Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LegCo Secretariat releases Policy Pulse on “Expanding global economic and trade network”
The Policy Pulse provides an overview of Hong Kong’s latest developments as an international trade centre under the support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan. It highlights Hong Kong’s unique advantages in economic and trade, demonstrating how the city leverages its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” to continuously expand the economic and trade network, while also summarising relevant discussions in LegCo.
The Policy Pulse points out that, with its four “success factors”, namely free trade policies, world-class infrastructure, the common law system and sound rule of law, as well as the institutional strengths of “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong becomes one of the world’s most competitive trading hubs. The SAR Government has also been adopting a multipronged approach to expand Hong Kong’s global economic and trade network.
The publication highlights Hong Kong’s active expansion of trade and investment agreements network, having signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with 21 economies and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPAs) with 33 economies, with negotiations on an IPPA with Qatar largely concluded. LegCo Members urge the Government to strive to forge FTAs and IPPAs with more economies, with particular focus on emerging markets in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Middle East, while supporting Hong Kong enterprises in market expansion to Latin America.
The Policy Pulse also introduces the SAR Government’s proactive efforts to join the world’s largest FTA – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – with the goal of reducing international trade costs and barriers. It points out that Hong Kong’s accession to RCEP will help deepen trade ties among RCEP members, assisting them in participating in the B&R Initiative and facilitating their access to the Mainland market. LegCo has been actively rallying support from various parties for Hong Kong’s early accession to RCEP. For instance, the President of LegCo led duty visits to three ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore) and Japan respectively, and met with Consuls-General in Hong Kong and parliamentarians from various countries to explain how Hong Kong’s accession to RCEP would be conducive to achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes. Members also suggest that the Government should focus on promoting related supporting industries that can benefit from RCEP when planning the Northern Metropolis.
Furthermore, the Policy Pulse details multiple initiatives by the SAR Government to attract enterprises and investment, including the development of a multinational supply chain management centre, attracting Mainland enterprises to set up international or regional headquarters in Hong Kong to manage offshore trade and supply chains, and supporting Mainland enterprises in “going global”. Through the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), Hong Kong’s access to the Mainland’s goods and services markets has further opened up, enhancing the attractiveness of Hong Kong to overseas investors, and positioning Hong Kong as a perfect springboard for Mainland enterprises to “go global”. The Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to CEPA Agreement on Trade in Services signed last year further facilitates Hong Kong service suppliers in establishing and developing businesses on the Mainland.
The Policy Pulse notes that the B&R Initiative is a far-reaching national development strategy. Leveraging Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages, the city has become the prime functional platform for the B&R Initiative. The SAR Government has been proactively expanding presence in emerging markets, with recent key initiatives including the Chief Executive’s visit to the Middle East to strengthen economic and trade ties, the expansion of Hong Kong’s global office network particularly in emerging markets, and the enhancement of the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales to assist enterprises in developing non-local markets.
The Policy Pulse summarises various recommendations made by Members for expanding Hong Kong’s global economic and trade network. These include comprehensively co-ordinating and strengthening efforts in attracting enterprises and investment; reviewing and enhancing the division of responsibilities and functions among relevant government departments and public organisations to avoid duplication of resources; establishing sound industry and supply chains to assist enterprises in “going global and attracting foreign investment”; formulating and promoting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area standards in more different areas, with a view to assisting Hong Kong businesses in utilising the preferential measures under CEPA to tap into the Mainland market; encouraging local airlines to operate more international flights between Hong Kong and Middle East cities in order to facilitate business and tourism; and attracting enterprises and family offices from B&R countries to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong.
The detailed content of “Expanding global economic and trade network” is available on the LegCo website. The Policy PulseIssued at HKT 20:08
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Chinese med hospital pact signed
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today attended the signing ceremony of collaboration agreements between The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and three local universities with Chinese medicine schools, witnessing CMHHK as the Chinese medicine teaching hospital for these universities to promote the quality development of Chinese medicine (CM) in Hong Kong.
The three universities are: Baptist University, Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong.
CMHHK will commence services in phases from December. Its clinical services cover six specialised CM services of Internal Medicine, External Medicine, Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics & Traumatology, and Acupuncture & Moxibustion.
Chinese medicine experts from the three universities will participate in these services and jointly formulate clinical standards and guidelines, enabling CMHHK to provide quality and safe services for the public.
As the teaching hospital for the three universities, CMHHK will provide local clinical placements and advanced training opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates, serving as an important base for nurturing CM talent.
Additionally, the hospital’s diverse clinical cases, coupled with the top-tier research capabilities of the universities, will foster Chinese medicine scientific research development, including proprietary Chinese medicines development and clinical research.
