Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ15: Providing support for non-local students Question:
In recent years, Hong Kong has spared no effort in building the “Study in Hong Kong” brand to develop Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education, and has been gradually enhancing support measures for non-local students while they are studying in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of non-local students applying through different ways for studying full-time locally-accredited programmes in Hong Kong who have obtained bachelor’s degrees or higher qualifications and those who have eventually been admitted, as well as the percentages of non-local students in the number of places of the relevant programmes, in each of the past three years;
(2) given that full-time non-local undergraduate and postgraduate students were required to obtain a “No Objection Letter” (NOL(s)) issued by the Immigration Department before they were allowed to take up part-time jobs in Hong Kong in the past, of the number of non-local students who took up part-time jobs after obtaining NOLs in each of the past three years and, among them, the respective numbers of those who were pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies;
(3) given that the Government temporarily exempted full-time non-local postgraduate and undergraduate students from the restrictions on taking up part-time jobs in November 2023 and November last year respectively (the temporary exemption arrangements), whether the authorities have compiled statistics afterwards on the number of non-local students who have taken up part-time jobs under the temporary exemption arrangements; if they have not compiled the statistics, whether they will collect the relevant data and review the effectiveness of such measure in future; whether they will consider regularising the temporary exemption arrangements in the long run;
(4) as some non-local students have relayed to me that some local employers are deterred from employing non-local students to take up part-time jobs because they are not clear about the temporary exemption arrangements, how the authorities will publicise and promote the temporary exemption arrangements, and whether they have co-operated with the relevant tertiary institutions to provide non-local students with the relevant employment information and support services; and
(5) as it has been reported that the Chief Executive has indicated earlier that Hong Kong fully welcomes students who suffer from unfair treatment as a result of the policies of the United States to study in Hong Kong, and that he will do his best to provide the most appropriate support and assistance to students in collaboration with the local universities, of the work progress made by the authorities in supporting such students so far; whether they have set up task forces with various local universities to provide one-stop transfer services for such students, e.g. expediting their admission, transfer of credits, as well as urgent support measures such as providing accommodation arrangements, so as to attract more outstanding students to Hong Kong?
Reply:
President,
Hong Kong has sound education infrastructure and our overall competitiveness in education ranked top five in the world. Among others, Hong Kong’s post-secondary education is highly internationalised and diversified, and we boast five of the world’s top 100 universities with outstanding talent in technology and research, making Hong Kong an international hub for exchange and collaboration among high-calibre talent. To fully leverage the distinctive advantages of the post-secondary education sector in Hong Kong under “one country, two systems”, and to develop Hong Kong into an international post-secondary education hub, we strive to build the “Study in Hong Kong” brand and attract more non-local students to study and conduct research in Hong Kong.
After consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau, our consolidated replies to Hon Kenneth Leung’s questions are as follows:
(1) In the 2022/23 to 2024/25 Academic Year (AY), the numbers of non-local students pursuing locally-accredited programmes at undergraduate level or above in Hong Kong, and the number of non-local students as a percentage of relevant undergraduate student places are tabulated below:
(Note 2) Non-UGC-funded programmes cover publicly-funded programmes offered by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and self-financing programmes offered by UGC-funded universities, the HKAPA, and other institutions. Relevant figures refer to the headcounts of full-time and part-time programmes. (Note 3) Referring to non-local student enrolment as a percentage of local student places in UGC-funded undergraduate programmes. (Note 4) The percentages of non-local students of non-UGC-funded undergraduate programmes refer to the percentages of intakes of non-local students as a share of the estimated intake places of relevant programmes. Estimated intake places are based on estimates made by institutions for planning purposes and may not necessarily represent the maximum approved intake quotas or admission targets.
In the 2022/23 to 2024/25 AY, the number of applications from non-local students for UGC-funded first-year-first-degree undergraduate programmes ranged between 70 000 and 80 000. The Education Bureau (EDB) does not maintain information on the number of applicants of other taught programmes.
