Removal of cooling measures may attract buyers in ailing market

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

“ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ”

MOP 8.00

HKD 10.00

P10

ARTS & CULTURE

THURSDAY

18 Apr 2024

N.º 4465

T. 25º/ 30º

BUS OPERATOR TRANSMAC RECORDED A

DAILY AVERAGE OF 300,000 PASSENGERS

IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR,

REPRESENTING A 4% INCREASE

US NAVY FLIES

AIRCRAFT

THROUGH

TAIWAN STRAIT

P2 P3 P6

More on p7

Air Quality Good

RENATO MARQUES

FIRST ALL-MACAU DRIVERFIRST ALL-MACAU DRIVER

LINE-UP TO RACE IN LINE-UP TO RACE IN

GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIAGT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA

AP PHOTOAP PHOTOAP PHOTO

PROPERTY

Removal of cooling

measures may

attract buyers in

ailing market

REPORT

IMF affirms Macau

economy will grow

14% this year

P2 P3

Nearly 14 million patacas processed through coin exchange

machines since November 2021

IN CHANGE

MILLIONS

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

18.04.2024 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

page

MACAU

澳門

RENATO MARQUES

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

DIRECTOR & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF_Paulo Coutinho [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITOR_Lynzy Valles

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS_Leanda Lee, Severo Portela, Sheyla Zandonai

NEWSROOM AND CONTRIBUTORS_Alex Torrão, Albano Martins, Annabel Jackson, Emilie Tran,

Grace Yu, Irene Sam, Ivo Carneiro de Sousa, Jacky I.F. Cheong, Jenny Lao-Phillips, João Palla Martins, Jorge Costa

Oliveira, Joseph Cheung, Juliet Risdon, Linda Kennedy, Paulo Cordeiro de Sousa, Renato Marques, Richard Whiteld,

Sérgio de Almeida Correia, Viviana Seguí DESIGNER_ Rebeca Almeida | ASSOCIATE CONTRIBUTORS_JML Property,

MdME Lawyers, PokerStars, Ruan Du Toit Bester | NEWS AGENCIES_ Associated Press, MacauHub, MacaoNews,

Xinhua SECRETARY_Yang Dongxiao [email protected]

A MACAU TIMES PUBLICATIONS LTD PUBLICATION

ADMINISTRATOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kowie Geldenhuys [email protected]

OFFICE MANAGER Juliana Cheang [email protected]

ADDRESS Av. da Praia Grande, 599, Edif. Comercial Rodrigues, 12 Floor C,

MACAU SAR Telephones: +853 287 160 81/2 Fax: +853 287 160 84

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Man stopped from

entering mainland

with 50 second-hand

mobile phones

Gongbei Customs apprehended

an individual who was in possession

of 50 used mobile phones axed

to his body as he entered the

mainland through Gongbei Port

Wednesday. The man, dressed in

loose attire, chose the “nothing to

declare” channel at the Gongbei

Port Passenger Inspection Hall for

entry. When a Customs ocer asked

him to present for inspection, he

hastened his pace and attempted to

merge with the crowd. The Customs

ocer managed to intercept him

and discovered 50 mobile devices

secured to various parts of his

body including his chest, ribs, waist,

abdomen and both of his thighs.

Transport Bureau

to adjust ratio

of electric car

parking spaces

The current ratio of general parking

spaces to charging spaces in public

car parks is approximately 10 to 1,

according to the Transport Bureau.

The authorities committed to

monitoring the occupancy rates of

dierent public car parks and exploring

the possibility of adjusting these

ratios based on the usage patterns

and needs of users. As an illustration,

the authorities referred to the month

of February, where the occupancy

rate for parking spaces designated

for private cars in public car parks

was approximately 17%, while the

occupancy rate for parking spaces for

motorcycles was roughly 11%.

UM organizes health

sciences workshop

The University of Macau has

organized a two-day workshop

entitled “Understanding Applications

of Articial Intelligence in Medicine”

for over 20 science teachers from

Yuet Wah College. The workshop

aimed to enhance the teachers’

professional knowledge and broaden

their horizons as part of the Faculty

of Health Sciences’ training programs

for in-service teachers. During the

workshop, Associate Professor

Poon Chuen Wai discussed the

concept of precision medicine and

the signicance of big data. He

highlighted various applications

of articial intelligence (AI) in the

future of public healthcare, including

genetic data analysis, new drug

development, disease prediction

and diagnosis, deep phenotyping,

treatment response prediction and

the development of wearable smart

devices.

IMF affirms economy will grow

14% this year in fresh report

First all-Macau driver line-up to

race in GT World Challenge Asia

RENATO MARQUES

OR the first time, a

team composed of all

Macau drivers is com-

peting at the Fanatec GT

World Challenge Asia

(GTWC Asia) series.

The Team Elegant

(Mercedes AMG GT3) will

present a duo that inclu-

des local drivers André

Couto and Alex Liu.

Couto broke the news

on his social media pla-

tforms, announcing

that he will join Liu at

the wheel of the Merce-

des AMG GT3 under the

orange banner.

“I am very happy to

announce that I will be

racing in the Fanatec GT

World Challenge Asia

with Mercedes AMG GT3

Team Elegant! It’s been a

crazy last month and now

I’m here, back to GTs,”

Couto said, revealing that

he is teaming up with Liu

to make a 100% Macau

team for the first time.

Couto also noted the

very high level of compe-

tition in this event, which

is currently the largest

and most significant for

GT cars in all of Asia, ad-

ding that just to be part

of this competition is

reason enough for Macau

pride.

“We are a small team

but we will do our best,”

he concluded.

The GTWC Asia series

will start this weekend at

the Malaysian circuit of

Sepang for the first two

rounds, heading next to

Chang International Cir-

cuit in Thailand in May.

The championship has

a total of 14 rounds (2 per

weekend) and it will race

in seven different circuits

including, besides Ma-

laysia and Thailand, a to-

tal of eight races in Japan

(in 4 different circuits),

coming to a close in mid-

-September at the Chine-

se circuit of Shanghai.

The championship in-

cludes a total of 33 cars

from eight different ma-

nufacturers who will ba-

ttle each other over the

14 rounds. There will be

a Japan Cup (races held

in Japan only) in whi-

ch organizers expect at

least 50 GT cars (inclu-

ding the GT4 category)

will compete across that

weekend’s four one-hour

races.

LYNZY VALLES

HE International Monetary

Fund (IMF) has affirmed its

prediction that the local eco-

nomy will grow by 13.9% this

year and 9.6% next year, ac-

cording to its World Economic

Outlook report.

Providing a comprehensive

assessment of the SAR’s econo-

mic situation in the report, re-

leased recently in Washington

as part of the Annual Meetings

of the IMF and the World Bank,

the IMF said that strong growth

is expected to continue in 2024.

The IMF noted that the eco-

nomic growth is bolstered by

further recovery in the gaming

sector and solid private invest-

ments, partly linked to the com-

mitment of gaming concessio-

naires to invest in non-gaming

sectors.

This comes as all six gaming

operators pledge a significant

amount to diversifying the city’s

economy by hosting non-ga-

ming activities in town to su-

pport the government’s aim of

moving away from gaming.

As the gross domestic product

(GDP) is expected to regain its

pre-pandemic level in 2025, the

medium-term growth trajectory

hinges on the pace of Macau

SAR’s integration with the Grea-

ter Bay Area (GBA) and the suc-

cess of economic diversification

efforts.

“Growth is projected to con-

verge to 3% over the medium

term. With narrowing output

gap and increasing wages, infla-

tion is projected to accelerate to

1.7% in 2024 and stabilize arou-

nd 2.5 percent in the medium

term,” the IMF said in its initial

report.

“Sharper than expected

slowdown in the property sec-

tor, local government financing

stress and decline in invest-

ment, or rising geopolitical

tensions will slow economic

activity in Mainland China,

with knock-on effects on Ma-

cau SAR’s financial system and

economy,” the IMF said.

Recently, the Macau Econo-

mic Association announced its

predictions for Macau’s first-

-quarter economic performan-

ce, indicating a promising reco-

very for the region.

According to the association’s

forecast, GDP for the first quarter

is expected to reach approxima-

tely MOP92 billion, reflecting a

significant year-on-year increase

of approximately 19%.

This surge in GDP signifies a

recovery of approximately 82.8%

compared to the same period in

2019.

The University of Macau (UM)

revised its economic projection

for the SAR last week, predicting

a growth of 16.8% to MOP415.3

billion (equivalent to 94.5% of

the 2019 levels) for this year.

