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. glitter silicone wristbandsinspirational rubber braceletsrubber wristbandsrubber braceletsmake rubber bracelets
BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Monday called for efforts to build China into a world leader in science and technology.Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said as China strives for prosperity and rejuvenation, it needs to devote great energy to promoting science and technology, endeavoring to be a major world center for science and innovation.Xi made the statement at the opening of the 19th Meeting of the Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the 14th Meeting of the Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.Xi said the circumstances, challenges and missions are pressing. He called on the country's science and technology personnel to grasp the main trends, seize opportunities, face problems squarely, and rise to challenges.Xi said they should aim for the frontiers of science and technology, lead the direction of scientific and technological development, shoulder the heavy responsibilities bestowed by history, and be vanguards in innovation in the new era.Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee attending the meeting were Premier Li Keqiang, Wang Huning, who is a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier Han Zheng. personalized mens braceletscustom basketball wristbandsparkrun wristband ukblue silicone braceletcustom fundraising bracelets<%2fcenter>
