Month: July 2026

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law today congratulated the Hong Kong China men’s foil team on winning a silver medal in the Men’s Team Foil event at the Fencing World Championships 2026.

The team comprises Ryan Choi, Cheung Ka-long, Harris Ho and Leung Chin-yu. Miss Law praised their outstanding performance throughout the competition, which showcased the determination and perseverance of Hong Kong athletes.

“I am proud that they have made history by winning Hong Kong’s first-ever team silver medal at the Fencing World Championships,” Miss Law said.

“I also hope that the Hong Kong China fencing team will continue to strive for excellence and achieve greater success at the 20th Asian Games this September,” she added.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Education Bureau today said the Hong Kong SAR Government is aware Prof Zhang Xiang will step down as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) when his current term ends on July 14, 2028.

Following a meeting, the HKU Council announced Prof Zhang’s decision and stated that HKU will launch a global search for his successor.

The Government expressed its gratitude to Prof Zhang for his contributions to the university during his tenure.

It noted that the recruitment of the President and Vice-Chancellor falls under institutional autonomy. The exercise will be handled of by the HKU Council in accordance with the HKU Ordinance.

The Government reiterated total trust in the HKU Council’s ability to select the most suitable candidate to serve HKU’s long-term interests and development needs.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     ​Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (July 28) announced ATRenew Inc. (ATRenew), the Chinese Mainland’s leading pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and services platform, had opened its first physical store under its new consumer brand RERE – short for Revalue and Renew – in Hong Kong. This launch positions the city as a go-global hub for the growing circular economy while bringing the group’s consumer buyback and retail operations to Hong Kong for the first time – complementing its long-standing business-to-business (B2B) pre-owned electronics trading ecosystem.
 
Located in Tsuen Wan, the store launches under ATRenew’s new consumer brand RERE marks a major step in taking the company’s brand, sustainability innovation and business model global. For traded-in smartphones, ATRenew developed a proprietary data destruction system certified by international authority ADISA Certification. Utilising advanced multi-pass data overwriting, the platform ensures fully traceable and unrecoverable data erasure – eliminating data theft risks at the source and setting a high standard for privacy and data protection for users.

At the heart of ATRenew’s offering is a set of proprietary, AI-backed technologies. Self-service tools allow customers to value and sell a device in minutes, while automated quality inspection – refined through diagnostic data from the group’s extensive Mainland facilities – delivers high-precision grading. Combined with a standardised digital device-identity system, ATRenew ensures quality, defect traceability, driving efficiency and security for cross-border transactions. These capabilities empower FoneSquare, its new B2B global trading platform, giving overseas wholesale buyers confidence in the origin and condition of every device.

The opening is supported by a Memorandum of Understanding with leading retailer JD Mall Hong Kong. Under this partnership, the group will roll out in-store one-stop buyback services for electronic devices, making it easy for shoppers citywide to sell or trade in pre-owned devices.

The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau, said, “ATRenew represents a great Chinese green story, and we are delighted that Hong Kong serves as a prominent showcase of the group’s full recycling-to-retail model in service of the circular economy. As an international investment and trade hub operating under common law, Hong Kong is not just a financing engine but also an ideal test bed for innovations. Today, we also warmly welcome two of our InvestHK clients, ATRenew and JD.com, joining hands in driving sustainability innovation. This expansion demonstrates our strengths as a go-global springboard for both Mainland and overseas businesses with green aspirations.”

The Founder and Chef Executive Officer of ATRenew, Mr Kerry Chen, said, “The global circular economy is entering a critical growth phase, with Hong Kong serving as the central hub for ATRenew’s overseas supply chain and brand expansion. Driven by our three-pillar globalisation strategy of ‘business, capabilities, and brand’, ATRenew is extending its well-established standardisation, automated technologies, and robust supply chain overseas. We are committed to making buy-back services more accessible and providing users worldwide with high-quality pre-owned products, empowering a green and sustainable future.”

Globally, rising environmental awareness and demand for value are fuelling fast-growing appetite for quality pre-owned electronics. International Data Corporation projects the worldwide market for used smartphones to surpass 430 million units, with a market value of close to US$110 billion, by 2027.

Looking ahead, ATRenew plans to build on its Hong Kong-Dubai “dual-hub” for international growth, establishing its full recycling-to-retail ecosystem across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, West Asia and North Africa.

InvestHK provided end-to-end support to facilitate ATRenew’s expansion in Hong Kong, offering market intelligence, business matching, and setup guidance. It also connected the group with key partners and supported its international expansion and compliance navigation – advancing ATRenew’s ambition to build RERE into a globally recognised certified pre-owned brand.

For more information about ATRenew, please visit www.atrenew.com.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​Hong Kong Customs on July 14 detected a smuggling case involving a cross-boundary private car at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point and seized 216 live turtles and two turtle eggs with an estimated market value of about $21,800.
 
