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

T. 10º/ 16º Air Quality Bad THURSDAY “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” MOP 8.00

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WORKERS ON MANDATORY QUARANTINE HEALTH BUREAU SEES THE 2021 MACAU BADMINTON DUE TO RESIDENCES BEING IDENTIFIED OPEN HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN AS RED OR YELLOW ZONES SHOULD BE THE COMING WEEK AS CANCELED BY THE GOVERNING PUT ON JUSTIFIED LEAVES: DSAL ‘CRITICAL JUNCTURE’ WORLD FEDERATION P2 P3 P2 AP PHOTO

North Korea yesterday repeated a threat to respond to U.S.-South Korean military exercises it claims are an invasion HURRY TENDER rehearsal, while the United AL Committee pushes for States insisted the drills were “purely defensive in nature” to maintain gaming consultation kick-start the South’s security. In a P5 statement released by state media yesterday, senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol condemned South Korea for continuing the allied drills and warned of unspecified counteractions that would make Seoul “realize by the minute” that it had walked into a security crisis. AP PHOTO

Afghanistan The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan and a local army headquarters completing their blitz across the country’s northeast and pressing their offensive elsewhere. The insurgents now control some two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after a decades- long war there. The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country’s central government to stem the

tide of the advance. BLOOMBERG

Iran’s new president presented a Cabinet dominated by hard-liners yesterday, state TV CHINA AP PHOTO reported, providing one of the first glimpses into the policies he might pursue Foreign trade over the next four years. The conservative cleric and former judiciary chief, growth rate Ebrahim Raisi, nominated hard-line career diplomat Hossein Amirabollahian to on 10-year high the crucial post of foreign minister as Iran and the U.S. seek to resuscitate Tehran’s signals ‘steady landmark nuclear deal with world powers. recovery’ More on backpage P10,12 OPINION page 2 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 12.08.2021 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

earlier this year. At the time the BWF decided to schedule only an All-England tournament: which was the only BWF event hosted this year before the Olympic Ga- mes in Tokyo. Despite the large number of canceled events, the BWF says it is “still committed to delive- ring the remainder of the 2021 calendar as planned,” adding, “We look to provide players with a safe and structured platform to earn important world ranking points and prize money in these coming months.” Two of the planned upcoming events are the Malaysian Open and Malaysian Masters, which are currently postponed. On such a matter, the BWF added, “A few other remaining Macau Badminton Open canceled tournaments [the Malaysian ones] are still categorized as pos- tponed. Final decisions on those due to Covid-19 restrictions tournaments will come at a later RENATO MARQUES round, have fallen victim to the ble to conduct any tournamen- (August 31 to September 5), Chi- date.” Covid-19 pandemic and the res- ts in China this year,” the global na Open (September 21 to 26), Also postponed are the World HE 2021 Macau Badminton trictions imposed to control and organization said, adding that Japan Open (September 28 to Junior Championships, schedu- TOpen has officially been can- prevent the virus. no dates or locations have been October 3), Fuzhou China Open led for October 4 to 17 in China. celed by the Badminton World “The ongoing Covid-19 res- rescheduled. (November 9 to 14) and Hong The Macau Badminton Open Federation (BWF). trictions and complications left The Macau Open was set to Kong Open (November 16 to 21). was part of the HSBC BWF Wor- In a statement, the interna- local organizers with no choice take place between November 2 The Korean Open was expec- ld Tour - Super 300 series, a tional governing body of the but to cancel the tournaments,” and 7 this year, and it now joins a ted to mark the resumption of Grade 2 tournament awarding sport announced that the local BWF said in the statement. long list of other canceled even- the BWF World Tour, the calen- USD200,000 (1.6 million pata- event, together with the Korean “Unfortunately, it is not feasi- ts including the Korean Open dar of which was interrupted cas) in prize money.

COVID-19 Mandatory quarantine Man faces up to two years constitutes ‘justified leave’: DSAL imprisonment for ORKERS living in red the control of either the em- Wor yellow zones who ployers or the employees. spreading rumors are in mandatory quaran- In his statement, Chan tine should be considered has urged employers to con- HE local resident pandemic situation as being on justified leave, sider not deducting the pay Twho spread fake in Macau, with intent Chan Chon U, vice director covering the period their information on social to cause panic in the of the Labour Affairs Bureau employees are in quarantine, media could face a sen- community. (DSAL), said. or negotiating with the em- tence of up to two years This was, in the cur- Since the city has recor- ployees to take that period in prison, according to rent climate, conside- ded four new Covid-19 cases, as annual leaves. Employers the Public Prosecu- red to be “enough to certain areas on the Peninsu- should also make special ar- tions Office (MP). provoke panic or pu- la have been identified as red rangements to the work of Last week, the Ju- blic anxiety, harming zones or yellow zones and the affected workers. diciary Police (PJ) an- the security and public have been cordoned off. Chan added that em- nounced the arrest order and affecting the The four patients were ployers should not pressure of a 46-year-old local MSAR government’s circulating freely in the com- employees with yellow heal- man, suspected of ha- epidemic prevention munity before being diagno- th codes to take time off so ving committed crimes work,” the PJ stated. sed with the disease. that their salaries can be de- against public security, The resident pos- Residents living in the red ducted. On the other hand, order, and peace during ted the rumors online zone are not allowed to leave -management until August buildings. employees should not take sudden incidents during Macau’s “im- their homes until August 17. 17. The cordon will hinder time off on the grounds of of a public nature. mediate prevention Businesses within the zone According to an Executive and even obstruct residents having yellow health codes. According to the re- status,” which the must also suspend operation Order, they are not allowed needing to work. The DSAL Any exemption from port, the man is ac- Chief Executive Ho Iat until then. to take public transport, and stressed that quarantine work should be mutually cused of fabricating Seng ordered on Au- Residents living in the they may be prohibited from conditions are government agreed upon through nego- and disseminating gust 3 following the yellow zone, meanwhile, will entering certain indoor ve- policy, meaning that it shou- tiation, the DSAL vice direc- rumors online about detection of four Delta need to conduct health self- nues, such as commercial ld not be considered within tor hinted. AL the current Covid-19 cases. MDT

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo DIRECTOR & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF_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 & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kowie Geldenhuys [email protected] NEWSROOM AND CONTRIBUTORS_Albano Martins, Annabel Jackson, Anthony Lam, Emilie Tran, Irene OFFICE MANAGER Juliana Cheang [email protected] REACHING OUT! Sam, Ivo Carneiro de Sousa, Jacky I.F. Cheong, Jenny Lao-Phillips, João Palla Martins, Joseph Cheung, ADDRESS Av. da Praia Grande, 599, Edif. Comercial Rodrigues, 12 Floor C, 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] +20,500 PokerStars, Ruan Du Toit Bester | NEWS AGENCIES_ Associated Press, 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 12.08.2021 澳門 MACAU

