Month: December 2025

Source: Government of the Republic of Korea

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A seminar was held to mark Constitution Day today, attended by about 900 participants from various sectors of the community.

The seminar was jointly hosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR to enhance public understanding of the constitutional basis of the country and Hong Kong.

Before the seminar began, all participants stood and observed one minute of silence in memory of the victims of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.

Speaking at the Seminar, Chief Executive John Lee first expressed deep condolences to the victims of the fire and offered sincere sympathies to their families and the affected residents.

He said that the Hong Kong KSAR Government is devoting efforts to disaster relief and follow-up support, and will establish an independent committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the incident so as to prevent similar tragedies and meet public expectations.

As for Constitution Day, Mr Lee said the Constitution provides the strongest rule-of-law safeguards and institutional foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and is also the constitutional basis for establishing the Hong Kong SAR.

He also pointed out that Hong Kong must in future fulfil key roles and contributions as follows: safeguarding the Constitution and the Basic Law; better integrating into and serving the overall national development by seizing the national development directives and opportunities for Hong Kong set out in the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, building an international innovation and technology centre as well as a hub for international high-calibre talents, and developing new quality productive forces; and serving as a bridge for exchanges between Chinese culture and world civilisations by telling the true stories of the successful practice of “one country, two systems”.

The Chief Executive called on all sectors to work together to build and develop Hong Kong, contribute to the cause of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and vote on December 7 to elect capable and aspiring Legislative Council members who will join the Government in assisting the victims, promoting reforms and building a better home in Hong Kong.

Addressing the seminar, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Deputy Director Liu Guangyuan said the Constitution provides rule-of-law safeguards for realising the rejuvenation of the nation, lays the legal foundation for Hong Kong to integrate into the grand journey of national rejuvenation, and endows the city with institutional advantages to leverage its strengths in the great cause of national rejuvenation.

Mr Liu emphasised that the Legislative Council election to be held as scheduled will demonstrate observance of and respect for the constitutional order and the spirit of the rule of law, and will provide strong support for maintaining social stability and post-tragedy reconstruction work.

The poll represents the most responsible attitude towards Hong Kong’s future, he added.

The full version of the seminar will be uploaded to the Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau website for the public to review.

Click here for details of Constitution Day.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today hosted a meeting to receive a briefing from Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) President Prof Nancy Ip and her team on the next steps for implementing the establishment of the new medical school.

The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau and Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin.

The Government announced earlier that the Chief Executive-in-Council had approved in principle that the new medical school be established by the HKUST. The Task Group on New Medical School will support and closely monitor the work in the implementation stage to ensure that the HKUST achieves the set milestones in a progressive manner.

Working groups will be set up under the task group to provide advice and support in areas such as curriculum development, financial and financing arrangements, staffing, campus development, and teaching hospital arrangements. Experts in the respective fields will be invited to participate in the tasks of the working groups.

The Government will require the HKUST to regularly report progress to and seek views from the working groups, and report to the task group as necessary.

Prof Lo said discussions were held on the overall work direction for the implementation stage of establishing the medical school at today’s meeting. He added that the task group will regularly meet the university representatives starting from the first quarter of next year to understand the progress.

“The Government expects to officially sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the HKUST early next year, the content of which will cover funding arrangements, curriculum accreditation, teaching hospital resources, as well as recruitment of teaching staff, and more. We expect the HKUST to fully co-operate with the Task Group and its working groups on the preparatory work.”

Ms Choi supplemented: “The establishment of the new medical school is expected to play a leading role in shaping innovative approaches to medical education by embracing interdisciplinary learning, advancing scientific research development, and attracting both local and international talent, to dovetail with the national blueprint of the 2024-2035 master plan on building China into a leading country in education and the vision of building Hong Kong into an international post-secondary education hub.”

