Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the Governor of Hubei Province, Mr Li Dianxun, at Government House today (April 27) to exchange views on deepening co-operation between Hubei and Hong Kong. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa, also attended the meeting.
 
Mr Lee welcomed Mr Li and his delegation to Hong Kong. He said that Hubei and Hong Kong established the Hong Kong/Hubei co-operation mechanism in 2021 and have maintained close co-operation in areas including economic and trade, finance, innovation and technology (I&T), aviation, and education. Hong Kong is Hubei Province’s largest source of external investment. As of 2025, more than 4 660 Hong Kong-invested projects have been established in the province, reflecting close economic and trade ties between the two places. Under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantage of having strong support from the motherland and close connection with the world. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has established the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global to better serve Mainland enterprises, including those from Hubei, in expanding into overseas markets. Hong Kong will continue to play its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” to work with Hubei for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and contribute to the country’s high-quality development.
　
Mr Lee said that the National 15th Five-Year Plan clearly supports Hong Kong in developing into an international I&T centre and an international hub for high-calibre talents. The HKSAR Government is making every effort to formulate Hong Kong’s first five-year plan, which will be completed within this year, to better integrate into and serve the country’s overall development. Hubei Province continues to promote the development of I&T and new industrialisation, while Hong Kong is expediting the development of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, advancing new industrialisation and the digital economy, and deeply engaging in I&T development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. There are broad opportunities for co-operation between the two places. The Hubei Provincial and Hong Kong governments established the co-operation mechanism in 2021 to promote collaborative development across different areas, particularly in 13 key areas including finance, trade, logistics and technology. He expressed confidence that Hubei and Hong Kong will further deepen co-operation, leverage each other’s strengths, and jointly promote high-quality development.
 
Mr Lee said that Hubei Province possesses rich higher education resources and that a good number of Hong Kong students choose to pursue studies there. He thanked the Hubei Provincial Government for its care and support for Hong Kong young people and said the HKSAR Government will continue to encourage Hong Kong young people to seize the opportunities on the Mainland. The HKSAR Government is accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town and promoting the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. He welcomed more students from Hubei to come to Hong Kong for study and development. Hong Kong will continue to strengthen exchanges and co-operation with Hubei in areas including education and youth development to nurture talent for the country’s development.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 27) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Clay County of the State of Arkansas in the United States (US), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 54 830 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 4.33 million poultry eggs from the US last year.

     “The CFS has contacted the American authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) supported screenings of two Hong Kong movies at the 5th Red Lotus Asian Film Festival, held in Vienna, Austria, from April 23 to 26 (Vienna time).

Speaking ahead of the screening of the opening film “The Shadow’s Edge” on April 25, the Head of Public Relations of HKETO Berlin, Ms Stephanie Pall, highlighted the remarkable achievements of Hong Kong’s creative talents and the Government’s continued commitment to fostering and promoting the film industry on the global stage. She underscored how these efforts have strengthened the international profile of Hong Kong cinema and showcased the exceptional craftsmanship of its filmmakers.

“Hong Kong’s popular culture, spanning film, music and visual arts, offers a compelling insight into a society that is both deeply rooted in tradition and strikingly modern. It is truly inspiring to see how Hong Kong, a city defined by its boundless energy and creativity, continues to gain recognition on the world stage. The Hong Kong Government is firmly committed to sharing its unique cinematic voice with global audiences through international film events.” Ms Pall said.

Following the screening, HKETO Berlin hosted a reception, welcoming guests from the business, cultural, and media sectors, providing an opportunity for exchanges and networking. The festival programme also featured another movie “Montages of a Modern Motherhood” which was screened on April 26.

About HKETO Berlin

HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau sponsored the seventh Design Licensing and Business (DLAB) Support Scheme, organised by the Innovative Entrepreneur Association, to participate in the Hong Kong International Licensing Show 2026 and set up the DLAB Hong Kong Pavilion therein. Running for three days from today (April 27) to April 29, the Hong Kong Pavilion showcases original creations from 39 selected local design companies, with the aim of creating more collaboration opportunities for designers, thereby driving the industrialisation of original design intellectual properties (IPs) and enhancing Hong Kong’s cultural soft power.

The Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ms Vivian Sum, attended the opening ceremony of the Licensing Show this morning and visited the exhibition to explore licensing industry trends. The Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, hosted the DLAB Hong Kong Pavilion Launching Ceremony in the afternoon. Their presence demonstrated the Government’s support for bolstering Hong Kong’s position as the regional IP trading centre. CCIDA has been facilitating collaborative projects involving potential cultural IPs across a range of sectors, including animation and comics, printing and publishing, design, film, and art technology, further propelling the cultural and creative industries as an important driving force for Hong Kong’s economic development.

With professional training, workshops and mentorship by the advisory committee under the DLAB Support Scheme, designers transform Hong Kong’s unique cultural heritage into commercially viable designs, and eventually showcase their creations through the Hong Kong Pavilion to buyers and industry professionals from around the world. In addition, CCIDA earlier sponsored designers to participate in a study mission to the Greater Bay Area (GBA), facilitating collaboration with industry players in the region and enabling expansion into the GBA and the wider Chinese Mainland market.

CCIDA has sponsored the DLAB Support Scheme since 2018 for seven consecutive editions, having supported over 300 local creative enterprises and facilitating over 5 000 business contacts and matching cases in total. For more information on the scheme, please visit www.dlabhk.com.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The phased return of residents to Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po entered its eighth day today, with the reopening of five high-zone floors at Wang Cheong House and 10 middle-zone floors at Wang Tao House.  

Supported by the “one social worker per household” service, 443 residents from 119 households returned to their units – exceeding the 403 individuals initially registered. The Government described the access arrangements as orderly and smooth.  

Residents spent an average of two hours and 32 minutes on-site, from a minimum of 17 minutes to a maximum of three hours and 45 minutes. Approximately 65% of residents completed their visits in under three hours, while 23% stayed for less than two hours and 5% left within an hour. 

Regarding movement, 124 individuals from 60 households made multiple trips to their units. Among them, 74 people from 30 households made one additional trip, 31 people from 17 households made two more, 13 people from nine households made three extra, three people from the same household made four additional, and three people from three households made five more trips.

 

The integrated enquiry counter handled 10 requests for Police assistance today, involving suspected property loss such as watches, jewellery, cash and gold. Officers were immediately deployed to assist with searches, successfully recovering lost property in three cases. 

In two cases, the units concerned were severely damaged and residents believed after investigation that the property might have been destroyed by fire. 

In another three cases, there were no signs of ransacking in the units, and the residents could not provide details on the property concerned. 

The remaining two cases are under further investigation.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee met Governor of Hubei Province Li Dianxun at Government House today to exchange views on deepening co-operation between Hubei and Hong Kong.

Welcoming Mr Li and his delegation to Hong Kong, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is Hubei Province’s largest source of external investment. As of 2025, more than 4,660 Hong Kong-invested projects have been established in the province, reflecting close economic and trade ties between the two places.

Mr Lee emphasised that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantage of having strong support from the motherland and close connection with the world.

He pointed out that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has established the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global to better serve Mainland enterprises, including those from Hubei, in expanding into overseas markets. Hong Kong will continue to play its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” to work with Hubei for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and contribute to the country’s high-quality development.

The Chief Executive highlighted that the National 15th Five-Year Plan clearly supports Hong Kong in developing into an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre and an international hub for high-calibre talent. The Hong Kong SAR Government is making every effort to formulate Hong Kong’s first five-year plan, which will be completed within this year, to better integrate into and serve the country’s overall development.

Hubei Province continues to promote the development of I&T and new industrialisation, while Hong Kong is expediting the development of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, advancing new industrialisation and the digital economy, and deeply engaging in I&T development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Mr Lee also mentioned there are broad opportunities for co-operation between the two places.

Noting that the Hubei Provincial and Hong Kong governments established the co-operation mechanism in 2021 to promote collaborative development across different areas, particularly in 13 key areas including finance, trade, logistics and technology, he expressed confidence that Hubei and Hong Kong will further deepen co-operation, leverage each other’s strengths, and jointly promote high-quality development.

