Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Over 80 youth trainees complete foundation course of third phase of ROLE Stars Train-the-Leaders Programme
Following the first day of the course taught by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, and member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress and Member of the Legislative Council, Dr Starry Lee, last week, the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, elaborated on the second day of the course about the importance of promoting the rule of law, and the responsibilities and roles of ROLE leaders.
Member of the Working Group on Coordination and Liaison (Working Group) under the Steering Committee on Rule of Law Education (Steering Committee), Mr Chan Chak-ming, and member of the Steering Committee, Ms Sabrina Ho, briefed the trainees on topics such as the legal profession, court proceedings, and alternative dispute resolution services in Hong Kong. Founder and Chairperson of BExcellent Group, Dr June Leung, who has many years of experience in education, was also invited to share her insights on communication skills for effective dissemination of messages about the rule of law.
Dr Cheung remarked that the rule of law is Hong Kong’s “golden reputation” and the foundation for Hong Kong to maintain long-term prosperity and stability under the principle of “one country, two systems”. At the current critical period of breaking new ground and achieving another leap forward, the Hong Kong community must uphold the rule of law, and leverage Hong Kong’s international advantages to promote high-quality development through the rule of law, and hence, the promotion of the rule of law is of great importance.
He said that members of the district youth committees have been promoting youth development and civic education in the community, and they can certainly play an important role in the promotion of the rule of law. University students who are pursuing their career in the education sector will be the backbone of schools’ work in promoting rule of law education, and their active participation will undoubtedly provide new momentum to the passing on and further development of the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Dr Cheung said that communication is a kind of special knowledge. The DoJ designed the course with an emphasis on diversified, interactive and easy-to-understand methods, along with real-life examples and case studies, which enable trainees to easily grasp knowledge of the rule of law. The course also invited experts to teach trainees the skills of dissemination and communication, better equipping them to become ROLE leaders in the future.
After the course, the DoJ held the closing ceremony (including a certificate presentation) for the foundation course of the third-phase programme. Members of the Steering Committee, Ms Ho and Professor Dicky Tsang, and member of the Working Group, Mr Chan, presented certificates to the trainees who completed the two-day foundation course of the third-phase programme.
Looking ahead, the DoJ will continue to organise advanced and extended courses under the third phase of the TTL Programme. Through visits to law enforcement agencies, mock court activities, thematic talks on specific legal topics and practice activities for promoting the rule of law, the courses will further deepen the understanding of the legal system and the implementation of legal procedures of the trainees who have completed the foundation course, as well as bolster their confidence in disseminating messages of the rule of law in the community.
For details and other information relating to the TTL Programme, please visit the dedicated website at www.role-ttl.gov.hk
Issued at HKT 17:16
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Health chief attends Nanjing forum
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau attended the 13th Nanjing Academic Symposium on Hepatobiliary Surgery & Liver Transplantation in Nanjing today to share with liver transplant experts from around the world Hong Kong’s latest developments in organ transplantation, and the work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in co-operation with the Mainland on organ donation and transplantation.
In his address at the opening ceremony, Prof Lo said: “Hong Kong and the Mainland have a long-standing collaboration in hepatobiliary surgery. I have personally witnessed experts from both places jointly performing a number of complex liver transplant surgeries, achieving in-depth integration of technology and resources, which is an exemplary model of medical co-operation under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework.
“In recent years, Hong Kong and the Mainland have also made breakthroughs in organ donation and transplantation. In December 2022 and February this year, two cases of cross-boundary heart donation successfully saved the lives of two infants, exemplifying to the fullest the inseparable ties between the Mainland and Hong Kong as well as our shared principle and mission in protecting and saving lives.”
Apart from stressing that with the accumulation of experience, the channels and procedures for handling urgent cross-boundary organ transplant requests have now been streamlined and standardised, Prof Lo made it clear that the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to explore arrangements for regularising this mechanism.
He also shared the latest developments in the prevention and control of liver disease in Hong Kong.
“Since 1988, Hong Kong has provided universal hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns, significantly reducing infection rates among younger generations.