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

Macau records MOP659b in BLOOMBERG financial reserves

As of June this year, the city has recorded a total of MOP658.9 billion in financial reserves. Of this sum, the city has MOP309 billion in deposits and current accounts. It also holds bonds to the value of MOP180 billion. The amount in investments, meanwhile, totaled MOP169 billion. Macau also has approximately MOP1.6 billion in other assets. As for liabilities, the city has MOP3.7 billion in debt. In fiscal reserve capital, the city has MOP656.8 billion, of which MOP151 billion is in basic reserves and MOP494 billion is in surplus reserves. A surplus of MOP12 billion was recorded for this and teenagers (aged below 20) is still period. COVID-19 considered “low,” at only about 20%. Currently, the city can offer 140 realtor upwards of 10,000 doses every day. ‘cold-call’ Each vaccination center has suffi- cient walk-in capacity. Moreover, no numbers voided Coming week the upper limit is set for elderly residents by owners wishing to receive immediate vacci- nation without making an appoint- In response to lawmaker ment. Leong Sun Iok’s written enquiry, the Consumer ‘critical juncture’: SSM The emergence of four Delta ca- Council (CC), citing The updates for their itineraries on cing of the Delta virus afflicting ses should alert the public to the pa- HONEY TSANG information from the July 29 are the visits to 3/F of the the 12-year-old female student ramount importance of inoculation Personal Data Protection HE coming week is con- Public Administration Building at and found that it is “highly homo- in fighting the coronavirus. Tai urged Office, revealed that as sidered the “critical junc- Rua Do Campo from 11 a.m. to 12 logous” with the strain found in the public to receive their vaccina- of July this year, about ture”: the moment that p.m., and 5/F of the Women’s As- confirmed cases from the Nanjing tions as soon as possible. 140 Macau cellphone will determine whether sociation of Macau at 2:20 p.m. to Lukou International Airport and He added that a high vaccination numbers used in real TMacau can pull through the cur- 2:40 p.m., and ICBC Branch at Ma- Chongqing. rate does not necessarily guarantee estate marketing have rent wave of Covid-19, Tai Wa Hou, cau Landmark from 3 p.m. to 3:30 However, the authorities can- a full resumption of international been terminated by their coordinator of the Health Bureau’s p.m. not be completely certain of the travel due to the fickle nature of the owners. About 10 further (SSM) Covid-19 Vaccination Ope- The Public Administration Buil- exact point on the Xi’an trip at virus. phone numbers are the ration, predicted yesterday. ding will be closed for disinfection which the girl caught the virus. subject of complaints Therefore, certain entertain- today. TEMPORARY SHELTERS filed by members of the ment venues will remain closed Leong appealed to people who VACCINATION RATE OF 40-49 Ever since the temporary shelter public have registrations until further notice, Tai added, had attended these locations at YEAR-OLDS AS HIGH AS 70% at Ilha Verde that was put into use on on the mainland. asking the public to tolerate the si- these times to make contact with Macau registered an overall vac- August 3, 382 people had stayed the- Therefore authorities tuation for a little longer. health authorities via SSM. cination rate of 43.5%, with those re up to August 10. Most of them are were conducting His remarks came following a More than 10 days have passed aged 40-49 displaying the highest foreign employees, 71% of whom their investigations in question from the media about the since the dates of these previous- rate at 70%, were mainland residents, 27% were communication with possible relaxations following the ly omitted itineraries. The media However, Tai stressed, the rate Macau residents, and 2% were Hong their counterparts on the lifting of the immediate prevention questioned whether such a long among the elderly (aged above 60) Kong residents. mainland. status late in the evening of August intervening period would increa- 10. se the risk of contagion within the IC extends book The government will continue community. loan period to monitor if there are any new Leong responded by saying that cases identified among the peo- the three-day city-wide mass test, Investigation of two pandemic- The Macao Public Library ple quarantined in red and yellow in which all samples tested negati- related violations underway is extending the book zones, and also the general public ve, has reassured the public. Howe- loan period during the over the coming days. ver, she acknowledged that the city THE Public Prosecutions Office admitted to the hospital for medical closure of the public To minimize the risk of conta- should not become complacent (MP) has begun an investigation treatment. libraries. Therefore the gion, people should make use of following the negative results of of the two cases of violations of According to the official docu- members of the public pandemic control measures. ment, the MP will bring charges of do not have to hasten the complimentary Covid-19 test, the mass testing. The public shou- The first case involves a man who “Common Assault Causing Harm to return the materials which came in force yesterday, ld stay cautious about heightened refused to present a health code to Bodily Integrity,” listed in Article to the public libraries, and to avoid crowds, Leong Iek contagion risks. while entering a public market in the 137 of the Penal Code. the Cultural Affairs Hou, coordinator at the Center for The missed information was North District, and then assaulted On conviction, the two individuals Bureau (IC) announced Disease Control and Prevention put down to the vague memory of the security guard with a trolley and may face fines or imprisonment for in a statement. Readers (CDC), added. the family members, Leong said, the stick that held the thermom- up to three years. may also access free In the ongoing epidemiological adding that it is understandable eter. The assault left the security The two individuals committed electronic resources on study of the four confirmed cases, that people might forget their exact guard injured on the face and hand, blatantly violations of the anti-pan- the Macao Public Library’s and damaged the equipment. demic measures and attacked the the authorities discovered yester- whereabouts over the week just website. IC pledged that The second case involved a man staff who were carrying out their day that the family had forgotten to passed. it will closely monitor who refused to wear a mask while duties. Such “malicious” behav- report several visited locations. When asked about the sour- the development of the attempting to enter a government ior will be considered as possibly These include the visit at ICBC ce of infection of the 12-year-old pandemic, follow the building and then spat upon and hit justifying a harsher sentence, the girl, Leong said the government Branch at Macau Landmark from the security guard, who was later statement added. relevant guidelines of the 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on July 27. had conducted genetic sequen- Health Bureau. page 4 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 12.08.2021 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

MAN TAKES CRIME UPSKIRT PICTURES A man accused of taking upskirt pictures has been apprehended ‘Goalkeeper man’ who blocked by the PSP. He told the police that he works as a cook. His latest attempt is alleged to police motorcycle apprehended have taken place at about 9 a.m. on August 4 in the elevator of the ANTHONY LAM underpass at the Rua do Sintra. That morning, the accused HE “goalkeeper man” who took the elevator with three other Tallegedly lay in front of a po- women, who were friends and in lice motorcycle in an attempt to a group. One of the women repor- prevent the police officer from ted noticing the man taking pic- leaving the scene of an accident tures from below the victim’s skirt has been apprehended by the Pu- with his cellphone. blic Security Police Force (PSP), The witness immediately the police announced yesterday. confronted the man and asked The suspect is a local sexagena- to have a look at his cellphone. rian surnamed Ng, who claims to However, the women did not be unemployed. find anything incriminating even The incident took place beside in the folder of deleted material. a car accident which occurred at Nonetheless, the witness insisted about midday on August 7. that they call the police. The accident involved a mi- Hearing this, the suspect fled nivan and a light vehicle, which the scene immediately. crashed on the intersection of Tra- After receiving the report, the vessa dos Bombeiros and Rua de PSP discovered that the man dro- Francisco Xavier Pereira. The mi- ve a car while fleeing from the nivan crashed first into the light scene. Additionally, the police vehicle at the intersection, then also discovered that the man re- veered off the road, smashing into sides on Rua de Joao de Araujo, the glass façade of a clinic. where he was apprehended by The minivan then reversed at the police. high speed along the Travessa but During the interrogation, the left the road again, smashing the suspect confessed to the police roller door of a shop on the Tra- about the crime. He said that he vessa. The vehicle also damaged a A screencap of the man who blocked the police became sexually attracted to wo- number of roadside safety pillars men in uniform skirt and stockin- and fences. off pedestrians for their own sa- The deputy chief officer chose off the suspect, the suspect is re- gs when viewing pornographic The PSP revealed that after at- fety, among them the suspect. to ignore the suspect. ported to have immediately fallen websites last year. tending to the car accident, a po- However, the suspect is alleged At the conclusion of the ope- to the ground, calling for an am- From the second half of last lice officer and a deputy chief of- to have refused to stay out of the ration, the deputy chief officer bulance and claiming to be inju- year, he has frequented the main ficer stayed behind to assist with immediate area of the accident. mounted his motorcycle to return red. He also accused the police of commercial district, including the the towing of the minivan, which He reportedly yelled at the officer, to the police station. pushing him to the ground. Praia Grande, to film his victims. became undrivable after the se- accusing him of unfair policing, The suspect then allegedly He was then taken to the po- During his arrest, the police cond crash. and threatened the deputy chief stood behind the motorcycle, pre- lice station for questioning but seized two other cellphones and As the towing truck tried to officer that if the officer touched venting the deputy chief officer did not cooperate. He was char- a tablet computer. The three de- pull out the stuck minivan, the him, he would fall to the ground from leaving the scene. ged with false accusation, among vices contained 4,200 copies of deputy chief officer tried to ward immediately. When the officer tried to ward other offences. such pictures.

