Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
A girl who went missing in Tin Sum has been located.
Diao Kai-yan, aged 14, went missing after she left her residence on Mei Tin Road yesterday (September 11) morning. Her caretaker then made a report to Police.
The girl was located on Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui this afternoon (September 12). She sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
28 landlords of subdivided units under regulated tenancies convicted of contravening relevant statutory requirements
The offences of these 28 landlords include (1) failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced; and (2) requesting the tenant to pay money other than the types permitted under the Ordinance (including requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance).
The RVD earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance. Upon an in-depth investigation and evidence collection, the RVD prosecuted the landlords.
A spokesman for the RVD reiterated that SDU landlords must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, including prohibiting landlords from doing any act calculated to interfere with the peace or comfort of members of the tenant’s household, with the intention of causing the tenant to give up occupation of the SDU; or requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance, and also reminded tenants of their rights under the Ordinance, including a four-year (i.e. two years plus two years) security of tenure. He also stressed that the RVD will continue to take resolute enforcement action against any contraventions of the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance. In particular, the RVD has been requiring landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether they have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD’s request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Depending on the actual circumstances, and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecution against suspected contraventions of the Ordinance. In addition, the RVD has started a new round of publicity and education work to enhance public awareness about the key offences and penalties, emphasising that the RVD proactively checks whether landlords have committed the offences under the Ordinance.
The RVD reminds that pursuant to the Ordinance, a regulated cycle of regulated tenancies is to comprise two consecutive regulated tenancies (i.e. the first-term tenancy and second-term tenancy) for an SDU, and the term of each regulated tenancy is two years. A tenant of a first-term tenancy for an SDU is entitled to be granted a second-term tenancy of the regulated cycle, thus enjoying a total of four years of security of tenure. The RVD has been issuing letters enclosing relevant information to the landlords and tenants concerned of regulated tenancies in batches, according to the expiry time of their first-term tenancies, to assist them in understanding the important matters pertaining to the second-term tenancy, and to remind them about the procedures that need to be followed about two months prior to the commencement of the purported second-term tenancy as well as their respective obligations and rights under the Ordinance. These landlords and tenants may also visit the dedicated page for the second-term tenancy on the RVD’s website (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/tenancy_matters/second_term_tenancy.html
For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the telephone hotline (2150 8303) or visit the RVD’s webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.htmlIssued at HKT 17:38
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Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department and the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) today entered into a memorandum of understanding on cross-boundary co-operation in tropical agriculture.
The pact aims to strengthen exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in tropical agriculture, and to drive high-quality and sustainable development for the industry in both places.
Witnessed by Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Mickey Lai and CATAS Vice President Cui Pengwei signed the memorandum of understanding.
Mr Tse said the collaboration, driven by innovation and led by technology, would advance the development of modern agriculture.
It not only injects technological momentum into local agricultural development, but also makes greater contributions to sustainable agricultural development in the Greater Bay Area and the country, he highlighted.
Under the agreement signed today, Hong Kong can accelerate the modernisation of local agricultural industries by drawing on CATAS’ technology and experience in tropical agriculture, thereby improving production efficiency and product quality. By establishing communication mechanisms, the agreement will also strengthen talent and innovation exchanges, promoting joint development and mutual benefits in tropical agriculture for both places.
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Environmental Protection Department today expressed appreciation to the Office of the Ombudsman for its suggestions on further enhancing the effectiveness of combatting the illegal disposal of construction waste.
The department was responding to the Ombudsman’s report on its direct investigation into the illegal disposal problem and the “HoHoSkips” recycling service for construction waste.
The department said its efforts in combatting the illegal disposal of construction waste in recent years have shown significant results. The amount of illegally disposed construction waste cleared by the Government has significantly decreased from the peak of around 9,000 tonnes in 2017 to about 1,000 tonnes between 2022 and 2024, representing a reduction of about 89%.
In some previous illegal disposal blackspots, such as the areas around Arran Street in Mong Kok and Wang Wo Tsai Street in Tsuen Wan, the reduction in the amount of illegally disposed construction waste has even exceeded 90%.
The office recognised the department’s efforts and effectiveness in combatting the illegal disposal of construction waste, as well as its use of smart technology to assist law enforcement. The report suggested a series of measures to further enhance the effectiveness of combatting the illegal disposal of construction waste and the “HoHoSkips” service.
The department said it will actively follow up in five directions: reviewing ways to strengthen enforcement against illegal disposal of construction waste; strengthening promotional efforts on proper handling of construction waste; reviewing and enhancing the “HoHoSkips” service to increase efficiency, including the expansion of the “Smart HoHoSkips” recycling service; optimising the “HoHoSkips” mobile application and webpage; and collecting feedback from users to improve the “HoHoSkips” service.
The department will continue to regularly review the operational data of the surveillance camera systems and related intelligence, and flexibly adjust the system distribution.
