Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the “Partnering for Success – Hong Kong as a ‘Super Connector’ and ‘Super Value-adder'” High-level Business Luncheon in Qatar today (May 12):

Honourable Ambassador Cao Xiaolin (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the State of Qatar), Your Excellency Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari (Minister of Finance of Qatar), Your Excellency Mohammed (Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar, Mr Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Malki), Your Excellency Sheikh Khalifa (Chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani), Your Excellency Sheikh Ali (Chief Executive Officer of Investment Promotion Agency Qatar, Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al Thani), Your Excellency Sheikh Faisal (Chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends from Qatar, 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Government today (May 12) commences a public consultation on updating Hong Kong’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP). The two-month consultation period will end on July 11.
 
     The Government is committed to conserving Hong Kong’s natural heritage, safeguarding biodiversity and achieving sustainable development. To complement the country’s implementation of the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity, the Government launched the first phase of the BSAP in 2016, proposing a total of 67 specific measures in four main areas. With the concerted efforts of various sectors of the community, stakeholders and the Government, the first phase of the BSAP has achieved fruitful outcomes.

     A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said, “Biodiversity is an integral part of our daily lives and is intricately linked to the prosperity of our city and the well-being and quality of life of our citizens. Hong Kong has extraordinary biodiversity relative to a city of its size. To strike a balance between meeting development needs and conserving biodiversity, all sectors of the community should work together to ensure sustainable development.”

     To update the strategic areas and actions for the next phase of the BSAP, the Government launched a public consultation today to gather views from various sectors of the community. Taking into account the latest global and national biodiversity initiatives, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2030), local circumstances and conditions, and views received during the consultation period, the Government will complete updating the BSAP later this year to step up the work on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, and to support the latest global and national initiatives.
 
     The consultation document proposes four strategic areas:
 
(1) Nature conservation: Building on years of dedicated efforts and the implementation of the first phase of the BSAP, the Government has already implemented numerous conservation measures. The Government proposes to continue implementing nature conservation measures to ensure the preservation of healthy ecosystems, for example, by exploring the implementation of area-based conservation measures, restoring degraded or declining habitats, and strengthening the protection of species of concern;

(2) Deepening mainstreaming: The first phase of the BSAP has raised the awareness of biodiversity across society. The Government proposes to further promote the adoption of biodiversity-friendly practices across all sectors of society, for example, through mobilising resources to support the sustainable use and conservation of natural resources, encouraging various sectors to leverage biodiversity opportunities, supporting communities to develop stewardship responsibilities towards nature, etc, with a view to building a prosperous city that coexists harmoniously with nature;

(3) Capacity building: The Government has continued to invest in biodiversity-related knowledge products and research projects, including the establishment of the Hong Kong Biodiversity Information Hub and setting up various funding schemes. The Government proposes to continue to strategically invest resources in promoting research and nurturing talent, for example, by enabling innovative and high-quality research, promoting knowledge transfer and talent development, strengthening institutions to support capacity building, etc, for enhancing individual and collective capacities and empowering everyone to actively contribute to the conservation of biodiversity; and

(4) Collaborative partnering: Hong Kong has a unique set of strengths, including international talent, a diverse cultural environment and close connections with international networks. The Government proposes to foster a culture of collaboration to extend the benefits of nature conservation to broader communities, for example, by jointly taking actions with cross-boundary and international partners, promoting exchange of experience and information on various fronts, encouraging cross-disciplinary collaborations, etc.

     The consultation document can be downloaded from the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/Con_hkbsap/updating_bs
ap/updating_bsap.html). Members of the public can send in their views on or before July 11 by email (bsap@afcd.gov.hk), by post (Biodiversity Conservation Division, AFCD, 5/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong), or by fax (2314 2802).
 
     The Government will also invite organisations from relevant sectors during the consultation period to attend the consultation sessions to collect views.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun today attended the Seventh Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting (HRDMM) in Jeju, South Korea, delivering speeches at two plenaries.

 

Adopting the theme “Sustainable Labour Markets and Jobs for the Future”, the HRDMM is aimed at promoting reforms to facilitate a flexible, inclusive, and resilient labour market.

 

In a keynote speech at this morning’s plenary, themed “Flexible & Vibrant Labour Market”, Mr Sun said that to address the challenges posed by the emergence of the so-called platform economy, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has long been committed to protecting platform workers. He elaborated that this includes exploring measures for strengthen protections through a liaison group comprising representatives of the Government, platform companies and labour organisations.

 

According to a Thematic Household Survey conducted by the Hong Kong SAR Government, he added, platform workers are most concerned about work injury compensation. The Hong Kong SAR Government will introduce a proposal this year on ways to further enhance the rights and benefits of platform workers.

 

Mr Sun also briefed his audience on various initiatives implemented by the Hong Kong SAR Government to unleash the full potential of the labour force. These include the Re-employment Allowance Pilot Scheme, which launched last year, and the enhanced Employment Programme for the Elderly & Middle-aged.

 

During the afternoon plenary, themed “Responding to Future Jobs & Active Labour Market Policies”, Mr Sun gave a presentation on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s manpower policies and talent attraction measures.