mon, if not bizarre, trajec- Hato, Super Typhoon Man- tory of the tropical cyclone. gkhut and Typhoon Higos, Cyclones moving east to west not Nonetheless, the SMG had the more common pa- noted that the last time a ths, which were influenced tropical cyclone with such a by the easterly airstream to unheard of, says weather bureau movement path was seen in their south. its records was in 2012. However, cyclones that ANTHONY LAM In that year, Severe Tro- form on the South China pical Storm Talim formed Sea will see irregular paths ROPICAL cyclones near the east coast of Hai- in the absence of an orien- Twith a movement path nan Province, about 400 ting airstream. from the west coast to the meters from Macau and Considering the incuba- east coast of the Guang- in the middle of the South tion location of Lupit, the dong Province are not China Sea. It then moved seawater on the western unheard of, the Meteoro- towards the Taiwan Strait. coast of the Guangdong logical and Geophysical Tropical cyclones affec- Province must have had a Bureau (SMG) suggested in ting Macau normally in- relatively high temperature. a reply to an enquiry by the cubate on the open sea of At the same time, vertical Times. the Western Pacific Ocean windshear around that area The recent meteorolo- or the southeastern part of must also have been weak gical system, named Lupit, the South China Sea, before or even absent in order for which started near the west moving towards the coast of a tropical cyclone to form coast of the Guangdong China. successfully. Province on August 3, mo- To explain the scenario, The SMG did not provi- ved along the Southern Chi- the SMG stressed that the de an answer on the ques- nese coast and towards the movement of tropical cyclo- tion of how many times east coast of the Province. nes depends on several fac- tropical cyclones with path Public confusion has tors. The last three cyclones or trajectory have been re- been expressed on social that triggered the hoisting of corded in the history of the media platforms, with users the No.10 signal in Macau, bureau, or as far back as it questioning the uncom- namely Severe Typhoon could trace. www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 5 thu 12.08.2021 澳門 MACAU

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

and then extra work in drafting fi- nal amendments to the bill. “Hence, [we] hope the gover- nment can make overall arran- AL Committee pushes for opening gements, and launch public con- sultation as early as possible. [The government should] make the appropriate announcements and of gaming consultation directions to the public in due HONEY TSANG course, and ensure the legislative proceedings can be done within he Legislative Assembly’s the scheduled time to give enou- (AL) Follow-up Commi- gh time for the industry to prepa- ttee for Land and Public re and formulate [their business Concession is pushing plans],” the members declared. Tthe government to launch the pu- To enable the public to better blic consultation on amendments understand the current situation to gaming legislation as early as in the gaming industry, the com- possible. mittee suggests the government The committee delivered their conduct a detailed review of im- suggestions to the government portant matters, such as conces- in a summary report, which was sions, experience, and operatio- later published on AL’s official we- nal problems. bsite. The committee also urged the Adriano Marques Ho, director government to take stock of all of the Gaming Inspection, and the changes faced by the industry, Coordination Bureau (DICJ) had especially those resulting from earlier announced in a written in- the uncertainties of the Covid-19 quiry that the consultation — whi- pandemic era. ch will deliberate the legislation The six gaming concessions concerning the renewal bidding and sub-concessions are due on process of gaming concessions June 26, 2022. Given the immi- and the operation of concessio- nent deadline, and the fact that naires — is timed to commence in the industry is a key driving force the second half (H2) of 2021. In the report, committee mem- The committee asserts the un- organization of a public consul- of the city’s economy, the commi- However, as the city enters the bers raised doubts as to whether dertaking needs to be completed tation process and the collection ttee emphasized that the gover- second month of H2, there is still the heavy workload involved in “within a limited time frame” and of opinions from the community, nment’s handling of gaming bill no indication of when the public amending the gaming bill can be is “not an easy task,” as it will in- then the analysis of the data and and the industry’s prospects are consultation will take place. handled in a short period. volve many procedures: firstly, the compilation of a summary report, of great public interest. ad page 6 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo CHINA 中國 12.08.2021 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

projects to promote the construc- tion of infrastructure for renewable China boosts efforts energies. As low-carbon projects start to Court sentences Canadian to 11 years in case tied to Huawei to hit green targets dominate new developments, the country will target its “historical JOE MCDONALD HOU LIQIANG, CHINA DAILY stockpile” of high-emission pro- & NG HAN GUAN, DANDONG jects for further carbon reduction, HINA is bolstering efforts XINHUA she said. Canadian entrepre- Cto tackle climate change by In addition to infrastructure, neur was sentenced proactively promoting low-carbon policy and institutional mecha- to 11 years in prison projects as drivers of economic nisms need to be put in place to yesterday in a spy case growth and reining in sectors with create a favorable situation for the linkedA to Beijing’s effort to push high energy consumption and development of new energy and his country to release an executi- emissions, experts said. low-carbon industries. ve of tech giant Huawei, promp- In late July, a meeting of the Po- Lin Boqiang, head of the China ting an unusual joint show of su- litical Bureau of the Communist Institute for Studies in Energy Pol- pport for Canada by the United Party of China Central Committee -icy at Xiamen University, said only States, Japan and 23 other gover- had carbon emissions high on the after the country builds the in- nments. agenda amid the worsening clima- frastructure for new energy, can it China is stepping up pres- te crisis that has seen extreme wea- undertake large-scale reduction of sure as a Canadian judge hears ther conditions across the globe. the consumption of coal and other final arguments about whether The world’s leading scientists fossil fuels, which make up about to send the Huawei executive to warned in the Intergovernmental 85 percent of China’s energy mix. the United States to face char- Panel on Climate Change report The “build first, destroy later ges related to possible violations this week that climate change is “strategy will help ensure energy of trade sanctions on Iran. On “widespread, rapid, and intensi- security and a stable power supply Tuesday, a court rejected ano- fying”. second half of this year. region needs to go carbon neutral, to sustain economic growth, he ther Canadian’s appeal of a death The human-caused climate cri- Aside from adhering to coordi- she said. said. sentence in a drug case that was sis is “unequivocal” and tempera- nated national action, the meeting Some regions may not only be Steel, cement and the nonfer- increased after the executive’s ar- tures are likely to rise by more than stressed the need to correct “mo- able to achieve negative emissions rous metal industries are the main rest. 1.5 C over the next 20 years, trigge- vement-style” carbon reduction but can help make up the gap in sectors with high energy con- Entrepreneur Michael Spavor ring more extreme weather events measures, as the country forges other areas. Other regions may not sumption and emissions, and con- and a former Canadian diplo- worldwide, the report said. Many ahead to fulfill its climate targets, have the suitable conditions to de- sume 21.5 percent of the country’s mat were detained in what critics of the climate changes observed which also include achieving car- velop new energy industries. power. labeled “hostage politics” after are unprecedented in thousands, bon neutrality before 2060. “Each region should proceed Efforts to contain these indus- Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou, was if not hundreds of thousands of Fu Sha, program director of with carbon reduction in light of tries will reduce China’s dependen- arrested Dec. 1, 2018, at the Van- years, the report added. Energy Foundation China’s Low local conditions,” she stressed, ad- ce on energy for economic develo- couver airport. The Political Bureau meeting Carbon Economic Growth Pro- ding that different measures shou- pment, and set the country on the Spavor was sentenced by a urged a faster rollout of a national gram, said many regions have in- ld be rolled out in a coordinated path of high-quality development. court in Dandong, about 210 action plan to fulfill the country’s cluded the development of hydro- way. New projects with high energy miles (340 kilometers) east of Bei- target of reaching a carbon dioxide gen energy in their 14th Five-Year The meeting called for the consumption and emissions have jing on the North Korean border. emissions peak before 2030, accor- Plan (2021-25). county’s climate targets to proceed been major targets of environmen- The government has released ding to a statement released after An example of a “movement-s- in a “build first, destroy later” man- tal inspections. few details other than to accuse the meeting. tyle” measure is undertaking a hy- ner. “The development of projects The inspection teams are Spavor of passing along sensitive Presided over by President Xi drogen energy program without a with high energy consumption usually headed by retired minis- information to the former diplo- Jinping, who is also general se- proper assessment of local condi- and emissions will be rigorously try-level officials, and these teams mat, Michael Kovrig, beginning cretary of the CPC Central Com- tions. However, for the country to curbed,” the release said. report to a central leading group in 2017. Both have been held in mittee, the meeting set out key achieve its carbon neutrality target Fu said China will prioritize low- headed by Vice-Premier Han isolation and have little contact economic policy directions for the doesn’t necessarily mean that each -carbon, clean industries in new Zheng. MDT/CHINA DAILY with Canadian diplomats. China market turns frosty for Taiwan books, as tensions rise HUIZHONG WU, TAIPEI issues from religion to the -Japanese fusion cookbook, lives of Chinese political lea- a self-help book and a book

