Month: March 2026

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The 2026 Hong Kong Family and Women Development Summit, jointly organised by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), the Women’s Commission and the Family Council, was held today (March 31). Marking the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, and building on the spirit of the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women held in Beijing in October 2025, this Summit adopted the theme “Shaping Women’s Strengths and Harnessing a Shared Future for Families”, aiming to take women’s development and family building to the next level. The Summit attracted more than 1 200 representatives from local and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area women’s groups, the business sector and relevant service organisations to register and participate.

State Councilor, Chairperson of the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council and President of the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF), Ms Shen Yiqin, officiated at the Summit and delivered an opening address.

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said in his remarks at the opening ceremony that the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women was successfully convened in Beijing last year, injecting new momentum into promoting global gender equality and the all-round development of women. President Xi Jinping put forward four proposals in the meeting – jointly foster an enabling environment for women’s growth and development, jointly cultivate powerful momentum for the high-quality development of women’s causes, jointly develop governance frameworks to protect women’s rights and interests, and jointly write a new chapter in promoting global co-operation on women. These important proposals provide clear direction for the development of women’s causes, inspiring broader consensus-building and taking more pragmatic actions to fully promote the all-round development of women.
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Mr Lee said his policy rationale is to build Hong Kong into a caring and inclusive home, with the family at its core. Women’s development and family building complement each other. The current-term Government has actively implemented various measures to lay a solid foundation in these two aspects. Looking ahead, the Government will continue to improve support policies for women in areas such as employment and entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, and physical and mental well-being to sustain an environment conducive to women’s development. Concurrently, further efforts will be made to promote the importance of family, family education and family values, and to advocate Chinese traditional virtues, thus fostering a caring and inclusive community.

The Summit gathered leaders responsible for family and women’s policies from the nation and Hong Kong, representatives of international organisations and prominent figures from related fields as speakers. They included the Secretary-General of the International Organization for Mediation, Professor Teresa Cheng; Head of Office (ad interim) of UN Women China, Mr Chuqiao Wang; the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak; and the Chairperson of the Women’s Commission, Dr Eliza Chan. In their keynote speeches, they shared their experience and insights on women’s development in the new era, the promotion of women’s rights and interests, and family building.

Miss Mak said in her keynote speech, “This year’s Summit adopted the theme ‘Shaping Women’s Strengths and Harnessing a Shared Future for Families,’ encompassing society’s collective responsibility and commitment, while echoing the core spirit of the Beijing Meeting. Through this Summit, we hope to carry forward the vision of the Beijing Meeting and implement the important proposals put forward by President Xi, so that women can see opportunities, receive support and participate in development, while families can be filled with warmth, harmony and love, and play an important role in social governance.”

Miss Mak said that since taking office in 2022, the current-term Government has entrusted the HYAB with the important responsibility of promoting women’s development. Under the leadership of the Chief Executive, the HYAB has implemented a number of measures to promote women’s and family development, including continuously promoting awareness of gender equality and gender mainstreaming in the community, encouraging enterprises to adopt family-friendly measures, launching the Family and Women Portal, and supporting women of different backgrounds and ages to better equip themselves through the Women Empowerment Fund (the Fund) and the “She Inspires” Mentorship Programme (the Programme), thereby injecting stronger impetus into women’s development in Hong Kong. The annual allocation for the Fund has been increased from $20 million to $30 million, while the quota for the second cohort of the Programme has also been increased to 120. The HYAB and the Family Council have also launched the five-year new Funding Scheme on the Promotion of Family Education to subsidise community family education projects to raise public awareness of the importance of family values. Last year, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government launched the first Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards to promote family education and family virtues by sharing families’ real-life stories.

Two thematic sessions were held at the Summit. The first session themed “Co-creating ‘She Power’ in the New Era” was chaired by the Deputy Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs (Home Affairs), Mr Paul Wong. The panelists, including Representative of the United Nations Population Fund to China, Ms Nadia Rasheed; Vice-Chairperson and the Secretary-General of China Women’s Development Foundation, Ms Dong Kui; and the Chief Executive Officer of the MTR Corporation, Ms Jeny Yeung, shared their experiences and explored ways to foster an enabling environment for women’s development, and empower them to seize the opportunities of the new era.

