Month: May 2026

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Civil Aid Service (CAS) Cadet Corps held the Cadet Corps Presentation Ceremony 2026 today (May 31) at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Science Museum. The ceremony was officiated by the Director of Government Logistics, Mrs Vicki Kwok. She presented awards to cadets in recognition of their achievements and contributions.
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Kwok said that the CAS has always upheld its objective of serving the community, shouldering important mission of providing public safety, emergency responses, mountain search and rescues, wildfire support, and support during major incidents. At the same time, it has always placed great importance on youth development. The CAS Cadet Corps serves as an excellent platform for passing on the spirit of selfless service and cultivating youth qualities. Through rich and solid training, and diverse and beneficial activities, it cultivates leadership skills, a sense of responsibility, teamwork, and positive civic virtues, guiding young people to establish positive values ​​from a young age and aspire to become pillars of society who shoulder responsibilities and give back to the community.
 
     She said that in recent years, the Cadet Corps has continuously enriched the content of its activities and broadened the dimensions of its development, incorporating diverse content such as science and technology experiences, patriotic education, discipline training, and volunteer services to help members to improve their overall quality, deepen their understanding of people’s livelihood in society and the country’s development, while broadening their horizons to lay a solid foundation for their growth.
  
     At the ceremony, about 300 cadets were presented with the following awards:

• Hong Kong Award for Young People Silver and Bronze Awards
• Hong Kong Award for Young People Green Bird Action Award
• Grantham Uniformed Youth Groups Outstanding Service Award
• CAS Outstanding Service Award
• CAS Outstanding Cadet Certificates
• CAS Commander’s Commendation Certificates
• CAS Senior Cadet Leader appointments

 
     The ceremony celebrated the cadets’ achievements in training and service, reaffirming the CAS’s mission to encourage youth participation in wholesome activities and to nurture the next generation of patriots who will contribute to the country and Hong Kong.
 
     Recruitment of CAS cadets is open for application throughout the year. Recruitment details and application forms are available on the CAS website (www.cas.gov.hk/eng/org/cadet_corps.html).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health (DH) carried out surprise inspections in Kwun Tong today (May 30) and issued a total of three fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in an effort to clamp down on illegal cigar smoking in no-smoking areas.

During the operation codenamed “Smokeshield”, officers from TACO (including plainclothes officers) carried out inspections and enforcement action at one cigar retail shop in Kwun Tong, and issued a total of three FPNs to persons smoking cigars illegally at the premises. TACO’s investigation is ongoing, and prosecution may also be taken against operators of the cigar retail shop who are suspected of aiding and abetting smoking offences.

Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Ordinance), smoking in a statutory no-smoking area (including indoor areas of shops) is prohibited. Any person who smokes in a statutory no-smoking areas is liable to a fixed penalty of $3,000. Venue managers of statutory no-smoking areas are empowered by the Ordinance to request a smoking offender to cease the act. If the offender is not co-operative, the manager of the no-smoking area may contact the Police for assistance.

Moreover, where smoking products (including cigars) are sold, whether in cigar retail shops or otherwise, the restrictions on the promotion and sale of smoking products stipulated in the Ordinance apply. Offenders are liable on summary conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000.

In addition, under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, any person who aids, abets, counsels or procures the commission by another person of any offence shall be guilty of the same offence.

“From January 2025 to date, the DH has conducted over 42 inspections of cigar shops regarding illegal smoking activities, and issued a total of eight FPNs for illegal smoking in these premises. The DH will continue to closely monitor and rigorously enforce the law against smoking in no-smoking areas, as well as the illegal sale and promotion of smoking products,” said the Head of TACO, Dr Manny Lam.

He cautioned that cigar smoking is just as harmful to health as other smoking products, and urged smokers to quit as early as possible for their own health and that of their family and friends. In support of the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31 each year, the DH is launching the ‘Quit in June’ campaign. Free one-week smoking cessation drug trial packs are being distributed at over 300 community pharmacies, smoking cessation clinics, District Health Centres (DHCs)/DHC Expresses and DH clinics, while free Chinese medicine ear points patches are available at over 200 designated Chinese medicine clinics to help alleviate withdrawal symptoms. The DH has collaborated with the School of Nursing of the University of Hong Kong to launch a pilot AI-assisted smoking cessation counselling service – “Chat to Quit” this year. The AI provides accurate and appropriate smoking cessation information instantly, and offers personalised smoking cessation counselling according to users’ smoking history and quitting preferences. It can also provide emotional support. 

