Month: August 2026

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today met Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission Wu Qing at Government House to discuss deepening the mutual access between Hong Kong and Mainland financial markets.

Welcoming Mr Wu and his delegation to Hong Kong, Mr Lee said that city enjoys the unique advantage of having the motherland’s strong support while being closely connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle, and possesses a highly internationalised market environment and mature financial infrastructure.

Mr Lee highlighted that the National 15th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial centre, strengthening its functions as a global offshore renminbi (RMB) business hub, an international asset and wealth management centre, and an international risk management centre.

He outlined that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is pressing ahead with preparing Hong Kong’s own first Five-Year Plan, and is fully committed seizing the opportunities brought by national development, advancing the high-quality development of Hong Kong as an international financial centre, and supporting the high-level opening up of the Mainland’s financial markets.

Mr Lee said that global demand for RMB in trade finance, investment and reserves is steadily rising. Hong Kong, as a hub for global offshore RMB transactions and financial activities, has the world’s largest offshore pool of RMB funds, and has been upgrading its financial infrastructure, while innovating and expanding in various key areas. 

Noting that Mainland government bond futures will be launched in Hong Kong tomorrow, Mr Lee said this provides an effective offshore risk management tool for investors, and also helps attract international investors to participate in the Mainland bond market and to hold RMB treasury bonds on a long-term basis.

Mr Lee emphasised that this is a key step in enhancing the RMB product ecosystem, and further consolidates Hong Kong’s status as the world’s offshore RMB business hub.

He thanked the Central People’s Government and relevant Mainland regulators for their continued support, and said that he looked forward to further deepening co-operation with the Mainland and enhancing the liquidity of offshore RMB to facilitate the prudent and solid advancement of the RMB’s internationalisation.

The Chief Executive said that the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to work closely with Mainland regulators to jointly implement pragmatic measures to deepen co-operation between the two markets. 

Hong Kong will continue to expand the mutual access between Hong Kong and Mainland financial markets, building on the existing foundations of Stock Connect, Bond Connect and Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect, to offer a wide range of investment and risk management products to the market. 

Hong Kong and the Mainland will achieve complementary advantages and promote synergistic development and product innovation in the financial markets to contribute to the development of the country as a financial powerhouse, he added.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Acting Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan, Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission (SFC) Chairman Kelvin Wong and the SFC Chief Executive Officer Julia Leung also attended the meeting.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today attended various Sport For All Day activities at Kowloon Park Sports Centre, and conveyed a message to the public about the benefits of regular exercise for physical and mental well-being.

With the 20th Asian Games due to be held in September, this year’s Sport For All Day was themed “Asian Games in Motion, City in Action”, to support the Hong Kong athletes participating in the Games.

Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law, and other guests including wushu athlete Juanita Mok and swimmer Adam Mak also attended.

There were wushu performances, as well as fitness, skateboarding, virtual football, equestrian and rowing demonstrations, and handball and floorball activities. 

Mr Lee also took part in games at Festival of Sport booth organised by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.

The following principal officials also attended leisure activities at sports centres in various district: Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki; Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung; Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau; Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau; Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn; Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung; Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong; Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun; Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Janice Tse; Acting Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan; Acting Secretary for Environment & Ecology Diane Wong; Acting Secretary for Education Sze Chun-fai; and Acting Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Clarence Leung.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department organises the Sport For All Day every August. This year, leisure facilities were, for the first time, open for free public use over both days of the weekend.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee and his governing team today attend a district forum at South Tuen Mun Government Secondary School to hear views from members of the public in relation to Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the 2026 Policy Address.

The two-hour forum, attended by about 130 people, consisted of two sessions. 

In the first, Mr Lee and principal officials listened to participants’ views on topics including the accelerating development of the Northern Metropolis and the advancement of spatial planning in other areas; the economy, finance and trade; innovation, technology and industrial development; livelihoods and social development; regional co-operation; the integrated development of culture, sports, tourism and green living; and more.

In the second session, participants were divided into four groups to engage in exchanges with Mr Lee and his officials, with a focus on two themes: “pursuing development and economic growth” and “improving people’s livelihood and building our future together”. 

Mr Lee interacted with each group in turn and listened to a variety of views.

He said: “The district forum is an important platform for members of the public to express their views. 

“We listened to views of the public on Hong Kong’s current and long-term economic and social development, which will help the Government formulate Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address, devise the overall development blueprint, and set priorities for key policy initiatives, with a view to bringing impetus to the economy, further enhancing the well-being of our people, as well as enabling the public to better benefit from government policies.”

