FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Kowie Geldenhuys EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paulo Coutinho www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

T. 18º/ 23º Air Quality Bad THURSDAY “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” MOP 8.00

N.º 3740 25 Mar 2021 HKD 10.00

A LOCAL MAN REPORTS LOSS OF TRAVEL PRACTITIONERS THE POLICE APPROVED THE REQUEST HKD340,000 IN A CRYPTOCURRENCY OF LAWMAKER AU KAM SAN TO PROTEST INVESTMENT SCAM, THE JUDICIARY YEARN FOR GBA TOURISM AGAINST THE CONSUMER E-VOUCHER POLICE INFORMED TO STAY AFLOAT SCHEME COMING SUNDAY P6 P6 p4 AP PHOTO

India At least four policemen were killed LISBON PROTESTS and 14 wounded in a Portuguese foreign minister calls for roadside bombing carried out by Maoist rebels in Chinese authorities to comply with their stronghold in the country’s east, police Basic Law after TDM’s ‘patriotic’ editorial said. The policemen were returning from an guidelines led six journalists to resign P2 anti-Maoist operation when the bus they were traveling in was targeted in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh state. Two of the wounded were in critical condition. AP PHOTO

Myanmar Hundreds of people imprisoned for protesting last month’s coup in were released yesterday in the first apparent gesture by the military to try to placate the protest movement. Witnesses outside Insein Prison in Yangon saw busloads of mostly young people, looking happy with some flashing the three- finger gesture of defiance adopted by protesters. State-run TV said a total of 628 were freed. AP PHOTO

Bangladesh Searchers AGENCY PHOTO MACAU recovered at least 15 charred bodies after a devastating fire destroyed thousands of shelters at

a Rohingya refugee camp AP PHOTO in southern Bangladesh, SHOTS HALTED officials said. At least 400 people were still missing and around 560 SARs suspend were injured by the fire, according to Louise BioNTech Donovan, a spokesperson for the United Nations’ refugee agency. The vaccine amid UNHCR said around 45,000 people were displaced by the fire, ‘packaging which broke. defects’ More on backpage P3 page 2 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 25.03.2021 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER Lisbon calls for compliance with Basic Law in TDM’s patriotic editorial line case

RENATO MARQUES

HE Portuguese Minister of Fo- Treign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, has called on his counterparts in the People’s Republic of China to AGENCY PHOTO MACAU scrupulously respect and apply the rules established by the Macau Ba- sic Law. The call comes in the light of recent events involving the public broadcaster Teledifusão de Macau (TDM) which according to several reports has recently established new editorial rules where journa- lists need to refrain from disclo- sing and broadcasting news that is contrary to China’s policies, urging them to strictly follow the principles of patriotism and love for mainland China and Macau. In a statement collected by Lusa “way of life” and general rules for a se and English channels in which trictions on press freedom and did Ho also added that TDM, as a news agency in Brussels on the si- period of 50 years (until 2049). the broadcaster’s administration not “tighten the control over media public broadcaster, “does love the delines of the North Atlantic Treaty According to what the Times reaffirmed that the new guidelines outlets.” country and Macau, certainly.” Organization (NATO) Foreign Mi- could ascertain, in consequence were to be followed without excep- nisters’ summit, Santos Silva said, of the enforcement of the new gui- tions. “The [Macau] Basic Law is very delines in TDM, a total of six jour- The same guidelines were also clear in guaranteeing freedom of nalists from TDM’s television and criticized by several journalism-re- Macau to be noted on the press and, therefore, in the same radio channels in the Portuguese lated professional associations in- way, that Portugal scrupulously res- language have resigned in protest cluding the Macau Portuguese and Press Freedom ranking pects the implementation of the with the new editorial line. English Press Association (AIPIM), INTERNATIONAL organizations with the aim of safeguarding the Basic Law in Macau, Portugal [also] The Times has managed to the Macau Journalists Association, have been alerted about the right to freedom of information to- hopes that the People’s Republic of contact four out of the six people which represents reporters from current press freedom situation in gether with the neighboring region China will also scrupulously respect involved in the case who confir- the Chinese-language media, as Macau, with the Reporters Without of Hong Kong. However, since the the Basic Law in Macau, namely, in med that they have resigned from well as Portugal’s Journalists Trade Borders (RSF) saying that Macau recent developments, the RSF the area of press freedom.” the company, but they declined to Union. will be under the group’s ranking decided to rank Macau separately He added that the same law make any further comments on Meanwhile, Chief Executive separately, Asia’s RSF representa- henceforth. clearly establishes the transition the matter. (CE) Ho Iat Seng denied that the tive Cédric Alviani told Lusa. In last year’s ranking, Hong Kong process of Macau since the hando- The resignation letters were new guidelines by TDM have been Previously, Macau was consid- was placed 80th among the 180 ver from the Portuguese to Chine- handed in after a meeting between in any way imposed by the local ered on the ranking created by countries and regions while main- se administration in 1999 and that TDM’s Executive Committee and government, claiming that the go- the international non-profit and land China placed 177th, just three non-governmental organization places from the bottom. establishes the continuation of the the journalists from the Portugue- vernment is not imposing any res-

Guangzhou establishes school for students from SARs RENATO MARQUES atmosphere and help its trict, the non-profit interna- is the first school for students students achieve all-round tional school will be able to from Hong Kong and Macau HE first school solely de- growth,” said Lucas Deng, accommodate more than under the direct guidance of Tdicated to enrolling stu- executive director of the Af- 1,200 students in preschool, a mainland university. dents from Hong Kong and filiated School of Jinan Uni- primary school, junior and Zheng Jianmin, deputy Macau is ready to operate versity for Hong Kong and senior high, Deng said. director of the Guangdong from September this year, Macau Students. In addition to students Provincial Office of Hong China Daily reported. Deng noted that the from Hong Kong and Ma- Kong and Macau Affairs, Located in the city of school aims to become “an cau, the school will be able said he expects the school Guangzhou, the schools ex- international school with to enroll some students from will become a benchmark pect to enroll its first group Chinese characteristics” that Taiwan as well as foreign of cooperation between of students in September will represent the develop- countries. Guangdong, Hong Kong this year, noting that some ment trend of the Guang- The school is jointly crea- and Macau in basic educa- 300 students have already dong-Hong Kong-Macau ted by Guangzhou-based tion, a base of patriotism applied to be part of this first Greater Bay Area (GBA) in Jinan University, Hong Kong education for students batch. the coming years. Victoria Harbour Education from Hong Kong and Ma- “The school will try to Covering about four hec- Group, Aoyuan Group, and cau and a cradle for talent create a diversified campus tares in the city’s Tianhe dis- Eton House Dongguan and it nurturing in the GBA.

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (DIRECTOR)_Paulo Coutinho [email protected] A MACAU TIMES PUBLICATIONS LTD PUBLICATION ASSISTANT EDITOR_Lynzy Valles SENIOR WRITER_Honey Tsang CONTRIBUTING EDITORS_Leanda Lee, Severo Portela, Sheyla Zandonai ADMINISTRATOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kowie Geldenhuys [email protected] NEWSROOM AND CONTRIBUTORS_Albano Martins, Annabel Jackson, Anthony Lam, Daniel Beitler, Emilie Tran, OFFICE MANAGER Juliana Cheang [email protected] REACHING OUT! Irene Sam, Ivo Carneiro de Sousa, Jacky I.F. Cheong, Jenny Lao-Phillips, João Palla Martins, Joseph Cheung, Julie ADDRESS Av. da Praia Grande, 599, Edif. Comercial Rodrigues, 12 Floor C, Zhu, Juliet Risdon, Linda Kennedy, Paulo Cordeiro de Sousa, Renato Marques, Richard Whitfield, Viviana Seguí MACAU SAR Telephones: +853 287 160 81/2 Fax: +853 287 160 84 DESIGNERS_Eva Bucho, Miguel Bandeira | ASSOCIATE CONTRIBUTORS_JML Property, MdME Lawyers, Advertisement [email protected] +20,000 PokerStars, Ruan Du Toit Bester | NEWS AGENCIES_ Associated Press, Bloomberg, MacauHub, MacauNews, Xinhua For subscription and general issues: [email protected] | Printed at Welfare Printing Ltd Like us on facebook.com/mdtimes SECRETARY_Yang Dongxiao [email protected] send newsworthy information and press releases to: [email protected] website: www.macaudailytimes.com.mo www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 3 thu 25.03.2021 澳門 MACAU