Based on the latest economic

data in 2024, the research team

anticipates the economic slow-

down in mainland China will

have a relatively minor impact

on Macau and has, therefore,

revised the projected number

of visitor arrivals from main-

land China to be 90% of the

2019 level.

The revised baseline forecasts

for other major economic varia-

bles include the growth of expor-

ts of services, which is projected

to be 23.4%; as well as the overall

unemployment rate, which is ex-

pected to be 2.2%.

On the mainland, China’s eco-

nomy expanded at a faster than

expected pace in the first three

months of the year, helped by

policies aimed at stimulating

growth and stronger demand,

the government recently said.

The world’s second-largest

economy expanded at a 5.3%

annual pace in January-March,

beating analysts’ forecasts of

about 4.8%, official data show.

Compared to the previous quar-

ter, the economy grew 1.6%.

China’s economy has strug-

gled to bounce back from the

Covid-19 pandemic, with a slow-

down in demand and a property

crisis weighing on its growth.

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

thu 18.04.2024

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

MACAU

澳門

page 3

RENATO MARQUES

STAFF REPORTER

US operator Transmac

recorded an average

of 300,000 passengers per

day in the first quarter of

this year, representing a 4%

increase compared to the

same period in 2019.

Speaking in yesterday’s

TDM Radio Forum, the

bus firm also noted that

the number of passengers

transported during the first

quarter was similar to the

corresponding period in

2019, while the number of

passengers paying in cash

increased by 4.5% compa-

red to the pre-pandemic

period.

As a result, Transmac’s

overall capacity has increa-

sed by over 10% compared

to the pre-pandemic pe-

riod.

Deputy general mana-

ger Lei Kai Kin mentioned

that, during peak hours

on weekdays, the level of

STAFF REPORTER

ACAU’S government

has significantly in-

creased the number of units

available in the first phase

of a new housing project for

seniors, nearly doubling the

original quota in an effort to

better accommodate the ter-

ritory’s growing elderly popu-

lation.

The expansion adds over

1,500 units to the initial pha-

se, increased from the origi-

nal 759 units, according to

Lawmaker Wong Kit Cheng

who also serves as vice-chair

of the Women’s Federation.

Wong expressed hope that

the additional units will allow

more qualified seniors to

move in as soon as possible,

as cited in a TDM report.

Social Welfare Bureau di-

rector Hon Wai said the ex-

pansion aims to meet the

“pressing need” for senior

housing as Macau’s aging

population has increased in

recent decades.

crowding in bus compart-

ments is only 80% of what

it was in 2019, indicating

that current capacity is suf-

ficient to meet demand.

Lei emphasized that the

public bus operator has

implemented several mea-

sures in response to the

increased number of pas-

sengers crossing various

border checkpoints. These

include route adjustments

and the introduction of di-

fferent bus models.

Also, during the forum,

Mayling Leong, the general

One 76-year-old applicant,

surnamed Chen, said that

she is satisfied with the flat

facilities and looks forward

to making new friends. She

and her husband had applied

earlier to take advantage of

the 20% discount on the first

three years’ occupancy fees

for eligible applicants.

Chen also hopes the au-

thorities will ensure there are

sufficient bus routes to the

senior housing to facilitate

travel. Wong emphasized the

importance of timely comple-

tion of the supporting facili-

ties to ensure a smooth tran-

sition for the new residents.

The decision to nearly

double the initial quota of

units underscores the go-

vernment’s commitment

to providing accessible and

comfortable living spaces for

Macau’s elderly citizens. This

initiative aims to not only

meet the current demand

but also anticipate the future

needs of the territory’s aging

population.

manager of TCM, said that

more than 40 bus routes

are undergoing trial adjust-

ments, accounting for half

of the bus routes in Macau.

Among them, 37 will be

adjusted starting from this

month.

The bus firms’ officials

said that with the adjust-

ments, they hope to reduce

the difficulties of citizens

during peak hours.

Previously, the Trans-

port Bureau (DSAT) has

claimed that buses with a

stated capacity of 65 pas-

sengers may not be over-

loaded even if “the buses

are circulating carrying

over 100 passengers.”

According to DSAT, “As

loading and unloading of

passengers may occur in

the course of transporting

passengers on public bu-

ses, even for a public bus

with a capacity of 65 pas-

sengers, the total number

of passengers carried on a

bus trip may exceed 100,

but this is not overloading.”

The reply comes

following a Times inquiry

as it was noted by several

readers that several bus

routes have been circu-

lating with vehicles full,

carrying many more pas-

sengers than their stated

capacity.

Readers reported, in

some cases, as many as 100

passengers on board buses

at the same time, namely

those en route to the Bor-

der Gate.

TRANSPORT

Public buses undergo adjustments

as passengers increase in Q1

ELDERLY HOUSING

First phase

expansion brings

relief and hope

HOUSING | CENTALINE

Cooling measures unlikely to

cause sharp spike but would

attract buyers in ailing market

STAFF REPORTER

HE removal of cooling

measures is unlikely to

cause a sharp spike in

property prices. Rather,

according to realtor Centaline, it

should attract more buyers into

the market.

This comes as the government

announced its plans to lift real

estate cooling measures as the

market has been failing to im-

prove transactions. The proposed

scrapping of these measures in-

cludes exempting second homes

from a 5% stamp duty and redu-

cing the residential mortgage cap

to 70%.

“The withdrawal of the cooling

measures in Macau is primarily an

adjustment in response to market

developments,” Stanley Poon, ma-

naging director at Centaline Ma-

cau, told the Times yesterday on

the sidelines of a press conference.

“The Macau government ini-

tially introduced these measures

with the intention of removing

them, but the market did not res-

pond very strongly to the initial

steps,” Poon explained.

Poon believes the new, more

comprehensive plan to remove

the cooling measures is expected

to have a greater impact, provi-

ding a boost to investor-buyers.

“Buyers will be able to save on

stamp duty, the caps on bank

mortgages have been adjusted,

and some additional stress tes-

ts have been cancelled. This will

provide a good opportunity for

many people who want to enter

the Macau property market, in-

cluding foreign buyers, local resi-

dents and non-Macau residents.”

“The removal of the cooling

measures is likely to release pen-

t-up purchasing power and at-

tract external investment into the

Macau real estate market,” Poon

added. “This will give developers

and property owners a chance to

sell their properties, even if they

have to accept lower prices or

some losses.”

The property market in Ma-

cau has been sluggish in the first

quarter of 2024, with transaction

volumes declining 44% year-over-

-year. Prices have also come under

pressure, with the average price

per square meter dropping by 2%

compared to the previous year.

“Many developers took advan-

tage of this slowdown to offer dis-

counted sales and promotions to

clear inventory,” said Roy Ho, prin-

cipal director at Centaline Macau.

“For example, one developer

launched new ‘metalworking’ uni-

ts in March with prices starting at

7,700 yuan per square meter, a sig-

nificant 30% reduction compared

to the same type of unit two years

ago,” he added.

These price cuts have helped

stimulate some market activity,

but the overall outlook remains

cautious. The potential removal of

the cooling measures could have

a more significant impact on the

Macau property market in the co-

ming months.

“This policy decision indica-

tes that the Macau government is

cognizant of the current state of

the overall society and market and

has chosen to act by removing the

cooling measures,” Poon conclu-

ded.

The news comes as the pro-

perty market in the neighboring

Zhuhai Hengqin area has shown

signs of a strong recovery. In the

first two months of 2024, the to-

tal pre-sale area of commercial

buildings in Zhuhai Hengqin in-

creased by around 28.2% year-on-

-year, while residential pre-sale

area decreased by 5.4%.

“The sales area of commer-

cial housing in Zhuhai also saw

increases in various sectors (re-

sidential +20.1%, office +178.4%,

commercial +231.7%) during the

same period,” said Ho.

However, the impact of the

proposed abolition of the real es-

tate demand management mea-

sures in Macau remains to be

seen and could affect the overall

property market trend in the se-

cond quarter.

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

18.04.2024 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

page

MACAU

澳門

RENATO MARQUES

Almost MOP14 million processed

through coin exchange machines

GAMING

VIP revenues reach 25% of Q1

STAFF REPORTER

IP baccarat revenue

in Macau for the first

quarter of 2024 reached

approximately MOP14.38

billion, according to data

from the Gaming Inspec-

tion and Coordination

Bureau (DICJ).

The figure accounted

for a 25.1% share of ove-

rall gross gaming revenue

(GGR), which amoun-

ted to nearly MOP57.33

billion during the same

period.