Through risk assessment, Customs that day intercepted an outgoing private car at the control point. Upon inspection, Customs officers found the batch of live turtles and turtle eggs in the boot of the vehicle. A 52-year-old local male driver was arrested and has been released on bail pending investigation.
 
Customs will continue to combat cross-boundary smuggling activities with firm enforcement action based on risk assessment and intelligence analysis.
 
Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
 
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 Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, held the Chief Executive’s Dialogue with Legislative Council (LegCo) Members at the Dining Hall of the LegCo Complex this morning (July 28). A total of 67 LegCo Members attended the session.
 
Mr Lee said that the introduction of the Dialogue had three objectives, namely to enhance mutual understanding and build consensus between the executive authorities and the legislature; to create new value for the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” through the new initiative; and to share experiences in implementing “patriots administering Hong Kong” for fostering reform. Mr Lee thanked the President of the LegCo, Dr Starry Lee, for supporting his idea of introducing the Dialogue. He also thanked LegCo Members for their active participation.
 
Mr Lee said that he has always attached great importance to executive-legislative relations, and has continued to introduce innovative initiatives to create more new value for the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”. Since assuming office, he has enhanced communication and interaction between the executive authorities and the legislature through various means. These include introducing the LegCo Ante Chamber Exchange Sessions to facilitate regular exchanges between Principal Officials and LegCo Members; transforming the Chief Executive’s Question and Answer Sessions from its one-way question-and-answer model into the two-way and interactive Chief Executive’s Interactive Exchange Question and Answer Sessions; attending the oath-taking ceremony of LegCo Members of the current term on the day they assume office to address and congratulate them, extending words of encouragement and expectations; and speaking at the first sitting of the current-term LegCo, proactively strengthening the joint efforts of the two sides in realising the value of “patriots administering Hong Kong” and building Hong Kong together.
 
The Dialogue provides a calm and cordial setting for direct communication, free from constraints such as the Rules of Procedure. Mr Lee said, “I regard the LegCo as the Government’s reform partner. Both the Government and the LegCo are members of Team Hong Kong, sharing the same goal of solving problems for the public. The Chief Executive’s Dialogue with LegCo Members is an innovative initiative that allows us to engage in warm and in-depth dialogue, holding exchanges as teammates.”
 
During the Dialogue, LegCo Members actively participated and engaged in open exchanges on a wide range of topics, including the economy, livelihood matters and social development. They also shared the outcomes and insights gained from their participation in the National Affairs Study Visit in Beijing last week.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) today (July 28) signed the Co-operation Agreement on Advancing the Joint Establishment of Manufacturing Innovation Centre by the Ministry and Hong Kong (the Co-operation Agreement) at the Central Government Offices.

     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, and Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Mr Xiong Jijun signed the Co-operation Agreement on behalf of the HKSAR Government and the MIIT respectively. The Co-operation Agreement aims to take forward the Co-operation Agreement on the Development of New Quality Productive Forces and the Promotion of New Industrialisation signed by the two sides in September 2024, deepen industrial co-operation between the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, facilitate Hong Kong’s better integration into and service of the national development, and jointly support the establishment of a manufacturing innovation centre in Hong Kong.

     Professor Sun said, “It has been proposed in this year’s Budget to reserve funding to establish in Hong Kong the first national manufacturing innovation centre outside the Chinese Mainland, with the aim of facilitating breakthroughs in key technologies, advancing commercialisation of technological achievements, and bringing together international talent. To this end, the HKSAR Government supports the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute by building on its existing foundation to undertake the important task of taking the lead to operate the innovation centre. This initiative will align with the national planning priorities for technologies and industries, and leverage the unique advantages of Hong Kong’s existing semiconductor ecosystem.”

     Before the signing ceremony, both sides also met and held detailed discussions on how Hong Kong can better align with the national new industrialisation development plan, co-ordinate with Chinese Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and integrate into and serve the building of a national modern industrial system.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hongkong Post announced today (July 28) that selected philatelic products issued by China Post, Macao Post and Telecommunications, and the postal administrations of Australia, the Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, New Zealand and the United Kingdom will be available for sale from July 31 (Friday).

     China Post issued a set of three stamps entitled “Leading Horses out of Stable”. Currently housed in the Palace Museum, “Leading Horses out of Stable” is an ink-and-colour-on-silk painting created by Yuan dynasty painter Ren Renfa in 1280. Employing a horizontal composition, the artwork vividly depicts three stable officials and four horses, from right to left, with delicate brushwork. The stamp design perfectly reproduces the brushwork and historical texture of Yuan dynasty court painting, creating a calm and profound cultural mood that allows viewers to experience the artistic tension of the ancient masterpiece.

     China Post also issued a set of four stamps on the theme of “Chinese Seal Engraving (III)”. The art of seal engraving is a splendid treasure of traditional Chinese visual culture, etching the enduring and ever-evolving civilisational imprints of the Chinese nation. As a globally renowned cultural symbol, Chinese seal engraving combines practical value as a means of authentication with artistic and aesthetic significance. Within the tiny space of a seal lies the elegance of millennia, making it worthy of collection and inheritance by cultural enthusiasts for generations.