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER SARs temporarily suspend BioNTech vaccine amid ‘packaging defects’ LYNZY VALLES to look into their plant,” Chan said. “When the vaccines arri-

HE Macau SAR gover- AP PHOTO ve in Hong Kong, they will have nment suspended the a review of the whole logistics BioNTech vaccination chain to see if that’s the cause of from yesterday following the current situation.” Ta request made during an online She said that officials are meeting with Fosun Pharma. The urging manufacturers to give suspension requested by Fosun a report as soon as possible to Pharm on the batch of the Co- check if the batches of vacci- vid-19 vaccines was due to packa- nes in Hong Kong can be used, ging defects. otherwise the manufacturers The region has immediately will have to deliver another ba- suspended, as a precautionary tch of shots as soon as possible. step, any vaccination from the ba- Residents who are slated to tch numbered 210102 to ensure receive their second BioNTech the safety of the local vaccination dose starting on Saturday shou- program. ld get the second shot adminis- Hong Kong also received vials tered as soon as possible, if new with the lot number of 210102 and vaccines arrive in Hong Kong has suspended administration of A notice of vaccine suspension is placed outside a vaccination center for BioNTech in Hong Kong, yesterday after the recommended 19- to the vaccines. 42-day window following the The vaccines from the batch as an emergency, in order to resu- The SSM has already sent mes- day that the vaccines were safe first dose. in Hong Kong comprise a total me the use of the vaccine as part of sages to the people who have to use despite the packaging BioNTech could not be im- of 585,000 doses, with the other Macau’s vaccination program. opted for the BioNTech vaccine defects, and that suspending mediately reached for com- batch number 210104 holding “The government learnt the and are awaiting a jab, informing the vaccination was a precau- ment. 758,000 doses. packaging defects mainly invol- them that the use of this vaccine tionary measure. Batch number Fosun Pharma said in a filing A statement issued by the ved loose aluminium caps on is suspended until further notice. 210104 remains in the warehou- to the Hong Kong stock exchan- Health Bureau (SSM), BioNTech vaccine bottles. Macau has ne- The SSM has called on indivi- se and has not been used. ge that it received notice from and Fosun Pharma presented in- ver administered vaccines from duals who have not received a Co- According to Hong Kong’s di- BioNTech regarding the packa- formation advising there was no bottles in such condition. Before vid-19 jab to choose the other vac- rector of Health Constance Chan ging defects on Tuesday night reason to doubt the safety of the administering a vaccine, medical cine currently available in Macau, said that there were over 40 ins- and informed Hong Kong and vaccine. staff would carefully examine the which is produced by Sinopharm. tances when medical personnel Macau authorities yesterday to Currently, Fosun Pharma has vaccine package, and if there were As cited on SSM’s website, the found defective packaging, such temporarily suspend the vacci- only requested suspension of use signs of any abnormality, it would recommendation is for two shots as cracks on the vaccine bottles nes. of the one batch, with immediate not be used in Macau,” the SSM to be taken of the same vaccine to or leakages when the vaccine The suspension of the Pfi- effect, until their investigation is clarified. achieve the expected efficacy as in was diluted with saline before zer jab means the only vaccine concluded. The batch is not being Official data shows that as of the clinical trial. being administered, as cited in currently offered to Hong Kong recalled. Tuesday, a total of 6,215 BioN- a report by the Associated Press. residents is China’s Sinovac. As According to the SSM, the go- Tech doses had been administe- 150,000 DOSES ADMINISTERED None of these vaccines was of 8 p.m. Tuesday, 403,000 peo- vernment remains in close contact red in the SAR. In addition, 5,393 IN HK FROM BATCH 210102 given to residents and they were ple have received vaccines in with the vaccine supplier, to dis- individuals had appointments Although about 150,000 do- thrown away, officials said. the city, of which 150,200 had cuss other alternatives, including pending for the vaccination. Of ses from the batch 210102 have “Fosun has promised to carry received the first dose of the transferring another batch from those, 1,520 were scheduled to been administered in the city out an immediate investigation Pfizer vaccine, compared with Hong Kong, or shipping newly- have a first dose, and 3,873 had a so far, Hong Kong officials said so they are going to approach 252,800 who had taken the Si- -produced doses from Germany booking for a second dose. during a press briefing yester- the manufacturer in Germany novac jab.

3 returnees test positive Junket denies link with fraudulent website for Covid-19 antibodies Three returnees from Europe and the U.S. ARADISE Entertain- was an attempt to defraud who returned to Macau via Taipei on March Pment Limited denied its members of the public – 7 tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies, link to a fraudulent website mostly in mainland China the Novel Coronavirus Response and which used certain infor- –by opening accounts in the Coordination Centre announced last mation of the company and said fraudulent website for night. Yesterday’s test results showed claimed that it was the onli- alleged investment purpo- that these residents had already been ne lottery gaming platform ses which they falsely claim infected before they traveled to Macau. operated by Paradise and that such purported invest- They were sent to Conde de São Januário licensed by a lottery regula- ments were recommended for additional tests. tory authority in Hong Kong by Chun. and the World Lottery Asso- The gaming promoter First center for ciation. clarified that it does not dementia patients In a statement, the com- operate any gaming opera- to open in Q4 pany said that certain or- tions, lottery, or any betting ganisations and persons games online. Macau’s first center for people suffering have been using the name “We are paying close at- from dementia is set to open in the fourth and photo of Jay Chun, the tention to this incident and quarter this year. The Social Welfare chairman and managing di- have taken relevant actions Bureau will commission a local organization rector of Paradise Entertain- to prevent the acts of imper- to operate the center, which will be located ment Limited to establish a sonation and other fraudu- in Fai Chi Kei. The center will offer 100 fraudulent social media pla- lent activities,” the firm said service quotas, 50 for in-patient services, A screencap of the fraudulent website tform account in “QQ.” This in a statement. LV and another 50 for daily care services. page 4 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 25.03.2021 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