AIWANESE author Iris AP PHOTO ders, Taiwanese publishers of travel sketches from a TChiang hardly seems like previously sold a wide va- Taiwanese artist’s travels in the type whose work would riety of other books to the Beijing that featured cats be banned from publication mainland, drawing on a sha- roaming the city’s traditional in China. Yet four years after red language and cultural “hutong” neighborhoods. being sold to a Chinese pu- history. One sticking point is any blisher, her book teaching “Exchanges in publishing content that suggests a se- children how to appreciate is really the exchange of parate Taiwanese identity. art has yet to go to press, a ideas,” said Linden Lin, the Younger Taiwanese in par- victim of heightened ten- head of Linking Publishing ticular have developed a sions between China and Co. in Taiwan. “It’s only distinct identity. A 2020 poll Taiwan that are spilling over through publishing that found that two-thirds of the into the cultural sphere. you can have this type of ex- respondents didn’t think of It’s not just about losing Author Iris Chiang change.” themselves as Chinese. access to the huge Chinese Now, any Taiwanese “In the past, they would market, authors and pub- den Rooster and Golden head of the China Times Pu- Taiwan’s current de facto in- book has become harder censor books about religion. lishers say. It’s also about Melody awards, regarded as blishing group, one of the dependence, as the island’s to publish in China, accor- … But for example if a book’s losing opportunities to ex- the Oscars and Grammys for largest publishers in Taiwan. president in 2016 ushered ding to editors, academics, topic is Taiwan’s food then change and connect, after Chinese-language movies “It’s getting farther and far- in a period of deteriorating publishers and authors. It that’s fine,” said Rosine Liu, three decades of growing and music. ther apart.” relations. China has tried to is not a blanket ban, and an editor at Taiwan’s Busi- contact between the two. In “It feels like in these few China claims Taiwan, a isolate the island diploma- publishers blame self-cen- ness Weekly, who previous- recent years, China has cut years, the flow of exchange self-governing island about tically and pressure it mili- sorship by their mainland ly sold two cookbooks by a the flow of Chinese touris- is diverging. Taiwan is going 160 kilometers (100 miles) tarily. counterparts rather than Taiwanese author to China. ts and students to Taiwan further in one direction and off China’s east coast, as its While China’s ruling any official order. “But now I feel like now if it’s and blocked its artists from China is going farther in one territory. The election of Communist Party has long Titles that have been fro- called ‘Taiwan Cuisine,’ even taking part in Taiwan’s Gol- direction,” said James Chao, Tsai Ing-wen, who favors banned books on sensitive zen out include a Taiwanese- that’s a little stressful.” www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 7 thu 12.08.2021 中國 CHINA

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER Court sentences Canadian to 11 years in case tied to Huawei der, was arrested on U.S. charges of warned American travelers face a lying to the Hong Kong arm of the “heightened risk of arbitrary de-

AP PHOTO British bank HSBC about possible tention” in China for reasons other dealings with Iran in violation of than to enforce laws. trade sanctions. Diplomats from the United Meng’s lawyers argue the case is States and Germany went to the politically motivated and what she detention center in Dandong but is accused of isn’t a crime in Cana- weren’t allowed in, according to da. Barton. China’s government has critici- “Our collective presence and zed the arrest as part of U.S. efforts voice send a strong message to to hamper its technology develop- China and the Chinese govern- ment. Huawei, a maker of network ment that the eyes of the world are equipment and smartphones, is watching,” the ambassador said. China’s first global tech brand and Barton said Chinese authorities is at the center of U.S.-Chinese ten- cited photos taken by Spavor at sion over technology and the se- airports that included military air- curity of information systems. craft. Beijing denies there is a connec- “A lot of it was around the pho- tion between Meng’s case and the to evidence,” the ambassador said. arrests of Spavor and Kovrig, but “He obviously had a different view Chinese officials and state media on that.” frequently mention the two men in Barton met with Spavor after the relation to whether or not Meng is sentencing and said he sent three allowed to return to China. messages: “Thank you for all your Earlier, Barton said he didn’t support, it means a lot to me. Two, think it was a coincidence the ca- I am in good spirits. And three, I Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange (2017) ses in China were happening while want to get home.” Meng’s case was advancing in Van- “He’s strong, resilient, focused The Canadian government con- next step in the process to bring tries plus the European Union ga- couver. on what’s happening,” Barton said. demned Spavor’s sentence. It said Michael home and we will conti- thered at the Canadian Embassy in Asked whether Canada was ne- “We had a very good conversation.” he and Kovrig are “detained arbitra- nue to support him through this Beijing in a show of support. They gotiating over possibly sending Kovrig, who also was detained rily” and called for their immediate challenging time,” Spavor’s family also have issued separate appeals Meng home in exchange for the in December 2018, stood trial in release. said in a statement. for Spavor and Kovrig to receive fair release of detained Canadians, Bar- March. There has been no word on The legal process in Spavor’s “Michael’s life passion has been trials or to be released. ton said, “there are intensive efforts when a verdict might be announ- case “lacked both fairness and to bring different cultures together “These proceedings are a bla- and discussions. I don’t want to talk ced. transparency,” said Ambassador through tourism and events shared tant attempt to use human beings in any detail about that. But that The Canadian Embassy noted Dominic Barton outside a deten- between the Korean peninsula and as bargaining leverage,” the top will continue.” Spavor had been held for 975 days tion center where the sentence was other countries including China American diplomat in China, Da- Canada and other countries in- as of yesterday. announced. and Canada,” his family said. “This vid Meale, said in a statement. “Hu- cluding Australia and the Philippi- Spavor worked in China but had Spavor has two weeks to decide situation has not dampened, but man beings should never be used nes face trade boycotts and other extensive links with North Korea whether to appeal, according to strengthened his passion.” as bargaining chips.” Chinese pressure in disputes with in tourism and other commercial Barton. Diplomats from the United Sta- Meng, the chief financial officer Beijing over human rights, the co- ventures that brought him into “While we disagree with the tes, Japan, Britain, Australia, Ger- of Huawei Technologies Ltd. and ronavirus and control of the South contact with the isolated commu- charges, we realize that this is the many and other European coun- daughter of the company’s foun- China Sea. The United States has nist state’s leadership. MDT/AP