Compared to the pre-

vious quarter, revenue

in the VIP segment expe-

rienced growth of 13.2%,

and it saw an impressive

increase of 67.9% compa-

red to the same period of

the previous year.

In terms of mass-

-market baccarat, reve-

nue reached approxima-

tely MOP34.59 billion

during the first quarter,

marking sequential grow-

th of 3.1% and represen-

ting around 60.3% of the

market share. Year-on-

-year, mass-market bac-

carat revenue surged by

68.7% and surpassed the

first-quarter 2019 result

by about 115.7%, a period

prior to the onset of the

Covid-19 pandemic.

Revenue from slot

machines amounted to

nearly MOP3.2 billion,

accounting for approxi-

mately 5.6% of the market

share. It demonstrated

quarter-on-quarter grow-

th of 8.4% and a year-on-

-year increase of 31.5%.

When considering the

overall mass-market seg-

ment, which includes

slot machines, aggregate

revenue for the first quar-

ter stood at just under

MOP42.95 billion. This

represented a significant

74.9% share of Macau’s

casino GGR during the

January to March pe-

riod. Notably, this quar-

terly result exceeded the

achievement of the com-

parable period in 2019 by

110.3%.

RENATO MARQUES

N November 2021, the Monetary

Authority of Macao (AMCM), in

coordination with the two note-

-issuing banks (BNU and Bank of

China), launched the first six auto-

matic coin exchange machines in

Macau aiming to facilitate citizens

exchanging small change into lar-

ger bills or coins.

Since then, a total of 20.49

million coins with a total value

of MOP13.69 million have been

processed through these machi-

nes, the AMCM said in a written

response to an inquiry from the

Times.

The number and value ex-

changed also led the AMCM to af-

firm that this measure has proven

efficient.

The AMCM said that, currently,

there are a total of 10 machines

throughout the Peninsula and

Islands, indicating that the deci-

sion to add four more machines

took into account factors such as

the distribution of the machines

through the whole territory and

social development.

The four additional machines

were installed in the northern dis-

trict as well as in Taipa and Coloa-

ne in December 2022.

The same authority told the Ti-

mes that with the placement of the

current 10 machines, it is believed

that they can service all major live-

lihood and commercial districts in

Macau.

According to the monetary

authorities, at present, the most

common denomination exchan-

ged is the MOP0.1 (10 avos),

followed by the MOP1 coins, ac-

counting respectively for 52% and

27% of the total number of coins

exchanged.

Of the 10 existing machines,

five are in BNU branches, and the

other five are in Bank of China

(BOC) branches.

Locations in the Peninsula are

BOC (San Ma Lou), BOC (Red

Market), BOC (Rua de 5 de Outu-

bro), BOC (Villa de Mer), BNU (Iao

Hon), BNU (Fai Chi Kei) and BNU

(NAPE).

In Taipa, there are coin exchan-

ge machines in the BNU (Nova

City) and BNU (Kinglight Garden)

and, in Coloane, there is a machine

at BOC (Praia Park).

FAST AND EFFICIENT BUT

ATTENTION IS NEEDED

The Times has personally tested

several automatic coin exchange

machines at both BNU and BOC

branches.

The machines and opera-

tion interfaces are the same be-

tween the two banks as both use

Payboy technology equipment

and software.

The interface is very user-frien-

dly and is available in Chinese,

Portuguese and English, catering

to a broad audience.

The machines only accept

Macau patacas and it is very

likely that among the small

change are also HKD coins whi-

ch, in most cases, appear phy-

sically similar to MOP coins.

If you insert HKD coins, the machi-

ne will automatically reject them

and return them to the refund box.

Another thing to consider is

the total amount that you insert

into the machine as there are li-

mits (500 pieces of coins) and it is

convenient to introduce an exact

amount each time so the machine

can process the value and trans-

form it into bank bills.

Unless the aim is to collect

MOP1 coins, the user should in-

troduce fractions of MOP10, 20,

50, or 100.

The first step to operate the

machine includes entering a valid

mobile phone number to identify

the user. Later, the machine will

use this number (or, alternatively,

an email address) to send the user

a receipt.

Damaged coins that are, for

example, bent and rusty should

not be inserted into the machines.

At least in the locations that the

Times visited, the coin exchange

machines are located in the main

public areas of the bank branches,

which means that they can only be

operated during the banks’ office

hours.

The machines accept all coins

in circulation, including the now

rare MOP2 and MOP10 denomi-

nations.

COINS ARE LESS POPULAR

BUT NOT OBSOLETE

Despite the growing popularity

of electronic payment methods,

the AMCM says that there is still

demand for the use of MOP coins

as a legal medium of exchange. In

that sense, the authority said it will

“continue to monitor changes in

public demand for coins to ensu-

re that the distribution, collection,

and circulation of coins meet the

payment needs of the public.”

AMCM also advised it will keep

track of coin recycling status as

well as the coins inventory level

regularly, clarifying that, until now,

the usage frequency of the machi-

nes has remained stable.

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

thu 18.04.2024

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

page 5

BUSINESS

經濟

AP PHOTO

In conjunction with the cable laying works by Companhia de Electricidade de

Macau - CEM, S.A. (CEM) at Rua Um do Bairro da Concórdia, Rua do Comandante

João Belo and Rua da Bacia Sul, CEM, Macao Water, CTM and private company will

conduct the laying of cable, water pipe and pipeline as well as sewer connection

at Rua do Patane and Rua da Pedra from 22 April (Monday). Please refer to the

following table for details of the temporary traffic control measures. Bus services will

not be affected during the period.

Temporary traffic control measures for cable

and pipeline laying

Temporary

measures

Date and time Road section

Limited access

9:30am to 4:30pm

daily during 22 to

30 April

The section of Rua da Bacia Sul near Precious

Jade Garden (Lei Iu Kok)

Limited access

22 April to 6 May

The section of Rua do Comandante João Belo

near Rua Um do Bairro da Concórdia

No parking

• Part of the metered parking spaces and

the loading and unloading area on Rua

Um do Bairro da Concórdia

• The motorcycle parking spaces and the

loading and unloading area on Rua do

Comandante João Belo near Edf. To Pou

No exit

The section of Rua Um do Bairro da Concórdia

between Rua do Comandante João Belo and

Rua do General Castelo Branco

Closed to traffic

22 April to 16 May

The section of Rua do Patane near Rua da

Pedra

No exit

The section of Rua da Pedra between Pátio do

Alfinete and Rua do Patane

No parking

The loading and unloading area on Rua do

Patane near Beco da Lavra

HUNKY bootmaker Dr.

Martens is warning of a

tough year ahead.

The London-based

company’s footwear became a

symbol of youthful rebellion in the

1960s and has remained popular

with a string of subcultures, from

punk to goth since. But the busi-

ness got tripped up with overex-

pansion and brand mismanage-

ment in recent years.

Shares in Dr. Martens PLC,

known as Doc Martens, plunged

Tuesday after the iconic brand fo-

recast wholesale revenue in the

U.S., its largest market, would de-

cline by double-digits compared

with last year.

Dr. Martens also announced a

leadership shakeup. After six years

at the helm of the company, CEO

Kenny Wilson will step down. Ije

Nwokorie, Dr. Martens’ chief brand

officer, will take his place.

Trading in Dr. Martens stock

was temporarily halted on the Lon-

don Stock Exchange Tuesday as it

sank to a record-low 0.62 pounds,

according to FactSet. It closed at

0.67 pounds, down more than 29%.

Its U.S.-traded shares suffered a si-

milar decline and are down 55% in

the past year.

The revenue forecast could

translate into a sizeable hit to profi-

ts, with the company pointing to a

base projected impact of 20 million

pounds ($24.9 million) on pretax

earnings year-over-year. In-season

orders from wholesale customers

could help ease U.S. revenue ex-

pectations, the company noted,

but those are difficult to predict.

Beyond weakening revenue, Dr.

Martens said it anticipates other

hefty expenses related to the com-

pany’s employee retention plans as

well as inflation. Unlike years past,

the company said it does not plan

to increase prices to offset those

costs.

Dr. Martens has had a long his-

tory. The shoe’s roots date back to

post-World War II Munich — when

Dr. Klaus Maertens, a doctor in the

German army, developed a unique

air-cushioned sole, rather than the

traditional hard leather version, to

aid in his recovery from a broken

foot in 1945, according to the

brand’s website.

Dr. Martens has garnered a

wide range of customers and as-

sociations over the years. Beyond

fashion statements across nume-

rous subcultures, some contro-

versial ties include neo-Nazis who

allegedly signaled hateful affila-

tions through specific lace colors

on their boots.