The DH also operates an integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline (1833 183) to answer enquiries about smoking cessation, and provide professional counselling and referral services. Members of the public can visit the smoking cessation thematic website (www.livetobaccofree.hk) for more information on smoking cessation and related support tools and services. They can also download the “Quit Smoking App” to keep track of their quitting progress and obtain tips on fighting cravings to maintain a tobacco-free life.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Education Bureau (EDB) and the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) today (May 30) held the Student Language Ambassador Programme: Self-directed Language Learning Fair to showcase to the public the fruitful achievements of the Student Language Ambassadors in developing biliterate and trilingual abilities, and to share their growth and transformation during their self-directed learning journeys.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, emphasised that the EDB has always been committed to nurturing students’ biliterate and trilingual abilities. The EDB has provided schools with the One-off Grant for Promotion of Self-directed Language Learning, helping schools to employ effective strategies to create an environment for students to learn and use languages.

Dr Choi said that the Student Language Ambassador Programme enables students to experience the joy of language learning through a wide range of diverse and enriching language activities, and that the theme of this Fair, “Language Life through Self-directed Learning”, also provides an opportunity for Student Language Ambassadors to showcase their creativity and achievements. She encouraged the Student Language Ambassadors to continue to serve as role models both within and beyond the campus by taking the initiative in exploring learning opportunities in their daily lives. They are also encouraged to continually enhance their language proficiency while actively sharing and promoting their practical experience in language use, with a view to inspiring their peers to grow together.

At the ceremony, the Chairperson of SCOLAR, Dr Anissa Chan, highlighted that the Student Language Ambassador Programme is a significant initiative that has achieved great success with the active participation of Student Language Ambassadors. The Fair provides a collaborative platform for sharing effective strategies and showcasing schools’ efforts in fostering a language-rich environment through self-directed learning. She also expressed gratitude to schools and teachers for their support in promoting biliteracy and trilingualism to the wider community.

The Student Language Ambassador Programme aims to build a platform for language practice for students across Hong Kong, encouraging them to explore and share the joy of learning Chinese and English, leverage peer motivation and interaction, and thereby promote the practical use of both languages in the community. The Programme has received an enthusiastic response, with 166 schools and over 2 700 students participating in the current school year.

The Fair attracted more than 500 (TBC) secondary and primary school principals, teachers, parents, students, and members of the public. Through a variety of language-themed booths and games, Student Language Ambassadors had the opportunity to demonstrate their language proficiency. The event also featured guest speakers, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, Mrs Cindy Chow, and a non-Chinese-speaking lawyer rooted in Hong Kong, Mr Mohan Datwani, who shared their personal journeys of striving for success. Their stories inspired students to harness the power of language as a bridge for communication, thereby unlocking boundless opportunities for the future.

As SCOLAR approaches its 30th anniversary, this event also marked the first public appearance of the Committee’s new partner, Ming. Ming is a sparrow who, having worked hard to learn languages, has been invited to join hands with Student Language Ambassadors to encourage the public to make good use of both languages and learn with confidence, and to bravely immerse themselves and master languages proficiently, just like Ming.
​
For details of the Student Language Ambassador Programme and the latest news on SCOLAR’s activities, please visit the SCOLAR website (scolarhk.edb.hkedcity.net/en/promotion_of_languages/sla.html) or social media pages.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following are the remarks made by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, at a media session after attending a radio programme this morning (May 30):
 
Reporter: What is the next step in the Government’s anti-smoking policies, and how would that further contribute to making Hong Kong a smoke-free city? And in terms of your mentions on alternative smoking products, how does that pose impact towards the number of smokers, and when will the next measures towards these products take place? 
 
Secretary for Health: We have already systematically implemented the anti-tobacco measures, including increasing the penalty for illegal import of tobacco products, as well as the implementation of prohibition or the ban on possession of alternative smoking products since the end of last month. So far, the measures are very smoothly implemented. And the next measure is the duty stamp as well as the uniform packaging for tobacco products, which will be fully implemented by the end of next year. These are very important countermeasures against illicit smoking products. The next step will be, after all these measures including the duty stamp, starting implementing the possible measure against additives into tobacco products. These additives are in fact attracting the younger generation as well as a lot of women into nicotine addiction. So, this is a very important measure. 

     So, after all these short-term measures, we’ll be considering other middle or long-term measures, including the prohibition or the ban of smoking while walking. But we will look into the short-term measures before we implement these long-term measures. We have reached a smoking rate of 8.5 per cent in the year 2025, and this is a historic low in the history of Hong Kong. We will continue to move towards a smoke-free Hong Kong, a Healthy Hong Kong and in accordance with our national policy of Healthy China. So, after considering and monitoring the effect of all these measures, we will consider the next stage.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in June to establish new trade routes for Hong Kong.