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Education Bureau (EDB) today (December 4) announced that parents of Primary Six (P6) students participating in the current (2026) cycle of the Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) who wish to apply for Secondary One (S1) Discretionary Places (DP) in government, aided and caput secondary schools as well as Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondary schools participating in the SSPA System for their children have to submit the applications to the secondary schools concerned between January 2 and 16, 2026.

Digitalisation of SSPA
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Parents who have registered as SSPA e-platform (eSSPA) (esspa.edb.gov.hk) users and bound their accounts to “iAM Smart+” may browse choice-making information starting from tomorrow (December 5) and submit DP applications and view application results via the eSSPA at a later stage. The EDB encourages parents to register with “iAM Smart+” (www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/reg.html) as early as possible and activate their eSSPA accounts using “iAM Smart+” for more convenient and faster electronic services. Please refer to the Parent’s Guide on the EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/secondary-spa/general-info/sspa_eplatform_parents_guide.html) for details on creating an eSSPA account and submitting DP applications via the eSSPA.

To cater for the needs of different parents, paper application forms will continue to be accepted, and primary schools participating in the SSPA System have been informed to collect copies of the Application Forms for Secondary One Discretionary Places and the Handbook for Application for Secondary One Discretionary Places tomorrow. Parents of P6 students will each receive two paper application forms from their children’s primary school. For students not studying in primary schools participating in the SSPA System (including newly arrived children and dependants under various talent admission schemes who are eligible for participating in the SSPA), their parents can obtain the application forms at the School Places Allocation (SPA) Section of the EDB.

Submission of S1 DP applications
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An EDB spokesman said, “Parents are encouraged to submit the application forms and other required documents to secondary schools via the eSSPA. If parents prefer submitting paper application forms and other necessary documents in person, they should note the school office hours.”

The two electronic or paper application forms that parents will receive will show Order of School Preference 1 and School Preference 2 respectively. Order of School Preference 1 stands for the student’s first-choice school, and Order of School Preference 2 stands for the student’s second-choice school. In all circumstances, primary and secondary schools should not request students or parents to disclose their order of preference. Likewise, applicants and their parents should not disclose their order of preference to schools.

The spokesman reminded parents to read carefully the Notes for Parents on Application for Secondary One Discretionary Places on the EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/secondary-spa/general-info/DP_Notes_SSPA2026_EN.pdf). Parents should not submit applications to more than two secondary schools participating in the SSPA, no matter whether the applications are submitted via the eSSPA or in paper application form. Otherwise, the DP applications of their children will be rendered void. In addition, parents should not submit duplicate applications via the eSSPA and in paper application form for the same child.

The spokesman said, “The schools to which parents apply for DPs are not restricted by districts. Parents are strongly advised to consider the schools in all respects, such as their educational philosophy, tradition, religion, class structure, admission criteria, development and operation, and their children’s characteristics, personalities, abilities and interests, so as to make a suitable school choice. Parents may refer to the relevant information in the Secondary School Profiles (www.chsc.hk/secondary) or school websites for reference.

“Students who are successful in the DP application stage will not be allocated a school place in central allocation (CA). Parents should, therefore, apply to schools of their preference. The EDB will match students’ preferences against schools’ Successful/Reserve Lists for Discretionary Places. If a student is successful in both schools to which he or she has applied, allocation will be based on the student’s order of preference.”

Notification arrangements for successful DP applicants
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The spokesman reminded that under the notification arrangements for successful DP applicants, if students are included by participating secondary schools in their Successful Lists for Discretionary Places, their parents will receive notifications from the schools on March 31, 2026. Parents who have registered as eSSPA users may also view notifications for successful DP applicants via the eSSPA starting from 10am on the same day. Parents do not need to reply to the secondary schools on whether they would accept the DP offers. The allocation results of DP and CA will be released at the same time on July 7, 2026.

