Month: June 2025

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Home & Youth Affairs Bureau today approved a youth hostel project in Sham Shui Po that will provide up to 676 hostel places.

Named TN Residence, it is the sixth project under the Subsidy Scheme for Using Hotels & Guesthouses as Youth Hostels.

Located on 280 Tung Chau Street, the project will be launched by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) and the Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) Company.

The TWGHs has introduced the concept of a “youth vertical community” for the project to enable youth tenants to establish a social network with mutual assistance and trust.

Another feature of the project is the V-Mile programme, which encourages youth tenants to actively participate in value-added activities and community services recognised by the TWGHs or organise activities on their own, in order to promote self-enrichment, networking and contributing to society.

The bureau said TN Residence is in close proximity to railway stations, and situated within the cultural and creative industry hub with many specialty shops and restaurants nearby.

It added that it will set up a physical platform for Youth Link members to interact with each other, in the Nam Cheong District Community Centre and Tung Chau Street Temporary Market close by, creating synergy with the youth hostel project.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

The Smart Aqua Leak Finder is a portable device that utilizes AI-driven acoustic technology and GPS mapping to detect underground pipe water leaks in three seconds with 98% accuracy. By minimizing repair time and water loss, it offers an innovative solution to overcome global water scarcity.

The Smart Aqua Leak Finder improves leak location precision, water flow sound analysis, and repair efficiency. The portable device, along with its mobile cloud acoustic system, detects leaks in just three seconds with 98% accuracy, exceeding the 90% of traditional manual inspections. With 5G & IoT, results are accessible on mobile devices for review. Patented in the U.S. and Taiwan, the system is compatible with various pipe types and highly scalable. Field-tested in disaster recovery, it reduces water loss, repair costs, and downtime. By streamlining workflows, this innovation eliminates the need for inspectors to wear earphones during surveys, minimizes unnecessary excavations, and offers a smart water management solution.

With the Smart Aqua Leak Finder, Taiwan Water Corporation has inspected 105,500 meters of underground pipelines and identified 564 leaks, reducing water loss by 13,404 tons per day, with projected annual savings of 4.88 million tons-an amount equivalent to nearly 2,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. During the Hualien earthquake in April 2024, the technology quickly diagnosed leak water issues, expediting pipe repairs to resume water supply. It also won an IWA 2024 Project Innovation Award. This innovation has strong potential in optimizing water resource management in water-scarce regions and preserving infrastructure in historic European cities through non-invasive detection. It can be deployed globally for efficient water pipeline network inspection.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Globally, about one million tons of discarded LCD glass are produced each year, most of which is buried, causing environmental damage. ITRI developed NaPoGlass, an optimal solution for recycling LCD glass while addressing wastewater treatment.

NaPoGlass is a nanoporous composite made from waste LCD glass. It can adsorb metal ions and filters wastewater without leaving metal sediment. This innovation enables water recycling, and after multiple uses, it can be repurposed into products such as humidity-regulating tiles, deodorizing insoles, and antibacterial keyboards.

NaPoGlass turns recycled LCD glass into a valuable adsorbent through a patented nanopore formation technique. It has a glass structure skeleton with pores ranging from 2 nm to 20 nm, yielding a surface area of about 200 square meter/g and can adsorb up to 200 mg of positively charged metal ions per gram. Metal ions are stably present in NaPoGlass’ nanopores in ionic form. As a result, they exhibit ion-specific properties including water absorption through calcium ions, antibacterial properties from copper ions and deodorization by nickel ions.

Chemical coagulation is the primary method for treating heavy metal wastewater. A drawback is the difficulty in recycling the water and metals, leading to metal sludge. NaPoGlass is designed for efficient metal removal from wastewater via adsorption. Its metal adsorption capacity is 20% of its weight and the removal efficiency is greater than 99%.

NaPoGlass can be reused 20 times through adsorbing and desorbing processes or recycled as functional additives. Both the treated water and the desorbed metals can be reused. NaPoGlass offers a sludge-free, cost-effective solution crucial for metal wastewater treatment and has only one-fifth of the carbon emissions of chemical coagulation.

NaPoGlass has been adopted by ten surface treatment plants, resulting in 10,000 tons of recycled water, recovering 500 kg of metals, and reducing carbon emissions by 100 tons. Products derived from NaPoGlass, such as humidity-regulating tiles, deodorizing insoles, and antibacterial keyboards are also being produced. This solution not only benefits e-waste management but also helps pollution-intensive industries achieve wastewater reclamation, contributing to global sustainability.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

The Dual-Phase Hydrogel is an injectable biomaterial that gels at body temperature, preventing post-operative adhesions and enabling accelerated cell growth to facilitate faster recovery. Its unique gel formation extends the therapeutic effects of wound-healing factors for up to 30 days, significantly outperforming traditional hydrogels that are quickly broken down by the body.

The temperature-sensitive feature allows the Dual-Phase Hydrogel to work as a drug delivery system for accelerating wound healing. The biomaterial turns into a colloid within a minute of injection, and its high viscosity makes it suitable to treat wounds longer, preventing post-surgical adhesions and severe pain. The product biodegrades into water or urine over time.