“As outlined in last year’s Policy Address, the Chief Executive also proposed to implement hepatitis B screening to prevent liver cancer. If patients can be identified at an early stage, it will facilitate early identification and early treatment, thereby effectively reducing risks of developing complications including cirrhosis and liver cancer.”
Prof Lo then visited the Jiangsu Province Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University), where he exchanged views and shared experiences on enhancing hospital management and services with the hospital’s President Prof Liu Yun.
He highlighted that the Hospital Authority is adopting China’s International Hospital Accreditation Standards (2021 Version) developed by the Shenzhen Hospital Accreditation Research Centre to resume the hospital accreditation programme at its public hospitals.
Moreover, the authority seeks to optimise the diagnosis process of the relevant specialties and improve the treatment outcomes through the establishment of the first stroke centre at Tuen Mun Hospital, as well as chest pain centres at both Queen Mary Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital.
Prof Lo added that the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to promote the accreditation programme under the standards as well as the establishment of chest pain centres and stroke centres.
“These initiatives will not only improve healthcare integration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and support Hong Kong’s integration into national development, but also leverage Hong Kong’s advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, so as to demonstrate the excellence of the national hospital accreditation standards to the international community.”
CE listens to advisers’ views
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers (CECA), chaired by Chief Executive John Lee, held luncheon meetings for three consecutive days, from July 9 to 11, to listen to the views expressed by advisers for the upcoming Policy Address and the overall development of Hong Kong.
Mr Lee pointed out that the three meeting sessions are the first for the new term of CECA members.
He noted that during the meetings, the advisers emphasised that Hong Kong is bestowed with its unique advantages of connecting with both the Mainland and the world, excellent education and research capabilities, and advantageous geographical location, and it is also an international financial centre with free flow of capital.
He highlighted that such advantages would greatly attract Mainland enterprises to list in Hong Kong and use the city as the gateway to go global.
The CECA conducted in-depth discussions on a range of important issues under three major themes, namely economic advancement and sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship, and regional and global collaborations.
Mr Lee emphasised that members of the council are all distinguished and eminent leaders in their respective fields or internationally renowned scholars, experts or entrepreneurs.
He thanked all members for actively providing him with valuable insights and wise counsel regarding the current situation and vision for future developments of Hong Kong. These contributions have provided important references for the overall development strategies of Hong Kong and the upcoming Policy Address.
The three meeting sessions were chaired by the Chief Executive. Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, Acting Financial Secretary Michael Wong, Acting Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Carol Yip and Head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit Stephen Wong attended the three sessions respectively.
The Chief Executive will deliver his fourth Policy Address this September, for which the public consultation commenced on June 16.
SHYA to visit Beijing and Sichuan
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, will depart tomorrow (July 13) to visit Beijing and Sichuan. She will call on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, and relevant ministries and institutions to deepen exchanges and co-operation with the Mainland in areas of youth development, district governance, women’s development and religious affairs.
Miss Mak will attend the inauguration ceremonies of the Hong Kong-Macao Youth Internship Programme at Palace Museum and the Youth Internship Programme at Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as the closing ceremony of the Youth Internship Programme at Wolong Region of Giant Panda National Park. These three programmes are under the HYAB Thematic Youth Internship Programmes to the Mainland 2025 that are jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the cultural, scientific research and nature conservation institutions on the Mainland. Through diverse thematic internship opportunities, the programmes aim to help Hong Kong youths gain a deeper understanding of the country’s development and acquire knowledge of relevant disciplines and professional fields. Miss Mak will meet with the interns and learn about their lives and experiences on the Mainland.
During Miss Mak’s visit to Beijing, the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam; the Director of Home Affairs, Ms Priscilla To; and the Deputy Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs (Home Affairs), Mr Paul Wong, will also accompany her.
　
Miss Mak will return to Hong Kong on the afternoon of July 18. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, will act as the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs.
Commissioner of Police encourages graduates to demonstrate team spirit (with photos)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Commissioner of Police encourages graduates to demonstrate team spirit
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Chow said this was his first time attending the Police College passing-out parade in the capacity of the Commissioner of Police, and serving as the reviewing officer. He mentioned his participation in the parade as a graduate at the same venue 29 years ago, and hence could fully understand the feelings of the graduates.