Enquiries
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For the list of secondary schools accepting DP applications and the number of DPs for application, parents may ask for the Handbook from primary schools for reference or obtain the latest version of the Handbook through the EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/secondary-spa/general-info/index.html) and the fax service of the EDB’s 24-hour Automatic Telephone Enquiry System on 2891 0088.
​
If parents have enquiries about DP applications, they are advised to consult their children’s primary schools or the secondary schools to which they apply. For general enquiries, parents may contact the SPA Section (SSPA) of the EDB (Tel: 2832 7740 and 2832 7700; address: Podium Floor, West Block, Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs detected a case of suspected illicit cigarette distribution by telephone ordering yesterday (December 3) and seized about 19 000 suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $90,000 and a duty potential of about $60,000. One local man was arrested.

Targeting the sale of illicit cigarettes by telephone orders, Customs officers took enforcement actions and posed as buyers to make orders of illicit cigarettes by calling the telephone numbers printed on suspected illicit cigarette leaflets. A man suspected of distributing illicit cigarettes was arrested at Cheung Wang Estate yesterday afternoon, and the batch of suspected illicit cigarettes was seized from the plastic bags carried by him and his private vehicle. The vehicle was also detained.

The arrestee, aged 39, who claimed to be a renovation worker, was charged with “dealing with goods to which the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance applies” and will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on December 17.

Customs will continue to trace the source of the illicit cigarettes. The likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in taking enforcement actions against illicit cigarette leaflets and combating illicit cigarette activities.

Customs stresses that it is an offence to buy or sell illicit cigarettes. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

​Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, at the Special Address of the 15th Business of Intellectual Property (IP) Asia Forum today (December 4):
 
Deputy Head Li Shengjun (Deputy Head of the Patent Office of the China National Intellectual Property Administration), Deputy Director-General Wang Binying (Deputy Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization), Sophia (Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Ms Sophia Chong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon.
 
     Welcome to Hong Kong, and to the 15th edition of the Business of IP Asia Forum. This year’s Forum brings together some 3 000 IP owners, service providers, and users from over 30 countries and regions under a defining theme.
 
     We have started today’s programme with purpose. This morning’s keynote session on IP valuation and financing has set the tone – how to recognise, value, and deploy intangible assets as investable capital. Indeed, IP financing has been fast-developing around the world. An international research report showed that IP financing market revenue was valued at USD$8.5 billion in 2024 and is estimated to reach USD$15.2 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2 per cent from 2026 to 2033, indicating strong demand and expansion.
 
     This morning’s discussion is timely, as it aligns with the commitment of “The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address” on transforming Hong Kong’s unique strengths into a world‑class ecosystem where IP is protected with rigour, valued with clarity, and financed with confidence. The measures are set to strengthen our role as a regional IP trading centre.
 
     Our ability to deliver on this vision rests on our distinctive foundations. Hong Kong’s common law system delivers predictability and enforceability that global markets trust. Our strategic location – at the heart of Asia and deeply connected with the Chinese Mainland, especially the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, links research and development with manufacturing, trials with scale‑up, and capital with customers. Our financial infrastructure supports the full spectrum of IP transactions from licensing to mergers and acquisitions, venture capital to IP-backed or credit financing.
 
     The 2025 Policy Address has set the stage to turn these strengths into tangible outcomes. At the heart of the effort is the IP financing sandbox. For too long, innovators, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and start-ups have faced a critical gap: their most valuable assets – patents, copyright, trade marks, and other types of IP – have been difficult to be traded or leveraged for financing as growth capital. We are pioneering a host of initiatives to answer this challenge. The sandbox will provide a collaborative environment designed to fundamentally rewire how the value of IP can be leveraged for financing, and where stakeholders co-create the next generation of IP financing.
 
     The sandbox will bring together three key stakeholder groups: First, innovators and IP owners, who can bring their IP assets forward for pilot financing. Second, banks and valuation, and legal professionals, who can test new credit assessment models, valuation standards and financing products in a controlled setting. And third, regulators and public bodies, who will provide guidance and help codify what works.
 