The other session with the theme “Uniting Our Families, Co-building a Harmonious Society” was co-chaired by the Chairperson of the Family Council, Ms Melissa Pang, and the emcee of the Summit, Ms Astrid Chan. Renowned artistes Mr and Mrs Moses Chan; Olympic diving champion and member of the World Aquatics Diving Technical Committee, Ms Guo Jingjing; and two recipients of the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards, Lai Yan-hon’s family and Lee Yuk-yee’s family, shared their experiences in fulfilling family responsibilities and wisdom in managing their households. They also discussed how family cohesion provides steadfast support in times of adversity, and how this strength can spread warmth to the wider community and help build a harmonious society.

Exhibition booths were also set up at the venue to showcase the achievements of women’s groups and family service organisations in promoting women’s development and family education.

For details and highlights of the Summit, please visit the webpage of the Hong Kong Family and Women Development Summit (www.familyandwomensummit.hk/hyab2026/home).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with State Councillor, Chairperson of the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council and President of the All-China Women’s Federation, Ms Shen Yiqin, at Government House today (March 31). The Acting Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; and the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Carol Yip, also attended the meeting.
 
     Mr Lee welcomed Ms Shen and her delegation to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Family and Women Development Summit, and applauded her guidance. He said that Ms Shen’s support reflects the importance the country attaches to women’s affairs and family building in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
 
     Mr Lee said that the hosting of the Summit is a concrete action by Hong Kong to actively promote women and family affairs, and the extensive participation of various sectors of the community demonstrates Hong Kong’s strong cohesiveness in advancing the cause. He said that the current-term HKSAR Government has rolled out a series of innovative policies and measures on women’s development and family building, including the establishment of the Women Empowerment Fund, the launch of the “She Inspires” Mentorship Programme that matches female university students with women leader mentors, the implementation of the Funding Scheme on the Promotion of Family Education, the organisation of the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards and more. These initiatives have laid a solid foundation for the work on women’s development and family building in Hong Kong while nurturing a new generation of women’s power.
 
     Mr Lee said that the National 15th Five-Year Plan clearly sets out its support for the promotion of gender equality and the all-round development of women, as well as the importance of dedicating efforts in upholding good family values and strengthening family building, family education and family virtues. These demonstrate the country’s strong commitment to the development of women and family affairs, and provide an important guide for the HKSAR in planning its work on family and women’s affairs. Hong Kong will proactively take forward the relevant work and strengthen planning efforts on family development with a view to promoting good family virtues, advancing the diversified development of women and fostering social harmony.
 
     Mr Lee said that Hong Kong enjoys the advantage of being closely connected to both the Mainland and the world under the “one country, two systems” principle. Hong Kong will continue to play its bridging role in promoting exchanges and co-operation between the country and the international community in women and family affairs, and make greater contributions to the national development and on the international stage.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 31) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Metropolitan City of Florence in Tuscany Region in Italy, and Jay County of the State of Indiana, Kent County of the State of Michigan and Cecil County of the State of Maryland in the United States (US), 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 according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 90 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 10 000 poultry eggs from Italy, and about 54 830 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 4.33 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

     “The CFS has contacted the Italian and American authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH) is staging the revamped permanent exhibition “Hong Kong Story” from tomorrow (April 1), which is a milestone in the second phase of the renovation of the permanent exhibition of the museum. The revamped exhibition has moved away from a single narrative approach, combining historical chronology with thematic curation, enabling visitors to understand Hong Kong’s history from multiple perspectives through different exhibition themes. While telling the local story, the revamped exhibition also places greater emphasis on Hong Kong’s role as a “hub”, highlighting its shared roots with the motherland in historical development and its connections with the world as an international metropolis.

Framed around four core themes as curation context, namely “Roots of Culture”, “East Meets West”, “Coalition against Japanese Aggression”, and “Hong Kong as a Global Metropolis”, the exhibition, through 10 galleries, traces Hong Kong’s development from prehistoric times to the present, showcasing over 2 800 precious exhibits, including artefacts, historic photos, videos and interactive multimedia installations. 
  
