Taxis sit parked in front of the Galaxy Macau casino and hotel, developed by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, illuminated at night in Macao, China, Feb 22, 2017. [Photo/VCG] The Macao Special Administrative Region has attached unprecedented importance to cultivating people able to speak both Mandarin and Portuguese, language and culture scholars said. They added that the efforts by Macao are one answer to the country's call for the SAR to become a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Only 0.6 percent of Macao residents speak Portuguese, according to official statistics. The total population of Macao is more than 650,000. Yao Jingming, head of the Department of Portuguese at the University of Macau, said more seats and scholarships have been provided for local students to study Portuguese. Macao's education and youth affairs bureau has launched a plan that subsidizes local secondary school graduates who pursue a degree at Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon. The effort aims to foster young people's bilingual language competency in different professional fields, such as business management, economics, psychology and biological engineering. All are taught in Portuguese at the university. Gloria Yang Junyi, a 21-year-old UM senior studying Portuguese, attended a government-funded exchange program at the University of Lisbon from February to June. She recalled being immersed in a Portuguese-language environment and making remarkable progress in her language competency, as well as deepening her understanding of Portuguese culture. I believe the study tour will allow me to stand out amid fierce competition in the job market, Yang said. Meanwhile, according to Yao, the UM educator, Chinese-Portuguese bilingual education is being promoted in elementary and secondary schools. Beginning last year, Chinese-Portuguese bilingual classes were launched in two local public schools in Macao, aiming to give priority to the training of bilingual talent for government positions. The Macao government introduced teaching materials combining Chinese and Portuguese. In addition, Macao has established Asia's largest Portuguese teaching institute - the Chinese-Portuguese Bilingual Teaching and Training Center - in a bid to establish what it said is a reference framework for Portuguese language education targeting Chinese students. The center first opened its doors in May last year. With these efforts, the city has experienced an upsurge of interest in learning Portuguese, Yao said. Looking forward, experts are calling for more exchange programs and internship opportunities for local students in Portuguese-speaking countries. With more exchanges and communication, people from Portuguese-speaking countries have begun to understand China and its development strategies, leading to more in-depth and high-level collaboration between both sides, said Chao Peng, master's degree program director of the Institute for Research on Portuguese-Speaking Countries at City University of Macau. custom wristbandsrubber band bracelet makerbusiness silicone wristbandsdual layer wristbandsrubber band bracelets
China's representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has called for more collaboration between the FAO, its members and development partners to achieve the Belt and Road Initiative's poverty alleviation goals.Vincent Martin made the plea at the opening ceremony of the Forum on Agricultural Collaboration in Support of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was in Beijing on Wednesday."The aim of FAO collaboration is to maximize the poverty alleviation and rural development impact of Belt and Road Initiative," he said, adding that the initiative involves huge investments in transportation and communications infrastructure."Matching these investments with much smaller investments supporting well-designed complementary measures, the Belt and Road Initiative can make very substantial poverty alleviation achievements."FAO is well positioned to provide the technical expertise to support the rural development goals of the (initiative), but putting that expertise to work effectively will require the joint efforts of many parties."Agriculture contributes at least 25 percent of GDP in many Belt and Road countries, yet the greatest concentration of poverty is generally found in rural areas, according to the FAO. It said cooperation provides the best opportunity to fight hunger, eradicate poverty, and achieve food and nutrition security.The one-day forum saw more than 130 government officials, academics and executives discuss opportunities for agricultural cooperation under the initiative including in the areas of inclusive value chain development, innovation and e-agriculture, and transboundary animal and plant diseases.The forum was also aimed at collecting feedback and forging partnerships among FAO members, governments, financial institutions, civil society and the private sector.Martin said the FAO plans to establish a center for agricultural innovation to coordinate efforts and promote cooperation.The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient Silk Road routes.The FAO leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure people have regular access to high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With more than 194 members, the organization operates in more than 130 countries and regions.