The soft-spoken Chiang have an exchange,” Chiang things in life.” The government dropped joyed meeting her mainland disappeared. thought she would market said. Now, Taiwanese are also the proposal, saying it would counterparts at book fairs “For me, in this harsh envi- her book, “Play with Art,” That’s in sharp contrast sensitive to the heighte- only censor books published and learning about their way ronment, you will also shrink toward prosperous parents to the 1980s and 1990s, ned tensions, highlighted by the Communist Party or of doing things. In the cur- yourself, because that type of in China, where the gover- when Chinese readers were by debate last year over a its military, the People’s Li- rent political climate, these cooperation is mutual,” said nment was encouraging drawn to Taiwanese writers children’s book from China. beration Army. very basic human momen- Liu. “Because in the end we many people to have more such as Lung Ying-tai, who- “Waiting for Dad to Come Liu, the editor, said it was ts of exchange, which had are all still carrying this bur- kids — a fact she learned se essays contributed to the Home,” about a boy who- never a purely commercial helped people forge a con- den of country and this bur- from one of her students debate on Taiwan’s transfor- se father was out of town exchange for her. She en- nection to each other, have den of history.” MDT/AP from the mainland. mation from one-party rule during the Lunar New Year Things went smoothly to democracy. Sanmao, a holiday treating COVID-19 ad with the Chinese publisher Taiwanese writer who wrote patients, paints a rosy pictu- at first. At their request, she stories about her life in the re of China’s efforts to fight agreed to change one chap- Sahara desert, captured a the pandemic. ter that used examples from generation of Chinese wo- Some in Taiwan argued art museums in Taiwan. A men’s hearts. China was using the island’s Chinese writer would substi- There was also curiosity open environment to spread tute a chapter based on mu- about the most basic things, propaganda. But a govern- seums in China. after the two were cut off for ment proposal to vet books Then the other side went decades following their split from the mainland promp- silent, she said. When she in 1949 during a civil war in ted criticism that the island reached out more than a China. would be falling back on au- year later, she was told the “Back then, relations thoritarian habits. review process was slower were good and it seemed “If we say we are afraid than normal. like there was a mood in that the people will see fake “After we got a new presi- China that they really wan- news, that I will help them dent, the response from the ted to understand Taiwan,” filter information … then other side — the harshness Chiang said. “What kind of how can you call this demo- of the situation and the un- fruit do you guys eat? What’s cracy?” said Lai Hsiang-wai, friendliness — has created your art like? What’s your life a professor of press freedom a lot of tedious things that like? How do you celebra- at National Taiwan Universi- make it inconvenient to te New Year’s? These small ty of Arts. page 8 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo WORLD 國際 12.08.2021 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

million doses of its locally produced AstraZeneca sho- this day in history AP PHOTO ts. China has sent 10 million doses of its shots. Iran also illigan language made a deal with Russia to 2003 G : buy 60 million doses of Sput- ‘wasn’t perfect’ nik V, but so far, Moscow has The journalist at the delivered just over 1 million centre of the controver- shots. sy surrounding the death Doctors received the first of weapons expert Dr set of vaccines, while the go- David Kelly has admitted vernment now offers shots to that his language “wasn’t those 50 and older, as well as perfect” when he repor- to taxi drivers, journalists and ted the government had those with diabetes. But it “sexed up” its weapons hasn’t been nearly enough to dossier on Iraq. keep up with demand. Only Andrew Gilligan, de- 4% of the Iranian public are fence correspondent for fully vaccinated, according the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, was giving evidence to government statistics. to the Hutton Inquiry on its second day. Those with residency per- He stood by the main thrust of his report - that the gover- mits have sought shots in the nment had exaggerated Iraq’s weapons capability to make United Arab Emirates. Others the case for war. have gone to Armenia where But it emerged during four hours of questioning by Lord authorities offer free shots to Hutton that his reporting had been criticised in an internal IRAN visiting foreigners. In Tehran, BBC email as “flawed”. The inquiry is looking into the circumstances surrounding word-of-mouth claims that the death of Dr Kelly, who apparently committed suicide in Pfizer and Moderna shots July after being named as the possible source for Mr Gilli- smuggled in over the border gan’s report. from Irbil, Iraq, including the A transcript of the notes Mr Gilligan made from his last Slow vaccinations ultra-cold freezers needed meeting with Dr Kelly on 22 May said the government’s for them, are now for sale in dossier was “transformed a week before publication to the Iranian capital. make it sexier... a classic was the 45 minutes” [referring to A two-dose Moderna or a claim that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction fuel anger in AstraZeneca vaccine goes for within 45 minutes.] $390, while two Pfizer shots It went on, “Most people in intelligence weren’t happy with cost $1,350. Those paying it, because it didn’t reflect the considered view they were go on faith that the produc- putting forward.” unending pandemic ts have not expired — or are The transcript then showed a single word, “Campbell”. JON GAMBRELL, DUBAI se vaccines abroad. officials repeatedly have even legitimate vaccines. The prime minister’s director of communications, Alastair And even as the delta va- suggested the case count re- Mahsa, a 31-year-old Campbell, has vigorously denied ordering the dossier to be RANIANS are suffering riant wreaks havoc, filling the mains far off. The death toll woman in Tehran, said she changed. through yet another country’s already overwhel- is likely three times higher, got the Moderna vaccine Andrew Gilligan was then asked about the controversial surge in the coronavirus med hospitals, many Ira- officials say, as Iran only through her boyfriend’s live report for the Today programme, broadcast at 0607 on pandemic — their coun- nians have given up on wea- counts those who die in a friend, a doctor working at 29 May. Itry’s worst yet — and anger ring masks and staying at hospital while being treated a pharmacy. In it, he said a “senior official” had told him that the gover- is growing at images of vac- home. for coronavirus. “I am sure the vaccine is nment had “sexed up” its dossier with a claim which it “pro- cinated Westerners without The need to earn a living Khamenei in January genuine because I trust the bably knew was wrong”. Mr Gilligan admitted he had not used exactly the right lan- face masks on the internet trumps the luxury of social slammed shut any possibili- doctor,” she said. guage. or on TV while they remain distancing. ty of American or British vac- Amirali, a 39-year-old fa- The inquiry was then shown an internal BBC email from unable to get the shots. “What is next? A sixth cines entering the country, ther of a baby girl, said he Mr Gilligan’s editor on the Today programme, Kevin Marsh, Iran, like much of the wor- wave? A seventh wave? When calling them “forbidden.” bought shots of the Japane- a month after the controversial report was broadcast. is it going to end?” asked “I really do not trust,” se-made AstraZeneca vac- ld, remains far behind coun- It said: “The story was a good piece of investigative jour- tries like the United States in Reza Ghasemi, a 27-year-old them, Khamenei said of tho- cine from an Iranian doctor nalism marred by flawed reporting. Our biggest millstone vaccinating its public, with delivery man without a face se nations. “Sometimes they secretly vaccinating people has been his [Andrew Gilligan’s] loose use of language and only 3 million of its more mask, smoking a cigarette want to test” their vaccines for profit. Amirali said he lack of judgement in some of the phraseology.” than 80 million people ha- next to his motorbike on a re- on other countries. took the chance as his wife, Just before Mr Gilligan left the inquiry he was asked whe- ving received both vaccine cent day in Tehran. “It is not The decision, after Kha- a permanent U.S. resident, ther he had exaggerated or embellished what Dr Kelly had doses. But while some coun- clear when this situation will menei earlier floated cons- received the Pfizer vaccine said. tries face poverty or other change to a better one.” piracy theories about the while visiting America. “No,” he replied. challenges in obtaining vac- Since the start of the pan- virus’ origin in March 2020, “I was not sure when the The hearings continue. cines, Iran has brought some demic, Iran has recorded saw Iran turn inward and government will provide vac- of the problems on itself. nearly 4 million COVID-19 try to develop its own vacci- cines for my age group, so I Courtesy BBC News After Iran’s Supreme Lea- cases and more than 91,000 nes. Those efforts, relying on decided to vaccinate myself,” der Ayatollah Ali Khamenei deaths — the highest num- traditional “dead virus” vac- he said. refused to accept vaccine do- bers across the Middle East. cines rather than the Pfizer Both Amirali and Mahsa In context nations from Western coun- In a video message broa- and Moderna method of tar- spoke on condition that only tries, the Islamic Republic dcast yesterday on state TV, geting the coronavirus’ spike their first names be used for Lord Hutton published his report on 28 January 2004. has sought to make the sho- Iran’s supreme leader Aya- protein using RNA, have yet fear of retribution from the It was highly critical of the BBC, saying the key allegations reported by Andrew Gilligan were “unfounded”, and criticis- tollah Ali Khamenei descri- to reach mass production. authorities. ts domestically, though that ing “defective” BBC editorial processes. process lags far behind other bed the skyrocketing death And while the government But for those who can’t Lord Hutton absolved the government of any kind of nations. toll as “very painful,” urging claims local shots are 85% pay, there are no shots yet. “dishonourable, underhand or duplicitous strategy” in the The supply of non-Wes- officials to roll out free virus effective, they’ve released no Iran’s civilian government, leaking of Dr Kelly’s name to the press. tern shots remains low, crea- tests and the fatigued public data from their trials. now undergoing a transition But he said the Ministry of Defence was “at fault” for failing to tell Dr Kelly that his identity as the suspected source to follow health measures. For now, the majority of of power to hard-line Pre- ting a black market offering would be confirmed to journalists who suggested it. Moderna and Pfizer-BioN- The true count is belie- Iranians receiving vaccines sident Ebrahim Raisi, has Shortly after the report was published, BBC chairman Tech shots for as much as ved to be much higher. In rely on foreign-made shots. A been overwhelmed by the Gavyn Davis and the corporation’s Director General Greg $1,350 in a country where April 2020, Iran’s parliament health ministry spokesman crisis. And with the Islamic Dyke resigned. the currency, the Iranian rial, warned its case number was clarified on Tuesday that Republic also facing protests Andrew Gilligan handed in his resignation on 30 January, describing the BBC as the victim of a “grave injustice”. “eight to 10 times” higher Iran could import Western over economic issues, water is on the verge of collapse. He joined the Evening Standard newspaper before return- Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions than the reported figures, vaccines “as long as they’re shortages and blackouts, the ing to broadcasting, presenting a documentary for Channel imposed on Iran mean the due to undercounting. Whi- not produced in the U.S. or government likely wants to Four. cash-strapped government le coronavirus testing capa- Britain.” avoid triggering wider un- Mark Thompson, the former Chief Executive of Channel Four, took over as Director General in June 2004. has limited funds to purcha- city has surged since then, Japan has donated 2.9 rest. MDT/AP www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 9 thu 12.08.2021 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 Luna’s supportive link with Luna’s smooth connection with grounded Saturn makes it disciplined Saturn makes it an ideal day to enter into easy to stay on task and put in commitments or revisit the long hours. Just be sure not to exchanges happening within burn yourself out by ignoring present ones. your body.