The brand has also not been wi-

thout financial woes. It underwent

a series of design changes amid

sales declines and flirted with

bankruptcy in 2003. It was purcha-

sed by a private company called

Permira in early 2014, and the bu-

siness went public in 2021.

Neil Saunders, a managing di-

rector with research firm Global-

Data, blamed Dr. Martens’ woes

on overexpansion at a time when

the brand has faced competition

from sleeker comfort wear that

became more popular during the

pandemic.

“They were too bullish with

their expansion,” he said. “All their

products are kind of big and clunky

and black. And that is not so much

in demand at the moment. People

want much sleeker and slimmer

styles in pastel shades.”

MDT/AP

RETAIL

Dr. Martens shares plunge to record

low after weak US revenue outlook

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

18.04.2024 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

page

CHINA

中國

AP PHOTO

TRADE

Biden is seeking higher tariffs on

Chinese steel as he courts union voters

DIRE STRAIT

US navy ies aircraft through Taiwan Strait

a day after US-China defense chiefs hold rare talks

HE U.S. 7th Fleet said

a Navy P-8A Poseidon

flew through the Taiwan

Strait yesterday, a day

after U.S. and Chinese

defense chiefs held their

first talks since Nov. 2022

in an effort to reduce re-

gional tensions.

The patrol and reco-

naissance plane “transi-

ted the Taiwan Strait in

international airspace,”

the 7th Fleet said in a

news release.

“By operating within

the Taiwan Strait in ac-

cordance with interna-

tional law, the United

States upholds the navi-

gational rights and free-

doms of all nations,” the

release said.

Although the critical

160 kilometer-wide strait

that divides China from

the self-governing is-

land democracy is inter-

national waters, China

considers the passage of

foreign military aircra-

ft and ships through it

a challenge to its sove-

reignty.

China had no imme-

diate response to the

report, but has in past

issued stern protests and

activated defenses in

response to the passage

of ships and military pla-

nes through the straight,

particularly those from

the U.S. China also re-

gularly sends navy ships

and warplanes into the

strait and other areas

around the island to

wear down Taiwan’s de-

fenses and seek to in-

timidate its 23 million

people, who firmly back

their de-facto indepen-

dence.

“By operating within

the Taiwan Strait in ac-

cordance with interna-

tional law, the United

States upholds the navi-

gational rights and free-

doms of all nations. The

aircraft’s transit of the

Taiwan Strait demons-

trates the United States’

commitment to a free

and open Indo-Pacific.

The United States mili-

tary flies, sails and ope-

rates anywhere interna-

tional law allows,” the

7th Fleet statement said.

Defense Secretary

Lloyd Austin spoke with

his Chinese counterpart

Adm. Dong Jun earlier

this week in the latest

U.S. effort to improve

communications with

the Chinese military and

reduce the chances of a

clash in the region.

It was the first time

Austin has talked to

Dong and the first time

he has spoken at length

with any Chinese coun-

terpart since November

2022. The call, which las-

ted a bit more than an

hour, came as Secretary

of State Antony Blinken

is expected to travel to

China this month for

talks.

MDT/AP

CHRIS MEGERIAN &

WILL WEISSERT, SCRANTON PA.

HE U.S. PRESIDENT Joe

Biden is calling for a tri-

pling of tariffs on steel

from China to protect

American producers from a flood

of cheap imports, an announ-

cement he planned to roll today

[Macau time] in an address to

steelworkers in the battleground

state of Pennsylvania.

The move reflects the intersec-

tion of Biden’s international trade

policy with his efforts to court vo-

ters in a state that is likely to play

a pivotal role in deciding Novem-

ber’s election.

The White House insists, howe-

ver, that it is more about shielding

American manufacturing from

unfair trade practices overseas

than firing up a union audience.

In addition to boosting steel ta-

riffs, Biden also will seek to triple

levies on Chinese aluminum. The

current rate is 7.5% for both me-

tals. The administration also pro-

mised to pursue anti-dumping

investigations against countries

and importers that try to satura-

te existing markets with Chinese

steel, and said it was working with

Mexico to ensure that Chinese

companies can’t circumvent the

tariffs by shipping steel there for

subsequent export to the U.S.

“The president understands

we must invest in American ma-

nufacturing. But we also have to

protect those investments and

those workers from unfair expor-

ts associated with China’s indus-

trial overcapacity,” White House

National Economic Adviser Lael

Brainard said on a call with repor-

ters.

Biden was set to announce that

he is asking the U.S. Trade Re-

presentative to consider tripling

the tariffs during a visit to United

Steelworkers union headquarters

in Pittsburgh. The president is on

a three-day Pennsylvania swing

that began in Scranton yesterday

and will include a visit to Philadel-

phia on Thursday.

The administration says “China

is distorting markets and eroding

competition by unfairly flooding

the market with below-market-

-cost steel.”

“China’s policy-driven overca-

pacity poses a serious risk to the

future of the American steel and

aluminum industry,” Brainard

said. Referencing China’s econo-

mic downturn, she added that

Beijing “cannot export its way to

recovery.”

“China is simply too big to play

by its own rules,” Brainard said.

Higher tariffs can carry major

economic risks. Steel and alumi-

num could become more expen-

sive, possibly increasing the costs

of cars, construction materials

and other key goods for U.S. con-

sumers.

Inflation has already been a

drag on Biden’s political fortunes,

and his turn toward protectio-

nism echoes the playbook of his

predecessor and opponent in this

fall’s election, Donald Trump.

The former president imposed

broader tariffs on Chinse goods

during his administration, and

has threatened to increase levies

on Chinese goods unless they

trade on his preferred terms as he

campaigns for a second term. An

outside analysis by the consultan-

cy Oxford Economics has sugges-

ted that implementing the tariffs

Trump has proposed could hurt

the overall U.S. economy.

Senior Biden administration

officials said that, unlike the

Trump administration, they were

seeking a “strategic and balan-

ced” approach to new tariff rates.

China produces around half of

the world’s steel, and is already

making far more than its domes-

tic market needs. It sells steel on

the world market for less than half

what U.S.-produced steel costs,

the officials said.

Biden’s announcement follows

his administration’s efforts to pro-

vide up to $6.6 billion so that a

Taiwanese semiconductor giant

can expand facilities that it is al-

ready building in Arizona and

better ensure that the world’s

most-advanced microchips are

produced in the U.S. That move

could be seen as working to better

compete with China chip manu-

facturers.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen,

during a recent visit to China,

warned against oversaturating

the market with cheap goods, and

said low-cost steel had “decima-

ted industries across the world

and in the United States.” The

Chinese, in turn, expressed grave

concern over American trade and

economic measures that restrict

China, according to the China’s

official news agency. U.S. Secre-

tary of State Anthony Blinken also

has an upcoming visit to China.

Also potentially shaking up the

steel industry is Japanese Nippon

Steel’s proposed acquisition of Pi-

ttsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Biden

said last month that he opposed

the move.

“U.S. Steel has been an ico-

nic American steel company for

more than a century, and it is vital

for it to remain an American steel

company that is domestically

owned and operated,” Biden said

then.

At a rally last weekend in

Pennsylvania, Trump tore into Bi-

den over Nippon Steel’s efforts to

buy U.S. Steel, ignoring the presi-

dent’s objections to the merger.

“I would not let that deal go

through,” Trump said.

MDT/AP

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

thu 18.04.2024

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

ASIA PACIFIC亞太

page 7

AP PHOTO

INDIA

Colorful roadshows and

rallies mark election season

INDONESIA

Apple CEO says company will ‘look at’

manufacturing in Indonesia

PPLE CEO Tim Cook

said the company will

“look at” manufacturing

in Indonesia as he met

with Indonesian President

Joko Widodo yesterday.

“We talked about the

president’s desire to see

manufacturing in the

country, and it’s some-

thing that we will look at,”

Cook told reporters after

the meeting.

Widodo’s administra-

tion has worked for years

to bring manufacturing

to the country to power

economic development,

while Apple is seeking to

diversify its supply chains

away from China, where

most of its smartphones

and tablets are assembled.

The company began

moving some production

to countries like Viet-

nam, and more recently

India, after shutdowns to

fight COVID-19 in China

repeatedly disrupted the

company’s shipments.

“I think the investment

ability in Indonesia is en-

dless. I think that, there is

a lot of great places to in-

vest, and we’re investing.

We believe in the coun-

try,” Cook said.

The previous day, Cook

met Vietnamese Prime

Minister Pham Minh Chi-

nh in Hanoi, where he

said Apple plans to invest

more in Vietnam and in-

crease spending on su-

ppliers in the Southeast

Asian manufacturing hub.

