Month: May 2026

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Labour Department will hold a webinar on the Minimum Wage Ordinance on June 12 (Friday) at 3pm. Enrolment is now open.
 
     The main provisions of the Minimum Wage Ordinance, including the new Statutory Minimum Wage rate of $43.1 per hour effective from May 1, and the annual review mechanism of the Statutory Minimum Wage will be introduced in the webinar. Employers, employees and human resource practitioners are welcome to attend.
 
     The webinar will be conducted in Cantonese, and participation is free. Spaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and the enrolment deadline is May 28 (Thursday). The enrolment form can be downloaded from the Labour Department’s website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/MWOwebinar2026.htm). For enquiries, please call 2852 3861.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     ​The Labour Department (LD) will hold the “Embarking on a New Journey” Industry-based Job Fair at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok on May 12 and 13, providing a large number of vacancies from catering, retail, construction, hotel and other industries for job seekers.
 
     Over 60 organisations will participate in the two-day job fair, offering over 2 700 quality job vacancies from various industries, among which more than 2 500 are from the catering, retail, construction and hotel industries. Around 30 organisations will set up booths and conduct recruitment on the spot each day. A wide variety of positions will be offered at the job fair, including duty engineer, marketing development assistant, electrician, safety supervisor, assistant maintenance officer, assistant administration officer, quality assurance inspector, shop supervisor, cook, warehouse keeper, bartender, room attendant, guest services officer, security guard, cleaner and cashier. Job seekers can visit the LD’s Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk) for details of the vacancies.
 
     Around 79 per cent of the vacancies offered at the job fair are full-time jobs. Most vacancies offer monthly salaries ranging from $13,000 to $24,000. About 95 per cent of the vacancies require a Secondary Seven education level or below. Around 54 per cent are open to job seekers without relevant work experience.
 
     Job seekers can submit job applications during the event and may be selected for on-the-spot interviews. They can also make enquiries about the employment services provided by the LD at its counter inside the venue.
 
     The job fair will be held on May 12 and 13 from 11am to 5.30pm at 1/F, MacPherson Stadium, 38 Nelson Street, Mong Kok (near Mong Kok MTR Station Exit E2). Admission is free, with final admissions at 5pm each day.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, will begin her visit to Zhejiang tomorrow (May 11), leading a delegation comprising representatives from primary schools, secondary schools and higher education institutions from Hong Kong to attend the 2026 World Digital Education Conference in Hangzhou. They will discuss the latest trends of digital education development with heads of education authorities, as well as representatives from the education sector and enterprises both from the Mainland and overseas. Dr Choi will also deliver a keynote speech.
 
During the trip, Dr Choi will visit a local school and an innovation and technology organisation to meet and exchange experience with education professionals.
 
Dr Choi will return to Hong Kong on May 13. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai, will be the Acting Secretary for Education.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki and Under Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Clarence Leung were in Ruijin, Jiangxi today to attend a launch ceremony for the Long March exchange, which involves youths from Hong Kong and Macau.

Mr Chan stated that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has always attached great importance to patriotic education.

He said: “In particular, we actively encourage young people to participate in exchange activities on the Mainland to fully understand the country’s history, culture and latest achievements.

“The Long March holds great significance in the nation’s development history. We hope that young people can gain an in-depth understanding of its history, learn from its spirit of perseverance and solidarity, and grow into a new generation with an affection for the country and for Hong Kong that is equipped with global perspectives. They should seize the immense opportunities arising from our country’s new journey and proactively integrate into and contribute to the overall national development.”

In Ruijin, Mr Chan and Mr Leung also visited the Yeping Revolutionary Sites and the Central Revolutionary Base Area History Museum. These landmarks bear witness to the dedication and sacrifices of the country’s revolutionary forebears.

Mr Chan expressed a wish to strengthen co-operation with Jiangxi in the area of patriotic education and to arrange further exchange activities that allow young people from Hong Kong to visit historical sites, thereby strengthening their identification with Chinese culture and cultivating their sense of national identity.

