Month: June 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     â€‹An interior designer and a contractor were fined $260,000 in total at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts today (June 24), for contravention of the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) (BO).

     â€‹The case involved the removal of part of a structural wall in a unit at The Capitol, Lohas Park, between 2022 and 2023. An investigation by the Buildings Department (BD) found that the interior designer and the contractor responsible for the renovation of the unit concerned knowingly carried out the works without prior approval and consent from the BD, thereby contravening section 40(1AA) of the BO. Moreover, the removal of part of the structural wall by the contractor was carried out in such a manner as was likely to cause a risk of injury to any person or damage to any property, thereby contravening section 40(2B)(b) of the BO. Hence, the BD instigated prosecution action under the BO against the interior designer and the contractor in May last year. The interior designer and the contractor were convicted and fined $60,000 and $200,000 respectively at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court today.

     â€‹In addition, the BD has also instigated prosecution action against the owner of the concerned unit for contravening sections 40(1AA) and 40(2B)(b) of the BO. The hearing is adjourned to August 28.

     â€‹A spokesman for the BD said that any person who intends to carry out alteration and addition works should consult building professionals for advice, including the feasibility of the works, and where necessary, apply for approval and consent from the BD to ensure building safety and compliance with the Buildings Ordinance (BO). Building professionals and contractors are required to carefully examine the approved plans and other relevant documents to observe the relevant requirements under the BO, and to ascertain whether prior approval from the BD should be obtained before commencement of the works to ensure the safety of the occupants and the structural safety of the building.

     â€‹Pursuant to section 40(1AA) of the BO, any person who knowingly contravenes section 14(1) of the BO (i.e. commences or carries out any building works without having first obtained approval and consent from the BD) shall be guilty of an offence and liable upon conviction to a fine of $400,000 and to imprisonment for two years, and a further fine of $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.

     â€‹Pursuant to section 40(2B)(b) of the BO, any person directly concerned with the relevant building works, who carries out or authorises or permits such works to be carried out, in such manner that it is likely to cause a risk of injury to any person or damage to any property, shall be guilty of an offence and liable upon conviction to a fine of $1,000,000 and to imprisonment for three years.

Source:

[PRESS RELEASE] – Since Monday 9th June and until Friday 13th , more than sixty heads of state and government, including many leaders from the Pacific and Latin America, are meeting in Nice, on the French Riviera, for the 3rd United Nation Ocean Conference (UNOC3) aimed at better protecting an overheated, polluted and overfished ocean. This UNOC3 is co-chaired by France and Costa Rica.

The Samoan delegation is led by Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa. Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Toeolesulusulu Cedric Pose Salesa Schuster is accompanying the Prime Minister.

Independently, the Apia-based Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has sent an important delegation to Nice.

This conference will lead to the adoption of the Nice Ocean Action Plan that will consist of a political declaration and a list of voluntary commitments from all stakeholders.

The priorities of this Conference were set out by the President of the French Republic at the “SOS Ocean” event in Paris on March 31 and include the entry into force of the International Agreement for the Protection of the High Seas and Marine Biodiversity (the so-called “BBNJ” Agreement), the decision to at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 (Global Biodiversity Framework target 30×30), a declaration to fight against plastic pollution and the promotion of sustainable fisheries respectful of ecosystems, for our global food sovereignty.

Decarbonisation of maritime transport and supporting science and research to better understand the ocean are additional goals of this conference.

In his opening address, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that” While the Earth is warming, the ocean is boiling” He called for “mobilization”;, explaining that “The first response is therefore multilateralism,”.

“The climate, like biodiversity, is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of scientifically established facts,” he also insisted. Later on, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also took this view, denouncing “the threat of unilateralism” hanging over the oceans: “We cannot allow what happened to international trade to happen to the sea,” declared President Lula, calling for “clear action” from the International Seabed Authority, while Donald Trump plans to unilaterally authorize the industrial exploitation of minerals at the bottom of the Pacific.

President Macron also insisted that Greenland, which he is due to visit at the end of the week but is coveted by Donald Trump’s United States, was “not for sale.”

“The abyss is not for sale, and no more than Greenland is for sale, nor is Antarctica or the high seas for sale,” the French president declared.

Shortly after, UN Secretary General, who visited Samoa in 2024, declared that the deep seabed must not become a “Far West.” “I hope we can turn this around. That we can replace plunder with protection,” Mr Gutteres added.

Mr. Macron also assured that the High Seas and Marine Biodiversity (the so-called “BBNJ” Agreement) would be ratified by enough countries to enter into force. “In addition to the fifty ratifications already submitted here in the last few hours, fifteen countries have formally committed to joining them,” Emmanuel Macron declared.

Samoa is one of them. “This means that the political agreement has been reached, which allows us to say that this High Seas Treaty will be properly implemented. So it’s a done deal,” he added, without specifying a timeline. The treaty, signed in 2023, will enter into force 120 days after the sixtieth ratification. France initially hoped to obtain these sixty ratifications by the Nice conference.

Finally, several countries could also use the Nice summit to announce the creation of new marine protected areas or the banning of certain fishing practices, such as bottom trawling, in some of them.