CEM to select eligible buildings Petition on e-voucher for electricity scheme to push facility upgrade through this Sunday HONEY TSANG MOP3,000,” Leong stressed. According to a statement LYNZY VALLES HE preparatory works of issued by CEM earlier, the pro- Tthe Safety Upgrade Subsidy gram is projected to fund 150 to HE Public Security Program for Communal Elec- 200 buildings and benefit arou- TPolice Force (PSP) trical Installations in Low-ri- nd 3,000 households. has approved lawmaker se Aging Buildings (Program), Only resident buildings aged Au Kam San’s request to launched by the Companhia de 30 years or above, that have no protest the consumer Electricidade de Macau (CEM) more than seven storeys and no e-voucher scheme on are now underway, the public lifts, and have not received any Sunday. utility company disclosed yes- subsidies related to communal The demonstrators terday. electrical installations from the will assemble at Tap Seac During yesterday’s TDM ra- Housing Bureau (IH) over the Square at 3 p.m., and the dio program, Macau Forum, past three years, are eligible for protest will start at 4 p.m., CEM revealed that it is now the program. at which time participan- surveying around 3,000 old bui- The shareholders of CEM ts will walk to the Macau ldings in Macau to single out — invested MOP30 million into Government Headquar- through a rating system — those the Program in 2020. CEM will ters to submit a petition bearing potential safety hazards commission third-party con- demanding that the cri- in their communal electricity tractors to carry out the upgrade ticized scheme be scra- systems. projects. pped. having complicated re- reign Affairs of the Peo- Personalised Macau Pass The program, launched in Previously, Macao Water also Last Saturday, Au, gulations. The MOP5 ple’s Republic of China Card.” early March 2021, is intended committed MOP10 million as together with the presi- billion digital voucher in the Macau Special Ad- The launch of the enti- to subsidize concerned pro- subsidies for owners residing in dent of the New Macau scheme, included in the ministrative Region, Liu re 2021 stimulus scheme perty owners to upgrade the ti- buildings aged over 20 years to Gaming Staff Rights As- MOP56.87 billion do- Xianfa. involved a set of adminis- me-worn communal electrical recondition their water facili- sociation, Cloee Chao, mestic spending facilita- However, he admit- trative procedures, inclu- installations in the old buildings ties. Forced maintenance will be gathered at the Border tion scheme, was descri- ted that the program has ding submission of law they are residing in. carried out if the project is not Gate with residents to bed by the general public caused a lot of dissatis- proposals to the Legislati- The electrical capacity of approved from two-thirds of the collect signatures for the as complicated, with faction. The e-voucher ve Assembly for approval, outmoded communal electrical building’s dwellers. petition. some noting that it wou- scheme, he explained, the CE clarified. installations in some old buil- However, Leong said the cur- Au previously told the ld not benefit those who was designed to boost dings is not sufficient for mo- rent operating contract does press that by collecting are underemployed. local consumption rather EXPEDITING CROSS- dern use. The cases necessitate not give CEM the right to im- signatures from residen- Different from the than be a welfare measu- -BOUNDARY TRAVELS an upgrade, rather than just a pose maintenance fees into the ts, the government could previous electronic con- re or subsidy for all. The CE said that the renewal, in the system to rec- household’s electricity bills. As be urged to improve the sumption voucher sche- Despite the public cri- government is in close tify the chronic issues, Charles a result, the company cannot scheme. mes launched last year, ticism, the top official ru- communication with the Leong, senior manager of CEM demand an enforced moderni- “The government had the forthcoming digital led out the use of the first health authorities on the Customer Services Department, zation project. reiterated that it aims to voucher scheme, slated voucher scheme with mainland in order to ex- stressed during a media briefing However, a member of the help the poor but this to launch from May to the use of MacauPass, pedite measures relating yesterday. advisory council from the nor- method only supports the end of 2021, requires explaining that, “the con- to boundary-crossing fa- “Yet upgrading warrants the thern district Kou Ngon Fong the merchants. The gene- an individual to spend sumer card ended a long cilitation. Such measures submission of building plans, warned that this is a “ticking-ti- ral public cannot receive first before being granted time ago and going back would be adopted on a which will also require higher le- me-bomb” issue, and urged the any help [through this an e-voucher. to the beginning, with bilateral basis, and some gal requirements [for the main- government to amend the law measure]. The govern- Local residents, non- zero balance, involves a arrangements might re- tenance projects],” Leong said. to empower authorities to over- ment is making a regres- -resident workers and in- lot of work. It is not easy.” quire consensus within In each project, CEM will see the situation. sive move,” he added. ternational students have To gather further opi- the community. fund up to 80% of the overall Some locals also voiced their The new stimulus pa- to spend MOP14,400 nions from the public Currently, a valid nu- project costs, whilst the re- concerns during the radio pro- ckage, since its annou- between May and De- regarding the e-voucher cleic acid test certificate maining costs will be borne by gram, saying the worn-out elec- ncement on March 15, cember to obtain the proposal, the Secretary is still compulsory for the property owners. trical system would pose perils has attracted widespread MOP4,800 worth of for Economy and Finan- boundary-crossing jour- “The maintenance cost in- to residents, but there is no re- criticism, mostly on the e-voucher coupons, whi- ce, Lei Wai Nong, recently neys in both directions. curred on each involved hou- gulation in place to monitor and “spend first; redeem la- ch has a maximum limit met with representatives Therefore, he explained sehold is expected to not exceed enforce the renovation. ter” e-voucher scheme of MOP600 per month. of community associa- such a measure was in tions, Ho noted. place because it would ad CE PAYS ATTENTION The government ack- take some time to analy- TO OPINIONS nowledged some mem- se how long it would take Chief Executive (CE) bers of the public had for antibodies against Ho Iat Seng admitted commented on several the novel coronavirus to that the government is occasions that the e-vou- be built up in vaccinated still unsure of the publi- cher proposal appeared individuals. Vaccination cly criticized e-voucher complicated in terms of schemes in Macau and scheme, stressing that it the vouchers being used the mainland were still in generated different opi- via locally-registered the second phase of the nions among residents electronic payment plat- two-jab process. which they will pay at- forms, and that the sche- Ho added that the go- tention to. me was insufficiently vernment would keep “We thought that this user-friendly. in close touch with the plan would help Macau. Also, Ho said that mainland authorities to […] Our purpose is to the government noted review the progress on reach consensus, ins- some senior citizens mi- vaccination and on the tead of creating chaos,” ght not be familiar with situation regarding the Ho told the press at the e-payment. This resulted pandemic. This was with sidelines of the reception in the proposal of the a view to eventually ena- ceremony on Tuesday scheme’s benefits being ble boundary-crossing for the new Commissio- made available to them movement so as to return ner of the Ministry of Fo- via their “Senior Citizen to pre-pandemic levels. www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 5 thu 25.03.2021 ADVERTORIAL

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

ACAO has been re- cognized as UNES- CO-designated Creative City of Unique users and MGastronomy. To reflect the di- versified catering characteristics and rich choices available in Ma- cao, ingredients and seasonings products make SME stand out of high quality are the keys to authentic and special cuisine. ber of goods to over 50, and ex- aware of Ipalate Macau’s con- CHANGE AND CHALLENGE half of 2020 that demand from As the largest integrated resort plored the mainland market.” nections with suppliers in India, For Ipalate Macau, working restaurants started to recover. operator in Macao, Sands China Aware of the existence of an we continued to explore their with a large-scale enterprise like The business of food ingre- owns a series of feature restau- Indian restaurant at a Sands products and samples,” said Sands China means the SME dients from the mainland has rants at its properties with va- China property, Ipalate Macau Sands China’s procurement and needs to be sensitive to market recovered to approximately rious cuisines, which all require actively approached Sands and supply chain senior supervisor changes and adapt quickly. The 80% of pre-epidemic levels. ingredients and seasonings from introduced their products and Alex Mok and assistant manager sales volume increased signifi- In terms of Indian food ingre- all over the world. services. Ipalate participated in Bella Pun. The two parties be- cantly in 2019. Apart from su- dients, transportation has been Sands China’s yearly invitational gan cooperating in July 2017. At pplying the Michelin-starred In- hindered due to the impact of AN IDEA THAT TOOK SHAPE matching session in 2017. The in- first there was a run-in period as dian restaurant with Indian pro- the epidemic, and India-based Established in 2017, Ipala- vitational matching sessions are both sides adjusted to delivery ducts, the SME has been provi- employees could not go out to te Macau Ltd was among the part of Sands China’s F.I.T. (Fi- times and service requiremen- ding more product types. source goods, hence the import suppliers that observed the nancial Support, Invitational ts. After becoming familiar with Choi advised, “Our company of products was suspended. unique need for special ingre- Matching, and Training and De- the operations, the cooperation started by supplying Indian sea- With the support of its mainland dients and seasonings in the velopment) programme, which progressed smoothly. sonings and gradually expan- business, Ipalate Macau barely Macao market. Choi Kam Lun, is aimed at continually increa- Management from Sands ded to basmati rice, soybeans, managed to maintain its opera- Ipalate’s product development sing and strengthening procu- China pointed out that it is the curry powder and other pro- tions. However, their office was and account manager, explains rement between Sands China professional team and efficient ducts. Soon after, we reached relocated from a commercial how his business idea took sha- and local SME suppliers. During logistics that make Ipalate Ma- into the mainland seasoning building to an industrial buil- pe: “In the past, there were few the session, Ipalate Macau’s pro- cau stand out. “The company market in response to Sands ding to reduce costs. imported Indian ingredients in ducts attracted the attention of has a team who can function in China’s need for special spi- According to Mok, Sands Chi- Macao; the source was mainly Sands China’s chefs. Chinese, English, and Hindi, and ces and herbs to supply its new na understands that it was not from Hong Kong. When we rea- “In the past, Sands China’s can communicate directly and Chinese restaurants.” He added, easy for SMEs to do business lized the gap in the market, we Indian food ingredients were smoothly with Indian suppliers. “The monthly order amount during the epidemic, so it called decided to introduce premium mainly purchased from Hong What’s more, the source of goods grew from between MOP20,000 and communicated with them ingredients and seasonings Kong and then shipped to Ma- is directly shipped from India to and MOP30,000 in early 2018 to to understand the needs of its from India. As our business ex- cao, but the delivery was not Macao, saving transportation MOP200,000 in 2019.” suppliers, assisting SMEs to deal panded, we increased the num- always timely. After becoming time and reducing costs.” Choi revealed that working with overstocked inventory and with Sands China proves the provide financial support, so SME’s products are well-recog- that SMEs could get through the nized, which is helpful when ex- difficult time. panding cooperation with other Both Mok and Pun advised companies. that products with unique users As the year of 2020 witnessed that fulfill unique demands are the outbreak of Covid-19, many an advantage for SMEs. Sands restaurants in Macao had to stop China encourages SMEs to business during the first half of take the initiative to contact last year. The demand for ingre- and provide them with a clear dients and seasonings dropped product catalog with detailed sharply. Ipalate Macau, of course, product information, including was affected. It was not until the product photos, manufacturer individual visit scheme to Macao information, and wholesale and gradually resumed in the second product prices. page 6 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 25.03.2021 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

