Despite Gaming Slump P5 MDT REPORT Xinhua
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NEW GRADUATES EMPLOYED BEIJING CONFIRMS MISSING HK CONTROVERSY IN THREE MONTHS PUBLISHER IN MAINLAND The Macau Polytechnic Institute HK authorities say Chinese officials OVER expects their graduates to be have confirmed the whereabouts ALL-WHITE able to find jobs in their areas of of the chief editor of a publisher OSCAR study in about 3 months time specializing in books banned in China NOMINEES P8 P11 P15 WED.20 Jan 2016 T. 14º/ 18º C H. 75/ 95% Blackberry email service powered by CTM MOP 7.50 2481 N.º HKD 9.50 FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Kowie Geldenhuys EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paulo Coutinho “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” AD Poker on the rise despite gaming slump P5 MDT REPORT XINHUA WORLD BRIEFS CHINA’s central bank yesterday announced it will inject at least 600 billion yuan (USD91.46 billion) to provide liquidity for the impending Spring Festival holiday, the state-run agency Xinhua reported. The liquidity will be added through tools such as the standing lending facility (SLF), the medium-term lending facility (MLF) and pledged supplementary lending (PSL), the People’s Bank of China said in a statement on its website. The central bank vowed to ensure liquidity in the banking system is “reasonable and adequate” around the Spring Festival, which will fall on Feb 8. AP PHOTO MIDDLE EAST Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Saudi Arabia for a two-day visit as part of a Mideast tour that will include stops in Egypt and Iran. The official Saudi Press Agency reported that Deputy Crown OCeAn ABSOrPTIOn OF MAn-MADe Heat DOUBLeD Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeted the Chinese delegation upon their arrival yesterday. Xi will be meeting with King Salman, 2015 warmest year on as well as the chiefs of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the 57-nation Organization of Islamic record for Macau, world P6 Cooperation. More on p10 More on backpage 20.01.2016 wed th Anniversary 2 MACAU 澳聞 LIOneL LeOnG Secretary for Economy evokes ‘Macau spirit’ to overcome setbacks HE Secretary for Economy dropped for 18 consecutive Tand Finance evoked the months, sending ripples across “Macau spirit” to bring peo- To revamp the whole economy. Worst ple together, overcome the di- hit has been the VIP sector, of Macau meet its development Considering all the external fficulties they face and use the the gambling wealthy people brought to Ma- target for becoming a world economic factors, in the short opportunity to improve the ci- cau by junkets. They used to ac- tourism and leisure centre. term, he cannot see many posi- ty’s economy. industry, count for more than 70 per cent Leong said that people in the tive factors. Lionel Leong Vai Tac said of casino income, rising to 80 city had reacted well to the di- He was asked if, after 18 mon- in a recent interview with Ex- Macau needs per cent at the peak, but have fficulties. Opportunities and ths of decline, gambling reve- moo News that, in meetings to improve now fallen to 53 per cent. challenges exist together. Fa- nue had reached their bottom. with friends, social groups and “On the other hand, the mass cing difficulties and challenges, “I have no crystal ball. I have no people in industry, he felt the the legal market has remained strong,” everyone has responded calmly way to predict.” “Macau spirit” had not chan- said Leong. “With hindsight, and is working hard to improve Leong is so busy that his only ged. “This year Macau people infrastructure the gambling industry in Macau the situation. days off come when the clea- are facing a year of economic depended too much on the bu- Leong said that now was the ners have to wash the carpets adjustment but most do not and supervision siness brought by junkets. The time both to restructure the and the air conditioners in the complain. On the contrary, they regulation of it was not strong economy and self-examina- office. His two sons and one have a positive attitude toward entrepreneurs and traditional enough. The healthy improve- tion. Macau’s gaming market is daughter are all studying over- the new economic situation. It shops developing e-commerce ment of the junkets can pro- changing; it must overcome two seas. The two sons have gone makes me feel deeply their spi- to open new markets. mote the healthy development large dependencies – one is on to university in the U.S., while rit of stability, being