     We are also aligning the wider ecosystem. With the support of the Intellectual Property Department, the Hong Kong Technology and Innovation Support Centre (HKTISC) will engage SMEs in the innovation and technology sector to provide a patent evaluation service to assess, based on national standards, the quality of the patents they hold, from the legal, technological and economic perspectives. The Government will also work through the HKTISC to launch a two-year pilot funding support scheme to help SMEs engage professional service providers to valuate their IP portfolios in monetary terms.
 
     Our patent examiner team is expanding and we are taking forward the preparatory work for introduction of regulatory arrangement for local patent agent services, with a view to building a local pool of patent talents.
 
     Our Copyright Ordinance and registered designs regime will be modernised to ensure our legal framework is fit for the digital age; and finally, we are creating the deal flow by arranging a business-matching programme connecting Mainland enterprises with Hong Kong’s world-class IP service providers to embody our “bringing in and going global” strategy.
 
     These are not separate initiatives; they are interconnected parts of an ambitious vision. The HKTISC helps innovators create quality assets. The patent valuation subsidy scheme helps establish patents’ technical and economic worth. Our legal reforms provide the certainty. Business matching and regional partnerships generate the opportunities. And the sandbox turns it all into financeable, scalable reality.
 
     Last but not least, my thanks to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for co-organising this flagship event. Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a rewarding forum.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 4) announced the test results of a recently completed seasonal food surveillance project on the microbiological quality of poon choi. All samples passed the tests.

A CFS spokesperson said, “As poon choi is popular for gatherings during winter, and there have been previous cases of bacterial food poisoning associated with poon choi, the CFS has continued to conduct a seasonal food surveillance project this year to assess the microbiological quality of poon choi. A total of 30 poon choi samples were collected from different retailers (including online retailers) to test for common food poisoning organisms including Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms and Vibrio parahaemolyticus.”

Despite the satisfactory results of the samples tested, the spokesman reminded members of the public to be careful when purchasing and enjoying this seasonal delicacy. He advised consumers to order poon choi from licensed and reliable shops, reheat poon choi thoroughly before consumption, consume the food as soon as possible or keep the food at temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius, avoid prolonged storage of poon choi at room temperature to reduce the risk of bacteria growth, and stop consuming the food if it tastes or smells abnormal.

“The public should also maintain a balanced diet and avoid eating too much food with high levels of energy, sugar, salt or fat,” the spokesman said.

He also appealed to the food trade to plan thoroughly in advance to secure adequate manpower, space and equipment for making poon choi and not to entertain orders beyond handling capacity. A well-organised work procedure can help prevent cross-contamination. As such, before preparation of poon choi, temporary food handlers should be trained to make sure that they are familiar with the working environment and adhere to safe food preparation practices. Traders are also reminded to check the quality of food ingredients and ensure that the temperatures of chilled and frozen foods are appropriate when they are delivered to them. In addition, to reduce the risk of food poisoning, they should avoid preparing food too far in advance and take note of the temperature in storing, transporting and preparing food.

“All food ingredients should be stored at safe temperatures while perishable items should be stored at 4 degrees C or below. The cooling time of cooked food should be reduced as far as possible. When transporting hot poon choi, it should be kept at above 60 degrees C, and for chilled poon choi, it should be kept at 4 degrees C or below. Poon choi should be reheated thoroughly until the core temperature reaches 75 degrees C or above, or brought to boil before consumption. Poon choi of a larger portion requires more time to reheat before the food can be fully heated,” the spokesman said.

“There have been food poisoning cases related to improper handling of poon choi in Hong Kong. Traders should provide clear advice on the proper methods of storing and reheating of poon choi to consumers, such as putting a reminder on the food label to further reduce the risk of food poisoning due to improper handling,” he added.

The CFS will continue its surveillance of poon choi available in the market to ensure food safety and protect the health of the public.