dent will be granted a subsi- dy of MOP280 and MOP200 Travel practitioners yearn to spend on domestic tours and local accommodation, respectively, from April to for GBA tourism to stay afloat December. Some travel industry pro- HONEY TSANG in the GBA to launch cross- fessionals applauded the -border tourism packages to scheme for offering much- OME of Macau’s tourism further boost the city’s tou- -needed succor to help dri- Spractitioners — especially rism industry. ve higher occupancy rates those who offer outbound “For instance, is it possible in the local accommodation trips — have called on the [for the government] to laun- industry. On the other hand, government to introduce ch tours to Hengqin [soon]?”, some criticized it for not Greater Bay Area (GBA) mul- Ferreira questioned. being sufficiently inclusive. ti-destination travel packa- The MGTO should draw According to the latest of- ges to help them stay afloat. on the promotional syner- ficial data, tourist arrivals to Some tourism practitio- gy of the city and other GBA the city stood at 427,122 in ners pointed out that the cities to create more job February, down 23.3% mon- MOP120 million domestic opportunities for local ou- th-to-month, yet up 173.1% travel program, part of the tbound tourism operators, year-on-year. third round of stimulus, he said, but stressed that MGTO’s deputy direc- does not cover the outbound they should abide by safety tor Cheng Wai Tong told market. protocols to avoid contagion the media yesterday that According to a report by risk. he is optimistic about a TDM, Manuel Iok Pui Ferrei- The domestic travel pro- possible upward trend in ra, vice-president of the As- gram, announced by the tourist numbers over the sociação dos Profissionais da government in recent days, coming months, predica- Indústria de Viagens e Turis- is intended to encourage lo- ted on the smooth rollout mo de Macau, suggested the cals to undertake domestic of the vaccination scheme Macao Government Tourism trips and support the city’s and the largely controlled Office (MGTO) enter a closer tourism industry. Through Covid-19 pandemic situa- partnership with other cities the program, a Macau resi- tion in China.

CRIME 46 graduated from program organized by Man reports loss of UM and Sands China

HKD340,000 in a HONEY TSANG duation ceremony. nue to work closely with A total of 46 gradua- universities in Macau in WO cohorts of gra- tes who enrolled in the a bid to breed more lo- cryptocurrency investment scam Tduates from the fifth (2018-2019) and si- cal talents. one-year business ma- xth intakes (2019-2020) “We made friends, RENATO MARQUES nagement diploma pro- of the program, hailed we learned solid bu- local man has repor- gram, jointly organized from various depart- siness knowledge and Ated a loss of a total of by the University of Ma- ments at Sands China, professional skills that HKD340,000 in an online cau’s (UM) Centre for such as table games, enhanced our work per- Continuing Education facilities, and concierge. formance and equipped cryptocurrency investment ZARYCHTA STANISLAW scheme, the Judiciary Poli- (CCE) and Sands China Sean McCreery, ourselves for career de- ce (PJ) informed yesterday Ltd, received their cre- Sands China’s senior velopment,” one of the during the regular joint press dentials concurrently vice president of resort graduates Joanna Chao conference of the police for- yesterday. operations, attended delivered her speech at ces. “Abreast with go- the ceremony held at the ceremony. The victim told the PJ that vernment’s pandemic the UM. In the ceremony, Hui he had met a woman at the prevention measures The program is bene- also reaffirms his com- beginning of December last last year, the graduation ficial to both employees mitment to constantly year through an online dating ceremony of the fifth and the company. It was promote continuing mobile application and be- intake has been sus- intended to help Sands education in the city. gan chatting with this person pended and so we are China’s staff to enhan- Founded in 2014, the through social media. ther explanation. Hong Kong account. But this having the graduates ce their professional diploma program has Later, the alleged woman He then sought more in- time the customer service of both fifth and sixth knowledge and nurture cultivated over 200 gra- told the man that she had formation from the woman claimed that the money was intakes of this program their talents, McCreery duates. The next pro- made good profits by inves- who had provided him with not received. At the same here,” vice-rector of UM said. gram is being planned, ting in cryptocurrency online the investment opportunity. time, the victim realized that Michael Hui King Man He stressed that and is expected to begin and suggested for him to in- She told him that the invest- he could no longer login into said at yesterday’s gra- Sands China will conti- in September 2021. vest in the same scheme. ment was rejected because the investment software. The man agreed to the idea the amount was too small and After several attempts to and downloaded the software asked him to invest at least enquire with the customer to invest. USD5,000 (HKD39,850). service, which used several On December 22, the vic- On January 9, he made excuses such as software up- tim contacted the investment the investment as suggested date to justify the problem, app’s customer service and and had reportedly profi- the victim was not able to invested USD200 (HKD1,580) ted from it. This resulted in contact the app service and by remitting the money to a him deciding to invest about the alleged woman anymore, Hong Kong account. Howe- HKD280,000 more. making him realize that he ver, a few days later, the custo- On February 26, the vic- had been scammed. mer service told him that the tim made a final investment He filed a case with the money was returned to him of HKD48,000 and, as usual, PJ and reported a total loss but did not provide any fur- made the remittance to the amounting to HKD340,000. www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 7 thu 25.03.2021 中國 CHINA

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Airbnb asked to China bashes US over racism, drop Olympic ties over rights issues

IRBNB Inc. is sent this week to Airb- inequality, pandemic response Abeing asked to nb CEO Brian Chesky. drop its sponsorship The letter argues that HINA lashed out tion because of threats of connections to next Airbnb is trying to yesterday at the retaliation from the ruling year’s Beijing’s Winter drive tourism in Chi-