CMHHK will also strengthen co-operation with counterparts on the Mainland and overseas through the international academic networks of the three universities to facilitate Chinese medicine going global.
Prof Lo said that he expects CMHHK and the three universities to create synergy in providing better Chinese medicine services for the public, as well as fostering training and education, and scientific research and innovation.
The Government will fully support CMHHK in collaborating with stakeholders to make use of the development platform of the Greater Bay Area and fully leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantage of its strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world to contribute to the national development of Chinese medicine, he added.
Located at Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, CMHHK adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government. Baptist University, commissioned as the contractor through tendering procedures, incorporated a company limited in accordance with the service deed to manage, operate and maintain the hospital.
National Day fireworks set for Oct 1
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
To celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the 2025 National Day Fireworks Display will illuminate the night sky over Victoria Harbour at 8pm on October 1.
With the theme of “Victoria Harbour Fireworks Shine Across the Motherland”, the 23-minute display will consist of eight segments featuring over 30,000 firework shells.
The show will open with “Fireworks Bloom to Celebrate National Day” showcasing the nation’s patriotic passion, while the segment “Dongjiang Water Crossing Mountains to Reach Hong Kong” symbolises the motherland’s care for Hong Kong.
“The Shenzhou-20 Aerospace Dream” segment represents pride in the motherland’s remarkable aerospace achievements.
Other segments include “The Great Story of Nezha”, “Always Lovable Giant Pandas”, “The Five-Star Flag Shining at the National Games”, and “Inherited Affection for Family & Motherland”.
For the finale, “Forging Ahead on the Road to Rejuvenation”, a crescendo of gold, silver and red fireworks will sweep across the sky, wishing the nation continued prosperity and strength, and Hong Kong lasting stability and success.
The show is co-ordinated by the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau.
HK prepares for Golden Week visitors
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law today convened a meeting to co-ordinate the preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week from October 1 to 8.
Miss Law noted that the eight-day National Day Golden Week overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival and various activities will take place in Hong Kong simultaneously, bringing a rich and vibrant tourism experience to visitors.
“Relevant departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will maintain close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade with a view to making good preparation, ensuring the smooth operation of various aspects of receiving visitors and offering them a high-quality experience.”
Representatives from Customs, Police, the Immigration Department, the Transport Department and various District Offices participated in the meeting.
Also attending were representatives from the Travel Industry Authority, Tourism Board, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority as well as major tourist attractions and the hotel industry.
CE meets Secretary of CPC Hainan Provincial Committee (with photo)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met the Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, Mr Feng Fei, at Government House today (September 9) to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Hainan. Also attending the meeting were the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Carol Yip, and the Under Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Clement Woo.
Mr Lee welcomed Mr Feng and his delegation to Hong Kong to attend the 10th Belt and Road Summit. Mr Lee said that he is pleased to meet Mr Feng again since they last met during the Chief Executive’s visit to Hainan in March. Noting that Hong Kong and Hainan enjoy close geographical, cultural and business ties, Mr Lee said that the two governments signed the Hainan Provincial People’s Government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR) Memorandum of Cooperation in March, covering five areas of in-depth collaboration, namely trade and investment, finance, safe and orderly flow of data, tourism, and talent exchanges, further strengthening co-operation between the two places.
Mr Lee said that Hainan and Hong Kong are both key links under the Belt and Road Initiative. This year marks the customs closure operation and further opening of the Hainan Free Trade Port, actively achieving a high level of opening up and high-quality development. Hong Kong and Hainan can fully leverage their collaborative potential, jointly serving as a functional platform and contributing to the Belt and Road Initiative.
Highlighting that the Hainan Provincial People’s Government is the first provincial government of the Mainland to utilise Hong Kong’s financing platform and professional services to issue bonds, Mr Lee welcomed and thanked the Hainan Provincial People’s Government for leveraging Hong Kong’s advantages as an international financial centre and a platform for offshore Renminbi debt products, jointly contributing to the Belt and Road Initiative. The HKSAR Government will continue to actively play its bridging role, deepening exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Hainan in various areas such as economy and trade, tourism, and talent, achieving complementarities and mutual benefits, and contributing to the country’s high-quality development.
Secretary for Health witnesses signing of collaboration agreements between The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong and three local universities
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, today (September 9) attended the signing ceremony of the collaboration agreements between The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and three local universities with schools of Chinese medicine, namely Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He witnessed CMHHK, as the Chinese medicine (CM) teaching hospital for the respective universities, establish a close partnership with the universities to promote the high-quality and high-standard development of CM in Hong Kong on all fronts.