(2), (3) and (4) The Government has temporarily exempted full-time non-local postgraduate students of local programmes from the restriction on taking up part-time jobs since November 2023, and has extended the temporary exemption arrangement to full-time non-local undergraduate students from November 2024 onwards. Since November 2023, the Immigration Department (ImmD) has issued “No Objection Letters” to nearly 150 000 eligible non-local students, who are allowed to take up part-time jobs under the temporary exemption arrangement without making applications. There is no restriction on the number of hours or the location of the part-time employment. The breakdown of the numbers of “No Objection Letters” issued by the ImmD under this arrangement by student category are tabulated below:
Student category(November to December)(as of May) Non-local students benefitting from this arrangement are eligible to apply to stay in Hong Kong after graduation for development through the “Immigration Arrangement for Non-local Graduates”. Allowing them to take up part-time jobs during their studies enables them to gain personal exposure and knowledge for working in Hong Kong, enhances their incentives to stay in Hong Kong for development after graduation, and helps attract more outside students to study in Hong Kong.
Under the temporary exemption arrangement, non-local students are not required to apply to the ImmD or notify their institutions for part-time employment. Therefore, the Government does not maintain statistics of non-local students taking up part-time jobs. According to the institutions, many non-local students have made use of the arrangement to take up various types of part-time jobs, including business support, retailing, and marketing, etc. The institutions generally agree that this arrangement helps attract non-local students to stay in Hong Kong for development after graduation, thereby expanding the city’s potential talent pool.
The Government promotes this temporary exemption arrangement through various channels such as press releases, the ImmD’s website and communications with employers, etc, and introduces the arrangement to chambers of commerce, employers and human resources practitioners through meetings with chambers of commerce, joint meetings of Human Resources Managers’ Clubs, and other occasions. The Government also encourages relevant institutions to assist in enhancing on-campus promotion and providing appropriate support to eligible students. The Government will review the entire temporary exemption arrangement this year.
(5) In the light of the changes in the global higher education landscape, the EDB has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for affected students and scholars with a view to safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, while attracting top talent in accordance with their diversified admissions and talent policies. The EDB is pleased to see that local universities are responding proactively and closely monitoring the situation, fully utilising the Government’s facilitation initiatives that support the capacity expansion and quality enhancement of post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong.
The EDB will continue to keep a close eye on the development and accordingly consider support measures for them in a holistic approach so as to give full play to Hong Kong’s role as an international post-secondary education hub. Apart from the recruitment measures of the institutions, the Government attracts more top talent to pursue their studies in Hong Kong through a range of initiatives, including doubling the cap on non-local students in publicly funded post-secondary institutions to 40 per cent, increasing scholarship quotas, and gradually increasing the number of places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. We remain committed to pursuing various policies and initiatives, fostering networks and partnerships at the national, regional, and international levels, and will continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. These efforts align with the national strategies to invigorate the country through science and education, cultivate high-calibre talent, and advance innovation and development, thereby contributing to meeting the needs of our nation. Issued at HKT 14:58
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
Question:
It has been reported that the United States (US) Government has recently barred Harvard University from enrolling international students. There are views that, due to political factors, it is expected that more top-tier institutions will face restrictions on international student recruitment in the future. This could lead to significant shifts in the global talent mobility within the higher education sector. As such, Hong Kong, as an international education hub, should seize the opportunity to actively attract and retain high-calibre international students and scholars, so as to consolidate its position as a regional hub for knowledge, innovation and technology. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether, in the face of the aforesaid abrupt change in overseas higher education policies, the Government has formulated a systematic plan to assist Hong Kong institutions in attracting high-calibre students affected by the turbulent international situation to pursue studies in Hong Kong, and to ensure that they can stay in Hong Kong for career development after graduation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) how the University Grants Committee (UGC) will avoid resource misallocation and vicious competition in the course of promoting talent competition among the eight UGC-funded universities, and whether UGC will take the lead in establishing a unified platform to foster collaboration among institutions, so as to enhance their overall international competitiveness; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) whether, in the face of the China-US confrontation and competition, the Government will introduce specific policy measures to encourage Hong Kong’s higher education institutions to capitalise on new opportunities arising from the shifting geopolitical landscape, with a view to further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international education hub; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Hong Kong’s overall competitiveness in education ranks among the top five in the world, and our post-secondary education is highly internationalised and diversified. To date, five University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities have been ranked among the top 100 in the world, six are ranked among the top 50 in Asia, a number of them have been ranked among the top universities in the most international universities ranking, and they have excellent research talent, which make them attractive to students and scholars from all over the world. Under the leadership of the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Government will continue to promote Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talent, co-ordinate and drive the integrated development of education, technology and talent, expand connections, formulate policies to attract and cultivate talent, and foster the co-ordinated development of technologies, so as to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international post-secondary education hub and an international innovation and technology centre.