U.S. over racism, AP PHOTO Communist Party. Olympics by a coali- na at the expense of financial inequa- The report comes after tion of 150 human-ri- Uyghurs and Tibetans Clity and the federal govern- the European Union joined ghts campaigners. who cannot travel ment’s response to the coro- the U.S., Britain and Cana- The coalition is freely in the country. navirus in an annual report da in imposing sanctions on headed by groups that The top 15 spon- that seeks to counter U.S. Chinese officials over accu- oppose rights viola- sors paid the IOC accusations of human righ- sations they abused ethnic tions in China inclu- about $1 billion in ts abuses by China’s ruling minorities. Beijing retaliated ding the detention of cash or services in the Communist Party. by announcing it would pe- Muslim Uyghurs in last complete, four- The report issued by Chi- nalize four European legis- the Xinjiang region. -year Olympic cycle, na’s Cabinet said the U.S. in lators, a German researcher Airbnb is one of the to be associated with 2020 “saw its own epidemic and European-based rights International Olympic the games. Airbnb sig- situation go out of control, organization with bans on Committee’s leading ned up in November accompanied by political di- travelling to Chinese territo- 15 sponsors. Included of 2019. sorder, inter-ethnic conflicts, The recent meeting in Anchorage between top China and U.S. diplomats ries or having financial inte- in the group are com- Rights groups are and social division.” ractions with Chinese insti- panies like Coca-Cola, trying to pressure The document released opposition voices in Hong said. tutions. Samsung, Visa, Toyo- IOC sponsors and are by the State Council Infor- Kong. “Vulnerable groups be- China has taken an in- ta, Alibaba, Panaso- pushing for a diplo- mation Office also highligh- “To defeat the epidemic came the biggest victims of creasingly hard line against nic, Intel, and Procter matic boycott of the ted the Jan. 6 insurrectionist requires mutual help, solida- the government’s reckless any criticism of its domestic and Gamble. games. attack on the Capitol as well rity and cooperation among response to the epidemic,” politics or what it sees as at- Airbnb, the home- The Beijing Win- as gun violence and health all countries. However, the it said. tempts to impede its rise as a -sharing business, is ter Olympics open on disparities. United States, which has The Chinese report is ba- global leader. In recent days being targeted becau- Feb. 4, 2022. China issues the report always considered itself an sed on open-source mate- it has placed two Canadian se of repeated claims China says “politi- each year in response to U.S. exception and superior, saw rial, as opposed to the U.S. citizens on trial in apparent about the “social res- cal motives” underlie criticism of its record on is- its own epidemic situation document, which is largely retaliation for Canada’s de- ponsibility” it prac- the boycott effort. The sues such as abuses against go out of control, accom- drawn from work by diplo- tention of an executive of tices in its business Chinese describe the minority groups in the wes- panied by political disorder, mats, journalists and human the telecoms giant Huawei, model. detention camps in tern regions of Xinjiang and inter-ethnic conflicts, and rights activists who cannot who is wanted in the U.S. on Associated Press re- Xinjiang as vocational Tibet and a crackdown on social division,” the report always reveal their informa- fraud charges. MDT/AP ceived the open letter centers. MDT/AP

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were taking hold across the U.S., had received nearly 4,000 sel- this day in history AP PHOTO f-reported incidents of bias or discrimination from all 50 states 1975 Saudi’s King as of last month. And nearly 3 in 10 Asian Americans said they’d Faisal assassinated been subjected to racial slurs or jokes since the coronavirus ou- tbreak began, according to Pew Research Center data released last summer. Janelle Wong, the director of the University of Maryland’s Asian American Studies Pro- gram, has researched how acts of discrimination can affect poli- tical participation. She said such incidents can sometimes aliena- Katherine Tai, a Taiwanese American, was picked by Biden as his top trade envoy te members of the affected com- munity — but more often, they increase political activity. Wong pointed to California’s USA King Faisal of Saudi Arabia has died after stringent, Republican-backed a gun attack in Riyadh despite the efforts anti-immigrant laws of the 1990s of doctors to save him. that helped mobilize Latinos to The king was rushed to hospital still ali- vote Democratic and turned the ve and doctors massaged his heart and Asian Americans seek state fiercely blue within a gene- gave him a blood transfusion but they ration. Democrats hope a simi- were unable to save him. lar shift may have begun more King Faisal was fatally wounded when recently in Arizona. his nephew Prince Faisal Ibu Musaed greater political power Wong said the Asian Ameri- allegedly fired three bullets at him with a can population began to boom pistol at point blank range during a royal in the mid-1990s with the crea- audience. tion of the H1-B visa program, According to eyewitnesses, Prince Mu- after shootings which made it easier for em- saed was waiting in the ante-room and talking to a Kuwaiti delegation who were WILL WEISSERT & cau time], two Democratic se- Kamala Harris, whose mother ployers to hire immigrants in waiting to meet the king. PADMANANDA RAMA, nators, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii was born in India, is the first Bla- specialty professions. Many of King Faisal had bent forward to kiss his WASHINGTON and Tammy Duckworth of Illi- ck woman and person of South those people have now been in nois, threatened to oppose any Asian descent to become vice the country for more than 20 nephew but Prince Musaed was reported to have pulled out a pistol and shot him PEAKING on the floor of upcoming nominees who don’t president. More than 300 Asian years, and they, or second-ge- under the chin and then through the ear. the Georgia state Senate enhance the administration’s di- American and Pacific Islanders neration immigrant families, are One of the king’s bodyguards hit the last week, Michelle Au versity. ran for office up and down the starting to come into their own prince with his sword, although it was still implored her colleagues “I’ve been talking to them for ballot in 2020, according to the politically, registering to vote and sheathed. Sto “stand up” to the hatred ai- months and they’re still not ag- Asian Pacific American Institute casting ballots at higher rates. Oil minister Sheikh Yamani is reported gressive,” Duckworth said. “I’ll In November’s election, 70% med at Asian Americans that’s for Congressional Studies. to have shouted to the guard not to kill increased during the pandemic. be a no on everyone until they More appear to be preparing of Asian American voters su- the prince. A day later, a gunman shook figure this out.” campaigns for the future. Ma- pported Biden, according to AP Prince Faisal Ibu Musaed was seized im- the Atlanta area by killing eight Later, the two senators set asi- dalene Xuan-Trang Mielke, the VoteCast, a nationwide survey mediately after he attacked his uncle and people, including six women of de their blockade after talks with group’s president and CEO, said of the electorate. Asian Ameri- is being questioned by Saudi police about Asian descent. the administration. White House her organization recently held a cans now represent the nation’s the assassination. For Au, who joined the sta- press secretary Jen Psaki annou- training for people interested in fastest-growing ethnic minority, Doctors and psychiatrists have con- te Senate in January as its first nced late Tuesday the addition joining municipal and state le- accounting for nearly 5% of eligi- firmed that they believe he is “mentally Asian American woman, the at- of a senior-level Asian American gislative races and had about 30 ble voters in last year’s election, unbalanced”. tack was a heartbreaking valida- Pacific Islander liaison “who will attendees. She also encourages according to the Pew Research Both before and after the assassination tion of her fears. It’s also spurring ensure the community’s voice is members of the community to Center. Prince Musaed was reported to be calm. her and other Asian Americans further represented.” join local boards and commis- U.S. Census data showed that Since the killing, Riyadh has closed down to push for greater political in- Biden did pick Katherine Tai, sions. the community had one of the completely for three days of mourning. fluence in Washington and other who is Taiwanese American, “We are subject matter exper- largest increases in voting rates King Khalid, the brother of the assassi- power centers. as his top trade envoy. She was ts in a wide array of industries, of any group in the 2018 mid- nated king, has taken his place by agree- “People in our communities confirmed last week, becoming and we should have that be a re- term elections as compared with ment of the Saudi royal family. are hungry for representation the only Asian American to hold flection of our democracy by ha- the 2014 midterms, jumping that looks like them,” Au said in a Cabinet-level post in the new ving people like us and others be from an estimated 27% of eligi- Courtesy BBC News an interview. “I don’t think peo- administration. Vivek Murthy, a part of any sort of public policy ble voters who actually voted in ple can see problems if they ha- the son of Indian parents, Bi- conversation,” Mielke said. 2014 to 40% in 2018. But the lar- ven’t lived it in the past.” den’s nominee for surgeon gene- Asian Americans are eyeing gest Asian American communi- In context There are at least 160 Asian ral, a sub-Cabinet position, was other major offices across the ties are still mostly concentrated American and Pacific Islanders confirmed Tuesday. country. in non-swing presidential states, Prince Faisal bin Musaed was later found in 33 state legislatures nationwi- Many Asian Americans say In New York City, former De- which means neither political guilty of regicide and in June 1975 he de, according to the Asian Pacific feelings of being marginalized mocratic presidential candidate party has focused significant re- was executed for the murder of his uncle King Faisal. politically will take years to fully sources on voter outreach. American Institute for Congres- Andrew Yang is gaining atten- The prince was beheaded in the public sional Studies. A whopping 51 of overcome. Last week, an emotio- tion — and campaign cash — in “There’s not the same incen- square in Riyadh. This is the traditional those sit in Hawaii’s legislature. nal congressional hearing cast a a bid for mayor. And in Califor- tive for parties to mobilize them, method of execution in Saudi Arabia And, out of the 535 members national spotlight on combating nia, home to the nation’s largest and it’s much harder because under Islamic law. of Congress, just 17 are of Asian racism among the community Asian American community, it takes some resources, it takes The prince’s motives are still not clear. There has been speculation that he — but major legislation addres- some attention to outreach and or Pacific Islander descent, ac- elected officials are urging De- sought to avenge the death of his elder cording to the Congressional sing it isn’t likely forthcoming. mocratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to language to understand Asian brother Khalid, who died in a clash with Research Service. There are also “I think symbolism and repre- appoint an attorney general of American issues as well,” Wong security forces in 1966. three nonvoting delegates who sentation matters, but only up to Asian descent as a successor to said. “Those things all contribute At the time of the assassination there are Asian American and Pacific a point,” said Aarti Kohli, execu- Xavier Becerra, who was picked to lower rates of political partici- were some conspiracy theories al- though an investigation later found that tive director of Asian Americans as Biden’s health and human pation among Asian Americans, Islanders. Prince Faisal bin Musaed acted alone. President Joe Biden and his Advancing Justice. “What’s more services secretary. but people — mistakenly, I think Prince Musaed was declared officially aides have been repeatedly pres- important is actually doing the Still, Stop AAPI Hate, an acti- — assume that Asian Americans insane, according to a “settlement is- sed to include Asian Americans work.” vist group that formed as shut- are somehow less interested in sued by the royal cabinet” following the assassination of King Faisal. in his Cabinet. Yesterday [Ma- There are signs of change. downs related to the pandemic U.S. civic life.” MDT/AP www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 9 thu 25.03.2021 資訊／娛樂 INFOTAINMENT

