Macao SAR on a visit to Lisbon, Portugal from 20 to 25 June 2006. This trip was meant to strengthen networks between entrepreneurs from Portugal and Macao.

The Macao business delegation attended a Lunch Briefing hosted by the BPI Group, the theme of which was “BPI Group and its Support for the Entrepreneurs of China/ Macao to Develop Portuguese Speaking Countries Markets”. The delegates also attended an agreement signing ceremony with cocktails, where two agreements were signed between representatives from Macao Chamber of Commerce and “Comiss‹o Instaladora da Associa‹o Econ—mica e Empresarial Macaense de Portugal” and the other between “Associa‹o Promotora da Instru‹o dos Macaenses” and “Casa de Macau” em Lisboa to exchange information and strength co-operation.

During their stay in Portugal, the President of ICEP Portugal, Mr. Jo‹o Marques da Cruz, had a meeting to discuss the establishment of a product distribution centre with the President and General Manager of Nam Kwong Group (Macau) Company Limited, Mr. Xu Kaicheng. The Macao Government and business delegations then attended the Opening Ceremony of Seng Heng Bank's first representative office in Lisbon. The same evening, IPIM hosted a banquet and gave a presentation on Macao's business environment. The President of IPIM encouraged entrepreneurs from Portugal to participate in the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries – 2nd Ministerial Meeting and related activities, as well as the “11th MIF” in September this year.

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MAINLAND, HONG KONG AND MACAO TRADE AND ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION FORUM – CELEBRATE THE 3 rd ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF CEPA

The “Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Trade and Economic Co-operation Forum”, organised jointly by the PRC Ministry of Commerce and the Government of the HKSAR took place at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre on 29 June to celebrate the third anniversary of the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).

Officiating guests were Messrs. Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Liao Hui, Vice Chairman of CPPCC and Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council; Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, Edmund Ho, Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Zheng Wantong, Secretary-General of the CPPCC National Committee and Bo Xilai, Minister of Commerce of PRC. The forum was presided over by Henry Tang, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR. 600 guests from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao attended the forum, including Governors of several provinces and high-ranking officials of the PRC Central Government. Edmund Ho, Chief Executive of Macao SAR and Ho Iat Seng, Vice President of Macao Chamber of Commerce delivered speeches during the forum.

Invited by the organisers, our Institute organised a 120 strong delegation to participate in the forum. The members of the delegation came from local associations and government departments. Other than attending the forum, the Macao delegation visited a “CEPA Photo Exhibition” organised by the Hong Kong SAR Government; Macao SAR Government and PRC Ministry of Commerce, co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Macao Economic Services and the Economic Department of the PRC Central Government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong .

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IPIM ORGANISES A DELEGATION OF MACAO CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION INDUSTRY TO VISIT GERMANY

Headed by President of IPIM, Mr. Lee Peng Hong, a delegation of 19 from the Macao Convention and Exhibition Industry visited Germany. The delegation included members from Macao Convention and Exhibition Association, Macao Fair and Trade Association, Association of Advertising Agents of Macau and German Macao Business Association. They visited famous German exhibition cities including Berlin, Cologne, Hanover and Munich where they met up with their local counterparts in related companies and associations in the exhibition industry. The main delegates included the President of Macao Convention and Exhibition Association Mr. Jing Chongyun, Chairman of Macao Fair and Trade Association Mr. Tony Lam, Council Chairman of the Association of Advertising Agents of Macau Mr. Wong I Mum and the President of German Macao Business Association Mr. Tony Un.

The delegation visited the Association of German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA), MMI - Munich International Trade Fairs Pte Ltd, Messe Berlin, Hanover-Messe International and Koelnmesse, as well as the renowned exhibition “ISPO (Summer) - International Trade Fair for Sports Equipment and Fashion” and the international high-end professional convention and exhibition centres including the New Munich Exhibition Centre, International Convention Centre (Berlin) and Messegelande Koln. During the trip, the delegates acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge on the successes of the German Exhibition Industry and strengthened communication and co-operation between industry from the two places. Meanwhile, representatives from Convention and Exhibition sectors of Macao and Germany held a discussion on possible co-operation in organising exhibitions and conventions.