About 120 youths from Hong Kong and Macau, along with Mainland youths, visited Ganzhou, Jiangxi, from May 8 to 11. They toured memorial museums and historical sites related to the Long March, and visited local research institutes, enterprises and heritage sites.

Mr Chan was due to depart for Hong Kong this afternoon.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

President Lai and President Peña of Paraguay visit Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau and NCHC Cloud Compute Center  
On the morning of May 9, President Lai Ching-te, accompanied by President Santiago Peña Palacios of the Republic of Paraguay, visited the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) Bureau of the National Science and Technology Council and National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) Cloud Compute Center in Tainan. In remarks, President Lai stated that Taiwan will share its experience in technological development, park governance, and industrial upgrading with Paraguay, making the deep friendship between the two countries an important force in driving prosperity in the lives of both peoples.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
Yesterday, I met with President Peña at the Presidential Office and mentioned that Taiwan would work hand in hand with Paraguay to engage with the world together. With today’s visit to the STSP, we are putting that promise into practice. 
The STSP is an important base for Taiwan’s technology industry and a key hub for the development of the semiconductor and AI industries. Taiwan will share its experience in technological development, park governance, and industrial upgrading with Paraguay, making the deep friendship between the two countries an important force in driving prosperity in the lives of our peoples.
As a former mayor of Tainan, I warmly welcome President Peña, government officials, and all distinguished guests to Tainan and wish them a fruitful and successful visit.
President Peña then delivered remarks, saying he is deeply honored to represent the Paraguayan delegation. He thanked the Taiwanese government for arranging the visit, providing the delegation with the opportunity to witness firsthand Taiwan’s achievements in high-tech and semiconductors. He said that forty years ago Taiwan sowed the seeds of technological development, which have now blossomed, making Taiwan a leading nation in the global high-tech and semiconductor industries.
President Peña stated that even though Taiwan and Paraguay are 19,000 kilometers apart and have different languages and cultures, the two countries share a common vision for development. He noted that Paraguay possesses abundant natural resources and significant capacity for production of raw materials. At the same time, he said, Paraguay understands that to achieve its goal of long-term national prosperity and development, it must establish a strong presence in academia, innovation, and the high-tech industry. Thus, he stated, Paraguay is actively promoting the development of its high-tech industries and aiming to become an important strategic partner for Taiwan. 
President Peña said that the visit is very inspiring and that it provides a deeper understanding of how Taiwan integrates the efforts of government, industry, and academia to jointly promote the development of high-tech industries. He further added that these experiences will be an important reference for Paraguay in formulating its own science and technology policies.
After remarks, President Lai and President Peña heard a briefing from the STSP Bureau. Accompanied by Tsai Hung-yin (蔡宏營), president of the National Institutes of Applied Research, they also heard a briefing by Chang Chau-lyan (張朝亮), director general of the NCHC, on Taiwan’s vision for the development of computing power. The visit also included a trip to the NCHC Cloud Compute Center.
Also in attendance were Paraguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, Minister of Industry and Commerce Marco Riquelme, Chief of Staff of the Presidency Francisco Javier Giménez, and Ambassador Darío Filártiga Ruiz Díaz. 

Source: Government of Singapore

JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN NEA AND MSE

~~ End ~~

 

For more information, please submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee

Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you, once again, for the opening of the Asia Summit on Global Health, the sixth edition.

You represent the full spectrum of the global health community. That includes medical professionals and government officials, also representatives of multinational pharmaceutical and health-tech enterprises, investors and entrepreneurs.

Your presence here in Hong Kong underscores a simple but powerful truth: in an age of complex health challenges, progress is powered by collaboration.

This summit makes collaboration easy, with more than 90 high-profile speakers from 15 countries and regions. They include Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry Prof Michael Levitt, who will speak at the Dialogue with Global Pioneer in Health session. And count on the latest medical developments and research, together with wide-ranging opportunities for networking and creative partnerships that make all the difference.