Our reply to the Hon Tang Fei’s question is as follows:
(1) and (3) In the light of the changes in the global higher education landscape, the Education Bureau (EDB) has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for affected students and scholars with a view to safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, while attracting top talent in accordance with their diversified admissions and talent policies. The EDB is pleased to see that local universities are responding proactively and closely monitoring the situation, fully utilising the Government’s facilitation initiatives that support the capacity expansion and quality enhancement of post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong.
We will continue to keep a close eye on the development and accordingly consider support measures for them in a holistic approach so as to give full play to Hong Kong’s role as an international post-secondary education hub. Apart from the recruitment measures of the institutions, the Government attracts more top talent to pursue their studies in Hong Kong through a range of initiatives, including doubling the cap on non-local students in publicly funded post-secondary institutions to 40 per cent, increasing scholarship quotas, and gradually increasing the number of places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. We remain committed to pursuing various policies and initiatives, fostering networks and partnerships at the national, regional, and international levels, and will continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. These efforts align with the national strategies to invigorate the country through science and education, cultivate high-calibre talent, and advance innovation and development, thereby contributing to meeting the needs of our country.
(2) The EDB and the UGC have been actively fostering collaboration among the eight UGC-funded universities, including supporting the jointly-established Heads of Universities Committee’s Standing Committee on Internationalisation (HUCOMSCI) to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand around the world. We will continue to deepen institutional collaboration through the HUCOMSCI to attract more talent from around the world and accelerate the development of Hong Kong into an international post-secondary education hub.
Each of the eight UGC-funded universities has its own strengths and characteristics, and is making full use of the Government’s facilitation policies and measures to bring their strengths into full play in recruiting and attracting more outstanding students and academics. With the Government increasing the non-local student quota for UGC-funded universities from 20 per cent to 40 per cent from the 2024/25 academic year onwards, the proportion of non-local students enrolled in UGC-funded undergraduate programmes has increased from about 19.9 per cent in 2023/24 academic year to 23.2 per cent. Universities will adopt the principle of meritocracy to attract more non-local students to study in Hong Kong. Non-local students will also make choices of further studies that suit their own strengths and interests.
As for academic staff, the UGC-funded universities have also been actively expanding capacity while enhancing quality by increasing the number of academic staff in the UGC-funded universities from 4 974 in the 2021/22 academic year to 5 398. The universities will continue to recruit top scholars from around the world through various measures to create a favourable environment for scientific research and contribute to the development of our country and Hong Kong.
The Labour Department will hold two job fairs, where job seekers can submit applications and may be selected for on-the-spot interviews, this Friday.
The Creating New Opportunities Job Fair, to be held at the Sau Mau Ping Community Hall in Kwun Tong will offer 700 job vacancies, including more than 500 in the catering, real estate and retail industries.
Around 15 organisations are hiring for a wide variety of positions including branch manager, concierge officer, property officer, guest services agent, sales coordinator, artisan, taxi driver, cleaner, chef, security guard, baker, airport cargo cleaner, shop assistant, and technician.
Around 92% of the vacancies are full-time jobs. Most vacancies offer monthly salaries ranging from $12,000 to $22,000. About 97% of the roles require a Secondary 7 education level or below, and around 72% are open to job seekers without relevant work experience.
The other job fair due to be held on the same day is the Youth Recruitment Day at Southorn Stadium, Wan Chai. It targets young people aged 15 to 29 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below.
A total of 27 organisations from various industries, including transport, airline services, public services, retail, catering and property management, will participate.
The vacancies cover a wide variety of positions that do not require relevant work experience, including supervisor trainee, aircraft maintenance mechanic trainee, barista, cargo services officer, technical trainee, engineering technician and sales associate.
The event also features career talks on the prospects and characteristics of different industries. Artist Cheung Tin-fu and billiards player Ng On-yee have been invited to share their own career development stories.
Priority admission will be given to eligible candidates under the Youth Employment & Training Programme.
Various service providers will assist young people on site in selecting and enrolling in suitable training courses and provide career guidance and advice on resume preparation.