It will also continue to deploy law enforcement actions and carry out promotional activities in areas with frequent small-scale renovation works and building maintenance activities to strengthen deterrence, improve enforcement efficiency and increase prosecution success rates.
Moreover, it has already initiated follow-up action with the respective recycling organisation to implement enhancement measures for the “HoHoSkips” service as soon as possible to improve users’ experience.
Source: Republic of China Taiwan
The SEMICON Taiwan 2025 international semiconductor exhibition opened on September 10, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ (MOEA) Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) unveiling the “MOEA Technology R&D Pavilion.” Jointly organized with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), the pavilion features 37 advanced technologies developed in collaboration with leading partners including ASE, CXsemi, New Smart Technology, Millitronic, and Test Research Inc. The showcase highlights Taiwan’s strong R&D capacity in AI chips, advanced manufacturing and testing equipment, and compound semiconductors.
Two groundbreaking innovations drew strong attention. The first is a silicon photonics chip engineered for high-speed, low-power transmission. Leveraging high-density heterogeneous integration and low-loss optical design, it addresses critical data bottlenecks in AI-driven data centers. The second is the world’s first 3D customizable universal chip module: a building-block innovation that boosts product development efficiency by 70%. Together, these technologies have already attracted more than NT$2.4 billion (US$74 million) in industry investment, accelerating the deployment of AIoT applications.
DoIT Deputy Director General Chung-Pin Chou highlighted that global data center traffic has expanded more than 70-fold between 2010 to 2024, fueled by generative AI and high-performance computing (HPC). In response to these challenges, the DoIT has invested nearly NT$40 billion (US$1.25 billion) over the past five years in areas including AI, HPC, silicon photonics, advanced packaging, and compound semiconductors. These initiatives aim to strengthen chip hardware-software integration and build a resilient, self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem in Taiwan.
Among recent achievements, ITRI developed Taiwan’s first 1.6 Tbps silicon photonics optical engine module, achieving Nvidia GTC 2025 international performance benchmarks. In partnership with ASE and other firms, ITRI also established the Open Silicon Photonics Platform, offering one-stop services covering design, manufacturing, integration, and testing to speed up data center upgrades.
In packaging, ITRI’s innovative 3D customizable universal chip module enables chips to be combined like Lego blocks without starting from scratch. This approach shortens development time by 70%, reduces costs, and has already supported more than 133 companies, drawing over NT$2.1 billion (US$65 million) of new investment.
These advances are fueling a new wave of AIoT innovation while elevating Taiwan’s position as a global semiconductor leader. By bridging technology gaps and reinforcing supply chain resilience, Taiwan is laying the foundation for the next era of high-performance computing and intelligent applications worldwide.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum 2025 today (September 12):
Simon (Chairman of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, Mr Simon Chan), Rocky (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, Dr Rocky Cheng), 楊健處長 (Director of the Department of Youth Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Yang Jian), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Highways Department today (September 12) held a signing ceremony for the Collaboration Charter of the Hong Kong Railway Standards to demonstrate the firm commitment of the Government and various sectors to jointly formulating and updating the Hong Kong Railway Standards. The ceremony was officiated by the Director of Highways, Mr Tony Yau. Mainland and overseas railway experts, representatives from relevant government departments (namely the Buildings Department (BD), the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), Drainage Services Department (DSD), the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), the Fire Services Department (FSD), the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Transport Department (TD)), the Building Technology Research Institute, as well as the MTR Corporation Limited joined as signatories.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Yau remarked, “This Collaboration Charter has established a solid foundation for cross-sector collaboration. Through the formulation and updating of the Hong Kong Railway Standards, it would lead Hong Kong’s railway construction to create a new milestone.” He said that the nation’s railway standards not only attain international benchmarks, but also take a leading position internationally in various aspects. The formulation and updating of the Hong Kong Railway Standards would actively draw reference to world-class railway specifications including those of the nation, and extensively absorb the best practices of the Mainland and overseas. By introducing the Mainland’s design standards, building materials, equipment and construction specifications, a firm basis will be established for utilising the Mainland’s construction methods, technologies and resources in railway construction. This would not only help to promote introduction of the Mainland’s innovative machinery and building technologies by the local construction industry, but also enhance efficiency, shorten the construction period and reduce costs.
He added that Hong Kong’s standards have long aligned with international standards, and envisioned that the new Hong Kong Railway Standards would not only become the “Greater Bay Area Standards”, but also aim to become one of the new “World Standards”.
The standards will first be applicable to the ongoing Northern Link project and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu-Qianhai) project, and will be progressively adopted in other railway projects.
The three commitments of the Charter are:
1. support the formulation and launch of the new Hong Kong Railway Standards for application to railway projects;
2. drive the continuous enhancement and application of the Hong Kong Railway Standards; and
3. leverage the Hong Kong Railway Standards as a key pillar for pursuing excellence in building railway projects.