Mr Lee outlined that Hubei Province possesses rich higher education resources and that a good number of Hong Kong students choose to pursue studies there. He thanked the Hubei Provincial Government for its care and support for Hong Kong young people, adding that the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to encourage Hong Kong young people to seize the opportunities on the Mainland.

While the Hong Kong SAR Government is accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town and promoting the “Study in Hong Kong” brand, he welcomed more students from Hubei to come to Hong Kong for study and development. Hong Kong will continue to strengthen exchanges and co-operation with Hubei in areas including education and youth development to nurture talent for the country’s development.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau and Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Janice Tse also attended the meeting.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today met Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs & Development Cooperation Maxime Prévot to discuss deepening co-operation between Hong Kong and Belgium.

Welcoming Mr Prévot and his delegation to Hong Kong, Mr Lee remarked that Belgium is one of Hong Kong’s major trading partners in the European Union, adding that a number of Belgian companies have set up operations in Hong Kong.

He highlighted that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Consulate General of Belgium in Hong Kong, reflecting long-standing exchanges and co-operation between the two places.

Mr Lee outlined that Hong Kong ranks at number one in the world on economic freedom and is the world’s fifth largest merchandise trading entity.

He expressed confidence that Hong Kong and Belgium will further strengthen co-operation and pursue broader collaboration in areas such as investment, innovation and technology (I&T), and people-to-people exchanges.

Mr Lee said Hong Kong firmly supports and upholds free trade and multilateralism, and will continue to deepen international exchanges and co-operation, and expand its global trade network.

He explained that it serves as an important bridge connecting China and the world, and enjoys the unique advantage of enjoying the former’s strong support while being closely connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle.

He also mentioned that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has established a “Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global” and the Economic & Trade Express service platform, among other initiatives, to support its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”.

Mr Lee said overseas enterprises, including those from Belgium, are welcome to leverage Hong Kong’s professional and high value-added services, its market-oriented business environment and its low and simple tax regime, and to use the city as a platform to tap into the Mainland and Asian markets, thereby advancing global economic development.

Furthermore, he commented that the Northern Metropolis is a new engine for Hong Kong’s future economic development, and that the National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly supports accelerating its development.

He added that Hong Kong is building itself into an international I&T centre, not least through the development of the Hong Kong Park area of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (“Hetao Hong Kong Park”), which he said promotes the integration of technological and industrial innovation, and attracts high-end corporations from the Mainland and around the world to Hong Kong.

The Chief Executive urged Belgian I&T enterprises to set up in the NM and the Hetao Hong Kong Park, and to bring in frontier technologies, talent and industrial chains, thereby leveraging Hong Kong’s robust research and development capabilities and vibrant I&T ecosystem to jointly seize development opportunities.

Acting Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan also attended the meeting.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

The European Union and Taiwan hold the eighth Human Rights Consultations

Date：2026-04-27
Data Source：Department of European Affairs

April 27, 2026  
No. 163  

The European Union and Taiwan held the eighth Human Rights Consultations on 24 April in Brussels. 

The frank and constructive consultations provided a valuable platform to update each other on respective human rights situation and review developments in law, policies and actions made over the past year. The EU and Taiwan reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting and protecting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. 

The EU reaffirmed its longstanding opposition to the death penalty, in all cases and all circumstances, and called upon Taiwan to apply a durable de facto moratorium on executions, to guarantee full legal and procedural safeguards and to adopt a consistent and sustained path towards the complete abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan.  

The consultations allowed the EU to address specific human rights issues, such as the need to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers, especially in the fishing industry, and those of domestic workers. The EU and Taiwan also discussed business and human rights, gender equality, digital human rights and media freedom.

The consultations confirmed the importance of promoting, protecting and fulfilling universal human rights and abiding by international human rights norms. 

The EU and Taiwan agreed to continue exchanges and cooperation on human rights, in particular on the issues raised during the consultations.

The meeting was co-chaired on EU side by Ellis Mathews, Head of Human Rights Division and Nicoletta Pusterla, Acting Head of Division for China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Mongolia, and Minister without Portfolio Ming-Hsin Lin for Taiwan.

Ahead of the Human Rights Consultations, on 9 April, the EU held a dedicated meeting with Taiwan civil society organizations on the human rights situation in Taiwan.（E）