Your expertise and contributions are desperately needed. Today’s world grapples with profound health challenges, with new threats continually emerging. We also face the pressing realities of ageing populations. There is the silent crisis of antimicrobial resistance. And there are persistent inequities in healthcare access – both regional and global.

That makes the theme of this year’s summit, “Fuelling Healthcare Breakthroughs”, particularly relevant. The two-day programme highlights three key areas:

First, China opportunities in aligning with the 15th Five-Year Plan’s health priorities. This includes innovative drug access, modernisation of traditional Chinese medicine, silver health, and the outbound expansion of Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

Second, frontier technologies. The programme covers global healthcare trends, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health, medical robotics and devices, and gene and cell therapies.

Third, health innovation and investment trends. You will see pitching sessions for startups. You will also find deal-making sessions that connect projects with capital.

Clinical collaboration with the Mainland

Let me now outline how Hong Kong, under the “one country, two systems” principle, is investing in healthcare and, in doing so, investing in the future of our people and our economy.

Our status as a leading hub for scientific innovation is unrivalled in Asia. And our strengths are magnified by our core position in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. That is the cluster city development integrating 11 dynamic cities in southern China. It boasts a collective economy that rivals that of the world’s 10th-largest nation.

In pursuit of medical innovation, Hong Kong complements the strategies set out in the National 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan optimises an evaluation and approval mechanism for innovative drugs and supports their clinical application. The goal is to develop Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub.

Central to this ambition is the rapid expansion of our clinical trial capabilities, the vital engine that drives biomedical research and development (R&D) from the laboratory to the bedside.

That is anchored by the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute. It is wholly government-owned and operated by the University of Hong Kong’s medical faculty. It is located in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.

The institute operates alongside its Shenzhen counterpart under an integrated “one institute, one centre” model. Together, they draw on the Greater Bay Area’s combined population of more than 87 million, co-ordinating multi-centre, cross-boundary clinical trials. These trials meet both national and international standards.

By streamlining cross-boundary trials, the institute serves as a one-stop agency for medical R&D institutions worldwide. It accelerates the delivery of life-changing medical technologies to patients.

Last December, we launched the Greater Bay Area Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform. We also set up the Real-World Study & Application Centre. Both deepen our co-operation with Mainland partners.

The collaboration platform offers expert consultation on medicine, statistics, regulatory affairs and ethics. The application centre uses Hong Kong’s medical data advantages to generate real-world evidence. This supports drug and device registration in Hong Kong and on the Mainland.

Drug and medical device regulation

We are also enhancing our drug and medical device regulatory regime. Our “1+” mechanism for new drugs’ registration expedites patient access to life-saving therapies.

It allows new drugs to be registered in Hong Kong after approval from just one recognised reference authority – instead of the traditional two. Supporting local clinical data is required, of course.

This year is transformative for our regulatory landscape. In March, we began the phased implementation of “primary evaluation” for new drugs registration. That marks a milestone in our transition to a fully independent drug evaluation framework. We aim for full implementation by 2030.

I am also pleased to announce that the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation will be established by year’s end. That will put Hong Kong on the map as a trusted hub for regulatory excellence.

Innovation research

InnoHK, our flagship innovation and technology initiative, was launched to develop Hong Kong into a global research collaboration hub. And to date, two InnoHK research clusters have collaborated with more than 30 world-renowned universities and research institutes from 12 economies.

They pool more than 3,000 researchers worldwide. Sixteen of the research centres focus on healthcare-related technologies – biomedicine, chemistry, engineering and AI.

We are also establishing the Life & Health Technology Research Institute. It will be located at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, with three branches to be established by local universities. We expect to complete the preparatory work this year.

We are strengthening the bridge between laboratories and the market through the Research, Academic & Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme, with funding of HK$10 billion, which is US$1.3 billion, allowing money to channel more support to local university research teams. We are focused on those with good potential to become successful startups, commercialising their R&D outcomes.