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YOUR STARS The Born Loser by Chip Sansom

Aries Taurus

Mar. 21-Apr. 19 Apr. 20-May. 20 Finally, peace returns with today’s As a Taurus, part of your life’s cosmos, Aries! The moon spends work is learning not to over- the day prowling through playful complicate things. Simplicity Leo, focusing your energy on any is restorative, and Thursday’s creative passion projects you’ve skies gently remind you of left on the back-burner. that.

Gemini Cancer

May. 21-Jun. 21 Jun. 22-Jul. 22 It’s easy to slip into a state of The moon prowls through self- mental overload today, Gemini. confident Leo, helping you focus your This is a tendency you’re already energy on productive action. Luna’s used to wrestling with, but try meet-up with both erratic Uranus to be extra on top of it today to and serious Saturn can make for avoid burnout. stifled and unusual social interactions. SUDOKU WEATHER Leo Virgo MIN MAX CONDITION Jul. 23-Aug. 22 Aug. 23-Sep. 22 Easy Easy+ CHINA Luna’s only connection is a meet- It hasn’t been an easy week Beijing 23 cloudy up with optimistic Jupiter, which thus far, Virgo. Fortunately, 6 encourages positive, hopeful Thursday’s skies are something Harbin -1 9 shower interactions in one-on-one of a soothing balm for the relationships. It’s an ideal day for rough patches you’ve had to Tianjin 8 23 cloudy pampering and nurturing yourself. endure. Urumqi 1 11 clear Xi’an 20 overcast Libra Scorpio 11 Lhasa 2 15 cloudy Sep.23-Oct. 22 Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Chengdu 13 18 overcast This narrative is highlighted today, You’re getting closer to your Chongqing 15 22 overcast as the moon meanders through self- calling, Scorpio. For the time confident Leo. Luna’s connection being, you’re asked to look Kunming 11 26 clear to visionary Jupiter helps you feel deep within before you can Nanjing 23 clear positive and allows you to dream enjoy the flourishing fruit 10 big with your creative potential. above ground. Shanghai 10 22 clear Wuhan 9 24 clear Sagittarius Capricorn Medium Hard Hangzhou 9 20 clear Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Taipei 14 20 overcast The moon roams through fellow Today’s skies encourage you to sit Guangzhou 16 25 cloudy fire-sign, enthusiastic Leo, with your feelings and reach a deeper encouraging you to get out of your understanding. You may feel drawn to Hong Kong 20 25 cloudy comfort zone and refresh your shopping and spending to fill the void, perspective through adventure but you’re better off simply sitting with and spontaneity. the reality of your emotions. WORLD Aquarius Pisces Moscow -3 3 clear Frankfurt 2 10 cloudy Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Feb.19-Mar. 20 Paris 4 15 drizzle It’s not all smooth sailing though, It’s time to plant your feet back as the moon finds herself on Earth, Pisces. You’re primed London 4 11 clear encumbered by tough interactions for self-motivated, productive with rebel Uranus and serious efforts today, as the moon New York 11 13 moderate rain Saturn. This stirs up key issues cruises through self-confident around family needs. Leo.

CROSSWORDS USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

ACROSS 1- Bogie, e.g.; 6- Make into a statute; 11- Definite article; 14- Connected series of rooms; 15- Shield; 16- Scull; 17- Moor; 18- Prince Valiant’s wife; 19- Hydrocarbon ending; 20- Track numbers; 22- “Otello” composer; 24- Overture; 28- Indistinct; 30- Current; 31- Falls short; 32- ... who lived in ___; 33- Dodges; 37- Skater Emergency calls 999 Taxi 28 939 939 / 2828 3283 Midori; 38- Posters; 39- Satisfied sound; 40- Cowardly; 43- Code name; 45- With no emotion; 46- Christian festival; 47- House in D.C.; 49- Comfortably familiar; 50- Bar Fire department 28 572 222 Water Supply – Report 2822 0088 fare; 51- Nabokov novel; 52- Period of human life; 53- Roof overhangs; 56- Peer; 61- Animal pouch; 62- New Brunswick neighbor; 63- Nice days, usually; 64- Concorde, PJ (Open line) 993 Telephone – Report 1000 e.g.; 65- Cruising vessel; 66- Immerse; PJ (Picket) 28 557 775 Electricity – Report 28 339 922 DOWN: 1- Tree of the olive family; 2- Prompt; 3- Acapulco aunt; 4- Slugger Mel; 5- Give another abode; 6- Elude; 7- Guitarist Lofgren; 8- Peer Gynt’s mother; PSP 28 573 333 Macau Daily Times 28 716 081 9- Portable bed; 10- Makes journeys; 11- Start of a saying on forgiveness; 12- Accessible; 13- ... ___ saw Elba; 21- Banned Customs 28 559 944 spray; 23- 3:00; 24- Tartan; 25- Dreadlocks Yesterday’s solution wearer; 26- Group character; 27- The S. J. Hospital 28 313 731 Lion; 28- In an inadequate manner; 29-

Falsehoods; 31- Young female horse; Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com Kiang Wu Hospital 28 371 333 33- Move sideways; 34- Third in a series; 35- Stroll; 36- Sex researcher Hite; 38- Commission Against Londoner, e.g.; 41- Ike’s ex; 42- Secondary school; 43- Insanity; 44- Old spy org.; Corruption (CCAC) 28326 300 46- Yalie; 47- Long stories; 48- Chosen; 49- Beginning; 50- Back talk; 51- Phnom IAM 28 387 333 ___; 54- Battery size; 55- Singer Damone; 57- Status follower; 58- Burma’s first prime Tourism 28 333 000 minister; 59- Ques. response; 60- Caustic stuff; Airport 59 888 88