“Given the slowing Chi-

nese economy as well as

the Chinese government’s

ongoing efforts to squee-

ze out foreign companies

and replace them with

domestic brands, Apple

wants alternatives for ma-

nufacturing,” said Chris

Miller, an associate pro-

fessor at Tufts University

whose work focuses on

technology and geopoli-

tics.

“It has already inves-

ted more in India and

Vietnam, but it is likely

looking at other partners

in South East Asia to addi-

tional manufacturing and

assembly operations,”

Miller said.

Cook’s visit to Indone-

sia came after Apple an-

nounced its fourth Apple

Developer Academy in

the country, to be located

in Bali. The company first

launched the program to

train app developers in

Indonesia in 2018, in the

capital Jakarta.

Apple has no manufac-

turing facilities in Indone-

sia, but the company says

it has invested 1.6 trillion

rupiah ($99 million) in its

app developer ecosystem

in the country.

Widodo’s government

has sought to leverage

the country’s reserves of

nickel and other raw ma-

terials to bring in manu-

facturing, banning export

of raw commodities such

as nickel and bauxite to

oblige companies to build

refineries domestically.

After the meeting with

Widodo, Cook also met

Indonesia’s president-e-

lect Prabowo Subianto,

who is currently defense

minister, in Jakarta. He’s

set to take power in Oc-

tober.

Indonesia’s minister

of communication and

information, Budi Arie

Setiadi, said Wednesday

that Microsoft CEO Satya

Nadella would visit Indo-

nesia at the end of April.

MDT/AP

VERY five years, the

world’s most popu-

lous democracy holds

a giant election for

millions of Indians to cast their

vote on a new parliament.

And it does so in its usual

flamboyance — with a spec-

tacle of dance, drumbeats and

firecrackers echoing across

India as candidates march in

processions to canvass for vo-

tes.

Colorful convoys of motor-

bikes, jeeps and autorickshaws

have been navigating narrow

streets in cities and towns as

people line up to glimpse the

contestants.

The six-week national elec-

tion will start Friday with

polling scheduled in 21 states

in the first phase.

From April 19 to June 1,

nearly 970 million Indians —

or over 10% of the global popu-

lation — are eligible to vote to

elect a total of 543 lawmakers

in the lower house of parlia-

ment.

Among the states voting on

Friday is southern Tamil Nadu,

where mega cardboard cutouts

of political leaders are a com-

mon sight during the election

season.

Indian Prime Minister Na-

rendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata

Party has been trying to make

inroads in the state where re-

gional parties have dominated

for decades. Among the issues

d ominating the campaign are

the rising cost of living, cor-

ruption, federalism and mino-

rity rights.

The ruling Dravida Munne-

tra Kazhagam party is hoping

to retain its influence. In the

2019 elections, DMK won 38

out of 39 parliamentary seats

in Tamil Nadu.

DMK President and Tamil

Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Sta-

lin has been campaigning for

his party, which is part of the

opposition INDIA alliance ai-

ming to unseat Modi and to

weaken his government’s in-

creasingly powerful sway. The

acronym INDIA, which stands

for Indian National Develo-

pmental Inclusive Alliance,

includes the main opposition

Congress party.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,

daughter of Congress party

leader Sonia Gandhi, has been

campaigning in eastern Assam

state where some districts will

go to the polls in the first pha-

se.

In neighboring West Bengal,

the ruling Trinamool Congress

party led by the state chief

minister Mamata Banerjee is

facing a stiff challenge from

the BJP. In the districts voting

Friday, the campaign has cen-

tered around the distress of

tea garden workers, who are

demanding higher wages.

Modi has been travelling ex-

tensively across the country,

holding road shows and rallies

to campaign for the local BJP

candidates, and promising vo-

ters that his party will make

India a ‘developed nation’ by

2047.

Modi and BJP are widely

expected to return to power

for a third term. The results

will be announced on June 4.

MDT/AP

Apple CEO Tim Cook (right) walks with Indonesia’s Minister of

Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi after a

meeting with President Joko Widodo in Jakarta yesterday

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

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MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

page

WORLD

國際

Albert Einstein has died

in hospital in Princeton,

New Jersey, aged 76.

The eminent scien-

tist and originator of the

theory of relativity was

admitted to hospital three

days ago with an internal

complaint.

In recent years Dr Eins-

tein had lived a secluded

life although he was still a

member of sta at the Institute for Advanced Study at

Princeton University.

In a statement issued following the scientist’s death,

US President Dwight Eisenhower said: “No other man

contributed so much to the vast expansion of the 20th

century knowledge.

“Yet no other man was more modest in the posses-

sion of the power that is knowledge, more sure that

power without wisdom is deadly.

“To all who live in the nuclear age, Albert Einstein exem-

plied the mighty creative ability of the individual in a free

society.”

Albert Einstein was born on 14 March 1879 to Jewish

parents at Ulm, Wurttenburg in Germany.

Soon afterwards the family moved to Munich where

the young Einstein began his education at the Luitpold

Gymnasium.

His early academic career was notable only for the fact

he was asked to leave his school for “disruptive” behaviour.

But he had always excelled at mathematics - a subject

which would later make him the most renowned scien-

tist in the world.

In 1896 Einstein entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic

School in Zurich to train as a physics and maths teacher.

But he struggled to get a job, largely due to the fact he

was German, so, in 1902, he accepted a job as a techni-

cal assistant in the Swiss Patent Oce.

It was during his seven years at the Patent Oce that,

in his spare time, he worked on his mathematical theo-

ries which would eventually take the world by storm.

The Special Theory of Relativity, which describes the

motion of particles moving close to the speed of light,

was published in 1905.

In the years that followed, Einstein took up senior aca-

demic posts in Berne and Zurich. In 1911 he became

Professor of Theoretical Physics in Prague but returned

to Zurich a year later.

However, well-known German physicists, Walter Ner-

nst and Professor Planck, were eager for Einstein to re-

turn to Berlin.

In 1913 they persuaded him to take up the position of

director of the projected research institute for physics

in the University of Berlin and become a member of the

Royal Prussian Academy of Science.

Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity was published in

1916. In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for phy-

sics.

He kept the positions in Berlin until 1933, when he ac-

cepted a part-time post at Princeton University in Ame-

rica.

His plan was to divide his time between Germany and

America but in the same year the Nazis came to power

and Einstein, being a Jew, never returned to his birthland.

Courtesy BBC News

1955 Albert einstein dies

In context

Albert Einstein’s work laid the groundwork for many mod-

ern technologies including nuclear weapons and cosmic

science.

After his death, Einstein’s brain was removed and preserved

for scientic research by Canadian scientists.

It was found that the part of Einstein’s brain responsible for

mathematical thought and the ability to think in terms of

space and movement was 15% wider than average.

It also lacked a groove which normally runs through this

region suggesting that the neurons were able to commu-

nicate.

In 1999 Albert Einstein was named “person of the century”

by Time magazine.

this day in history

CLIMATE CHANGE

2023 was a record year for

wind installations: report

wind is becoming “better

understood and appreciated

across the globe for the value

it brings as a renewable

energy source,” said George

Aluru, CEO of the Electricity

Sector Association of Kenya,

an industry body for private

investors in electricity.

“This increased renewa-

ble energy supply supports

climate goals in line with en-

suring sustainable develop-

ment,” he said.

With the growing impac-

ts of climate change, wind

power and other renewable

energy sources are seen as

a key to reducing electri-

city generation from fossil

fuels and mitigating climate

change. Renewables are the

cheapest form of electricity

in many parts of the world

and among the cheapest in

most others.

The global cumulative

wind power capacity now to-

tals 1,021 gigawatts.

Christian Andresen, re-

search manager at SINTEF

Energy Research, a Norway-

-based independent institu-

te for applied research in the

energy sector, said the report

shows that the wind indus-

try is “picking up pace” by

attracting investments and

gaining maturity, and that

may lead to a snowball effect

leading to future growth.

For the planet, he said, it

indicates that it is possible

to ramp up to reach climate

targets.

“This is an important bui-

lding block in the transition

towards a net-zero emission

society,” said Andresen.

As was the case in 2022,

China led all other countries

for both new onshore and

offshore wind power ins-

tallations in 2023. It had 65%

of new installations, and was

followed by the U.S., Brazil

and Germany, respectively.

Together, these four coun-

tries accounted for 77% of

new installations globally

last year.

The report notes that

growth in wind power ins-

tallations is highly concen-

trated in a few big coun-

tries and links that to strong

market frameworks to scale

wind installations in tho-

se countries. The top five

markets at the end of last

year remained as China, the

U.S., Germany, India and

Spain.