The delegation included Mr. Michael Kwan, Mr. Wolfram Diener, Mr. Xu Guangwean, Mr. Jeffrey Liu, Ms. Patricia Cheong, Mr. Keyvin Bi, Mr. Harry Wu, Mr. Lai Ka Long, Mr. Licky Ng, Mr. Manfred Dunker and Ms. Zoey Zheng. The representatives from IPIM included Executive Director Mr. Jackson Chang and Senior Manager of Promotional Activities Department Mr. Sam Lei.

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VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD ASSOCIATION OF INVESTMENT PROMOTION AGENCIES (WAIPA) TO MACAO

By invitation of IPIM, the President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), Mr. Kai Hammerich, came to Macao on 31 July for a visit and exchange. During his stay, he also paid a courtesy visit to Mr. Francis Tam, the Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao SAR, as well as IPIMʼs offices and Macao Business Support Centre (MBSC).

During his meeting with our President, Mr. Lee Peng Hong, the two parties analysed the objectives of the two investment promotional agencies in global terms.

Macaoʼs current business environment and IPIMʼs role were laid out, after which Mr Hammerich expressed his desire for more bilateral interaction and the strengthening of exchanges of the investment promotion activities conducted by IPIM using WAIPA as a platform, namely to carry out research on organising investment promotional activities in Macao and others events in order to strengthen the exchange of experience in this area.

Mr. Hammerich also visited Macao Business Support Centre, where he was briefed on the facilities that the Centre provides to investors. These facilities include free temporary office space and a series of Information services. Dr. Hammerich stated that he believed that the facilities provided by the Centre represents a valuable aid to assist investors, which is something that other investment promotional agencies would do well to look into providing.

Mr. Hammerich invited Mr Lee Peng Hong to participate in the WAIPA annual meeting to be held in March 2007, in Geneva. Switzerland.

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A DELEGATION FROM SHANTOU MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT VISITS IPIM

A delegation from Shantou Municipal Government, led by the Executive Vice Mayor, Mr. Luo Yang Peng, visited IPIM on 7 July. The President of IPIM, Mr. Lee Peng Hong, was on hand to welcome the delegation.

During the meeting, the Vice Mayor introduced Shantou City's economic development and investment policies. Mr. Lee Peng Hong gave a presentation on Macao's recent economic development and on the Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Co-operation between China and Portuguese Speaking Countries held in Portugal and on the future “Macao International Trade and Investment Fair” and “Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese Speaking Countries” scheduled to be held in Macao in September 2006. Mr. Lee encouraged the visitors to consider organising a delegation to participate in the events and explore foreign markets. Mr. Lee also explained the current exhibition and conference economy in Macao, which has a prosperous future for bilateral co-operation.

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10TH CIFIT COMMITTEE PROMOTES CIFIT IN MACAO

Vice Director of Investment Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Commerce, Mr. Gu Jie, led a delegation of 14 to promote the 10th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) paying a visit to our Institute on 13 July. The 10th CIFIT provides services for global trade and investment through exhibitions, matchmaking symposiums, policy consultations and commercial activities with policy and information releases.

The Executive Director of our Institute, Mr. Jackson Chang and Senior Manager of Promotional Activities Department, Mr. Sam Lei welcomed the delegation.

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MACAO ENTREPRENEURS AND FUJIAN ECONOMIC AND TRADE DELEGATIONS VISIT ANGOLA TO PARTICIPATE IN “FILDA” FAIR AND STUDY TOUR

To further promote economic and trade co-operation, the advantages of Macao acting as a platform between China and Portuguese Speaking Countries, to assist Macao's entrepreneurs in seeking opportunities and in developing new markets, IPIM organised a delegation of 24 entrepreneurs to participate in the FILDA Fair and a study tour in Luanda, Angola from 24-31 July. Meanwhile, the Economic and Trade Commision of Fujian Province had also organised an economic and trade delegation of 9 to join the entrepreneurs from Macao in participating the above event.