     To commemorate Macao’s first-ever world-class philatelic exhibition, the Macao Post and Telecommunications released stamps on the theme of the “Macao 2026 Specialized World Stamp Exhibition – A Journey through Day and Night I”. “A Journey through Day and Night I” features six time periods of the Chinese timekeeping system, namely Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, and Si. Beginning in the stillness of midnight, passing through the glow of dawn, and progressing towards the vibrancy of midday, the stamps vividly showcase the urban style and cityscape of Macao.

     In addition, Liechtensteinische Post AG released stamps on the theme of “Music – Songs from the Attic”. The special stamp comes in an unusual form – as a playable vinyl record.

     The selected philatelic products will be available for sale at the Hongkong Post online shopping platform ShopThruPost (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk) starting from 9am on July 31, while stocks last. These products will also be available at the PostShop of the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office and Sha Tin Central Post Office on the same day. Details of each product, the prices and sales quotas are set out in the Appendix. For further information, members of the public may visit the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk) or call the Hongkong Post Philatelic Bureau hotline at 2785 5711.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​In support of World Hepatitis Day, the Department of Health (DH) today (July 28) reminded members of the public who are uncertain whether they have chronic hepatitis B (CHB) to undergo testing early. Eligible persons may join the Government-subsidised Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme (the Co-care Scheme) to receive a free hepatitis B surface antigen rapid diagnostic test. Early identification and treatment can effectively reduce the risk of serious complications, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, among people with CHB.

     “In the 1970s, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection exceeded 10 per cent, posing a significant public health challenge in Hong Kong. Since the 1980s, the Government has progressively implemented a series of effective measures free of charge, including universal antenatal screening for pregnant women, hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns, and administration of hepatitis B immunoglobulin to newborns with high infection risk. These measures have successfully reduced the prevalence of HBV infection significantly. As derived from the results of the Population Health Survey 2020-22, it is estimated that the prevalence of HBV infection has decreased to 5.6 per cent in the general population. The prevalence among the younger generation born after the implementation of the universal childhood hepatitis B immunisation programme in 1988 is now below one per cent, indicating that we are moving towards the goal of a ‘hepatitis B-free generation’. The data show that after more than four decades of sustained efforts, Hong Kong has made significant progress in reducing the public health risk posed by hepatitis B,” said the Consultant (Special Preventive Programme) of the Public Health Services Branch of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the DH, Dr Bonnie Wong.

     “Nevertheless, CHB can be found in about one in every 20 people in Hong Kong. Among people with CHB, nearly 40 per cent are unaware of their infection status and about 70 per cent do not have any medical follow-up for their liver diseases. Therefore, strengthening screening to identify undiagnosed cases in the community and ensuring that confirmed cases are linked to appropriate medical services remain key priorities of the Government’s work in the elimination of hepatitis B,” said Dr Wong.

Among the estimated 410 000 people in the Hong Kong population with CHB, most were born before 1988 who did not benefit from the Government’s universal childhood hepatitis B immunisation programme. CHB is a lifelong infection that often shows no symptoms for decades. Without treatment, about 15 to 40 per cent of people with CHB may develop serious liver diseases like cirrhosis or liver cancer in the long run. Liver cancer is Hong Kong’s third leading cause of cancer deaths, claiming around 1 400 lives every year. About 80 per cent of new cases of primary liver cancer have CHB.

The Government’s inaugural Hong Kong Viral Hepatitis Action Plan 2020-2024 laid a solid foundation for eliminating the public health threat posed by viral hepatitis. The Hong Kong Viral Hepatitis Action Plan 2025-2030, launched in 2025, sets out strategies to further strengthen prevention and control through a series of initiatives, and to co-ordinate all stakeholders’ joint efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis, including the roll-out of a risk-based hepatitis B screening programme in the community.

The Primary Healthcare Commission launched the Co-care Scheme in February 2026, which adopted the co-payment model and family doctor collaboration mechanism of the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme, to provide risk-based hepatitis B screening and long-term management for individuals at higher risk of HBV infection, such as those having family members who contracted CHB. It allows suitable patients to receive continuous care services in the community. As of July 15 this year, around 33 000 people have enrolled in the Co-care Scheme.

Dr Wong reminded members of the public that apart from achieving “early identification” through screenings, “early treatment” is equally important. Antiviral medications for CHB can effectively inhibit the replication of HBV, thereby reducing the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. People with CHB should have regular medical follow-up and relevant investigations to determine when antiviral treatment is needed and to detect and manage changes in liver condition early. Self-awareness of infection status and receiving the required subsequent management are crucial for preventing complications and death caused by CHB.

For more information on World Hepatitis Day 2026 and Hepatitis B Co-care Scheme, please visit the thematic websites.