Health tech downstream industry

Downstream industry is central to supporting a thriving life and health technology sector. That is why we have launched the New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme, also with funding of HK$10 billion; that is US$1.3 billion.

It helps companies in life and health technology and other strategic fields to establish high-end smart production facilities in Hong Kong. To date, we have supported two enterprises focusing on pharmaceuticals and medical devices, with a total project cost of over US$120 million.

Another HK$10 billion, or US$1.3 billion, the Innovation & Technology Industry-Oriented Fund, will also be launched this year. It will encourage market capital to invest in five thematic areas, life and health technology among them.

We have long supported the University Grants Committee’s eight funded universities. They carry out academic research in wide-ranging disciplines, including health and medicine. In the 2025-26 academic year, more than 200 research projects in medicine and biology received government support. Total funding exceeded US$32 million.

We are also nurturing PhD and postdoctoral talent. Publicly funded research postgraduate places grew from about 5,600 to 7,200 in two years, up to 2024-25; the increase is 28%. Places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme also rose by a third.

Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is committed to medical innovation. We have established vital infrastructure and productive policies. We have also created a dynamic network that turns research into tangible solutions.

True innovation requires deep collaboration and strategic partnerships that span the world and every sector of our industry. Through your interactions over the next two days, we may begin to unlock the next great breakthroughs in medicine and biotechnology.

Chief Executive John Lee gave these remarks at the Asia Summit on Global Health on May 11.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Labour Department will hold an industry-based job fair titled “Embarking on a New Journey” at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok on May 12 and 13 featuring more than 2,700 vacancies.

Over 60 organisations will participate, with around 30 booths set up each day. The event will primarily focus on catering, retail, construction and hotel industries, which together account for more than 2,500 of the available openings.

A wide variety of positions are on offer, ranging from technical roles like duty engineer, electrician and safety supervisor to service-oriented jobs such as cook, guest services officer and shop supervisor.

Approximately 79% of the vacancies are full-time positions, with most offering monthly salaries between $13,000 to $24,000. About 95% of the roles require an education level of Secondary 7 or below, and 54% are open to those without relevant work experience.

Job seekers can submit applications and may be invited for on on-the-spot interviews. Department staff will also be able available at a dedicated counter to handle enquiries regarding employment services.

The fair will run from 11am to 5.30pm at 1/F, MacPherson Stadium, 38 Nelson Street. Admission is free, with the last entry at 5pm daily.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

The annual Buddha Bathing Ceremony was held at Tzu Chi Sydney, coinciding this year with Mother’s Day and the 60th anniversary of Tzu Chi worldwide. Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Wu, accompanied by Director May Chiang, attended the event together with community leaders and Tzu Chi volunteers, praying for peace, harmony, and well-being.
DG Wu noted that Tzu Chi has long promoted charity, medical care, education, and humanitarian values around the world, demonstrating compassion and the positive spirit of Taiwan through disaster relief and community service. He also commended Tzu Chi Sydney for its longstanding contributions to Australia’s multicultural society.
The event also carried a strong atmosphere of gratitude in celebration of Mother’s Day, honoring both maternal love and the dedication of Tzu Chi volunteers.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Security Bureau today said it was notified by Guangdong Province’s Nuclear Emergency Committee Office of an operational event at Ling Ao Nuclear Power Station, in which an isolation valve remained closed longer than required.

This incident did not affect the safety of the power station’s Unit 1, the health of the workers, the nearby public or the environment, the bureau added.

On May 7, Unit 1 was undergoing a planned overhaul for refuelling. During routine testing, station staff remotely closed one of the cooling water isolation valves of the standby equipment from the main control room to adjust the cooling water flow, and restored it to normal status on the same day.

Since the isolation valve remained closed for a duration exceeding the requirement of the technical specification, this event was classified as a Level 0 deviation on May 8 in accordance with the International Nuclear & Radiological Event Scale and relevant nuclear safety regulations. 

The bureau stressed that Unit 1 remained in a safe condition throughout the event, while the three safety barriers remained intact and there was no release of radioactive substances.