Commissioner for Belt & Road Nicholas Ho believes that Hong Kong and Central Asian countries have significant bilateral development potential.

Mr Ho said there are areas of co-operation that Hong Kong and Central Asia can further explore.

“Number one is natural resources. These state-owned companies are looking for a platform, a market to list their companies and to fundraise. Hong Kong can empower that.

“Second is green development. Hong Kong has a comprehensive green economic engine, from green finance to green industry, green technologies, green standards, and green professional services; with these, we can help Central Asian countries to reach carbon neutrality a lot sooner.

“Third is digital economy. Many Central Asian countries are driving artificial intelligence and digital development, and they are hoping that Hong Kong can help them get there faster.

“Fourth is tourism infrastructure. Central Asia has a lot of rich tourism assets, and Hong Kong service providers and hospitality brands can help invest and develop Central Asian countries to unlock these tourism treasures.”

Opening doors

Mr Ho added that Hong Kong is the ideal Belt & Road trading hub. Compared with 2020, Hong Kong’s total merchandise trade with Central Asia had increased by 27% in 2025.

He expressed confidence that the Chief Executive’s visits will further promote economic and trade development between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

“For this mission, we are hoping to first expand into new markets. Second is to build these communication mechanisms.

“We are hoping that this mission will open big doors between government to government, and also chamber to chamber, business to business. These are important communication channels.

“Third is the hub to hub model, we hope that Hong Kong can be Central Asian companies’ hub to access the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the Chinese Mainland, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and beyond. And in return, we are hoping that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan can be Hong Kong companies, GBA companies and ASEAN companies’ hub to access into Central Asia.”

Trading partners

Kazakhstan has the most developed economy in Central Asia and is rich in oil resources. In 2025, Kazakhstan was Hong Kong’s largest trading partner and the leading export market in the region.

Hong Kong has also made a significant investment in Kazakhstan, with the city ranked as the country’s 10th largest net-investor globally and its fourth largest Asian net-investor as of January 2026.

Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Principal Economist Alice Tsang said the council tracks the development of this emerging market closely because there is always new potential.

“We can see that more Kazakhstan companies are actually seeking for listing in Hong Kong, as well as (organisations) like the Development Bank of Kazakhstan also have a ‘dim sum’ bonds issuance in Hong Kong, so we can see that in the services sector there will be huge potential; in particular, there are 14 Hong Kong companies already registered in the Astana International Financial Centre.

“We believe that there are more Hong Kong businessmen or companies that are interested in these new Central Asian markets.”

Rail links

The most populous Central Asian country, Uzbekistan is home to more than 38 million people. It also boasts a diverse range of natural resources, including hydrocarbons, gold and cotton.

In 2025, Uzbekistan was Hong Kong’s third largest trading partner in Central Asia. 

Uzbekistan is actively working to open and integrate into international transport corridors, with the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway as one of its top priorities. Once completed, the railway will provide Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan with their first direct rail connections to China.

HKTDC Director of Research Bruce Pang noted that some of the countries have introduced serious economic reforms.

“They want to diversify their economy. Like Uzbekistan, the policy-makers vow to better upgrade their light industry. So we may expect more imported products from their light industries.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today welcomed the State Council’s approval of exemption of the requirement of a guarantee and implementation of temporary ship nationality registration for Hong Kong and Macau yachts temporarily entering and exiting the Chinese Mainland through designated ports in the nine cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and only navigating within these cities.

The Transport & Logistics Bureau noted that under the new policy, the exemption for the requirement for a guarantee will significantly reduce the financial burden on owners of Hong Kong and Macau yachts when handling cross-boundary procedures.

Meanwhile, the temporary ship nationality registration allows Hong Kong and Macau yachts to obtain temporary ship nationality certificates issued by Chinese Mainland without affecting their original ship registration, enabling individual yacht travel within the waters of the nine Chinese Mainland cities in the GBA.

In addition, the Marine Department is actively co-ordinating with the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration on facilitation measures for southbound travel for yachts from the Chinese Mainland. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​Hong Kong Customs today (May 29) seized 153 turtles of suspected scheduled endangered species at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point, with a total estimated market value of about $1.58 million.

Through risk assessment, Customs today intercepted an incoming lorry at the control point. After inspection, Customs officers found the batch of turtles of suspected scheduled endangered species concealed in the socks inside the paper boxes.