France announced on Saturday, through Emmanuel Macron, a limitation of bottom trawling in its marine protected areas (MPAs) to preserve the seabed, but failed to convince NGOs, who criticized the “lack of ambition” of these announcements.

Many side events are also taking place during this week during this largest conference ever organized for the protection of the oceans.

Prime Minister Fiame addressed the audience in her capacity of a leader of an island country that is a victim of climate change, in particular the sea rise. Samoa has taken very strong decision recently in favour of the protection of the environment. And sent a good signal before the UN Conference of Nice, in adopting on 6 June its Marine Spatial Plan, a milestone step to fully protect 30 per cent (%) and ensure sustainable management of 100 per cent (%) of its vast ocean 120,000-square-kilometer ocean territory.

Doing such, Samoa became one of the first Pacific Island nations to adopt a legally binding plan.

END.

Photo credits: SPREP / French Embassy in Samoa).

June 24, 2025

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Schools have the responsibility to play a good gate-keeper role and enhance the sensitivity of teachers and students to national security, the Education Bureau said today in response to media enquiries.

Whilst safeguarding national security is the Government’s responsibility as well as the obligation of the whole community of Hong Kong, the bureau noted that safeguarding national security is also part and parcel of the routine school work in promoting national security education.

The bureau also said it has adopted a “multipronged and co-ordinated” approach to strengthen students’ understanding of Chinese culture, the Constitution and the Basic Law, and their awareness of law-abiding in promoting patriotic education.

Detailed administrative and educational guidelines have been issued to schools, requiring them to establish school-based mechanisms and formulate appropriate measures according to their own circumstances and needs to implement various tasks related to safeguarding national security and national security education.

In addition, the bureau provided schools with an updated “National Security: School Self-evaluation Checklist” in April, which sets out suggestions of refinement and good practices of different areas of work, covering national security work planning, monitoring mechanisms, learning and teaching and related resources, school activities, personnel management and training, and home-school co-operation, in order to effectively prevent and suppress acts and activities that endanger or are detrimental to national security.

The bureau remarked that schools offering non-local curricula also have the responsibility to help their students, regardless of their ethnicity and nationality, acquire a correct and objective understanding and appreciation of the concept of national security and the National Security Law as well as the duty to cultivate a law-abiding spirit among their students. It elaborated that these schools should devise and continuously review relevant strategies and measures in light of their school-based circumstances and needs, with a view to maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment and promoting students’ effective learning and healthy development.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today officiated at an Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) reception for new establishments of international and Mainland businesses in Hong Kong and encouraged companies to seize the myriad opportunities in the city to expand globally.

​Mr Lee also reaffirmed Hong Kong’s role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” connecting the Mainland and the rest of the world.

In his keynote speech, the Chief Executive pointed out that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong enjoys the advantages of being connected to both the Mainland and the rest of the world, offering an open and easy place to do business, a long and established tradition of the rule of law, and a simple and low tax regime.

Mr Lee highlighted that as the world’s freest economy and one of the world’s top three international financial centres, Hong Kong’s global competitiveness has risen two places to rank third globally in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025, marking the second consecutive year of such advancement from its seventh place two years ago.

In the recent World Investment Report released by the United Nations Trade & Development, the city has moved up to third place in terms of foreign direct investment inflows.

Mr Lee stressed that the Government will continue to co-ordinate the practical needs of enterprises across different sectors, enabling them to develop their business overseas through Hong Kong’s multinational supply chain management centre and explore new strategic blue oceans for development.

The event also marked the 25th anniversary of InvestHK and served as an occasion to thank businesses for their trust and support in Hong Kong’s business environment. About 350 senior representatives from companies worldwide attended.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Financial Secretary Paul Chan today attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025 in Tianjin, and led representatives from about 20 startups and enterprises to visit the Tianjin Binhai High-tech Industrial Development Area for business matching activities.

At the annual meeting, also known as the Summer Davos, Mr Chan joined the Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders where he exchanged views on the current international financial and trade landscape and developments with other international and regional leaders.

In the afternoon, Mr Chan participated as a keynote speaker in a discussion session on the economic and investment relationship and development prospects between the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) and China.

He pointed out that Hong Kong can serve as a “super connector” in trade, investment, finance, and innovation and technology (I&T) between China and the MENA.

Specifically, with the increasing popularity of trade settled in local currencies among economies in the region, renminbi liquidity, the range of renminbi investment products and risk management tools, and custodian services can be enhanced to support renminbi investment and funding needs of MENA countries.

Furthermore, as the region invests heavily in infrastructure and green transformation, Hong Kong can act as a financing centre for quality enterprises and projects. Collaboration between I&T enterprises can also help countries in the region achieve their development goals in various fields.

Separately, the Financial Secretary, leading representatives from startups from the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, Cyberport and the Hong Kong Investment Corporation, visited the Tianjin Binhai High-tech Industrial Development Area in the morning.

They toured two enterprises and held a roundtable meeting with about 30 Tianjin-based tech companies to discuss further co-operation directions and strategies between Tianjin and Hong Kong’s innovation sectors, and promote exchanges and interface between enterprises of the two places.