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INTERNET Beijing considers creating state-backed company to oversee tech data HINA’S government has pro- giants hoover up in real time are Cposed establishing a joint ven- key to their bottom lines as well ture with local technology giants as their ability to innovate and that would oversee the lucrative BLOOMBERG expand. But Beijing has grown data they collect from hundreds increasingly wary of the might of of millions of consumers, accor- companies such as Alibaba and ding to people familiar with the Tencent and their potential to in- matter. fluence public opinion. The preliminary plan, which is President Xi Jinping warned being led by the People’s Bank of this month that his government China, would mark a significant would go after so-called “plat- escalation in regulators’ attempts form” companies that have amas- to tighten their grip over the coun- sed increasing power through the try’s internet sector. It envisions data and patronage of hundreds the creation of a government-ba- of millions of consumers. The cked entity along with some of strongly-worded comments sig- China’s biggest e-commerce and naled China plans to amplify a payments platforms, the people campaign to curb the influence of said, asking not to be identified as its most powerful private corpo- the discussions are private. rations, which has so far centered The online firms would be ini- mainly on Jack Ma’s Alibaba and tial shareholders in the joint ven- its affiliate Ant Group Co. ture, though top executives would Xi’s comments were the first need to be approved by the regu- time he specifically addressed lator, the people said. The central platform economies, though he bank didn’t immediately respond has previously stressed the im- to a request for comment. portance of preventing monopo- The proposal is among a sla- the sharing and online economies It’s still unclear what the overall e-commerce and digital-finance lies. te of options being considered in a report that outlined the Com- scope of the new entity would be, spheres after decades of adopting China’s efforts to regulate its to crystallize Beijing’s goal of munist Party’s priorities. what types of data it would mana- a relatively hands-off approa- internet giants coincide with gaining greater control over the One of the key hurdles for such ge and from what sources. A part ch that spawned a generation of growing global scrutiny over the data amassed by online behemo- a joint venture would be existing of the proposal envisions it even- billionaires. industry, as governments from ths from Alibaba Group Holding rules around data privacy, which tually forming strategic alliances With the development of big the U.S. to the European Union Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. give individuals the right to deci- with government-backed insti- data analysis and artificial inte- and Australia have clashed with to up-and-comers like ByteDan- de how their information is used, tutions to facilitate data sharing, lligence, the way big tech collects companies including Twitter ce Ltd. and Meituan. Companies said one of the people. Putting one of the people said, without and uses data has become a sen- Inc. and Facebook. That’s a tes- were encouraged this month consumer data under the oversi- providing further details. sitive issue for the party. tament to how important the to open up data in areas from ght of a company or the govern- The Communist Party has Much like Facebook Inc. or industry has become to basic in- e-commerce to social media to ment would require changes to recently signaled an intent to ti- Google, the enormous amounts of frastructure and national securi- promote healthy development of the law, the person said. ghten its grip over the internet, information that China’s internet ty. MDT/BLOOMBERG

China’s $2.3 trillion hidden debt could climb even further HINA’S local govern- view. “In the longer term, Local government will Cments had 14.8 trillion the economy still faces lots have to repay a record high yuan ($2.3 trillion) of hidden of headwinds, including an 2.14 trillion yuan worth of debt last year, and the figu- uncertain external environ- LGFV bonds maturing this re could climb even further ment and an aging popula- year, Bloomberg calcula- this year, according to a go- tion.” tions show. vernment-linked think tank. China doesn’t have an of- The hidden debt could Local governments were ficial account of local gover- have led to more than 700 under pressure to increase nments’ hidden debt, as it’s billion yuan a year in extra infrastructure investment technically against the law. interest payments, as such and shore up growth throu- Estimates by different ins- borrowing is more costly to gh the pandemic, leading to titutions could vary signifi- service than government a 6% rise in off-budget bor- cantly. One estimate by S&P bonds, he said. It also crea- rowing from a recent low of Global Ratings in 2019 put tes risks to the stability of 13.9 billion yuan in the third the size at 20 trillion yuan, China’s financial system, as quarter of 2019, according to while another that same all kinds of financial insti- Liu Lei, a senior researcher at year from Rhodium Group tutions - including banks, the National Institution for put it at 41.2 trillion to 51.7 brokerages and trust funds Finance and Development. trillion yuan. - have bought the debt, Liu The hidden debt is com- Liu’s calculation includes added. prised of funds raised by bonds issued by LGFVs and Last year’s increase came government-related entities ties raise money to increase risks. That could be hard to Academy of Social Sciences borrowing by government- after debt declined from a for infrastructure and other spending without including achieve as on-budget spen- and advises the govern- -linked trust funds, insurers peak of 16.6 trillion yuan in public projects that carry an it on their official balance ding can’t cover the invest- ment. and other investment firms. 2016, as authorities trans- implicit official guarantee sheets. ment needed to drive the “Local governments will It doesn’t take into account formed some of the bor- of repayment. Bonds sold China has vowed to stabi- economy’s targeted growth find ways to increase hidden bank loans to LGFVs, which rowing into government by local government finan- lize its macro leverage ratio by 2035, said Liu, whose or- debt because they are under may be used on commercial bonds and moved them cing vehicles, or LGFVs, are and lower the government ganization is under the in- pressure to expand invest- projects instead of public onto official balance sheets. one way provincial authori- debt ratio this year to rein in fluential state-run Chinese ment,” Liu said in an inter- welfare projects. MDT/BLOOMBERG www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 11 thu 25.03.2021 體育 SPORTS

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

FIGURE SKATING friendly as they are, will involve Americans. Chen and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzu- ru Hanyu of Japan stand (and leap) high above the rest of the US team stronger than most men’s field, with Zhou in solid shape for a bronze. Hubbell and Donohue figure to be tested by Madison Chock and Evan Bates, for recent world events with whom they have swapped ULTIPLE medals Team USA might get three spots U.S. titles in recent years. at the World Figu- at the Olympics next February. “We have been waiting for

re Skating Cham- AP PHOTO Both U.S. ladies are impeccable this showdown between Hanyu pionships are rare in so many ways: Bradie Tennell and Chen for quite a while now,” Mfor the United States. This year’s has brilliant consistency and says Weir, who along with Li- team could reverse that trend. poise under pressure, where Ka- pinski and Terry Gannon will And there couldn’t be a better ren skates with such beauty and call the event from the NBC time than in a pre-Olympic sea- flow. But challenging for the po- Sports studios in Connecticut, son. dium will be tough.” with coverage on the main ne- Two-time defending cham- Not impossible, Lipinski be- twork, NBCSN and the Peacock pion Nathan Chen and fellow lieves. streaming service. “It’s 12 mon- American Vincent Zhou both “Going into worlds last year,” ths later than expected but no- made the podium in 2019, the she says of the Montreal event netheless I expect it to be epic. last time worlds were held. Ma- canceled because of the corona- “I am excited to see Vincent dison Hubbell and Zach Do- virus pandemic, “it really looked compete as he tries to regain nohue collected bronze in ice like it was going to be a Russian another world medal. He looked dance. podium sweep. This year, there superb at nationals and is on the U.S. skaters have a strong is a little more room at the top. ascent. I wouldn’t be surprised chance of exceeding that total Japan has a solid chance at the to see a set of statement-making in Stockholm this week, maybe podium with Rika Kihira. But my performances from him.” even with a possible women’s prediction for the gold is Anna The U.S. ice dancers shou- Nathan Chen of the USA performs during a practice session at the Figure Skating ld benefit from the absence of medal considering the impro- World Championships in Stockholm Shcherbakova with her incredib- vement by two-time national le consistency and tenacity she’s France’s Gabriella Papadakis and champ Bradie Tennell and some shown throughout this season. Guillaume Cizeron, who have uncertainty about the normally “As most skating fans know, analyst, along with 1998 Olym- As for the American ladies, Bra- won four world crowns. Hubbell dominant Russians. The last the ladies event is all about the pics winner Tara Lipinski. “The die Tennell is in peak form and I and Donohue edged Chock and U.S. medal in women’s compe- talent of Russia and Japan,” most important thing for Bradie think she will have her best wor- Bates in January at nationals, re- tition was Ashley Wagner’s silver says Johnny Weir, a three-time Tennell and Karen Chen to do is lds result to date.” versing the finish for each cou- in 2016. U.S. champion and now NBC’s to finish as high as possible so The two biggest rivalries, ple in 2019. MDT/AP

ad Israel election: Netanyahu falls the short of majority amid vote count BUZZ Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu could struggle to secure The Arab party, Raam, has not declared whether it will su- enough seats in parliament to stay in power, incomplete results pport the efforts of Netanyahu - an unnatural ally - to form a from Tuesday’s election show. governing coalition or those of the bloc of parties opposed to With almost 90% of votes counted, his right-wing bloc is on him remaining in office. course to win 59 seats - two short of the threshold, BBC repor- They are projected to win 56 seats, according to the latest ted. tally, and although backing from Raam could give them a ma- In a surprise development, an Arab party which is projected jority, they are fragmented and unlikely to be able to agree to OPINION to get five seats could hold the balance of power. work together. The final outcome will among other things determine the If neither bloc succeeds, the country could face its fifth elec- World Views course of Israel’s relations with the Palestinians. tion since 2019. Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe, MDT/Bloomberg