He stated that the HKPF, with a history of 181 years, is a world-renowned, professional and highly efficient team. Over the years, the Force has encountered countless challenges, but has always overcome obstacles with team spirit, upholding the motto of “Serving Hong Kong with Honour, Duty and Loyalty”, ensuring the safety and stability of Hong Kong.
He said that police officers have to serve in various posts throughout their career, and policing work requires concerted efforts to overcome adversities. Team members have to share weal and woe with each other and express care for their fellow colleagues; whereas team leaders win respect through personal integrity and take the initiative and stand at the forefront.
He shared that he had worked closely with a number of outstanding team members in his 30-year policing career. He stressed that team culture is indispensable and with great pride in HKPF, and since his appointment as the Commissioner of Police in April, one of his work priorities is strengthening the team culture.
Mr Chow wished that graduates would stay in touch with their fellow classmates and peers from the same batches, to support and encourage each other, as well as bearing in mind that if each member goes the extra mile for the team, much more could be achieved. He also encouraged graduates to uphold their original aspiration when facing challenges ahead, and remember the steadfast support from their families, friends, colleagues, and the entire Force, and they are never fighting alone.
Issued at HKT 14:21
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Remarks by SLW on mandatory reporting of child abuse and industrial accident
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Remarks by SLW on mandatory reporting of child abuse and industrial accidentIssued at HKT 13:52
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Speech by SCST at opening ceremony of City University of Hong Kong’s “City Quest” programme (English only)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Speech by SCST at opening ceremony of City University of Hong Kong’s “City Quest” programme (English only)
Chairman Ngai (Council Chairman of City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Mr Michael Ngai), 屈總 (Vice President and Chairman of the Group Technology Committee, Xiaomi Corporation, Mr Qu Heng), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is my great pleasure to be in the CityU today for the opening ceremony of the “City Quest 尋城記” programme.
Today, we gather here to mark the official launch of a visionary community engagement programme that embodies the spirit of “tourism is everywhere”,「香港無處不旅遊」. I was particularly impressed that this programme is inviting every member of the public to become a storyteller of our city through the “hands” by sharing personal narratives about Hong Kong, through the “feet” by becoming docent ambassadors and through the “eyes” by capturing the beauty of Hong Kong. This resonates with what I have been advocating ever since assuming the post as Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, which is “Everyone is a tourism ambassador”, 「人人都是旅遊大使」.
With the travel patterns and traveller preferences progressing into more in-depth explorations, the Working Group on Developing Tourist Hotspots, as led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, with myself as Deputy Leader, has recently announced nine hotspot projects to offer new and more in-depth tourist experiences, with one project in Old Town Central and the other in Kowloon City. The Old Town Central project will take the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator as a conduit connecting various offerings in the vicinity to guide visitors to explore the beauty of our alleys and streets. On the other hand, the Kowloon City project features the “Kowloon Walled City: A Cinematic Journey” Movie Set Exhibition as the starting point to extend visitors’ experience further in the district. Through these projects, we encourage visitors to experience Hong Kong’s authentic local flavour from widened perspectives. I am confident that the “City Quest” programme will complement our hotspot projects to curate more fascinating experiences to a wider audience, thereby bringing more visitors to the unique beauty of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is an international tourist city with significant advantages in developing city walk routes, with our diverse gourmet food, high accessibility and efficient transportation system. I wish the “City Quest 尋城記” programme a success and would love to see more efforts of this kind from different stakeholders in the community in promoting the Hong Kong neighbourhoods.
Before I close, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to City University of Hong Kong and its partners for organising this meaningful programme to promote Hong Kong from fresh perspectives. Thank you very much.
Issued at HKT 13:08
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Secretary for Health attends 13th Nanjing Academic Symposium on Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation in Nanjing (with photos)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, attended the 13th Nanjing Academic Symposium on Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation in Nanjing today (July 12) to share with liver transplant experts from around the world Hong Kong’s latest developments in organ transplantation, and the work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in co-operation with the Mainland on organ donation and transplantation.