Both events will be held from 11am to 5.30pm and admission is free.
In its Action Plan on Modern Logistics Development, promulgated in October 2023, the Government committed to formulating a clear ESG roadmap for the logistics industry and to promoting the development of green and sustainable logistics.
After commissioning a consultancy study, the bureau has worked with the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council and various stakeholders in the industry to devise a roadmap that takes account of international ESG standards and current market developments.
The roadmap covers a three-year period, from 2025 to 2027, and adopts a three-stage approach for logistics SMEs to build up their ESG data collection and reporting capabilities and meet the most stringent prevailing international ESG disclosure requirements by the time the roadmap expires.
The first stage involves raising logistics SMEs’ awareness of ESG principles and international ESG requirements. The second stage will involve equipping logistics SMEs with ESG data collection capabilities, and the third will aim to prepare them to carry out ESG reporting.
The bureau highlighted that ESG has become an international trend, with the European Union having already made ESG disclosures along whole supply chains compulsory for enterprises from this year onwards, and the Mainland also formulating its own ESG disclosure standards, which are to be applicable to all companies, including SMEs, by 2030.
For Hong Kong logistics SMEs, the bureau added, ESG adoption is no longer an option but an essential step for their survival and the maintenance of their global competitiveness.
It said it hopes the roadmap will provide logistics SMEs with an easy-to-follow guide to embark on their ESG journey and help to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s logistics industry, thereby consolidating its position as an international logistics hub.
The bureau outlined that it will co-operate with industry stakeholder to promote adoption of the roadmap, and will review and update the roadmap in a timely manner ahead of its expiry with reference to prevailing international ESG requirements.
Meanwhile, the bureau also launched today a dedicated online ESG resource centre on the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council’s website. The resource centre is intended to serve as a one-stop portal for information related to ESG.
Additionally, to assist logistics SMEs in beginning their ESG journey, the bureau will this year launch a set of ESG data collection tools to facilitate effective collection and recording of logistics ESG data.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
Question:
The number of imported workers approved under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) has exceeded 50 000 to date. On the other hand, the latest unemployment rate announced by the Government is 3.4 per cent, the highest in 27 months. Regarding the safeguarding of the employment priority for local workers, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as it has been reported that some applicant enterprises have set unreasonable criteria to exclude local applicants when conducting local recruitment under ESLS, of the number of complaints or reports involving non-compliant local recruitment procedures in the past three years and, among them, the number of substantiated cases and the relevant penalties; of the mechanism in place for proactively reviewing the reasonableness of such recruitment criteria;
(2) as it has been reported that since ESLS requires enterprises to maintain a manning ratio of imported labour to local labour of no less than 1:2, some enterprises have employed local workers on a part-time basis or arranged for imported workers to take up positions inconsistent with those they applied for, whether the Government has looked into such situations; and
(3) of the number of illegal workers arrested in the past three years, together with a breakdown by the trade in which they were engaged; whether it has assessed if the existing penal measures against employers of illegal workers and the intermediaries concerned have sufficient deterrent effect?
Reply:
President,
To cope with the challenges brought by manpower shortage and on the premise of ensuring employment priority for local workers, the Government has enhanced the mechanism for importation of labour. Apart from launching sector-specific labour importation schemes for the construction sector, transport sector, and residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities, the Labour Department (LD) has implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023 to suspend the general exclusion of the 26 job categories as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts from labour importation under the previous Supplementary Labour Scheme for two years. (1) The LD has all along been stringently processing each application under ESLS. Applicant employers must undertake a four-week local recruitment exercise and accord priority to employing suitable local workers to fill the job vacancies. The LD will review and ascertain the employment terms, including the entry and academic qualification requirements, monthly salary and hours of work of all job vacancies posted by employers during the local recruitment. Employers taking on local job seekers through any recruitment channels during the local recruitment shall offer them employment terms no less favourable than those agreed by the LD.
Upon completion of the local recruitment procedures, employers shall report the results to the LD and submit recruitment advertisements for verification. The LD will contact each of the local job seekers who is not employed by the employers, and assess whether the employers have sincerity in recruiting local workers. If there is evidence showing that an employer has violated the requirements of local recruitment, or refused to employ qualified local job seekers without reasonable reasons, the LD will impose administrative sanction of terminating the processing of the application submitted by the concerned employer for importation of labour, and refusing to process other applications submitted by the employer in the following year. Since the implementation of ESLS, the LD has not detected any employer who has violated the requirements of local recruitment or received relevant complaint from job seekers.