Gemini Cancer

May. 21-Jun. 21 Jun. 22-Jul. 22 The moon’s presence in artistically- It’s okay to withdraw from the inclined Libra encourages you to world today, Cancer. You’re reconnect with your passions and likely to be craving quiet sense of play, rather than dutifully time to reconnect with family submit yourself to mundane members and the sanctuary responsibilities. that is your home. SUDOKU WEATHER Leo Virgo MIN MAX CONDITION Jul. 23-Aug. 22 Aug. 23-Sep. 22 Easy Easy+ CHINA Don’t go overboard with Put some of your talents to the Beijing 30 fine socializing today if you can help test today, Virgo! The moon’s 17 it, Leo. The moon’s presence in presence in logical Libra implores Harbin 10 19 thunderstorms reserved Scorpio encourages you you to activate any dormant skills to settle in on the home front and and breathe fresh life into the Tianjin 18 26 cloudy keep a low profile. dream. Urumqi 16 29 cloudy Xi’an 30 cloudy Libra Scorpio 18 Lhasa 16 24 fine Sep.23-Oct. 22 Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Chengdu 22 32 rain Tend to yourself today, Libra. Pull away into a private world of Chongqing 24 28 rain Rather than send your energy your own today. You don’t owe out into the world, seek to anyone an explanation; you just Kunming 19 29 cloudy center some nurturing attention need to restore your energy levels Nanjing 24 cloudy on your feelings, health, and and catch up on some downtime 15 body. and reflective thought. Shanghai 28 36 thunderstorms Wuhan 20 26 cloudy Sagittarius Capricorn Medium Hard Hangzhou 9 18 thunderstorms Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Taipei 16 28 cloudy Reach out to your community of Let yourself go into full on Guangzhou 12 26 fine friends today. There’s no need productive Capricorn mode today. to keep tirelessly pushing ahead The moon’s presence in balance- Hong Kong 18 31 fine with your career goals right now bringing Libra encourages you to - especially when you’re running direct your energy towards making low on inspiration. strides on the career front. WORLD Aquarius Pisces Moscow 17 31 clear Frankfurt 8 14 rain Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Feb.19-Mar. 20 Paris 8 15 rain Break free from the mundane Slip away into a world of your today. You were born to be own today, Pisces. You’re not London 7 16 cloudy eccentric and let your freak flag likely to be in the mood for fly - so, why are you continuing meaningless small talk or light New York 14 24 cloudy to submit yourself to limiting, and fluffy encounters with other mundane life circumstances? people.

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AVIATION Expo in October. And after months of frustra- tion and confusion, the U.K. last week removed the UAE from its Dubai’s busy airport sees passenger “red list” that ordered all trave- lers to quarantine for 10 days in costly, government-approved traffic drop 40% in 2021 hotels. The upgrade to “amber” elicited a strong sigh of relief ISABEL DEBRE, DUBAI throughout the federation of se- ven sheikhdoms, home to some