responsib- Since Leong took the post in of the six large casinos and will a single industry and the other his 15-year-old daughter is stu- le and going forward. December 2014, he has lived in the end bring benefits to the on a group of people in the in- dying in the UK. Leong added that, when the through a dramatic change in whole of Macao.” dustry. To revamp the gam- The only time he can see economy was growing fastest, gambling, the city’s main busi- This means improving the law bling industry, Macau needs to them is during long holidays. rents for offices and shops rose ness for 168 years. For over a and strengthening the moni- improve the legal infrastructure “Before, when I was a busines- rapidly and there were no con- decade, it grew rapidly, over- toring system, improving the and supervision. It has to chan- sman, I spent a lot of time with ditions to develop certain sec- taking Las Vegas to become the non-gambling elements and ge from ‘doing the biggest’ to them. Now they realize that tors. But, now that the economy world’s top gaming center. But, the mass market. In this way, ‘doing the best’. the role of daddy has changed. is slowing, it is an opportunity from the middle of 2014, reve- the leisure elements in the casi- He said that this restructuring They will support me well,” he for them to grow, such as young nues began to fall; they have nos will improve. Only then can was difficult in every aspect. said. MDT/Macauhub/Exmoo T least RMB207 billion te Department’s Bureau Awas channeled out of of International Narcoti- Guangdong Province last cs and Law Enforcement China laundering hotspot year in illegal transfers, Affairs, responsible for with some if it transiting monitoring international through Hong Kong and money laundering, “China pushes 200bn yuan in transfers Macau. leads the world in illicit ca- According to media re- pital flows.” ports, a total of 83 cases Equally Macau has ear- gged to the USD respecti- Chinese banks were subse- were discovered by se- ned a reputation for being vely, and this has sheltered quently required to moni- curity officials from the Shenzhen a recipient of illegal trans- them somewhat from the tor the transactions of their mainland, involving sums fers. For high rollers, it is recent turbulence of the clients and to rate the risk that collectively exceeded and Zhuhai one way to bypass China’s RMB and the turmoil of the of such transactions being RMB207 billion. Many currency controls and cir- Chinese stock markets in used for criminal purposes. more incidents are belie- are hotspots cumvent the watchful eyes recent weeks. However, there remain ved to have occurred, mea- for illegal of Xi’s anti-corruption bu- Chinese efforts to tackle concerns about China’s ning that the total amount reaucrats. money laundering have willingness to cooperate laundered could be much money One case last year in- increased in recent years, in the prevention of cross- higher than official figures. volved a mainland offi- currency into the MSAR. partially in reaction to the border money laundering. Up to 231 suspects have transfers cial who had attempted This kind of illegal activi- mainland economy beco- For example, in June last been implicated in cur- to siphon around RMB12 ty has persisted for years in ming more globally con- year, Chinese authorities rent investigations. Some Within China, Guang- million into Macau to use China’s southern Guang- nected. refused to assist with an of these people have been dong has long been regar- for gambling purposes, the dong Province, but it may In 2013, the central go- Italian investigation that implicated for the launde- ded as a national hotspot SCMP reports. have intensified of late due vernment intensified its alleged that Bank of China ring of illegal funds, while for illegal money transfers In August last year, police to a weakening yuan, which enforcement of anti-money operations in the Mediter- others as those who solici- out of mainland jurisdic- in Macau arrested 17 people is creating strong demand laundering operations and ranean country had been ted such services. tion – especially in the after a crackdown on pawn for other currencies. promised that incidents complicit in money launde- According to a recent border cities of Shenzhen shops that were suspected The HKD and MOP are of non-compliance would ring and had profited from report from the U.S. Sta- and Zhuhai. of aiding the illicit flow of directly and indirectly pe- be taken more seriously. it. 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