“Roots of Culture” – Featuring Hong Kong’s deep roots in the fertile soil of Chinese civilisation

At the beginning, the “Unity in Diversity in Chinese Civilisation” and “Historical Origins of Hong Kong” galleries lead visitors to trace Hong Kong’s deep historical origins. One of the highlights, a national-grade prehistoric “yazhang” (ceremonial blade) unearthed on Lamma Island, is a powerful testament to the southward transmission of the Central Plains’ ritual system and the pluralistic unity of Chinese civilisation. Invaluable artefacts unearthed from the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb, ceramic remains from the Sacred Hill Site of the Song and Yuan dynasties, and Ming dynasty blue-and-white porcelain shards excavated at Penny’s Bay together testify that Hong Kong has long been rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese civilisation, sharing a cultural lineage with the motherland since ancient times.
 
“East Meets West” – Presenting a distinctive society with Chinese–Western interaction
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The next “Historical Changes” gallery takes visitors to a defining moment in Hong Kong’s history. Standing before the Statue of Lin Zexu and the 1899 Sino-British Boundary Stone, visitors can keenly feel the historical upheaval brought about by the Opium War and the unequal treaties. The “Modern City” gallery shows the distinctive society of Hong Kong, shaped by East-West interaction while still grounded in Chinese cultural traditions. Highlight exhibits include a banknote issued in 1860 by Hong Kong’s first note-issuing bank, the Oriental Bank Corporation, and a copy of China Daily, a newspaper established under the direct auspices of Dr Sun Yat-sen. The “Fusion of Chinese and Western Cultures” gallery reconstructs 1930s street scenes, including the double-decker tram, a tenement building scene, and a reconstructed scene of Shing Chai Tong Chinese Medicine Shop. Amid the charm of old architecture, it vividly recreates the distinctive social character and historical atmosphere of old Hong Kong, where Chinese and expatriates lived side by side, and old and new coexisted. 
 
“Coalition Against Japanese Aggression” – Writing an immortal chapter of Hong Kong people fighting alongside the motherland

The “Hong Kong’s Joint Resistance” gallery revisits Hong Kong’s legendary wartime resistance. By showcasing the deeds of the Eighth Route Army Hong Kong Office and the China Defence League, the exhibition highlights the important role that Hong Kong played during the 14-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The banner of “Loyalty, Courage, Sincerity, and Love” further allows visitors to appreciate the valiant efforts of the Hong Kong Battalion, led by the Communist Party of China, as they fought the Japanese invaders, rescued allies, and stood shoulder to shoulder with the motherland.
 
“Hong Kong as a Global Metropolis”- Depicting transformation and prosperity of the city

The galleries “Social Changes”, “Life in the Metropolis” and “Economic Achievements” illustrate Hong Kong’s transformation into an international metropolis. The exhibition meticulously reconstructs 1970s resettlement units, faithfully recreating the small and unpretentious living spaces of Hong Kong’s grassroots residents. On the bustling neon-lit street, there are various scenes such as a cafe, a cinema, a newsstand, as well as the iconic mechanical flip board displaying flight information from the old Kai Tak Airport. Visitors can recall the city’s memories of food, literature, film and television, pop music, as well as daily activities such as ball games, horse racing, and seaside entertainment. Iconic “Made in Hong Kong” products, such as Cabbage Patch Kids and vacuum flasks featuring motifs from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, stand as vivid emblems of the prosperity that marked Hong Kong’s economic take-off.

At the conclusion of the exhibition, the “Walking with the Motherland” gallery features a “Moments in Focus” immersive presentation showcasing significant events, allowing visitors to witness Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the implementation of “one country, two systems”, and a new chapter in its integration into the nation’s overall development.

Admission is free. For details, please visit the website of the HKMH at hk.history.museum/en/web/mh/exhibition/Hong-Kong-Story-main.html.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said today (March 31) that the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment) Regulation 2025 (Amendment Regulation), passed by the Legislative Council by negative vetting on August 20, 2025, will take effect tomorrow (April 1). The Amendment Regulation prohibits the sale of mini-cup konjac-containing jelly confectionery with a height or width not exceeding 45 millimetres in Hong Kong. In addition, other prepackaged konjac jelly products must be labelled with choking warning statements on their packaging, thereby strengthening regulation of prepackaged mini-cup-shaped konjac-containing jelly confectionery.