(2) To safeguard the employment opportunities of local workers, ESLS requires relevant employers to meet the manning ratio requirement of full-time local employees to imported workers of 2:1 on a continuous basis. Full-time employees refer to local employees who are directly employed by an employer and work not less than 35 hours per week for operating the relevant business, excluding part-time staff, staff of sub-contractor(s) or self-employed person(s) providing services to the employer. At the same time, the employer shall not displace local workers in employ with imported workers. In the event of redundancy, imported workers should be retrenched first. To ensure that employers will not displace local workers in employ with imported workers, the LD has set up a dedicated hotline of 2150 6363. I appeal to employees who suspect that they have been dismissed owing to the employment of imported workers to call the hotline. The LD will follow up the complaints seriously. If substantiated, the LD will impose administrative sanction on the concerned employers, including withdrawal of approvals for importation of labour previously granted and refusal to process other applications submitted by the employers in the following two years. (3) Engaging in illegal employment is a serious offence. Employers, illegal workers as well as aiders and abettors of illegal employment will be liable to prosecution in accordance with the Immigration Ordinance (IO). The IO stipulates different provisions targeting relevant offences committed by different groups of people. Visitors, illegal immigrants, overstayers, etc, are prohibited from taking up any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Aiders and abettors are liable to the same penalties. In addition, the Government amended the IO in 2021 to increase the penalty on employers of illegal workers, with the maximum penalty significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment with a view to reflecting the gravity of such offences. Besides, any person who takes up any employment, whether paid or unpaid, in contravention of a condition of stay shall be guilty of an offence. Upon conviction, he/she is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. In addition, if local employment agencies or their persons in relation are convicted of breaches of the IO, the LD may consider revoking or refusing the renewal of license for the concerned employment agencies. If the concerned persons apply for operating other employment agencies in future, the LD may also consider rejecting the issue of license.
The Government is committed to combatting illegal employment, with a view to protecting the job opportunities for the local workforce. Relevant law enforcement agencies will, depending on operational needs, risk assessment and other considerations, flexibly arrange sufficient manpower to continuously conduct intelligence-led operations. When necessary, they will conduct joint operations to rigorously combat crimes related to illegal employment.
According to the records of the Immigration Department, there were respectively 886, 1 304 and 1 268 illegal workers arrested each year during 2022 to 2024. 506 illegal workers were arrested during January to May 2025. The illegal workers arrested were mainly engaged in work related to the catering, construction, cleaning, or retail and wholesale industries.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Tik Chi-yuen and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
Question:
Regarding the prevention of elderly suicide, will the Government inform this Council:
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
In accordance with the Medical Registration Ordinance (MRO), the Registrar of Medical Practitioners (i.e. the Director of Health) announced today (June 18) the sixth batch of 22 medical qualifications (see Annex 1) recognised by the Special Registration Committee (SRC). The list will be gazetted on June 20 and take effect on the same day. It will be submitted to the Legislative Council for negative vetting on June 25. Together with the first five batches of recognised medical qualifications announced, the SRC has so far recognised a total of 150 medical qualifications (see Annex 2).
The MRO provides that non-locally trained doctors who possess recognised medical qualifications, subject to their fulfilment of certain criteria, may apply for special registration to practise in the public healthcare institutions in Hong Kong (i.e. the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong). After serving for a certain period, obtaining recognised specialist qualifications and passing the assessment, they will be granted full registration to practise in Hong Kong. For non-locally trained medical graduates who possess recognised medical qualifications but have yet to undergo an internship outside Hong Kong, subject to their fulfilment of the relevant criteria, they may take the Licensing Examination of the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) in order to apply for special registration to practise in the public healthcare institutions in Hong Kong. They may also obtain full registration after meeting the requirements applicable to all special registration doctors.