In his address at the opening ceremony, Professor Lo said, “Hong Kong and the Mainland have a long-standing collaboration in hepatobiliary surgery. I have personally witnessed experts from both places jointly performing a number of complex liver transplant surgeries, achieving in-depth integration of technology and resources, which is an exemplary model of medical co-operation under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework. In recent years, Hong Kong and the Mainland have also made breakthroughs in organ donation and transplantation. In December 2022 and February this year, two cases of cross-boundary heart donation successfully saved the lives of two infants, exemplifying to the fullest the inseparable ties between the Mainland and Hong Kong as well as our shared principle and mission in protecting and saving lives. With the accumulation of experience, the channels and procedures for handling urgent cross-boundary organ transplant requests have now been streamlined and standardised. The HKSAR Government will continue to explore arrangements for regularising this mechanism.”
He also shared the latest developments in the prevention and control of liver disease in Hong Kong. He said, “Since 1988, Hong Kong has provided universal hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns, significantly reducing infection rates among younger generations. As outlined in last year’s Policy Address, the Chief Executive also proposed to implement hepatitis B screening to prevent liver cancer. If patients can be identified at an early stage, it will facilitate ‘early identification and early treatment’, thereby effectively reducing risks of developing complications including cirrhosis and liver cancer.”
The conference was jointly organised by the Jiangsu Anti-cancer Association, the Jiangsu Medical Doctor Association, and the Jiangsu Medical Association. The conference brought together international experts and scholars in liver disease, as well as senior health officials from around the world.
Professor Lo then visited the Jiangsu Province Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University), where he exchanged views and shared experiences on enhancing hospital management and services with the President of Jiangsu Province Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University), Professor Liu Yun. He said, “The Hospital Authority (HA) is adopting China’s International Hospital Accreditation Standards (2021 Version) developed by the Shenzhen Hospital Accreditation Research Centre to resume the hospital accreditation programme at its public hospitals. Through independent professional hospital accreditation organisations, various aspects of hospital performance are assessed in an objective manner, with a view to enhancing the quality of healthcare institutions and safeguarding patient safety. Moreover, the HA seeks to optimise the diagnosis process of the relevant specialties and improve the treatment outcomes through the establishment of the first stroke centre at Tuen Mun Hospital, as well as chest pain centres at both Queen Mary Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital in accordance with national accreditation standards, thereby enhancing the survival rate of patients.”
Professor Lo added, “The HKSAR Government will continue to promote the accreditation programme under the Standards as well as the establishment of chest pain centres and stroke centres. These initiatives will not only improve healthcare integration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and support Hong Kong’s integration into national development, but also leverage Hong Kong’s advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, so as to demonstrate the excellence of the national hospital accreditation standards to the international community.”
The Assistant Director of Health (Drug), Mr Frank Chan; the Director (Quality and Safety) of the HA, Dr Michael Wong, and the Cluster Chief Executive of Hong Kong West Cluster of the HA, Dr Theresa Li, accompanied Professor Lo to attend today’s functions. They will return to Hong Kong this afternoon.
CE listens to views expressed by CECA on Policy Address (with photos/video)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers (CECA), chaired by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, held luncheon meetings for three consecutive days this week (July 9 to 11) to listen to the views expressed by CECA members for the forthcoming Policy Address and the overall development of Hong Kong.
Mr Lee said, “This is the first meeting for the new term (second term) of CECA members. I warmly welcomed the three new members of the CECA, namely Dr Zhu Min, who served as the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and the Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China, along with two enterprises of Hangzhou’s “Six Little Dragons” – the founder of BrainCo, Mr Han Bi-cheng, and the founder of Unitree Robotics, Mr Wang Xing-xing, for attending the meetings in Hong Kong. During the meeting, they emphasised that Hong Kong is bestowed with its unique advantages of connecting with both the Mainland and the world, excellent education and research capabilities, and advantageous geographical location, and it is also an international financial centre with free flow of capital. These advantages would greatly attract Mainland enterprises to list in Hong Kong and use Hong Kong as the gateway to go global. “
The CECA conducted in-depth discussions on a range of important issues under three major themes:
- Economic advancement and sustainability – including how to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as the international financial, shipping and trade centres amid geopolitical changes and economic restructuring.