     Before the Amendment Regulation takes effect, the CFS had already carried out preparatory work last year, including holding trade meetings and issuing guidelines to facilitate the trade’s understanding of and compliance with the relevant requirements. The CFS has also stepped up market surveillance to monitor the situation and remind the trade to adhere to the new regulatory requirements.

     The new regulatory requirements include:

(i) Jelly confectionery that is prepackaged food and that is packed in a mini-cup-shaped container must not contain konjac if the height or width of the container does not exceed 45mm; and

(ii) The outermost layer of packaging for sale of jelly confectionery that is prepackaged food and that contains konjac must be clearly and legibly marked with the following words in both Chinese and English: 

     “Caution: Do not swallow whole. Elderly and children must consume under supervision.”
     「注意：勿一口吞食，長者及兒童須在監護下食用。」

     The above words must be marked in a conspicuous position on the packaging. They must be underlined and marked in dark colour on a light-coloured background or in light colour on a dark-coloured background; or marked in red text on a white or yellow background.

     The CFS spokesman said, according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, konjac is a safe food additive. However, due to the unique product design and firm texture of mini-cup konjac jellies, improper consumption may increase the risk of choking, particularly for children and the elderly. 

     The CFS consulted the Expert Committee on Food Safety, the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of the Legislative Council and the Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene, as well as engaged the trade through trade meetings and consultation forums; and listened to trade comments. 

     The CFS has set up a dedicated webpage (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_fstr/whatsnew_fstr_regulation_of_konjac-containing_jelly_confectionery.html) to facilitate the public and trade to access more information. The CFS has also translated relevant health advice into multiple languages, allowing ethnic minority communities to access and understand the information.

     ​The CFS will step up surveillance and continue to collaborate with stakeholders to enhance publicity.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Health Bureau announced today the extension of the Pilot Scheme for Supporting Patients of the Hospital Authority in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for one year until March 31, 2027, with a view to enabling eligible patients of the Hospital Authority (HA) to choose to receive subsidised consultation services at the designated collaborating healthcare institution in the Greater Bay Area.

Under the extended pilot scheme, if an eligible HA patient, ie a patient with scheduled follow-up appointments at designated Specialist Out-patient Clinics or Family Medicine Clinics of the HA, incurs a medical fee of RMB100 or above for each consultation received at the designated out-patient clinic of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH), the patient will be required to co-pay RMB100, while the remaining medical fee will be subsidised by the pilot scheme, subject to a cap of RMB2,000 per year. The validity period of the subsidy is from tomorrow to March 31 next year.

The scope of subsidised consultation services under the scheme will continue to cover out-patient services provided by the HA. However, episodic illnesses, inpatient or day inpatient, as well as accident and emergency services are not included under the scope of subsidised consultation services. The patients are required to attend at the service departments of the HKU-SZH that correspond with the HA’s out-patient service categories for which they have medical follow-up to receive subsidised consultation services.

Existing patients of the pilot scheme who wish to continue participating may make appointments through the existing channels whereby the HKU-SZH will make appointments that correspond with the HA’s out-patient service categories for which they have follow-up appointments.

Patients who wish to cease participation and return to Hong Kong for follow-up consultations at the HA’s out-patient clinics may approach the HKU-SZH and the hospital will make a referral for them according to their clinical needs.

As for eligible HA patients who have not participated in the pilot scheme before, or those who have joined the scheme but need to have their personal information updated, they may submit their application to the HKU-SZH starting tomorrow.

Launched on May 10, 2023, the pilot scheme aims to provide an additional service option for eligible HA patients, and is currently applicable to the HKU-SZH. As of end-February this year, more than 6,000 eligible patients have participated in the scheme, with more than 60% being citizens aged 65 or above.

For enquiries, call the HA at 2300 7070 or the HKU-SZH at (+86) 0755 8691 3101.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The 2026 Hong Kong Family & Women Development Summit was held today, attracting more than 1,200 representatives from local and Greater Bay Area women’s groups, as well as the business and relevant service sectors to register and participate.

The summit adopted the theme “Shaping Women’s Strengths and Harnessing a Shared Future for Families”, and aimed to take women’s development and family building to the next level.