The SRC under the MCHK is responsible for determining the list of recognised medical qualifications upon reviewing the programmes offered by non-local medical schools with quality comparable to those provided by the two medical schools in Hong Kong and submitting the list to the Registrar of Medical Practitioners for promulgation. When determining the list of recognised medical qualifications, the SRC will consider and recommend a medical qualification that fulfils the following criteria:
(a) that is at the level of degree or higher;
(b) that is awarded by a body broadly comparable to any local university awarding medical qualifications in terms of international rankings; and
(c) that is broadly comparable to the medical qualifications awarded by any local university in terms of:
(i) the curriculum of the programmes leading to the medical qualifications;
(ii) the medium of instruction of the programmes; and
(iii) any other aspects the SRC considers appropriate.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Adrian Ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
Question:
In October 2021, the Government announced Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050, which aims to reduce Hong Kong’s carbon emissions by half from the 2005 level before 2035 and outlines four major decarbonisation strategies, namely net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will duly adjust its green policies in response to Hong Kong’s actual carbon emissions in recent years to accelerate the overall pace of decarbonisation in Hong Kong and thus achieve its carbon reduction targets as scheduled;
(2) of the respective performances of various government departments over the past five years in key carbon reduction measures, such as energy saving, emission reduction, consumption and carbon emission reduction, as well as green procurement; whether government departments have set carbon reduction targets and timetables for the series of policy measures implemented in recent years, including the establishment of the Green Technology and Finance Development Committee and the implementation of the Uncertificated Securities Market initiative;
(3) as there are views that the broad participation of businesses in decarbonisation efforts is vital for Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality, how many businesses and organisations have, as of May this year, joined the “Green Hong Kong．Carbon Audit” campaign by signing the Carbon Reduction Charter and agreeing to undertake and implement activities in support of reducing greenhouse gas emissions; whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the participating businesses and organisations in formulating and implementing carbon reduction measures;
(4) as it is learnt that the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited established the Hong Kong International Carbon Market Council and subsequently launched an international carbon marketplace “Core Climate” in 2022, whether Government is aware of the current operational status of both the Council and Core Climate, as well as their respective effectiveness in promoting the implementation of decarbonisation measures among businesses in Hong Kong; and
(5) given that green transport is one of the Government’s decarbonisation strategies, which includes achieving zero vehicular emissions and zero carbon emissions in the transport sector before 2050 through promoting the electrification of vehicles, and ceasing new registrations of fuel-propelled and hybrid private cars in or before 2035, whether the Government has assessed if the current progress of such efforts will enable the carbon reduction targets to be achieved on schedule?
Reply:
President,
In consultation with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the reply to the question raised by the Hon Adrian Ho is as follows:
(1) The Government has proposed four major decarbonisation strategies in the Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050, namely net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction, to lead Hong Kong to halve its carbon emissions from the 2005 level by 2035, with a view to achieving carbon neutrality before 2050. With our efforts in recent years in these four decarbonisation strategies, Hong Kong is making steady progress towards the carbon reduction target of 2035.
Hong Kong’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been on a downward trend after reaching its peak in 2014. With the gradual replacement of coal-fired power generation by natural gas and zero-carbon energy, the popularisation of electric vehicles, the reduction of municipal solid waste disposal, and the increased recovery and use of landfill gas for energy generation in Hong Kong, the total GHG emissions in 2023 were reduced by about 20 per cent from the 2005 level and about a quarter from the peak in 2014. The per capita GHG emissions in 2023 was 4.58 tonnes, which is a new low since 1990. It is nearly 30 per cent lower than those in 2005 and 2014, and is about a quarter of that of the United States and 60 per cent of that of the European Union.
Combating climate change is a long-term task. In line with the spirit of the Paris Agreement, we will review the Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 about every five years to update the strategies and targets for decarbonisation and other climate actions, and expect to release the review result in 2026.
(2) To enhance the performance of government departments in energy conservation and carbon emissions, the Government has promulgated relevant internal circulars and guidelines to require departments to perform well in the area of environmental protection in their daily operations. Specific measures include energy conservation, adoption of renewable energy (RE), waste reduction and recycling, installation of electric vehicle charging facilities, water conservation and recycling, procurement of green products and services, etc. with a view to reducing carbon emissions. These government circulars and guidelines cover environmental targets for government buildings, carbon emission management, preparation of environmental reports by government departments, as well as green procurement, etc.