To support the above objectives and streamline processing, the HyD would be authorised by the BD under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) to handle the approval process for new railway projects by setting up a dedicated team. The HyD is also actively collaborating with relevant government departments, including the BD, the CEDD, the DSD, the EMSD, the FSD, the HKPF and the TD, to introduce a digitalised approval platform for materialising the handling of the submission, review and approve of documents in a fully digital centralised manner, with a view to streamlining the current approval processing time by half, while significantly enhancing the efficiency of implementing new railway projects under strict assurance of safety and quality.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
SFST’s keynote speech at ReThink HK 2025 (English only)
Chris (Founder & CEO of ReThink HK & The ReThink Foundation, Mr Chris Brown), Simon (Chief Executive Officer of Business Environment Council, Mr Simon Ng), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is a huge privilege to address you at ReThink HK 2025, part of our Hong Kong Green Week 2025 and a leading platform for sustainable business. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to ReThink for its visionary “Innovating for Impact” programme, which harnesses green technology, AI and also data to drive sustainability. This initiative resonates deeply with the Government’s commitment to leveraging technologies to achieve our carbon neutrality goal by 2050, for example through innovations in sustainable energy, buildings and climate solutions. Your collective efforts – participants, partners and stakeholders – are pivotal in advancing our shared environmental, social and governance (ESG) ambitions, setting the stage for a transformative journey towards a greener future.
Aligning with national and local Sustainability Goals
This journey is guided by a clear vision from the Central People’s Government, as outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan, which targets a peak in carbon emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Hong Kong is also fully committed and we are pledging to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2035. These ambitious targets are not just aspirations but a call to action, driving us to lead by example in sustainable development. To realise this vision, we are leveraging our strengths as a global financial hub to pioneer innovative financing solutions, seamlessly connecting our environmental goals with our financial expertise.
Pioneering green finance in Asia
Building on this foundation, Hong Kong has solidified its position as Asia’s premier green finance hub. Last year, our green and sustainable debt market surpassed US$84 billion, with green bonds alone contributing US$43 billion, securing 45 per cent of the regional market and maintaining our leadership as Asia’s top green bond market for the seventh consecutive year since 2018. This financial prowess enables us to fund transformative projects that align with our carbon neutrality objectives.
Under the Government Sustainable Bond Programme, we have issued green bonds totaling HK$240 billion since May 2019. Milestones include the world’s largest retail green bond back in 2022, Asia’s largest multi-currency ESG bond in 2023, the first tokenised government green bond in 2023, and the world’s first multi-tranche digitally native green bonds in 2024. These initiatives have supported 116 local green projects, with the forthcoming 2025 Green Bond Report, due this month, providing transparent insights into their environmental impact.
Complementing this, the Green and Sustainable Finance Grant Scheme, also launched by the Government, extended to 2027, has disbursed over HK$370 million to support over 600 green and sustainable debt instruments, with a total issuance exceeding HK$1.3 trillion. These efforts not only drive decarbonisation but also reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a global leader in transition financing, bridging our sustainability goals with innovative financing.
Empowering talent for a sustainable future
To sustain this momentum, we recognise that innovation in particular requires skilled talent. Our three-year Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme provides subsidies of up to HK$10,000 for practitioners, students and graduates to develop expertise in green finance. Over 7 600 applications across 95 eligible programmes have been approved, with HK$42 million reimbursed. By extending this scheme to 2028, we are ensuring a robust pipeline of talent to drive our green finance agenda forward. This investment in human capital directly supports the innovative financing models that underpin our green bond initiatives and sets the stage for technological advancements in sustainability.
Fostering green fintech innovation
Technology is critical in terms of being an enabler of this vision, and Hong Kong is at the very forefront of integrating financial technology with green finance. The Hong Kong Green FinTech Map 2025, launched in June 2025 by our Green and Sustainable Finance Cross-Agency Steering Group, builds on last year’s prototype to enhance the visibility of green fintech companies. Right now, we have more than 60 of those companies as the potential partners to work with ReThink going forward. Additionally, the Green and Sustainable Fintech Proof-of-Concept Funding Support Scheme, launched in June last year, provides subsidies to technology companies and research institutes. With 39 applicants and 60 projects approved, this initiative fosters collaboration and innovation, echoing ReThink’s focus on AI and green technology. These fintech advancements enhance the efficiency and scalability of our green finance initiatives, creating a dynamic ecosystem that drives sustainable progress.