Dual-Phase Hydrogel, when in a liquid state, can be easily administered by injection, minimizing the risk and complications incurred by surgical interventions. It can be applied to hard-to-reach injury sites such as joints and spine. When in its gelatinous state, the Dual-Phase Hydrogel maintains long-term therapeutic effects since it can occupy the wounded area longer than traditional hydrogels. Depending on the disease, its degradation rate is adjustable, with effects lasting up to 30 days. Currently, no spinal anti-adhesion products have received US FDA approval; however, the Dual-Phase Hydrogel, with an FDA Master File for Devices (MAF), now offers an effective and safe treatment for patients after spinal surgery.

The Dual-Phase Hydrogel provides a revolutionary solution for healing, significantly relieving the pain of patients suffering from diseases such as lumbar laminectomy, knee osteoarthritis, and bone fracture. Its longer residence at the injury site (up to a month) can enhance wound care and avoid repeated injections. It also eliminates the need for open surgery and its risks. With further development of this product, significant medical costs can be saved for both patients and hospitals. Meanwhile, individuals’ wellness is greatly improved by this minimally invasive innovation. In collaboration with the University of Georgia, ITRI has successfully introduced Dual-Phase Hydrogel to the US market to treat bone fractures in dogs and cats.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The “National Event on the Environment Day 2025” was held in Chongqing this morning, with the Ministry of Ecology & Environment announcing that next year’s event will be jointly organised by Guangdong, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macau SAR.

In a handover ceremony, the ministry passed the event flag to government representatives of the places – Guangdong’s Vice-Governor Zhang Shaokang, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan and Macau’s Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau Ip Kuong-lam.

In recent years, authorities including the ministry and the Central Office of Spiritual Civilization Construction have collaborated with local governments in staging National Event on the Environment Day. The event has become an important platform for promoting and implementing President Xi Jinping’s vision of “ecological civilization”, showcasing the development of “a beautiful China”, and mobilising people from all walks of life to participate.

Government representatives of the three places today emphasised that organising the National Event on the Environment Day is an important opportunity to practice President Xi’s vision of ecological civilization and promote the development of an international first-class beautiful Greater Bay Area.

Under the ministry’s guidance, the three places will learn from the experiences of previous organising cities in striving to stage an excellent National Event on the Environment Day 2026.

Additionally, the three places will seek to deepen communication and co-operation in the ecological and environmental field, jointly build an integrated and innovative beautiful bay area, and provide more concrete support for transforming it into a strategic fulcrum for new development, a demonstration area for high-quality development and a leading region for Chinese modernisation.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau today (June 5) again appealed to members of the public for heightened vigilance against counterfeit mobile apps purporting to be made by the Office.
 
     The spokesman for the Office said that some mobile apps carrying the Office’s name and logo have recently been circulating online again for public downloading. The Office solemnly clarified that it has no connection with those mobile apps and has reported the incident to the Police for follow-up. Members of the public should stay vigilant and are strongly advised not to visit or download them. The Office has not provided mobile apps on any online platform about the joint development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Members of the public should report to the local police as soon as practicable if a scam is suspected.
 
     For enquiries about the online information of the Office, please call 2810 2059 or email enquiry@bayarea.gov.hk.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

The MOEA held a press conference on June 3 to celebrate Taiwan’s outstanding performance at the 2025 Edison Awards. Competing against over 400 global innovations, Taiwan secured 18 awards-its best record to date-and ranked second worldwide. The Edison Awards, often hailed as the “Oscars of Innovation,” are among the most prestigious accolades in the global innovation community. This year’s Achievement Award was also presented to NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang, underscoring the event’s significance.

Of Taiwan’s 18 wins, 14 were earned by five MOEA-affiliated R&D institutions: the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), the Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI), the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), and the Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center (SOIC). This marks a historic high for Taiwan. All winning technologies were co-developed with industry partners such as Photronics Semiconductor Mask Corp., National Taiwan University Hospital, Chung Hsing Bus, Taiwan Water Corporation, and Arc’teryx, demonstrating the successful commercialization of research outcomes.

Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-Huei Kuo stated that the Edison Awards are a major global benchmark for technological innovation, and Taiwan’s stellar performance this year is a testament to the effectiveness of government-backed R&D. Among the winners, ITRI ranked second globally in number of awards, the Metal Industries R&D Centre ranked fifth, and the Taiwan Textile Research Institute earned a Gold Award. Notably, the ARTC and SOIC R&D centers received their first-ever awards this year.

Minister Kuo emphasized the importance of aligning innovation with market demand and practical application. All 14 awarded technologies were developed in collaboration with businesses and directly addressed industry pain points, enhancing production efficiency, and creating added value. Many of these innovations integrated AI, reflecting the MOEA’s initiative to drive digital transformation across sectors. To further accelerate AI adoption, MOEA has identified 10 major R&D institutions and launched over 50 AI pilot production lines across 16 industries, equipped with cutting-edge tools and aimed at cultivating applied AI talent. These efforts are intended to help enterprises shorten the lab-to-market cycle and strengthen Taiwan’s industrial competitiveness.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the S&P Global Market Intelligence Hong Kong Roadshow today (June 5):
                                                                   
Louis (Regional head of the S&P Global Market Intelligence, Mr Louis Wong), Chris (Managing Director and Regional Practice Lead of Asia-Pacific of the S&P Global Ratings, Mr Christopher Lee), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good afternoon. 
A world in flux: risks and reordering

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region