During their stay, the delegation paid a coutesy visit to the PRC'S Embassy where they were received by the Ambassador and called in on various organisations, including the C‰mara de ComŽrcio e Indœstria de Angola (CCIA) and Angola National Private Investment Agency (ANIP), which further enchanced the exchanges between the two sides. The delegation also attended a seminar on “ Investment Opportunities in Angola” given by the Banco de Fomento de Angola (BFA) and had a study tour of Luanda to give them a better understanding of the business environment as well as site visits to various development projects.

The Macao entrepreneurs delegation included Mr. Thomas Ng, Senior Manager of IPIM's Investor Service Department, Mr. Eduardo Ambr—sio and Mr. O Man Kuok, President and Vice-President of the International Lusophone Markets Business Association and Mr. Gao, Xun Xi, Founding President of Associa‹o Comercial de Fomento Predial de Macau and Chairman of Chong Kuok Lam Kuong Int. Co. Ltd.

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THE LEADERS OF IPIM ATTEND CIEC (MACAO) INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION LIMITED INVESTMENT CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT SIGNING CEREMONY

On 6 July, CIEC (Macao) International Convention and Exhibition Limited Investment Co-operation Agreement signing ceremony was held at the Plaza Restaurant, the President of IPIM, Mr. Lee Peng Hong and the Executive Director, Mr. Jackson Chang were invited Guests of Honour to witness this signing ceremony. CIEC (Macao) International Convention and Exhibition Limited is a joint venture between CIEC Exhibition Co., Ltd (CIEC, Hong Kong), Nam Kwong Group Company Ltd. and Lusofontes International Investments Ltd. On 7 July, a delegation from CIEC Exhibition Co., Ltd visited MBSC to see the facilities it provides.

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IPIM PARTICIPATES IN THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION EXECUTIVES FROM PORTUGUESE SPEAKING COUNTRIES

On 16 June, Ms Echo Chan, Executive Director of IPIM, attend the closing ceremony of the training programme for business administration executives from Portuguese Speaking Countries held in Macao Business Support Centre (MBSC). During the event, Ms Echo Chan introduced Macao's investment environment to the participants.The programme started in Beijing on 31 May, after lectures, the trainees made study tours to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macao. A total of 18 completed the training course, six of which were from Portuguese Speaking Countries, namely Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Portugal.

Mr. Wang Cheng An, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the China - Portuguese Speaking Countries Economic and Commercial Co-operation Forum, and Ms. Rita Santos, Co-ordinator of Supporting Office of Secretariat, addressed the trainees at the closing ceremony on the Forum's functions and Macao's role as a Co-operation Platform, which was followed by presentations on CEPA and local tourism services by officials from the Government Economic Services and Tourist Office.

Mr. Jorge Essuvi, one of the participants of the training programme and economist from the Angola Private Investment Bureau, indicated that the training course had strengthened the friendly co-operative relations between China and Portuguese Speaking Countries, giving the trainees a good knowledge of China's experiences and achievements in the process of its economic reforms and opening to the outside world. In this respect, Mr. Essuvi was impressed by China's determination in seeking truth and making innovations. He considered the China - Portuguese Speaking Countries Economic and Commercial Co-operation Forum had boosted economic and trade ties between these countries, thus being beneficial to all of them.

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OTHER ACTIVITIES
During June and July, the following entities also organised delegations to visit Macao and IPIM:

(June 15-17) Chongqing Fuling Delegation visited MBSC and held a conversazione.

(June 22) The “Hainan & Macao Entrepreneurs Economic & Trade Symposium” was held in MBSC on 22 June 2006.

(june 20) Nanjing business and trade leaders delegation visited MBSC.

In addition, IPIM also participated / arranged for Macao entrepreneurs to took part in the following events:

(July 20) Mr. Sam Lei, Senior Manager of Promotional Activities Department, attended a national conference on organising overseas exhibitions in Shenyang City.

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