Macao is one step closer to extending the maternity leave period from 70 days to 90 days after lawmakers passed the outline of the amended labour law yesterday.

Hong Kong welcomed around 23 million visitor arrivals in the first five months of this year, up by around 15 percent year-on-year.

The SAR government is marking Hong Kong’s handover on 1 July with celebratory events and activities, including discounts for over 1,000 restaurants and free rides for certain types of public transport.

The Shenzhen Natural History Museum – the biggest museum of its kind in South China – is scheduled to open for trial operations in Shenzhen on 30 June.

Foreign trade in China totalled 20.68 trillion yuan between January and May, up 15.3 percent year-on-year.

China’s CPI in May grew 1.2 percent over the same period last year.

The US has listed major Chinese tech firms such as BYD and Alibaba in a Chinese military company blacklist.

The SAR government is establishing four awards to recognise residents who contribute to the protection of Macao’s cultural heritage, with yearly applications to open between October and December.

The local government is planning to introduce new laws that would give the chief executive the power to decide if a criminal act constitutes a threat to national security.