Still, some other countries

and regions are coming up,

having witnessed record le-

vels of growth in 2023.

Africa and the Middle East

installed nearly 1 gigawatt of

wind power capacity in 2023,

almost triple that of the pre-

vious year. With upcoming

projects in South Africa,

Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the

report predicts that new

onshore wind additions for

Africa and the Middle East

will grow fivefold by 2028

compared with 2023.

Some of the markets to

watch include Kenya, where

windpower provides around

17% of electricity, the report

said. The country has the lar-

gest wind farm in Africa, the

310-megawatt Lake Turkana

Wind Power Project, and the

report notes new planned

large-scale wind projects in

the country, including a 1-gi-

gawatt wind park by local

power generator KenGen.

But building wind power

installations is expensive

and entails high up-front

investments, and emerging

and developing countries

face higher cost of capital

and pay higher loan rates to

build out their wind.

Wind energy also fa-

ces supply chain and grid

challenges, and innovation

in the electricity system is

needed to integrate intermi-

ttent wind energy onto the

grid while retaining reliabili-

ty, said Erin Baker, a profes-

sor of industrial engineering

and operations research at

the University of Massachu-

setts. Offshore wind, she said

as an example, has some

very specialized equipment

and manufacturing, and also

requires expertise in finance

and business models.

But the accelerating grow-

th of wind energy, as shown

in the report, means that

countries are developing

the supply chains needed to

keep this growth up, and it

will “almost certainly” lead

to reductions in cost and im-

provements in the technolo-

gy as more and more is built

around the world, she said.

“The recent growth, and

nations support for the

wind industry, are hopeful

signs that the supply chain

is being established,” said

Baker.

MDT/AP

CARLOS MUREITHI

HE world instal-

led 117 gigawatts

of new wind power

capacity in 2023, a

50% increase from the year

before, making it the best

year for new wind projec-

ts on record, according to a

new report by the industry’s

trade association.

The latest Global Wind

Report, published yesterday

[Macau time] by the Global

Wind Energy Council, ex-

plores the state of the glo-

bal wind industry and the

challenges it’s facing in its

expansion.

The increase in wind ins-

tallations “shows that the

world is moving in the right

direction in combating cli-

mate change,” the report

said.

But the authors warned

that the wind industry must

increase its annual growth

to at least 320 gigawatts by

2030 in order to meet the

COP28 pledge to triple the

world’s installed renewable

energy generation capacity

by 2030, as well as to meet

the Paris Agreement’s ambi-

tion of capping global war-

ming to 1.5 degrees Celsius

(2.7 Fahrenheit).

“It’s great to see wind in-

dustry growth picking up,

and we are proud of reaching

a new annual record,” said

GWEC CEO Ben Backwell,

“however much more needs

to be done to unlock grow-

th.”

Still, the report shows that

AP PHOTO

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MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

INFOTAINMENT資訊／娛樂

The Born Loser by Chip Sansom

SUDOKU

CROSSWORDS

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

WEATHER

YOUR STARS

page 9

Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com

ACROSS 1- ___ go bragh; 5- Departs; 9- Over-50 org.; 13- Pave over; 15- Part of

A.D.; 16- Woody plant; 17- Sun-dried brick; 18- Coral habitat; 19- Neighbor of Sask.;

20- Craggy hill; 21- Triumphs; 23- Clawed; 25- ___ dancing is popular with cowboys!;

26- Reuent; 27- Initially; 30- Chinese “way”; 31- As such; 32- Levy on deals?; 37- Leak

slowly; 38- In any way; 40- Bristol baby carriage; 41- Unequal; 43- HI hi; 44- Buck’s mate;

45- Austrian composer; 47- Mistakes; 50- Mother of Jesus; 51- ___ by Starlight; 52-

Sneaky guy?; 53- Process leather; 56- Crescent-shaped gure; 57- Ringing instrument;

59- Stagnant; 61- Contributes; 62- Booty; 63- Exhausted; 64- Pigsty; 65- Tolkien tree

creatures; 66- Falls behind;

DOWN 1- QED middle; 2- Overhaul; 3- Like ___ not; 4- Capture; 5- January birthstone;

6- Till bills; 7- Vane dir.; 8- Form of baseball; 9- Maker of Pong; 10- Senator Specter; 11-

Put a new price on; 12- ___ moss; 14- Replace the electrical conduits; 22- ___ and outs;

24- It’s blown among the reeds; 25- Has “s”

trouble; 26- List ender; 27- Lhasa ___; 28-

High schooler; 29- At liberty; 32- In a funk;

33- Spread apart; 34- Drop ___ (moon);

35- Contented sighs; 36- Dec. holiday;

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English river; 42- Billy ___ had a hit song with

“White Wedding”; 43- Take into custody; 45-

Separates metal from ore; 46- Tit for ___;

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49- Like non-oyster months; 51- Close with

force; 52- Story line; 53- Skater Lipinski; 54-

Shake ___ (hurry); 55- Sparks and Beatty; 58-

Long, long time; 60- Up to, in ads;

Yesterday’s solution

Emergency calls 999

Fire department 28 572 222

PJ (Open line) 993

PJ (Picket) 28 557 775

PSP 28 573 333

Customs 28 559 944

S. J. Hospital 28 313 731

Kiang Wu Hospital 28 371 333

Commission Against

Corruption (CCAC) 28326 300

IAM 28 387 333

Tourism 28 333 000

Airport 59 888 88

Taxi 28 939 939 / 2828 3283

Water Supply – Report 2822 0088

Telephone – Report 1000

Electricity – Report 28 339 922

Macau Daily Times 28 716 081

MIN

MAX CONDITION

Easy Easy+

Medium

Hard

Mar. 21-Apr. 19

Romantic plans could take an

unexpected twist. Even with

breakdowns, others are willing

to help. Connect anew. Intuition

boosts insight. Create something

beautiful.

Apr. 20-May. 20

Work closely with your partner.

You don’t have to share

everything, but listen. Avoid

travel, expense or hassle. Invest

in your family with love.

Taurus

Aries

May. 21-Jun. 21

Your persuasive arts and skills

with communication can pass

formidable barriers. Use gentle

pressure rather than force. Charm

and inform. Get the word out.

Jun. 22-Jul. 22

Avoid risky business, and focus

on generating stable income.

Pay attention to your intuition.

Postpone travel for now. You can

nd what you need.

Cancer

Gemini

Jul. 23-Aug. 22

Focus on a personal project.

Changes affect your

circumstances in unexpected

ways. What you thought

was stable now seems shaky.

Prioritize practicalities.

Aug. 23-Sep. 22

Don’t let circumstances get you

down. Focus on rest, growth and

development. Replenish your

reserves. Your intuition seems

strong and sensitive. Seek peace.

Leo

Virgo

Sep.23-Oct. 22

A team eort comes together.

Participate to advance a shared

cause. Distractions abound.

Help out and be richly rewarded.

Together, you’re more powerful.

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

You’re especially persuasive and

creative. Navigate an unexpected

professional situation. Come up

with a solution that works for

everyone. Your work is gaining

attention.

Libra Scorpio

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Set your goals high and explore

educational possibilities. Your

curiosity keeps you nimble.

Investigate your latest fascination.

Research the back story. Write your

discoveries.

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Collaborate for shared gain.

Review family accounts. Financial

surprises require adaptation. Shift

and revise to suit new markets.

Coordinate to save and conserve

resources.

Sagittarius Capricorn

Feb.19-Mar. 20

Though your work responsibilities

won’t disappear, approaching them

from a more grounded and graceful

place will allow you to feel calmly

supported as you complete tasks.

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Together, you’re a formidable team.

Collaborate to adapt to unforeseen

circumstances. Get creative.

Coordinate your response. Rely on

each other. Express your gratitude.

Aquarius

Pisces

Beijing

Changchun

Chengdu

Chongqing

Fuzhou

Guangzhou

Guiyang

Haikou

Hangzhou

Harbin

Hefei

Nanjing

Shanghai

Taipei

Wuhan

Hong Hong

Moscow

Frankfurt

Paris

London

New York

CHINA

WORLD

rain

cloudy

showers

ne

rain

overcast

rain

cloudy

thunderstorms

ne

thunderstorms

overcast

ne

 n e

r a i n

cloudy

thunderstorms

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

18.04.2024 thu

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

page

ARTS & CULTURE

文化藝術

AP PHOTOAP PHOTO

TV MINI SERIES

In war saga ‘The

Sympathizer,’ Vietnamese

voices are no

longer stuck in the

background

TERRY TANG

IETNAMESE journalist-tur-

ned-filmmaker Phanxinê re-

members exactly when he deci-

ded to make movies in his native

country rather than Hollywood.