When is equal pay day Pakistan’s top health for white women? official said his country

AP PHOTO will purchase 1 million Every year, the American Association for University doses of China’s Women marks Equal Pay Day, illustrating how far into Sinopharm vaccine and the new year women would have to work to make as 60,000 doses of the much as men did the previous year. Today is the day vaccine made by Chinese for “all” women. March 9 was the day for Asian Ame- company CanSino rican and Pacific Islander women. African American Biologics. Faisal Sultan, women, Native American women and Latinas will a special assistant to have their days on August 3, September 8 and October the prime minister, said 2, respectively. on Twitter that an order Yet the AAUW doesn’t feature an equal pay day for has been placed for the White women. Therein lies a broader problem with purchase of Chinese- the way demographic data are collected and reported. made vaccines which will Women are not just women. They also come in a va- be delivered to Pakistan riety of races, ethnicities, marital statuses, education within days. levels and more, all of which intersect. Reporting and analyzing the data in all its complexity is crucial to un- derstanding what is driving outcomes, and what can

be done to change them. AP PHOTO Most commonly, “women” is assumed to be sy- nonymous with White women. All too often, I find myself participating in programs and gatherings de- dicated to “women and minorities,” as if the former Russia Three members were only White and the latter weren’t women. Such of a bomber’s air crew aggregation marginalizes all those with intersec- died when their ejection tional identities, erasing their lived experiences. seats accidentally This is particularly problematic in a rapidly diver- White House: North activated during preflight sifying country, where increasing shares of the po- checks, the military said. pulation identify as Asian, Black, Native American, Korea conducted The Russian Defense Hispanic — or fall into catch-all categories such as Ministry said the incident “multiracial” or “other.” happened at an airbase The way data are presented has consequences for short-range missile test in the Kaluga region, White women, too, as Equal Pay Day demonstrates. about 145 kilometers southwest of Moscow. How can they know where they stand if they are lum- States to “ refrain from AAMER MADHANI, rea on Sunday morning. The ministry said the ped into the “all” category? The failure to disaggregate WASHINGTON It said the launches were causing a stink” if it wants altitude wasn’t enough denies them knowledge about their position relative made off North Korea’s to “sleep in peace” for the for the parachutes to to men and other women. It denies them informa- ORTH Korea fired west coast and said South next four years. open and three of the tion about how gender operates to oppress them and four crew members died about how their whiteness provides benefits. It denies Nshort-range missiles Korea is analyzing them. Kim Yo Jong’s statement of injuries. them the opportunity to see themselves in the data. this past weekend, just The statement said was issued as Blinken and There’s reason to hope that the Biden administration days after the sister of Kim South Korea is closely Defense Secretary Lloyd will improve the situation. It has taken a first step in Jong Un threatened the monitoring North Korean Austin arrived in Asia to

two executive orders — one that establishes a White United States and South missile activities in coo- talk with U.S. allies Japan AP PHOTO House Gender Policy Council, and another that seeks Korea for holding joint peration with the United and South Korea about to “advance racial equity and support for underserved military exercises. States, but noted it doesn’t North Korea and other re- communities.” An ambitious next step would be to re- The missile tests were publicize all its informa- gional issues. quire all gender-equity research produced by federal confirmed by two senior tion about North Korea. South Korea’s Defen- Egypt A skyscraper- offices and recipients of federal funds to disaggregate Biden administration South Korean lawmaker se Ministry said Sunday’s sized container ship data by the characteristics believed to influence out- has become wedged officials who briefed re- Ha Tae-keung said in a launches were North Ko- comes, not just by race and ethnicity intersected with across the Suez Canal gender. This would help unmask subtleties, leading to porters on condition of Facebook posting that rea’s first missile firings and blocked all traffic more effective public policy. anonymity. They come as he was told by agency of- since April 2020. U.N. Se- in the vital waterway, Consider how greater disaggregation could improve North Korea has ignored ficials from Seoul’s spy curity Council resolutions threatening to disrupt a research on pay inequality. The AAUW laments the offers from the new admi- agency that the North fired ban North Korea from global shipping system low relative pay of Black women. But to understand nistration to resume ne- two cruise missiles off its engaging in any ballistic already strained by the the causes, one must know more. Does the average gotiations, and Secretary western seaport of Nampo activities, but not cruise coronavirus pandemic. obscure particularly low pay for Black women who Images showed the of State Antony Blinken around 6:36 a.m. Sunday. missile tests. Cruise mis- did not complete high school? How about women ship’s bow was touching who are both Black and Hispanic? Or Black mothers? last week pressed China Ha, an executive secretary siles fly at a lower altitu- the eastern wall, while A significant body of research — by Nina Banks, Ja- to use its “tremendous in- of the National Assembly’s de and slower speed than its stern looked lodged nelle Jones and Valerie Wilson, Sarah Jane Glynn, fluence” to convince Nor- intelligence committee, ballistic missiles, making against the western wall. and Jane Waldfogel — has found that race, ethnicity th Korea to abandon its which regularly recei- them easier to intercept, and marital status affect women’s pay. In a forthco- nuclear program. ves closed-door briefings but they are still conside- ming book, Michelle Holder finds that Black Latinas

The officials, however, from the spy agency, said red more accurate. AP PHOTO received lower pay — that is, outcomes are not homo- sought to downplay the he was told that the U.S. Relations between the genous within ethnicity. significance of the missile and South Korean milita- U.S. and North Korea, I want to see myself in the data. Not just me, the Bla- tests, noting that they are ries had detected the lau- once hailed as potentially ck woman. All of me: Black (#ADOS), highly educated, never married, no children, property owner. Done ri- not covered by U.N. Se- nches but had agreed not promising after President Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped ght, disaggregation allows for intersectional analysis, curity Council resolutions to publicize them. Donald Trump’s three plans for a five-day a theoretical framework for understanding how the meant to deter North Ko- The Biden adminis- meetings with Kim, have shutdown over Easter, complex interplay among various identities influen- rea from pursuing a nu- tration has been open been tense with no subs- which had prompted ces economic, educational and social outcomes. clear program. about its desire to enga- tantive contact for more confusion and criticism. This, in turn, would enable entities such as the Gen- Biden himself told re- ge the North in negotia- than a year. She called the idea a der Policy Council to achieve their goals. To that end, porters the missile tests tions even as the regime The last face-to-face mistake and apologized the administration needs to hold policy makers and were not a provocation. has batted away calls for talks between senior offi- to Germans. Merkel researchers accountable. People must hold the admi- “There’s no new wrinkle in the two nations to talk. In cials from the two coun- announced the nistration accountable. People must be accountable. decision after calling So today, as we recognize the pay inequities that what they did,” he said. North Korea’s first com- tries were held in Sweden South Korea’s military ments directed at the Bi- in October 2019 and effor- a hastily arranged women endure, let’s keep in mind that the word “wo- videoconference on said in a statement yes- den administration, the ts by the Biden adminis- men” includes a great diversity of lived experiences with Germany’s 16 state — differences that must be understood if we want to terday that it had detected North Korean leader Kim’s tration to resume a dia- governors, who are address the problem. two suspected cruise mis- powerful sister earlier this logue have been rebuffed responsible for imposing sile launches by North Ko- month warned the United since February. MDT/AP and lifting restrictions