Month: April 2025

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today held a seminar at the Central Government Offices to exchange views with around 100 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC) and Hong Kong SAR members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on the subject of the unjustified imposition of tariffs by the US.

 

The seminar aimed to address the risks posed by what the Government sees as bullying and barbaric actions by the US and to unite all sectors in analysing and seizing opportunities in the new international trade order.

 

Chief Executive John Lee stated at the seminar that the recent imposition of “reciprocal tariffs” by the US on multiple countries and regions seriously violates World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and recklessly undermines the international trade order.

 

He said that the move by the US to impose a 145% tariff on Hong Kong, which has zero tariffs, is fallacious and violates logic. The Government has issued several stern statements expressing its strong disapproval and urging the US to cease disrupting free trade.

 

Participants in the seminar agreed that the US tariffs represent a bullying disruption to the global trade order, severely impacting the global supply chains that many countries have worked hard to establish over the past few decades. They resolved that Hong Kong will not yield and will take the attitude of turning a crisis into an opportunity. Hong Kong, they determined, must maintain confidence, stand shoulder to shoulder with the Mainland, grasp the emerging new order, explore new trade frontiers, safeguard economic security, and promote economic upgrading and transformation.

 

Hong Kong SAR deputies to the NPC and Hong Kong SAR members of the National Committee of the CPPCC will leverage influence in their respective roles, consolidate strength, and play a driving role in restructuring the trade order. They will also provide advice to the Government to jointly navigate the long battle ahead.

 

The Government said it is fully committed to leading society in a spirit of unity and co-operation, strengthening regional trade collaboration, deepening international exchanges and co-operation, exploring emerging markets, and driving the sustainable development of Hong Kong.

 

Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang, Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui, Acting Secretary for Transport & Logistics Liu Chun-san and Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan also attended the seminar.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Chief Executive has instructed the Chief Secretary to lead a working group that will conduct in-depth reviews of the direct investigation reports occasionally issued by the Office of the Ombudsman, the Government announced today.

 

It said this is to ensure that all heads of government departments proactively follow up on the recommendations arising from investigations, strengthen departmental management systems, and reinforce performance accountability among managerial staff.

 

Regarding a report released yesterday by the Office of the Ombudsman on its direct investigation into the government’s occupational safety and health (OSH) regulations relating to the construction industry, the Chief Secretary will meet the Ombudsman Jack Chan to discuss the investigation’s findings in depth.

 

The working group will aim to obtain a thorough understanding of the bottlenecks and core issues relating to OSH regulation in the industry, and will apply its finding in the establishment of relevant departmental management systems.

 

The Development Bureau, the Labour Department and the Buildings Departments are meticulously examining and studying the Ombudsman’s report and following up on its recommendations.

 

Additionally, the Labour Department has referred suspected criminal fraudulent acts discovered in the investigation to law enforcement agencies.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Tying in with Hong Kong Reading for All Day on April 23, Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) will hold its second Hong Kong Reading Week (HKRW) from April 19 to 27.

About 450 online and on-site events will be staged to encourage the public to cultivate good reading habits.

HKPL will also participate in a reading promotion event, 2025 Hong Kong Reading+, that will kick off at New Town Plaza in Sha Tin tomorrow.

Organised by the Hong Kong Publishing Federation and sponsored by the Cultural & Creative Industries Development Agency, this ten-day initiative will make use of the HKPL’s electronic resources. It will also feature handicraft workshops, sessions with authors, an exhibition, music performances, and more.

On Hong Kong Reading for All Day, reading locations will be set up at selected Leisure & Cultural Services Department venues, public libraries, community libraries and other local venues, for a “Read Together for Half an Hour” event.

The Hans Andersen Club will also set up a reading location on the same day at Lok Fu Place, where it will be staging a carnival.

On April 26, a prize presentation ceremony will be held at the Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL) for this year’s 4.23 World Book Day Creative Competition.

The public can view winning works by students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau at the HKCL, which will hold fun day activities on April 26 and 27.

There will be sessions with authors and book making workshops at the HKCL on April 27. In addition, a pop-up library offering a virtual reality tour of China’s natural landscape and cultural attractions, and more, will be set up at D·PARK, Tsuen Wan on the same day.

Furthermore, the HKPL and RTHK Radio 5 have invited celebrities from different sectors to help celebrate the joy of reading.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

With the Chief Executive in Council approving the draft Urban Renewal Authority Sai Yee Street/Flower Market Road Development Scheme Plan(DSP), the Town Planning Board said it provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the plan’s implementation.