It was in 2008 but it could

have been a satirical scene out

of the Vietnam Era-novel “The

Sympathizer.” Someone from a

movie studio visiting his Univer-

sity of Southern California film

class told him his story pitch

about a Vietnamese American

woman traveling the U.S. wou-

ld only work if the heroine was

white.

Having a white star would give

the film “a broader audience,”

Phanxinê recounts being told.

“It is the moment I realized

that if I want to stay in America, I

have to do a movie about Cauca-

sian people,” said Phanxinê, who

goes by a one-name moniker pro-

fessionally. The reason I want to

be a filmmaker is because I want

to tell the story that I know the

story about my people, my coun-

try, my culture.”

Now, over 15 years later, Phan-

xinê is doing his first U.S.-side

professional acting job in HBO’s

adaptation of “The Sympathizer”

with an ensemble of fellow Viet-

namese actors.

For decades, Vietnamese peo-

ple often have been relegated to

the background in popular cine-

matic depictions of the Vietnam

War. Films like “Full Metal Jacket”

and “Apocalypse Now” typically

only examined the price the U.S.

and its soldiers paid.

In the adaptation of Viet

Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-

-winning novel that premiered

Sunday, it is South Vietnamese

and Viet Cong soldiers’ struggles

with loss, loyalty and identity that

take center stage. For some cast

members, there were initial con-

cerns about stirring up what was

a traumatic time even for their

own families. But, they are not

shying away from feeling a sense

of responsibility in shaping the

narrative.

Sprinkled with drama, comedy

and espionage, the series follows

a half French, half Vietnamese spy

for the Viet Cong known as The

Captain. Played by Hoa Xuande,

Captain embeds himself with

South Vietnamese people, even

becoming part of a post-war refu-

gee community that settles in Los

Angeles. Robert Downey Jr., who

is also a producer, plays four dif-

ferent white antagonists. Sandra

Oh also co-stars.

Phanxinê, who plays Major, an

assistant to a South Vietnamese

general who also relocates to the

U.S., actually wanted to keep his

involvement with the series priva-

te for as long as possible to put off

any political backlash. Even now

in Vietnam, any media touching

on the war is scrutinized heavily.

The book faced difficulties getting

published in Vietnam because of

its portrayal of what Vietnamese

see more as “The American War.”

Even some friends advised him

not to take part in the project.

“During the shoot, I met seve-

ral people really upset about how

the Vietnamese American (are)

portrayed in this series. And I to-

tally understand that,” Phanxi-

nê said. “I think what comes will

come.”

Fred Nguyen Khan plays Bon,

a South Vietnamese soldier who-

se character suffers a great loss.

He was among several who fil-

med a harrowing re-enactment

of the fall of Saigon. Khan, 41,

acknowledged the show could be

triggering for some of his relati-

ves. But, that doesn’t have to be a

bad thing.

“I think it’s going to be a real ca-

thartic moment for a lot of them.

And if we can just talk about it af-

terwards and start healing that, I

think that that’s a win,” Khan said.

The production actually hel-

ped him connect more with his

heritage. The Canadian-born ac-

tor refreshed his knowledge of

the Vietnamese language. When

Khan returned from the eigh-

t-month shoot in Thailand, he

threw his parents with his heigh-

tened fluency.

“It was like I got so much be-

tter. It’s like I went through this

training montage from the ‘Ro-

cky’ movies,” Khan said. “I felt

a really new appreciation to the

Vietnamese culture by being ex-

posed around all these amazing

Vietnamese actors. And that’s

something that I never felt before

— coming from Montreal, Que-

bec.”

Vietnamese people are almost

erased in a lot of movies, docu-

mentaries and history books on

the war, said Long T. Bui, a pro-

fessor of global and international

studies at the University of Ca-

lifornia, Irvine. They also fail to

show how perspectives can vary

within the community between

those who identify as South Viet-

namese versus the North.

“People are hoping that ‘The

Sympathizer’ is a success, but

also that it will open the doors for

more movies and TV shows about

the Vietnamese American expe-

rience,” said Bui, who is acquain-

ted with Nguyen, the author. “So

people are hoping that this is this

is the gateway.”

Phanxinê, who is a well-k-

nown filmmaker in Vietnam,

has watched several Hollywood

pictures like “Apocalypse Now,”

“Born on the Fourth of July” and,

more recently, “Da 5 Bloods.”

Some of them seemed “ridicu-

lous” to him.

“I can see still American fil-

mmakers, when they do a mo-

vie about Vietnam War, they still

don’t really look at the world like

how Vietnamese people look at

it,” he said.

For Khan, the only Vietna-

mese actors he can recall seeing

growing up were Thuy Trang, who

was the yellow Power Ranger,

and Dustin Nguyen (“21 Jump

Street”). He knows some Vietna-

mese viewers and actors may be

looking to this show to push pro-

gress forward with fleshed-out,

flawed characters.

“They should have expecta-

tions. If you have no expectations,

then you’re not excited about it,”

Khan said. “I have expectations,

too.”

MDT/AP

Vy Le in a scene from the HBO television mini series “The Sympathizer”

Ky Duyen Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, and Duy Nguyen Robert Downey Jr. and Hoa Xuande

www.macaudailytimes.com.mo

thu 18.04.2024

MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER

SPORTS體育

page 11

AP PHOTO

OLYMPICS

US and China are expected to win

the most medals at Paris games

STEPHEN WADE

HE United States and

China are expected to fi-

nish 1-2 in the gold and

the overall medal counts

at the Paris Olympics, which open

in 100 days.

The United States is projected

to win 123 medals overall, inclu-

ding 39 golds. China is projected

to win 35 gold and 89 medals ove-

rall. The two also finished 1-2 in

both categories three years ago

in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo

Olympics.

This forecast is done by Niel-

sen’s Gracenote Sports, which

supplies statistical analysis for

sports leagues around the world.

It also tracks major competitions

involving Olympic sports leading

up to the Games.

Gracenote’s rankings are based

on overall medals won, although

others focus the rankings on gold

totals.

This would be the eighth strai-

ght time the United States has

won the most overall medals in

the Summer Games. In 1992 at

Barcelona, the so-called Unified

team topped the overall count.

Those athletes were from the for-

mer Soviet Union, which had just

broken up as a sovereign state.

The last time the United States

did not top the gold-medal count

in the Summer Games was in the

2008 Olympics in Beijing, where

China invested heavily and saw

dividends.

Next in line with overall and

gold totals are: Britain (66-13),

France (55-28), Australia (50-13),

Japan (49-13), Italy (47-12), Ne-

therlands (38-18), Germany (36-

9), South Korea (24-9).

The next 10 are: Canada (22-6),

Spain (20-5), Hungary (19-5), Bra-

zil (18-9), Turkey (13-4), Ethiopia

(13-3), Uzbekistan (13-3), Ukrai-

ne (13-3), Georgia (12-3) and

Denmark (11-5).

Host nations always get a

bump in medals, and France is

expected to get a big one and in-

crease its overall total from 33 in

Tokyo. France is forecast to nearly

triple its gold-medal output from

Tokyo, where Japan picked up a

record haul.

Performing at home is an ad-

vantage, partly because host

nations invest more heavily in

training athletes. Then, of course,

there are adoring home crowds.

France is also competing in 25

different sports in Paris, far above

its average in recent Olympics of

between 15 and 19, according to

Gracenote’s analysis.

The unknown factor is the pre-

sence of Russian and — to a les-

ser extent — Belarussian athle-

tes. They have been absent from

most international competitions

over the last two years because of

the war in Ukraine. Their influen-

ce is difficult to factor into the fo-

recast, Gracenote acknowledges.

“It appears that there will be

limited participation of these

athletes (Russian and Belarus-

sian),” Gracenote said. It said it

expects its predictions to be ac-

curate “based on the data that we

have.”

Russia and Belarus are barred

from team sports at the Olympi-

cs because of the war in Ukraine

and the International Olympic

Committee has laid out a two-s-

tep vetting procedure for indivi-

dual athletes from those coun-

tries to be granted neutral status.

Those athletes must first be

approved by the governing body

of their individual sport and then

by an an IOC-appointed review

panel.

MDT/AP

Enjoy the Good Life

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FOOTBALL BASKETBALL DAILY TRAININGS

the

BUZZ

USA China is “fueling the

fentanyl crisis in the U.S.”

by directly subsidizing the

manufacturing of materials

that are used by trackers

to make the drug outside the

country, according to a report

released by aspecial U.S.