UBAI International Airport, AP PHOTO 120,000 British expats. London Dthe world’s busiest airport was ranked as the top destination for international travel, handled city for Dubai’s airport in 2020, some 40% less passenger traffic in with 1.15 million customers. the first half of 2021, compared to Griffiths declined to put a the same period last year, its chief number on the financial hit, but executive said yesterday. said the “loss of traffic (to the The decline came as more U.K.) has had a very, very signi- contagious coronavirus variants ficant impact on the economy of cut off the hub’s biggest source both countries.” markets and continued to clo- So thrilled was Emirates about bber the global aviation industry. the flight resumption that the However, CEO Paul Griffiths airline plopped a woman on the remains optimistic for the crucial pinnacle of the tallest tower on east-west transit point as authori- the planet, Burj Khalifa, and fil- ties gradually re-open Dubai’s key med her raising placards that im- routes to the Indian subcontinent plored Brits to fly Emirates. and Britain. The stakes are indeed high for The 10.6 million passengers Dubai, where the economy thri- that passed through the airport ves not on oil, like in other Gulf over the past six months “is still Arab sheikhdoms, but on travel very positive,” Griffiths told The and tourism. Emirates remains Associated Press. “I think coupled the linchpin of the wider empire with the restrictions easing that known as “Dubai Inc.,” an interlo- we’re now seeing, (it) will bode cking series of businesses owned very well for a satisfactory end to by the city-state. the year.” There are signs of looming un- The airport, which saw 86.4 certainty, with the airport yet to million people squeeze through to hire back any of the 5,000 em- before the pandemic hit in 2019, ployees it furloughed during the has held the title of the world’s delta variant emerged, promp- Although the UAE recently lif- people go to all parts of northern devastation of the pandemic last busiest since it beat out London’s ting familiar border closures and ted an entry ban on India, Pakis- Europe,” said Griffiths. “It’s very year. But when asked whether Heathrow seven years ago. It even capacity cuts, and hurting the tan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, which important we get those traffic Dubai Airport would hold onto its kept the crown as the virus turned mammoth airport, hub of lon- are home to most of the vast fo- flows back.” title — one of many prized super- the world’s biggest airports into g-haul carrier Emirates. Dubai reign workforce in the federation, There are reasons to expect a latives in the extravagant emirate massive voids. But the once-tee- World Central, the Gulf city’s se- stringent vaccination require- rebound, Griffiths added. One of home to the world’s tallest buil- ming terminals still have a long cond airport that went out of use ments still bar many from boar- the airport’s two main terminals, ding and biggest mall — Griffiths way to go before seeing pre-pan- for commercial flights during ding flights to the country. mothballed amid the pandemic, didn’t miss a beat. demic passenger levels. the pandemic, appears to be a “All of those South Asian returned to use last month to “I have no doubt in my mind,” The hopes stoked by the Uni- parking lot for Emirates’ iconic markets are incredibly important prepare for an influx of holiday- he said. “We’re gearing up to ex- ted Arab Emirates’ speedy vacci- fleet of double-decker Airbus to Dubai, they’re a very important -makers escaping wintry wea- pect a huge surge in volume.” nation campaign took a hit as the A380s. transit opportunity, of course, as ther and attending the World MDT/AP China’s foreign trade growth rate hits 10-year high HE volume of China’s the second highest in his- 17.9%, and exports of state- Tforeign trade, exports tory only after that in June, -owned enterprises gained and imports all hit record the MOC said. 16.7%. highs in the first seven China’s exports to deve- Nearly 95% of the new BLOOMBERG months of 2021, while their loped markets such as the businesses that engaged year-on-year growth rates United States, the European in foreign trade in the first set 10-year highs compa- Union and Japan rose 22.6% seven months are privately red with the same period in in the first seven months. owned. previous years, the Ministry Its trade with emerging New growth drivers for of Commerce (MOC) said markets continued to grow, foreign trade continued this week. with exports to the Associa- to grow. In the first half The country’s total im- tion of Southeast Asian Na- of the year, cross-border ports and exports expanded tions, Latin America, Africa e-commerce exports rose 24.5% year on year to 21.34 and other emerging marke- 44.1% year on year. Driven trillion yuan (about 3.3 ts rising 26.5% year on year, by new-energy vehicles, trillion U.S. dollars) from boosting the overall exports automobile exports rose January to July. Exports rose growth by 13%age points, 102.5%, a record high com- 24.5% from a year ago, whi- the MOC said. pared with that for the same le imports jumped 24.4% in Various market entities period in previous years. the first seven months, data have been dynamic in fo- Despite the rapid growth from the General Adminis- reign trade, the MOC said. in foreign trade, the econo- tration of Customs showed. Exports of private enter- mic recovery still faces un- In July, imports and ex- prises rose 30.1% year on certainties due to the pan- ports rose 11.5% year on year in the first seven mon- demic and the risks in in- year to 3.27 trillion yuan, ths, exports of foreign-fun- dustrial and supply chains, with the volume becoming ded enterprises climbed the MOC said. XINHUA www.macaudailytimes.com.mo page 11 thu 12.08.2021 體育 SPORTS

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FOOTBALL no quickly made contact with his fellow Argentine after Barcelona announced last Thursday that Messi would be leaving the club he joined as a 13-year-old boy. Messi won every major honor Lionel Messi eyes Champions with Barcelona and was granted a tearful exit news conference on Sunday to signal the end of an era. Only Cristiano Ronaldo in League trophy with PSG the current era challenges Messi’s status as an all-time great. IONEL Messi said he’s Leandro Paredes. While PSG had to pay 222 “in the right place” to “Obviously, one of the reasons million euros (then $261 million) win another Champions AP PHOTO (I came) was the locker room: to sign Neymar from Barcelona in League trophy and cited Neymar, Dí María, Paredes, 2017, there was no transfer fee for La reunion with Neymar as a key whom I know.” Messi. factor in his decision to sign with Messi said he is “ready” to start No salary details were given, Paris Saint-Germain. playing with PSG, which hosts but a person with knowledge The 34-year-old Argentina star Strasbourg on Saturday night. of the negotiations earlier told spoke at his introductory news “When I feel it, when the sta- The Associated Press that Messi conference at Parc des Princes ff thinks I’m ok, I’ll be ready. I’m is set to earn around 35 million stadium yesterday, the morning willing to play,” he said. euros ($41 million) net annually. after signing a two-year deal with Messi became the most high- The person said on condition of the option for a third season after -profile free agent in soccer his- anonymity before the contract leaving Barcelona. tory after his attempts to stay at was signed. “My goal and dream is to rai- Barcelona were rejected last week PSG will be hoping not only se another Champion’s (League by the Spanish league because that Messi helps the team regain Trophy) and I believe that I am the salary would not comply with the French title it lost to Lille last in the right place to have the best financial regulations, with the season but finally win the Cham- chances to achieve that,” Messi Change of mood: A smiling Messi addresses reporters at the Parc des Princes Catalan club burdened by deb- pions League. stadium in Paris yesterday said. ts of more than 1.2 billion euros Paris Saint-Germain president “When you see this squad, ($1.4 billion). Nasser Al-Khelaifi praised “a his- you really want to play with them League, falling just short when it na — but also France World Cup PSG moved quickly to sign the toric day for the club, football because there are so many possi- lost the 2020 final to Bayern Mu- winner Kylian Mbappe. Argentina star. The team, Messi world and it is a fantastic mo- bilities,” he added. “We have the nich. Messi helped Barcelona win “I’m going to play with best said, “positioned themselves and ment for us.” same goal. And Neymar of course four Champions League trophies. players, it’s very nice, it’s incre- everything went really fast and Messi said it was “very hard” did a lot and was important for Messi’s arrival gives PSG for- dible to be able to experience it was easy. It happened in little to leave Barcelona after so many my choice.” midable attacking options as he this,” said Messi, who also ci- time. It was a difficult situation years but added “the moment Qatari-backed PSG has been links up with not only Neymar — ted Argentina teammates and and they were efficient.” I arrived here I felt very happy.” desperate to win the Champions his former teammate at Barcelo- PSG players Ángel di Maria and PSG coach Mauricio Pochetti- MDT/AP ad Chinese outbreak traced the to mahjong, testing site BUZZ State media said one of China’s most serious recent outbreaks of jing and was positive for the virus during mass testing following the COVID-19 partly stemmed from people gathered at mahjong parlors outbreak. and at a virus testing site. Dozens of others were infected at a testing site in the village of Lia- The city of Yangzhou in the eastern province of Jiangsu added ano- nhe on the outskirts of Yangzhou, the ruling Communist Party news- ther 54 confirmed cases yesterday, bringing its total to 448 since the paper People’s Daily said. While China has imposed stiff rules on tes- outbreak spread from the international airport in the provincial ca- ting, lockdowns and mask wearing, test sites in Beijing and elsewhere pital of Nanjing on July 20. have experienced crowding and relatively little social distancing. OPINION Reports said the cluster has been traced partly to a 64-year-old wo- China currently has 1,789 COVID-19 patients in treatment, 666 of China Daily man who visited several mahjong parlors after returning from Nan- them in Jiangsu. Editorial, China Daily