The development scheme area, covering about 29,315 sq m, is designated as “Other Specified Use” annotated “Mixed Use (1)” and “Other Specified Use” annotated “Mixed Use (2)”.

By adopting the “linked-site” approach and the “Single Site, Multiple Use” model, the DSP intends to achieve a holistic replanning of land uses in the Sai Yee Street/Flower Market Road area through redevelopment of various existing Government, Institution or Community (G/IC) facilities with adjoining urban fabric for a comprehensive mixed-use development.

A combination of various types of compatible uses includes residential, hotel, office, retail, G/IC, a sizeable public open space, cultural, recreational and entertainment uses.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Government of India

Union MoS for Health & Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav inaugurates FSSAI’s National Stakeholder Consultation on Sustainable Packaging

Significance of eco-friendly packaging solutions highlighted

India has the Potential to lead the world towards sustainability: Shri Jadhav

“What we need today is a shift towards alternatives that are sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable”

Over 1500 stakeholders representing food businesses, packaging industries, recycling associations, regulatory bodies, environmental organizations, consumer groups, farmer groups, government departments participated in the consultation to deliberate on the future of sustainable food packaging in India

Posted On: 17 APR 2025 10:38AM by PIB Delhi

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, inaugurated a National Stakeholder Consultation on “Sustainable Packaging for Food Business: Emerging Global Trends and Regulatory Framework” organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) at Mumbai on 16^th April 2025.

 

In his address, Shri Jadhav highlighted the growing importance of sustainable packaging of food items. He announced that the guidelines for the use of rPET in packaging have been prepared by FSSAI after extensive consultations with all stakeholders and in line with the best global practices. He also mentioned that a logo has been developed for easy identification and to benefit consumers of food products.

 

Addressing the gathering, Shri Jadhav stated that “shifting towards sustainable methods of packaging is the need of the hour.” He stressed that the usage of plastic is a growing concern globally, as it stays undecomposed in the environment for years having detrimental consequences. “What we need today is a shift towards alternatives that are sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable”, he further stated.

Hailing India’s age-old traditional methods, Shri Jadhav also emphasized the need to connect the ancient ecological practices to modern techniques to ensure sustainability stating that “India has the potential to lead the world in this direction.”

He also appreciated the efforts of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and FSSAI for providing an important platform in the form of National Stakeholders Consultation to deliberate upon crucial issues that affect the health and wellbeing of the country.

The Minister of State also held an informal open consultation session with stakeholders, providing them an opportunity to share their challenges and discuss future avenues for improvement and growth. The consultation brought together over 1500 stakeholders representing food businesses, packaging industries, recycling associations, regulatory bodies, environmental organizations, consumer groups, farmer groups, government departments to deliberate on the future of sustainable food packaging in India.

 

The consultation was part of an ongoing series of national-level stakeholder discussions aimed at holding critical deliberations on critical issues that requires multi-stakeholder engagement.  Under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI has launched this pivotal initiative to convene such National Stakeholder Consultations to foster greater inclusivity, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking in the formulation of food safety regulations. By actively engaging with industry, academia, consumer groups, farmer groups and regulatory bodies, FSSAI seeks to incorporate sector-specific perspectives and ground-level insights into its regulatory framework, ensuring that policies are both practical and aligned with public health priorities.

The consultation featured a Technical Session wherein Chairperson of FSSAI’s Scientific Panel on Packaging presented on the detailed scientific basis, risk assessment principles, transparent consultative approach employed by FSSAI while framing robust scientific standards.

Representatives from BIS talked about the Global and Indian standards on food packaging and the overview of the existing IS standards for packaging materials. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shared about the role that CPCB plays in driving sustainable practices through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under Plastic Waste Management Rules. Representatives from Industry presented innovative approaches being adopted to develop eco-friendly, lightweight, and recyclable packaging solutions tailored for food and beverage products, importance of plastic waste recovery and recycling to support circular economy and Consumer concerns and expectations towards sustainable food packaging.

 

The session concluded with a technical debrief by Dr. Alka Rao, Advisor (Science & Standards and Regulations), wherein she emphasized the importance of stakeholder collaboration in advancing sustainable packaging solutions that align with food safety standards and support India’s broader environmental goals.

 

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HFW/MoS inaugurates FSSAI’s National Stakeholder Consultation on Sustainable Packaging   /17April 2025/1

(Release ID: 2122326) Visitor Counter : 53

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region