House committeefocused

on countering the Chinese

government. Committee

investigators said they

accessed a government

website that revealed tax

rebates for the production of

specic fentanyl precursors

as long as those companies

sell them outside of China.

German authorities

conducted a large-scale

raid against an international

human smuggling gang

yesterday, police said in a

statement. More than 1,000

police ocers searched

dozens of homes, stores

and oces across western

and southern Germany

and arrested 10 suspects,

including two lawyers. The

suspects are accused of

having illegally procure

residency permits for around

350 mostly Chinese nationals

in exchange for hundreds of

thousands of euros.

Ukraine Three Russian

missiles slammed into

a downtown area of the

northern Ukrainian city of

Chernihiv yesterday, hitting

an eight-oor apartment

building and killing at least

11 people, authorities said.

At least 22 people were

wounded in the morning

attack, Ukraine’s Interior

Ministry said. Chernihiv lies

about 150 kilometers north

of the capital, Kyiv, near

the border with Russia and

Belarus, and has a population

of around 250,000 people.

Italy Group of Seven foreign

ministers are meeting on the

Italian resort island of Capri,

with calls for new sanctions

against Iran over its attack

against Israel and more aid to

Ukraine to ghtRussia’swar

topping the agenda. Italian

Foreign Minister Antonio

Tajani (pictured) said he

had spoken to his Israeli

counterpart, Israel Katz,

and urged Israel to not only

de-escalate any reaction to

Iran’s attack but to stave o

a planned oensive into the

southern Gaza city of Rafah.

IMF: O     ,

     

The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its outlook for the

global economy this year, saying the world appears headed for a “soft

landing” — reining in inflation without much economic pain and pro

ducing steady if modest growth.

The IMF now envisions 3.2% worldwide expansion this year, up a tick

from the 3.1% it had predicted in January and matching 2023’s pace. And

it foresees a third straight year of 3.2% growth in 2025.

In its latest outlook, the IMF, a 190-country lending organization, notes

that the global expansion is being powered by unexpectedly strong grow

th in the United States, the world›s largest economy.

The IMF expects the U.S. economy to grow 2.7% this year, an upgrade

from the 2.1% it had predicted in January and faster than a solid 2.5%

expansion in 2023.

Though sharp price increases remain an obstacle across the world,

the IMF foresees global inflation tumbling from 6.8% last year to 5.9%

in 2024 and 4.5% next year. In the world’s advanced economies alone,

the organization envisions inflation falling from 4.6% in 2023 to 2.6% this

year and 2% in 2025, brought down by the effects of higher interest rates.

OPINION

Multipolar World

Jorge Costa Oliveira

SYLVIA HUI, LONDON

HE British go-

vernment’s plan

for a landmark

smoking ban that

aims to stop young people

from ever smoking clea-

red its first hurdle in Par-

liament yesterday [Macau

time] despite vocal opposi-

tion from within Prime Mi-

nister Rishi Sunak’s Con-

servative Party.

The bill, a key policy

announced by Sunak last

year, would make it illegal

to sell tobacco products to

anyone born after January

1, 2009. If passed, the bill

will give Britain some of

the toughest anti-smoking

measures in the world.

Authorities say it will crea-

te modern Britain’s “first

smoke-free generation.”

Under the Tobacco and

Vapes Bill, children turning

15 this year or younger will

never be legally sold to-

bacco. Once implemented

— officials are aiming for

2027 — the legal age of sale

that people in England can

buy cigarettes will be rai-

sed by one year, every year

until it is eventually illegal

for the whole population.

The bill also includes

measures to crack down

on youth vaping, such as

banning the sale of cheap

disposable vapes and res-

tricting their flavors to pre-

vent children from beco-

ming addicted to nicotine.

It is currently illegal for

anyone to sell cigarettes

or tobacco products and

vapes to people under 18

years old throughout the

U.K.

During the bill’s second

reading, 383 lawmakers

voted in favor while 67

opposed it after an after-

noon of debate. Although

the bill was widely praised

by health experts and had

the support of the oppo-

sition Labour Party, Sunak

faced rebellion from more

libertarian-minded mem-

bers of his party, who criti-

cized the proposals as “un-

conservative.”

Opponents, such as the

smokers’ rights lobbying

group FOREST, said the

move risks creating a black

market and will “treat fu-

ture generations of adults

like kids.” Prominent voi-

ces within the Conservati-

ve Party, including two of

Sunak’s predecessors Bo-

ris Johnson and Liz Truss,

said the plans went against

conservative values by li-

miting people’s personal

freedoms.

The bill was a “virtue-

-signaling piece of legis-

lation about protecting

adults from themselves in

the future,” Truss told Par-

liament during the debate.

Other high-profile To-

ries, including business

secretary Kemi Badenoch,

a Cabinet minister, also

opposed the bill or abstai-

ned.

Conservative lawmakers

were granted a free vote,

meaning they could vote

with their personal cons-

cience rather than follow

the official party line.

The plans were believed

to have been inspired by si-

milar policies proposed by

New Zealand under former

Prime Minister Jacinda

Ardern, but the country’s

new coalition government

repealed the bill earlier this

year.

The government said

that smoking won’t be cri-

minalized, and the phased

changes mean that anyone

who can legally buy cigare-

ttes now won’t be preven-

ted from doing so in the

future.

The number of people

who smoke in the U.K. has

declined by two-thirds sin-

ce the 1970s, but some 6.4

million people in the coun-

try — or about 13% of the

population — still smoke,

according to official figu-

res.

Authorities say smoking

causes some 80,000 dea-

ths a year in the U.K, and

remains the number one

preventable cause of dea-

th, disability and poor

health.

MDT/AP

PROHIBITION?

UK lawmakers back

landmark bill to

phase out smoking

for good

AP PHOTO

Do not force

Southeast Asian

countries to

choose sides

Against a historical backdrop where the U.S.

(and much of the West) have aimed to con-

tain China’s rise, starting in Asia, the analysis

of China’s and the U.S.’s (and other Western

countries’) relationships with Southeast Asian

nations is of particular importance. These

countries formed the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is now a free

trade area with nearly 700 million inhabitants.

The increase in foreign trade and invest-

ment between China and ASEAN countries

shows a gradual economic integration. Trade

between ASEAN and China has significantly

increased, from $235.5 billion in 2010 to $878

billion in 2022, with China being ASEAN’s top

trading partner since 2009. Chinese invest-

ment flows to ASEAN reached $15.5 billion in

2022, making China the fourth largest source

of FDI in ASEAN (6.9% of the total). ASEAN is

now China’s main trading partner, surpassing

the U.S. and the EU.

On the other hand, China’s claim and ef-

fective occupation of almost the entire South

China Sea conflicts with the claims of other

coastal countries, which have sought military

partners (especially the U.S.) to counterbalan-

ce China’s growing naval power.

Successive U.S. administrations and analysts

have highlighted the “upward trend of unhelp-

ful and coercive and irresponsible Chinese ac-

tions in the South China Sea” and their threat

to the maritime interests of Southeast Asia.

In turn, Chinese analysts and policymakers

emphasize to Southeast Asian officials the

dangers associated with the “provocations” of

the so-called “new Cold War” by the U.S. This

battle in which U.S. and Chinese officials are

clashing is still in its early stages.

However, ASEAN countries wish to have the

best of both worlds.

On one hand, they want to maintain access

to the vast Chinese market and benefit from

Chinese investments, especially in infras-

tructure (largely under the BRI); on the other

hand, they wish to maintain close relations

with Western countries - particularly with the

United States - whether due to the relevance of

these markets or military cooperation, in or-

der to mitigate the centripetal effect of China’s

growing economic, commercial, and military

power in the region.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Prime Minis-

ter of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, warned that

“Indo-Pacific cooperation” proposals are wel-

come if they are inclusive and deepen regional

integration, but they should not undermine

ASEAN agreements or “create rival blocs, dee-

pen divisions, or force countries to take sides.”

And the former Indonesian president, Joko Wi-

dodo, called for a vision of the Indo-Pacific that

includes China, stating that ASEAN and China

have no alternative but to collaborate.

Moreover, attention should be paid to the

2024 Survey-Report of the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak

Institute. This survey-report reveals that Japan,

the U.S., and the EU are trusted more than

China. However, it also shows that when asked

which country they would prefer to align with

if forced to, for the first time, China (slightly)

surpasses the U.S. in preference.

linkedin.com/in/jorgecostaoliveira

AP PHOTOAP PHOTOAP PHOTO