The Government launched public consultations for Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address in June, and has held a number of consultation sessions over the past month.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

On a hot summer’s day, elderly residents sit chatting under the shade of some large trees – a simple scene of community harmony facilitated by the recent completion of the first phase of improvement works at Mei Lam Estate in Sha Tin.

Under the Housing Authority’s well-being design pretest – a key step in applying the Well-Being Design Guide launched in 2024 by the authority and the Housing Bureau – the estate’s old fountain area has been transformed into an open area known as Heartland Plaza. The project team removed old fencing around the fountain structure, updated lighting features and added walkways and social seating, thereby creating an accessible space in which residents can walk, relax and connect with nature.

The upgrades also involved establishing a “tree walk”, with informative tags giving residents the chance to learn about the various species around them.

“Since opening, Heartland Plaza has come alive again with residents of all ages,” remarked Housing Department Senior Maintenance Surveyor Raymond Tse. “We are delighted to see some elderly residents relaxing under the tree shade, while younger residents stroll along the path.”

Community co-creation

Mr Tse outlined that the revitalisation project moves beyond traditional upgrades by placing community participation at the heart of the design process.

“In our past renovation projects, we mainly focused on hardware improvements, but for Mei Lam Estate, which is a pilot project under the ‘Well-being’ initiative, we emphasise community co-creation.

“We want to co-create with our residents so that we could ensure our design could meet the genuine needs of our residents.”

Learning opportunities

To deepen local involvement, the project team invited school pupils who had previously participated in workshops to join a planting activity during the plaza’s opening ceremony.

Free Methodist Mei Lam Primary School student Susie Chan expressed pride in contributing to her neighborhood. “I feel like I have a huge sense of achievement in helping Mei Lam Estate feel greener, and I really want people to know how eco-friendly this place is,” she said, adding that she looks forward to enjoying the plants with her classmates in the new space.

Her schoolmate, Ng Cheuk-ting said the planting activity had been a memorable and meaningful experience.

School Affairs Mistress Tess Tse highlighted that the event offered a practical lesson in citizenship while opening up future outdoor learning opportunities.

“Teaming up with district councillors and the District Services & Community Care Team for this planting activity is a real-life lesson in citizenship. It shows our students that a strong, happy community does not happen by accident. This awesome space is perfect for learning outdoors. We are already making plans to use it for all kinds of activities, like observing plants for general studies, outdoor sketching for art class, and even hosting community service events.”

Beautification works

To create a welcoming atmosphere right at the estate’s entrance, the project team also collaborated with the Highways Department to beautify nearby flyover piers with vibrant art murals.

The Well-being Design Guide was devised with estate refurbishment projects in mind, and Mei Lam Estate was selected as one of five pilot estates under the well-being design pretest. The Heartland Plaza and flyover piers beautification works mark the project’s first phase.

According to Mr Tse, since the initiative launched, over 40 estates have been identified for improvement works, with many having already completed facade beautification and other upgrades that have gained positive feedback from residents.

“In the future, we will continue to select suitable estates for improvement works annually,” he said. “We will continue to bring well-being to our residents by some simple and heartwarming designs.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung said today that at least 100 different types of exercises will be conducted before the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area is considered ready for opening, in order to ensure smooth and safe operations at the port.

Mr Tang made his remarks after touring the port area with Legislative Council members this morning.

“Regarding the opening time of this port area, what we need to do is, first of all, we have to make sure all the installations are okay, all the signals are okay, and we will have at least 100 different types of exercises before we consider the opening of the port area.”

He added that some of these will be large-scale cross-boundary exercises conducted jointly with the Shenzhen side and involving at least over 10,000 participants. 

“When we consider that the operation is smooth and safe, then we will join with the Shenzhen side to consider when to open. It is both of our wishes that it will be opened as soon as possible.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The 2026 provisional registers of electors for geographical constituencies (GCs) and functional constituencies (FCs), as well as the provisional register of voters for Election Committee subsectors (ECSSs), were released today.

Omissions list for each of the registers were also released.

The Registration & Electoral Office (REO) appealed to members of the public to check their registration status through “iAM Smart” or the voter registration website by August 25.

The 2026 provisional register for GCs contains about 4,120,100 registered electors. The REO has received about 64,900 new applications for registration and about 127,800 applications from registered GC electors wishing to update their particulars.

Meanwhile, the records of about 24,900 electors have been deleted to death and those of about 57,700 due to other reasons.

The 2026 provisional register for FCs contains about 190,700 registered electors. 

As for ECSSs, the provisional register contains about 9,300 registered voters. 

Notices regarding inspections of the provisional registers of electors/voters and the omissions lists were published in the Government Gazette today.

The final registers will be published on September 25.