Li Gang: Everything rumours before interim review

Director of the Liaison Office of the central government in Macau, Li Gang, says that all the news regarding the gaming industry, such as the number of licences to be issued in the future, are just rumours. The director told reporters yesterday in Beijing that all the information circulated in the market were only be rumours as the interim review of the gaming industry has not yet started, local broadcaster TDM Radio reported. Asked by reporters whether it is true that the government will issue one more gaming license for a Chinese-subsidised company, Mr. Li said he did not receive any related orders, or discuss the issue with anyone. Meanwhile, the Chinese official indicated that the gaming industry of the Special Administrative Region had entered the period of middle-speed development as the growth rate of the Macau economy had dropped to between some 10 and 12 per cent from the 40 per cent during the high-speed development of the gaming industry. He perceived that the slowdown in the development is a result of the self-adjustment of the industry. In addition, as many neighbouring regions are also developing gaming businesses, Mr. Li said that they are certainly affecting the gaming industry in Macau. However, he said that the level of influence is dependent upon the ability of the local gaming business, reckoning that there will not be a big loss for the gaming industry here if they can handle the competition well. “Tourist number cannot grow without limit” Meanwhile, the Liaison Office director remarked that the tourist number of Macau cannot grow without any limits because it would affect the quality of life of Macau residents. Asked about the tourism capacity in Macau, Mr. Li said there is no confirmed data related to the capacity. However, he reckons that how much the city can afford depends on whether it can increase its resources for tourists. In addition, he indicated that it is a miracle that the city – occupying only 34.4 square kilometres – could receive some 30 million tourists every year. Regarding the Macau Government’s suggestion to improve the current Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) for Chinese tourists, Mr. Li perceives that the government should first decide the scale of tourism development by consulting public opinion. He indicated that only after setting the scale could the government make decisions on whether it should expand, tighten or stay with the current IVS policy. On the other hand, Mr. Li said it is necessary for Macau and the Mainland authorities to sign the agreement on the criminal judicial co-operation sooner, so that the two governments can repatriate criminals mutually. He denied that Macau and Hong Kong are the key destinations for the Chinese government to pursue corrupt officials that flee from Mainland China.