The batch of turtles was handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for follow-up action.

Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586), any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling 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

​The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced today (May 29) the implementation of two land lease arrangements to facilitate industry development, which are:
 

1. a three-year “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme, which allows lot owners to carry out non-residential development in phases and pay the required land premium as determined according to the actual gross floor area (GFA) constructed in each phase and the “preferred use” proposed by the lot owner; and
2. the arrangement of granting longer-term tenancies of up to 21 years to industries with the support of relevant policy bureaux.

A DEVB spokesman said, “The Policy Address last year proposed to introduce flexible land-grant arrangements such as ‘Pay for What You Build’ and longer-term tenancies, with a view to reducing initial capital outlay and financing costs, thereby enhancing investment incentives in industry sites and accelerating industry development.”

“Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme

The “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme is applicable to all lease modification and land exchange applications for non-residential developments throughout the territory. It allows lot owners to carry out phased development, provided that the GFA under the initial phase of the development must amount to at least 60 per cent of the total permissible maximum GFA of the whole development and be completed in time in accordance with the building covenant. The land premium will be assessed based on the full market value of the GFA under the initial phase of the development (i.e. at least 60 per cent of the total permissible maximum GFA of the whole development) and the “preferred use” of the land proposed by the lot owners. This arrangement supersedes past practices. Land premium assessment will no longer be based indiscriminately on the permissible maximum GFA of the lot and the use having the highest market value as assumed by the Lands Department.

To optimise land use, the Government expects the developer to decide whether to take forward the development of the remaining portion of the total permissible maximum GFA (i.e. 40 per cent or less of the total permissible maximum GFA) through another lease modification application within 10 years after the completion of the initial phase of the development, and pay the land premium at the then prevailing full market value in accordance with the use to be stipulated in the modified lease. Considering that under fragmented ownership, it is generally difficult to reach a consensus among various owners on whether to proceed with the remaining development in the future, the Pilot Scheme will also include safeguard measures. The entire site will be subject to alienation restrictions within 10 years after the completion of the initial phase of development, unless approval is obtained from the Lands Department through a lease modification application to develop the remaining portion of the permissible maximum GFA.

If the developer does not come forward for such a lease modification upon expiry of the 10-year period, the Government may, on application from other lot owners in the district, redeploy the development intensity and infrastructure capacity of the remaining balance of the total permissible maximum GFA of the relevant land to other lots in the district. In other words, although the land owner will retain ownership of the relevant land at that time, there is no guarantee that they can continue to develop the remaining portion beyond the 10-year period. Upon the expiry of the 10-year period, the land owner may apply to remove the alienation restrictions through a lease modification.

The Pilot Scheme will start accepting applications on June 1. Details can be found on the website of the Lands Department. (www.landsd.gov.hk/doc/en/practice-note/lpn/PN 2_2026.pdf)

Providing industries with longer-term tenancies of up to 21 years

The DEVB is also introducing a flexible arrangement on the term of government tenancies. For sites provided through short-term tenancies, the Lands Department may, with policy support of the relevant bureaux, provide longer-term tenancies with a total tenure of all the terms not exceeding 21 years. Specifically, tenants can enjoy renewal option upon the expiration of the first fixed term (up to seven years), maximum for two renewals and up to seven years each time, i.e. the longest possible tenancy arrangement is “7+7+7”. The individual tenure may be tailor-made pursuant to the needs of the specific industry. Rent review will take place only when the tenancy is due for renewal having regard to the prevailing market rental, which could increase and decrease.

Compared to the current fixed tenancy term of a maximum of seven years only, the new arrangement of up to 21 years provides greater tenure certainty, and the lengthened payback period is also conducive to industry investment. Furthermore, the rent, once adjusted upon a tenancy renewal, will remain unchanged during that tenancy term, which further enhances investment stability. The arrangement for adjusting rent upon tenancy renewal provides flexibility for both the Government and tenants, allowing market conditions to be reflected in a timely manner. The DEVB will continue to discuss with relevant policy bureaux to identify which government sites are suitable for granting under longer-term tenancies to accelerate industry development. Subject to the fulfilment of the policy objective of promoting industry development, both new tenancy and existing tenancy upon renewal may be considered for the longer-term tenancies arrangement. Details of the arrangement can be found in the relevant circular. (www.devb.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_2398/DEVB General Circular 2_2026.pdf)

The DEVB has consulted the industries and stakeholders on the “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme and the arrangement of providing industries with longer-term tenancies of up to 21 years. They have expressed support for these two initiatives.