During the roundtable meeting, Mr Chan said Hong Kong welcomes Tianjin’s I&T companies to leverage Hong Kong’s platform for international expansion. He emphasised that enterprises can utilise Hong Kong’s vibrant and comprehensive fundraising market and high-quality financial services to connect with global funds and investors. He also encouraged them to collaborate with Hong Kong’s I&T enterprises to make use of Hong Kong’s internationalised application scenarios and global business networks, thereby accelerating the pace of their international expansion.

In the evening, Mr Chan met Tianjin Municipal Committee Deputy Secretary Liu Guiping for in-depth exchanges on strengthening co-operation in trade, finance, shipping, I&T and tourism between Tianjin and Hong Kong.

Additionally, Mr Chan met Xi’an Mayor Ye Niuping, also attending the Summer Davos, to exchange views on further fostering co-operation.

The Financial Secretary will continue to attend the Summer Davos in Tianjin tomorrow and depart for Beijing in the evening.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today announced that two teams of civil servants were awarded the Chief Executive’s Award for Exemplary Performance.

They were the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Search & Rescue Team to quake-stricken areas in Myanmar in March 2025 and the Inter-departmental Preparation Team for Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) Commissioning respectively.

Mr Lee congratulated the two teams and expressed pride in their performance and contributions.

“The two award-winning teams reflected the outstanding competence of the civil service of the Hong Kong SAR and the efficiency of the Government, and exemplified Hong Kong’s second-place global ranking in the ‘Government efficiency’ factor of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025. All these have confirmed and reinforced my belief in driving result-oriented policies for the Government,” he said.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said the Hong Kong SAR Search & Rescue Team demonstrated fearless professionalism and humanitarian care, while the Preparation Team for KTSP Commissioning displayed efficient collaboration and precise planning of the civil servants. 

In March this year, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, resulting in serious casualties. The Hong Kong SAR Government quickly formed an interdepartmental search and rescue team.

Civil servants from the Security Bureau, the Fire Services Department and the Immigration Department, together with medical representatives from the Hospital Authority, rushed to Mantalay, one of the most devastated areas in Myanmar, to conduct search and rescue operations.

With professional training, fearlessness and perseverance, the team completed 61 search and rescue operations covering 57 locations amid the constant aftershocks and scorching heat in the disaster-stricken areas, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) said.

The team also conducted joint operations with the China Search & Rescue Team and successfully rescued one survivor who had been trapped for more than 125 hours.

Meanwhile, the Inter-departmental Preparation Team for KTSP Commissioning comprised civil servants from the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, the Security Bureau, the CSB, the Transport & Logistics Bureau, Police and the Transport Department.

In the face of multiple challenges such as the pressing schedule, the large scale of the project and complicated co-ordination work, the preparation team, with its innovative thinking, meticulous planning and interdepartmental collaborations, completed around 20 test events, including five large-scale drills, in just five months, mobilising 140,000 civil servants to participate in the stress tests to evaluate the capability of the KTSP and its surrounding facilities comprehensively.

Through continuous stress tests and optimisation of detailed arrangements, thorough preparation was made for the commissioning of the KTSP, the CSB added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     In response to media enquiries about safeguarding national security, an Education Bureau (EDB) spokesman made the following response today (June 24):

     Safeguarding national security is the Government’s responsibility, as well as the obligation of the whole community of Hong Kong. It is also part and parcel of the routine school work in promoting national security education. With the implementation of the National Security Law for five years, Hong Kong has transited “from chaos to stability” and “from stability to prosperity”.  The EDB has adopted a “multi-pronged and co-ordinated” approach, including activities inside and outside the classroom, to strengthen students’ understanding of Chinese culture, the Constitution and the Basic Law, and their awareness of law-abiding in promoting patriotic education.

     The EDB has issued detailed administrative and educational guidelines to schools, requiring them to establish school-based mechanisms and formulate appropriate measures according to their own circumstances and needs to implement various tasks related to safeguarding national security and national security education. The EDB also provided schools with an updated “National Security: School Self-evaluation Checklist” in April this year, and provided suggestions of refinement and good practices of different areas of work, covering national security work planning, monitoring mechanisms, learning and teaching and related resources, school activities, personnel management and training, and home-school co-operation, in order to effectively prevent and suppress acts and activities that endanger or are detrimental to national security. Schools have the responsibility to play a good gate-keeper role and to enhance the sensitivity of teachers and students to national security.

     Schools offering non-local curricula also have the responsibility to help their students, regardless of their ethnicity and nationality, acquire a correct and objective understanding and appreciation of the concept of national security and the National Security Law, as well as the duty to cultivate a law-abiding spirit among their students. These schools should devise and continuously review relevant strategies and measures in light of their school-based circumstances and needs, with a view to maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment and promoting students’ effective learning and healthy development.

     The EDB will continue to monitor and support schools in implementing the relevant work through various channels, such as daily communication with schools. The EDB will also advance towards more in-depth and effective implementation of work to safeguard national security, and continue to work hand in hand with different stakeholders to help schools build a protective barrier to safeguard the well-being of students.