Ensuring transparency in sustainability
Transparency is the cornerstone of this ecosystem, ensuring trust and accountability. In March last year, we published a vision statement for a comprehensive sustainability disclosure ecosystem. The Hong Kong Sustainability Disclosure Standards, issued in December last year by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and also fully aligned with ISSB Standards (International Financial Reporting Standards – Sustainability Disclosure Standards), became effective in August this year, ensuring global consistency in reporting. Also, the Roadmap on Sustainability Disclosure mandates publicly accountable entities to adopt the ISSB standards by 2028, while the Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance, covering 12 economic activities, standardises green classification to reduce greenwashing risks. Phase 2 development has commenced under which the scope of sectors and economic activities will be expanded to introduce transition activities and add new green activities. These disclosure and classification systems provide the clarity needed to attract investment and support the innovative financing models driving our green bond and fintech initiatives.
Broadening access and engagement
To ensure inclusivity in our sustainability efforts, we are enhancing market accessibility. In February last year, in collaboration with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which is also a partner of ReThink, we launched free greenhouse gas emissions calculation tools, empowering small and medium enterprises to manage their environmental impact. Additionally, the HKEX (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited)’s Core Climate platform, the only international carbon marketplace offering HKD and RMB (Renminbi) settlement, attracted 100 participants by the end of last year. Partnerships with Mainland China’s Beijing and Shenzhen Green Exchanges further strengthen regional collaboration, aligning with our taxonomy and disclosure frameworks to foster a dynamic carbon market. These initiatives broadened access to sustainability tools, ensuring that all sectors can contribute to our shared goals, much like the collaborative spirit of ReThink’s “Innovating for Impact” programme.
A unified call to action
Hong Kong’s leadership in green finance is a testament to our ability to unite vision, innovation and collaboration. ReThink HK 2025’s focus on AI, green technology and data mirrors our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge solutions to achieve a sustainable future. From our ambitious carbon neutrality targets to our pioneering green bonds, fintech innovations and transparent disclosure systems, every step along the way we take as the interconnected step to build a resilient and inclusive ecosystem. I urge all of you to join us in translating this vision into action, harnessing the power of innovation to create a greener, more sustainable Hong Kong and beyond together.
Thank you.
Issued at HKT 13:04
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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) supported the participation of the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects (HKILA) in the 61st World Congress of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) taking place in Nantes, France, from September 10 to 12 (Nantes time).
The event served as a platform for the HKILA to meet and exchange ideas with landscape architecture professionals from different parts of the world. In addition to participating in meetings, the HKILA set up an exhibition booth at the venue to promote Hong Kong and the next IFLA World Congress, which will be hosted by Hong Kong in 2026.
On September 8, HKETO, Brussels and the HKILA jointly organised a business reception attended by about 60 guests from the landscape architecture profession. Speaking at the networking event, Assistant Representative of HKETO, Brussels Mr Paul Leung said that the HKILA has contributed tremendously to beautifying Hong Kong. He invited the guests to visit Hong Kong for the IFLA World Congress next year.
With over 1 000 participants, the 61st IFLA World Congress is one of the most important events for the landscape architecture profession this year. It took place under the high patronage of President Emmanuel Macron of France.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council, Mrs Regina Ip, officiated at the passing-out parade at the Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development today (September 11) to review 211 officers on parade, including 63 Immigration Officers and 148 Immigration Assistants.
During the parade, the Immigration Band played multiple pieces of Chinese military band music, patriotic songs and pop classics, whereas the Guard of Honour assembled to form the logo of the Skytrax Award to celebrate the Immigration Department (ImmD)’s winning of the 2025 Skytrax Award for the Best Airport Immigration Service, demonstrating the ImmD’s determination to become the foremost immigration service in the world in effectiveness and efficiency.
In her speech, Mrs Ip recalled that she had taken up the post of Director of Immigration 28 years ago amidst Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. In the face of unknowns and obstacles, staff of the ImmD remained committed to their duties and rose to the challenges with professionalism, leading to the completion of numerous tasks and eventually a smooth transition. She noted that the ImmD has grown from a team of around 5 000 back then to be close to 9 000 today, making it one of the key law enforcement agencies in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Furthermore, the work of the ImmD has become increasingly diverse. In addition to providing services to members of the public at different stages of life, the ImmD has also been actively implementing various admission schemes to attract talent and providing assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong, among others. She said she believes that the ImmD would continue to keep pace with the times and strive for excellence, while leveraging innovative technologies to further enhance its work efficiency and service standards, so as to better cater for the development of society and the needs of the public.
She also remarked that, as Hong Kong’s “first line of defence”, the ImmD has an important role to play in safeguarding national security and social stability. Immigration officers should follow through a holistic approach to national security and support the work of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR. They should also proactively identify suspicious individuals and avert risks endangering national security.
Finally, Mrs Ip encouraged the graduates to always uphold the ImmD’s values of “Patriotism and Perseverance” as well as “Improvement and Illumination”, and be mindful of the constitutional duty embodied in the epaulettes on their uniforms. She was confident that the graduates would contribute to the country and society in the days to come, creating a bright future for both themselves and their families.