State Councillor Shen Yiqin, who also heads the State Council’s National Working Committee on Children & Women, and chairs the All-China Women’s Federation, officiated at the summit and delivered an opening address. Chief Executive John Lee gave remarks at the opening ceremony.

In his remarks, Mr Lee noted that the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women was successfully convened in Beijing last year, injecting new momentum into promoting global gender equality and the all-round development of women.

President Xi Jinping put forward four proposals in the meeting – jointly foster an enabling environment for women’s growth and development, jointly cultivate powerful momentum for the high-quality development of women’s causes, jointly develop governance frameworks to protect women’s rights and interests, and jointly write a new chapter in promoting global co-operation on women.

These important proposals, Mr Lee said, provide clear direction for the development of women’s causes, inspiring broader consensus-building and taking more pragmatic actions to fully promote the all-round development of women.

     ​

The Chief Executive noted that his policy rationale is to build Hong Kong into a caring and inclusive home, with the family at its core.

Women’s development and family building complement each other. The current-term Government has actively implemented various measures to lay a solid foundation in these two aspects.

Looking ahead, Mr Lee said the Government will continue to improve the support policies for women in areas such as employment and entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, and physical and mental well-being, in order to sustain an environment conducive to women’s development.

Further efforts will also be made to promote the importance of family, family education and family values, and to advocate Chinese traditional virtues, thus fostering a caring and inclusive community, he added.

International Organization for Mediation Secretary-General Prof Teresa Cheng; Head of Office (ad interim) of UN Women China Wang Chuqiao; Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak; and Women’s Commission Chairperson Eliza Chan gave keynote speeches at the summit.

They shared their experience and insights on women’s development in the new era, the promotion of women’s rights and interests, and family building.

Addressing the summit, Miss Mak said: “Through this summit, we hope to carry forward the vision of the Beijing Meeting and implement the important proposals put forward by President Xi, so that women can see opportunities, receive support and participate in development, while families can be filled with warmth, harmony and love, and play an important role in social governance.”

Two thematic sessions were held at the summit to discuss ways to empower women to seize the opportunities of the new era, and how family cohesion provides steadfast support in times of adversity.

The summit was jointly organised by the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, the Women’s Commission and the Family Council.

Click here for details and highlights of the summit.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

On a visit to Zhejiang, Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today conducted site visits to study the development models of university towns, industry-academic-research integration mechanisms, and strategies for attracting top international institutions.

The Chief Secretary, leading a delegation from the Northern Metropolis Development Committee’s Working Group on Planning & Construction of the University Town, went to the Xiasha Higher Education Park in Hangzhou, the largest higher education park in Zhejiang. They toured various institutions in the park, including Hangzhou Dianzi University, China Jiliang University, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, and Zhejiang Gongshang University.

Highlights of the tour included the industrial innovation centre of Qiantang District’s higher education park as well as Zhejiang Sci-Tech University’s science and technology innovation building, where the delegation learnt about the integrated development model of the higher education park’s education chains, industrial chains, talent chains and innovation chains.

Afterwards, the delegation met representatives from the Department of Education of Zhejiang Province, the Qiantang District People’s Government of Hangzhou Municipality and heads of higher education institutions. They also listened to a briefing by Deputy Director of Zhejiang Province Department of Education Shu Peidong on the planning, construction and inter-institution co-operation of the Xiasha Higher Education Park.

Noting that the park’s experience in construction, funding and management could be drawn on by Hong Kong, Mr Chan expressed hope that the delegation would learn from the park’s success in order to better promote the integration of industry, academia and research in the Northern Metropolis University Town.

In the afternoon, the delegation headed to the Zhejiang University International Campus (Haining) to view the international collaborative education model there. They also met Zhejiang University Executive Vice President Prof Wang Lizhong and Zhejiang University International Campus Dean Gu Zhen to discuss strengthening exchanges in higher education fields and talent cultivation.

Mr Chan remarked that the experience of Zhejiang University International Campus (Haining) would provide valuable insights for the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town, thereby helping Hong Kong contribute more on building China into a leading country in education.

Mr Chan, Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin and members of the delegation departed for Beijing this evening and will continue their visit tomorrow.