The Government strives to improve the overall energy performance of government buildings and infrastructure by more than 6 per cent in 2024-25, compared to the 2018-19 baseline. To this end, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has requested all bureaux and departments (B/Ds) to provide information on the energy consumption and RE of government buildings and facilities annually, and organised briefing sessions to discuss energy performance, and provides technical advice on energy-saving measures and planning of RE projects. As at 2022-23, the Government’s overall energy performance has improved by about 5.3 per cent. While the data for 2023-24 is still being compiled, based on the recent trends in energy performance, the Government is confident that the target of over 6 per cent improvement can be achieved. The Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) will continue to encourage all B/Ds to take measures to enhance energy performance and explore means to leverage innovative technologies to promote cost-effective solutions for improving energy efficiency in government buildings. (3) The Government launched the “Green Hong Kong．Carbon Audit” campaign with a view to encouraging organisations of various sectors to support greenhouse gas emission reduction activities. The participating organisations would, according to their respective situations, formulate and implement carbon reduction measures such as promoting carbon audits, establishing environmental management systems, and installing and replacing energy-efficient office equipment. Currently, over 140 organisations, including property management companies, universities, professional bodies, non-profit-making organisations and other business organisations, have joined the “Green Hong Kong．Carbon Audit” campaign. In addition to raising the awareness of participating organisations in carbon reduction and encouraging these organisations to conduct carbon audits and implement carbon reduction plans, the campaign also helps corporates prepare for addressing new climate-related disclosure requirements.
The Government launched in December last year the Roadmap on Sustainability Disclosure in Hong Kong (Roadmap), injecting new impetus into the carbon management work of large publicly accountable entities (PAEs) (including large listed issuers and non-listed financial institutions carrying a significant weight). As the first step, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) has introduced new climate-related disclosures requirements (New Climate Requirements) which have been developed based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S2 Climate-related Disclosures. The New Climate Requirements, covering, among others, mandating all listed issuers to disclose scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions, have been implemented in phases starting from January 2025. (4) HKEX launched the Hong Kong International Carbon Market Council (the Council) in July 2022, with members comprising Mainland, Hong Kong, and international corporates and financial institutions, to facilitate the development of an efficient and effective Hong Kong-based international carbon market with best-in-class market infrastructure, products and services, promoting the transition to a low-carbon economy in the region.
Subsequently, HKEX launched the Core Climate, an international carbon marketplace, in October in the same year, facilitating effective and transparent trading of carbon credits and instruments to support the global transition to Net Zero. It offers quality carbon credits from internationally-certified projects in Asia, South America and Africa, covering forestry, solar, wind and biomass initiatives. Core Climate is currently the only carbon marketplace that offers HKD and RMB settlement for the trading of international voluntary carbon credits. The platform’s participant number reached 100 by end of 2024. Core Climate has facilitated carbon credit trading by various corporates through the provision of trustworthy settlement services, enhancing efficiency and mitigating risks, including Cathay Pacific Airways Limited’s settlement of 50 000 tonnes of voluntary carbon credits in December last year, fully demonstrating the important role of Core Climate in supporting corporates on their climate transition journey. (5) The Government is committed to promoting the use of electric vehicles (EV). The Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles announced in March 2021 covers policy directions and targets in various areas in promoting the adoption of new energy transport technologies, so as to guide Hong Kong towards zero vehicular emissions before 2050. In recent years, Hong Kong has achieved remarkable results in the popularisation of EV. The number of EV was eightfold from about 14 000 five years ago to about 110 000 at the end of last year. Currently, about seven out of every ten newly registered private cars are electric private cars (e-PC), and the proportion is among the highest in the world, with a good growth momentum.
Charging network is critical to the popularisation of EV. As of March 2025, Hong Kong had nearly 100 000 parking spaces equipped with charging infrastructure. There are 11 180 public charging facilities, of which about 2 000 are quick or fast charging facilities. We will continue to adopt a multi-pronged approach to increase charging facilities, including (i) tightening the exemption measure for calculating the gross floor area of buildings to encourage parking spaces in new private buildings to be equipped with charging infrastructure; and (ii) launching the $3.5 billion “EV-charging at Home Subsidy Scheme” to assist existing private residential buildings and housing estate car parks to install EV charging infrastructure. It is estimated that by mid-2027, more than 200 000 parking spaces in private buildings will be equipped with charging infrastructure.