Booming trade India A landslide struck reflects steady several vehicles traveling recovery AP PHOTO on a highway in the hills of northern India yesterday, In a sign that China’s economy is re- trapping as many as 50 covering well from the impacts of the people, officials said. A bus, COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s to- a truck and a few other tal foreign trade, exports and imports vehicles were buried under mud and rocks following all hit record highs in the first seven the landslide in Himachal months of the year, with their respecti- Pradesh state’s Kinnaur ve year-on-year growth rates — at 24.5 district, said Vivek Kumar percent, 24.5 percent and 24.4 percent Pandey, a spokesman for — setting 10-year highs compared with the Indo-Tibetan Border the same period in previous years, ac- Police. cording to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday. The figures indicate that momentum in trade for the first half of the year con- AP PHOTO tinued into July, a trade volume of 3.27 trillion yuan ($505.72 billion) being re- corded that month, the second-highest Poland’s right-wing ruling in history after that in June, according GAMING coalition has collapsed after to the Ministry of Commerce. This bo- a small coalition partner des well for China’s economic perfor- In-person gamblers announced yesterday mance for the rest of the year. that it was leaving the The vibrancy in trade may come as government amid a rift over a surprise to many, given the serious lifting US casino legislation it views as an pandemic prevention and control attack on media freedom. measures still in force in the country, The media bill, which is as sporadic infections are being repor- market to its best year scheduled for an afternoon ted in many places nationwide and the vote, would prevent non- pressure of imported cases remains AMBLERS anxious to The more contagious New Jersey, is fully vaccina- European owners from having controlling stakes in high. Not to mention the negative im- Ghit the slot machines delta variant of the virus, ted and plays eight hours in pacts on Chinese companies from the Polish media companies. It and table games in person which became a worse- a casino poker room once a is viewed as a crucial test for US-China trade war and the disrup- after a year of coronavirus ning problem at the end week. He has diabetes and the survival of independent tions in global supply chains caused restrictions are lifting the of the second quarter, now prostate cancer. media in the former by tensions in their relations and CO- U.S. casino industry to its accounts for most new ca- “I don’t wear a mask but communist nation, coming VID-19. best year ever. ses in the U.S. I am getting a little concer- six years into the rule of a That China’s foreign trade has beaten But the great unknown “We’ve had a setback ned,” he said. populist government that all odds to continue making headway has chipped away at media is whether a new, more for sure with the Delta va- Gene Brandon of Rid- results from many factors, ranging and judicial independence. from the government’s timely policy contagious variant of CO- riant and some challenges gefield, Connecticut, said support and the resilience of Chine- VID-19 will slow an indus- with vaccinations, but I he used to go to the casino se enterprises, to the country’s much try that is now winning mo- think we’re going to get twice a month before the improved trade structure that features ney at a record pace. through it,” he said. “We pandemic. He has started AP PHOTO exports of more sophisticated produc- Data released Tuesday have, as an industry, fo- to go again now that he’s ts. For example, driven by new-ener- by the American Gaming cused very strongly on vaccinated. gy vehicles, automobile exports rose Association, the casino ensuring that we’re provi- “When going now, I German prosecutors 102.5 percent, a record high compared industry’s national trade ding both a safe environ- still mask up to reduce the said yesterday they have with that for the same period in pre- group, show that Ameri- ment for our employees chance of inadvertently detained a British citizen vious years. ca’s casinos had their best and our guests. contracting and transmi- who is accused of spying Another noticeable point is the fact second quarter in history, “We also continue to tting to those that are not for Russia while working that trade with the United States, Chi- taking in $13.6 billion. listen to where our govern- vaccinated, especially tho- at the British Embassy in na’s third-largest trading partner, rose The report also shows mental leaders tell us what se under 12,” Brandon said. Berlin. Federal prosecutors 28.9 percent in the first seven months said in a statement that the industry has nearly we need to do,” he said. “I The association said ca- to reach 2.62 trillion yuan despite the the man was detained equaled all the revenue was out in Las Vegas about sinos remain open without higher tariffs the US government has on Tuesday in the city two and a half weeks ago capacity restrictions in all imposed on Chinese goods and its U.S. casinos took in during of Potsdam southwest sanctions on Chinese enterprises. 2020, amid widespread ca- to witness a couple of dif- 25 states that currently of the capital based on Which begs the question when will sino shutdowns and res- ferent trade shows. During have commercial casinos cooperative investigations Washington end the lose-lose trade trictions that lingered even that time, if you were vac- (those not run by Indian by German and British authorities. In keeping war it started and begin rebuilding a after they reopened. cinated, you didn’t have to tribes). with German privacy laws, - It is clear that 2021 could wear masks. Guidance has Twenty-two of those mutually beneficial and win-win tra he was only identified as de relationship. US Treasury Secretary be the best year in history changed. There may well states saw increases in David S. Janet Yellen has already admitted that for U.S. casinos. The gam- be guidance that changes gambling revenue in the the tariffs that remain in place have bling halls are on track to a couple more times.” second quarter compared Turkey Heavy rains that harmed US consumers. And in a letter surpass 2019 ($43.6 billion) Many gamblers say with the second quarter of triggered floods and sent to Yellen and US Trade Representa- as the highest-grossing they are happy to be able 2019, excluding last year’s mudslides left a woman tive Katherine Tai last week, more than year ever. Nearly $25 billion to visit casinos in person comparison that’s skewed missing yesterday in northern Turkey’s 30 major US business groups, from the has been won during the this year after enduring by months of closures. And agriculture to the semiconductor and coastal Bartin province, first six months of this year. pandemic shutdowns. 19 of the 25 states surpas- pharmaceutical sectors, called on the officials said. The floods “These first half results “I am not concerned; I sed their totals for the first White House to restart trade talks with in the Black Sea province are truly remarkable,” said am vaccinated,” said Jean- half of 2019. China and cut import tariffs. came as firefighters in ne Bachard of Bridgeport, Sports betting and inter- southwest Turkey worked The robust Chinese trade performan- Bill Miller, the associa- to extinguish wildfires a ce will be a boon not only to China but tion’s president and CEO. Connecticut. “I live by the net gambling helped keep “COVID-19 is not yet in rule I will take care of my- the casino industry alive wildfire in Mugla province, the rest of the world as well, including which runs along the the rearview mirror, but self and not worry about last year when physical ca- the US. Washington should reflect on Aegean Sea. At least eight whether continuing to wage its trade I’m confident the record how anyone else lives their sinos were shut down. But people and countless war against China is in the best inte- first half of 2021 has laid a lives. I do what I feel is right it is in-person gambling animals have died in more rests of the US. strong foundation for the for me.” that is fueling the industry’s than 200 wildfires in Turkey industry’s full recovery.” Mike Wolk Sr. of Sewell, recovery this year. MDT/AP since July 28.