Professor Lo said, “Today, CMHHK becomes the CM teaching hospital for the three universities, which marks a significant milestone in the development of CM services, training and education, and scientific research in Hong Kong. I expect CMHHK and the three universities to create synergy in providing better CM services for members of the public, as well as fostering training and education, and scientific research and innovation in CM. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to give full support to the CMHHK in collaborating with various stakeholders to make good use of the development platform of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and fully leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantage of enjoying strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world, with a view to contributing to the national development of CM.”
The clinical services of CMHHK cover six specialised CM services, namely Internal Medicine in CM, External Medicine in CM, Gynaecology in CM, Paediatrics in CM, Orthopaedics and Traumatology in CM and Acupuncture and Moxibustion in CM. CM experts from the three universities will participate in these services and jointly formulate clinical standards and guidelines, enabling CMHHK to provide quality and safe services for members of the public. Meanwhile, as the CM teaching hospital for the three universities, CMHHK will provide local clinical placements and advanced training opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates, serving as an important base for nurturing CM talent. In addition, the hospital’s diverse clinical cases, coupled with the top-tier research capabilities of the universities, will foster CM scientific research development, including proprietary Chinese medicines development and clinical research. CMHHK will also strengthen co-operation with counterparts on the Mainland and overseas through the international academic networks of the three universities, thereby facilitating CM’s going global with concerted effort.
At the signing ceremony, Professor Lo; the President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, Professor Alexander Wai (representative of CMHHK); and representatives of the three universities, namely the Vice-President (Research and Development) of HKBU, Professor Lyu Aiping; the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the CUHK, Professor Philip Chiu; and the Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health) and Dean of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the HKU, Professor Lau Chak-sing, jointly witnessed the signing of agreements by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Huen Wong, with the Dean of the School of Chinese Medicine of HKBU, Professor Li Min; the Director of the School of Chinese Medicine of the CUHK, Professor Lin Zhixiu; and the Associate Dean (Clinical Affairs) of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of HKU and Director of HKU Health System, Professor Victoria Wong, respectively. The Hospital Chief Executive of CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, also attended the media briefing held after the signing ceremony.
Located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, CMHHK adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government. The Government commissioned HKBU as the Contractor through tendering procedures in 2021. HKBU subsequently incorporated a company limited by guarantee in the same year in accordance with the service deed to act as the operator for managing, operating and maintaining the hospital. CMHHK will commence services in phases starting from December this year.
Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Norway and Spain suspended
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 9) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Hadsel of Nordland County in Norway and Huelva Province of Andalucía in Spain, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.
A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong currently has established a protocol with Norway for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 40 kilograms of frozen poultry meat from Norway in the first six months of this year. Moreover, Hong Kong imported about 50 tonnes of frozen poultry meat, and about 50 000 poultry eggs from Spain in the first six months of this year.
“The CFS has contacted the Norwegian and Spanish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.
CSTB convenes meeting to co-ordinate preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during National Day Golden Week of Mainland (with photos)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau convened a meeting today (September 9) to co-ordinate the preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland from October 1 to 8. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, with representatives from government departments including Hong Kong Customs, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Immigration Department, the Transport Department, and various District Offices. Representatives from various tourism-related organisations, including the Travel Industry Authority, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, major tourist attractions and the hotel industry, also attended.
Miss Law said, “We are approaching the eight-day National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, which also overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Various activities will take place in Hong Kong simultaneously, bringing a rich and vibrant tourism experience to visitors. Relevant departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will maintain close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade with a view to making good preparation, ensuring the smooth operation of various aspects of receiving visitors and offering them a high-quality experience.”
Relevant parties will maintain close communication before the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland to plan and take forward various preparations in various areas for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong.
Quarterly business receipts indices for service industries for second quarter of 2025
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Business receipts in value terms of most of the major service industries showed increases of varying magnitudes in the second quarter of 2025 when compared with the second quarter of 2024, according to the provisional figures of business receipts indices released today (September 9) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
Comparing the second quarter of 2025 with the second quarter of 2024, double-digit increases were recorded in business receipts indices of the financing (except banking) (+27.7%), import/export trade (+21.2%), insurance (+20.7%) and banking (+14.5%) industries. On the other hand, the real estate industry recorded a decrease of 8.1% in business receipts index during the same period.
Analysed by service domain, business receipts index of the computer and information technology services domain increased by 75.6% year-on-year during the same period, while that of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain also increased by 9.6% year-on-year.
On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, business receipts in value terms of around half of the major service industries recorded increases of varying magnitudes in the second quarter of 2025 when compared with the first quarter of 2025. In particular, business receipts indices of the financing (except banking) and real estate industries increased by 3.5% and 3.0% respectively. On the other hand, business receipts index of the insurance industry decreased by 13.9% during the same period.