- Innovation and entrepreneurship – including how to promote the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries, proactively nurture emerging industries, expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis, and proactively attract capital and talents to assist in the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong.
- Regional and global collaborations – including how to leverage the opportunities of our motherland and deepen international exchanges and co-operation, strengthen ties with countries along the Belt and Road and explore emerging markets such as the Middle East, the ASEAN, South America, and Central Asia in order to seek new opportunities, and to provide high quality professional services to Mainland and international enterprises, amid an ever‑changing geopolitical landscape and constantly increasing uncertainties.
Mr Lee said members of the Council are all distinguished and eminent leaders in their respective fields or internationally renowned scholars, experts or entrepreneurs. He thanks all members for actively providing him with valuable insights and wise counsel regarding the current situation and vision for future developments of Hong Kong. These contributions have provided important references for the overall development strategies of Hong Kong and the upcoming Policy Address.
The three meeting sessions were chaired by the Chief Executive. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Acting Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong; the Acting Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan; the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Carol Yip, and the Head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit (CEPU), Dr Stephen Wong, attended the three sessions respectively.
The Chief Executive will deliver his fourth Policy Address this September, for which the public consultation commenced on June 16.
The Chief Executive established the CECA in 2023 to seek advice on the strategic developments of Hong Kong with a view to leveraging the opportunities from national and global developments. The second term of the CECA took effect on July 1. For the membership of the CECA, please refer to the website of the CEPU (www.cepu.gov.hk/en/CECA/membership.html), which serves as the secretariat of the CECA.
SJ promotes Hong Kong’s unique legal advantages in Rome (with photos)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, continued his European visit in Rome, Italy, on July 10 (Rome time) to promote and strengthen co-operation between Hong Kong and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) and to promote Hong Kong’s unique advantages under “one country, two systems” to the local legal and business sectors.
Mr Lam first visited UNIDROIT and had lunch with the Secretary-General of UNIDROIT, Professor Ignacio Tirado. Mr Lam thanked UNIDROIT for its support of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and the secondment of local legal professionals to UNIDROIT. They also discussed opportunities for UNIDROIT to participate in the Academy’s capacity-building programme and the relevant work of organising the 2026 Asia-Pacific International Private Law Summit in Hong Kong. During his visit to UNIDROIT, Mr Lam also officiated at the opening ceremony of the Asian Transnational Law Centre.
Mr Lam then attended a seminar co-organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and UNIDROIT entitled “Hong Kong as a Gateway to the Asia Pacific” and delivered a keynote speech. Mr Lam said that, as Hong Kong is a legal hub, the DoJ has been strengthening co-operation with renowned international legal and dispute resolution organisations and securing their presence in Hong Kong. Recently, in addition to the International Organization for Mediation that will be headquartered in Hong Kong, the DoJ, with the support of the Central Government, has also been exploring with the UNIDROIT Secretariat the proposal to set up a liaison office in Hong Kong. The DoJ thanked the UNIDROIT Governing Council for their support of the proposal to be considered by the UNIDROIT General Assembly. The proposal, if passed by the General Assembly, will help promote the work of UNIDROIT in the Asia-Pacific region and further enhance Hong Kong’s position as a regional centre for international legal and dispute resolution services, Mr Lam added.
In the evening, Mr Lam had dinner with the former Minister of Justice of Italy and recipient of the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award, Professor Oliviero Diliberto, to exchange views on issues of mutual concern.
Mr Lam attended a networking lunch and meeting hosted by the Italy China Council Foundation and supported by the Italian confederation of small and medium private industries today (July 11, Rome time) and elaborated to local legal and business sectors Hong Kong’s unique advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle. He also learned more about the developments in local enterprises and legal services and explained to them how Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services are conducive to international investment and trade.
In the evening, Mr Lam will call on the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Italy, Mr Jia Guide, to brief him on the exchanges and co-operation between the DoJ and UNIDROIT, and the latest work progress on dispute resolution services.
Mr Lam will leave Rome tomorrow (July 12, Rome time) and arrive in Hong Kong on the morning of July 13.