Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting local small- and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) to help them stay afloat, saying that the government was now working on a three-tier support programme for local SMEs.
The three-tier programme is divided into basic support tier, intermediate support tier and advanced support tier, with the first tier covering financial assistance and training and workshops, the second tier offering consultation services and networking opportunities, and the third tier consisting of innovation and technology grants and market expansion support.
Tai made the remarks when talking to local reporters in Taipa on Saturday on the sidelines of a fact-finding “community economy” tour of various local neighbourhoods led by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai.
According to a statement by the Government Information Bureau (GCS), Tai also said that while the government has been concerned with the living conditions of residents in the past, it has also supported the growth and development of SMEs in the community on the premise of safeguarding the quality of community life and residents’ public transport needs.
He went on to underline the need for Macau, as an international city, to keep “old shops” (“traditional shops”) in local neighbourhoods, considering the connection of those shops, which have been in operation for over a century, to local culture and customs encompassing “excellent inherited traditions”.
Tai said: “The government will spare no effort in assisting them [the traditional shops] in developing their brands better, making every effort to enhance Macau’s ‘golden business card’ as an international metropolis.”
In terms of the large-scale “Macau Consumer Grand Prix” sales promotion campaign, Tai told the media that as a small open economy, Macau was susceptible to external economic volatility, so it was essential for the government to closely observe and analyse the trends in external macroeconomic development, adding that under integrated considerations based on sustainable development, the government was actively exploring various measures to promote economic development which are of concern to the community.
Citing Macau’s “stable” employment situation, growth in the number of visitor arrivals and efforts by the government to support the local “community economy”, Ip said he remained optimistic about Macau’s economic development in the current year.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Ip talks to local reporters in Taipa on the sidelines of Saturday’s fact-finding tour led by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai of local neighbourhoods. – Photo: GCS