Analysed by service domain, comparing the second quarter of 2025 with the first quarter of 2025 on a seasonally adjusted basis, business receipts index of the computer and information technology services domain increased by 10.0%, whereas that of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain decreased by 5.6%.
Commentary
A Government spokesman said that business receipts of most service industries recorded increases in the second quarter of 2025 over a year earlier. More notable increases in business receipts were seen for the financing (except banking), import/export trade, insurance, and banking industries.
Looking ahead, the continued economic expansion should benefit the business of various service industries. Though some industries may be more affected by external uncertainties, steady economic growth in Asia particularly the Mainland, sustained increases in local employment earnings, together with the Government’s various measures to boost the economy and attract investment, would provide support to different service industries.
Further information
Table 1 presents the business receipts indices and their corresponding year-on-year rates of change in respect of selected service industries and service domains for the recent five quarters, while Table 2 shows the corresponding quarter-to-quarter rates of change in the business receipts indices for the recent five quarters based on the seasonally adjusted series.
The revised figures of business receipts indices for the second quarter of 2025 will be released at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/web_table.html?id=660-69001) on October 17, 2025.
Data for compiling the business receipts indices are mainly based on the Quarterly Survey of Service Industries conducted by the C&SD, supplemented by relevant data provided by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
A service domain differs from a service industry in that it comprises those economic activities which straddle different industries but are somehow related to a common theme. It may include all activities carried out by all establishments in a service industry that is closely related to the domain. For a service industry that is less closely related, however, only a portion of the establishments in the industry or even only part of the economic activities of the establishments is related to the domain. Taking the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain as an example, it includes all services of convention and exhibition organisers, short-term accommodation services and services of travel agents, and some of the services (only those involving visitors as customers) of restaurants, retailers and transport operators.
The classification of service industries follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into relevant industry classes.
More detailed statistics are given in the report “Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, Second Quarter 2025”. Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080006&scode=520).
For enquiries about the business receipts indices, please contact the Business Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7274 or e-mail: business-receipts@censtatd.gov.hk).
Results of monthly survey on business situation of small and medium-sized enterprises for August 2025
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (September 9) the results of the Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for August 2025.
The current diffusion index (DI) on business receipts amongst SMEs increased slightly from 42.1 in July 2025 in the contractionary zone to 42.3 in August 2025, whereas the one-month’s ahead (i.e. September 2025) outlook DI on business receipts was 45.7. Analysed by sector, the current DIs on business receipts, despite below the 50-mark, rose in August 2025 as compared with previous month for some surveyed sectors, including retail trade (from 39.3 to 41.1) and wholesale trade (from 40.4 to 41.3).
The current DI on new orders for the import and export trades decreased from 45.0 in July 2025 to 44.2 in August 2025, whereas the outlook DI on new orders in one month’s time (i.e. September 2025) was 47.0.
Commentary
A Government spokesman said that business sentiment among SMEs and their outlook in one month’s time both improved slightly further in August. The overall employment situation also turned better.
Looking ahead, local business sentiment would continue to be affected by the uncertain external environment. Nonetheless, solid growth in the local economy, coupled with steady economic growth in Asia in particular the Mainland, should provide support. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Further information
The Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises aims to provide a quick reference, with minimum time lag, for assessing the short-term business situation faced by SMEs. SMEs covered in this survey refer to establishments with fewer than 50 persons engaged. Respondents were asked to exclude seasonal fluctuations in reporting their views. Based on the views collected from the survey, a set of diffusion indices (including current and outlook diffusion indices) is compiled. A reading above 50 indicates that the business condition is generally favourable, whereas that below 50 indicates otherwise. As for statistics on the business prospects of prominent establishments in Hong Kong, users may refer to the publication entitled “Report on Quarterly Business Tendency Survey” released by the C&SD.
The results of the survey should be interpreted with care. The survey solicits feedback from a panel sample of about 600 SMEs each month and the survey findings are thus subject to sample size constraint. Views collected from the survey refer only to those of respondents on their own establishments rather than those on the respective sectors they are engaged in. Besides, in this type of opinion survey on expected business situation, the views collected in the survey are affected by the events in the community occurring around the time of enumeration, and it is difficult to establish precisely the extent to which respondents’ perception of the business situation accords with the underlying trends. For this survey, main bulk of the data were collected around the last week of the reference month.
More detailed statistics are given in the “Report on Monthly Survey on the Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080015&scode=300).
Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact Industrial Production Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7246; email: sme-survey@censtatd.gov.hk).