 

He stressed that the main aim of these policies and measures is to nurture local talent while also attracting complementary outside talent, in order to enrich the local talent pool in ways that meet local social and economic development needs.

 

Mr Sun outlined Hong Kong’s multi-pronged strategy of training and retraining, including the establishment of two universities of applied sciences, as well as efforts to enhance employees’ professional skills through the Vocational Training Council.

 

He also spoke of the array of measures rolled out by the Hong Kong SAR Government to attract talent proactively and aggressively, and gave an account of how Hong Kong can leverage its unique advantages of enjoying the strong support at a national level while being closely connected to the world, in order to fulfill its role as an international hub for high-calibre talent.

 

Upon his arrival in Jeju yesterday, Mr Sun met Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Steven Sim, who is also attending the HRDMM. He said he was delighted to meet Mr Sim again following a visit to Kuala Lumpur in mid-April.

 

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on matters including how to strengthen the local workforce, occupational safety and health, improving the rights of platform workers, and ways to enhance vocational training and employee retraining with a view to alleviating manpower shortages.

 

Later, Mr Sun held a bilateral meeting with the Republic of Korea’s Acting Minister of Employment & Labor Kim Min Seok, during which they discussed various topics including foreign domestic helpers and the importation of labour.

 

Mr Sun briefed Mr Kim on the manpower shortages encountered by Hong Kong due to its ageing population, which he explained has resulted in a need for the city to continue attracting outside talent and labour as appropriate.

 

Mr Sun will conclude his engagements tomorrow morning, before returning to Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, and the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, at a media session after attending a joint meeting of the Panel on Security and the Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services this afternoon (May 12):
 
Reporter: The first question is regarding the timing of the Security Law. It was passed five years ago, and the (Article) 55 had never been used. Why does the Government choose this time to push this subsidiary bill? Is it related to ongoing trade wars or ongoing or future court cases regarding the Security Law? The second question was asked before. It’s about the time frame of the bill. It was mentioned that it will be done as soon as possible, but is there an exact time frame for the whole bill? And are there any future arrangements to plug the current loophole in the Security Law?
 
Secretary for Justice: Your first question concerned why we pick this point of time to make subsidiary legislation pursuant to the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. I think the answer is twofold. Firstly, as a matter of principle, it’s very important for us to bear in mind that the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) is under a constitutional duty to refine and perfect our national security legal system as well as its enforcement mechanism. And it has to be emphasised that this is a continuing duty. And in the light of the nature of this duty, it goes without saying that this important duty ought to be discharged as soon as possible.
 
The second point is that as a matter of practice, there’s no doubt whatsoever that in the light of the very complicated geopolitical situation in the world, and having regard to actual hostile actions taken by some foreign countries against China and also Hong Kong, there’s plainly a need to ensure that our national security legal system will be perfected and will be put in place so that we can be in a position to address all present and potential national security risks in an effective and proper manner.
 
As to exactly when the subsidiary legislation will come into existence, as we said, we will do so, in particular after hearing opinions and advice raised by members of the Legislative Council. We will try to complete our task as soon as possible. We will definitely let the public know once in a position to do so. And lastly, as to your last point, since we are under a continuing duty to refine and perfect our national security legal system, it must mean that we have to review the legal regime continuously. So in future, whenever we see the need to do so, we will definitely consider the possibility of making subsidiary legislation or to improve our system by whatever means within the boundary of the law.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.) 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Housing Bureau organised the “Construction Robots for Housing – RoboPaint Master Competition x Arena of Construction Robots” today to promote the adoption of industry technologies and advance public housing developments into a new era of smart construction.

 

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho said that the application of construction robots not only boosts productivity and quality but also creates a safer and healthier working environment for frontline workers.

 

“This advancement elevates the technological standards and professional image of the industry, making it more appealing to young professionals.”

 

Ms Ho cited a recent case of a public housing project which demonstrates that collaborative painting robot systems can enhance the efficiency of indoor painting works by over 50% and improve works quality.

 

In a public housing project with a standard floor comprising 24 units, traditional methods require eight skilled workers for wall finishing, while only two operators are needed when using a robotics system, she added.

 

A jury panel comprising Ms Ho and representatives from the Institution of Engineers, the Institute of Architects, the Construction Industry Council and industry experts evaluated the entries in the RoboPaint Master Competition.

 

The results of the competition revealed that Bright Dream (HK) Construction Technology and Weibuild Technology HK won the Grand Award. While Fangshi Technology Company and Fulltime Robotics Company earned First Runner-up, HONGKONG DAFANG AI CO. secured Second Runner-up.

 

The judging criteria encompassed technical performance, efficiency and productivity, quality of painting and safety.

 

In addition to displaying an autonomous small unmanned aircraft for scanning, the event also showcased six types of robots with potential applications in public housing construction. They included a rebar-tying robot, a floor-tiling robot, a steel frame-cutting robot, a six-metre tall three-in-one wall-painting robot, and a concrete internal wall-grinding robot.

 

The bureau explained that it plans to host a series of events as part of its Housing•I&T initiative. While today’s event is the first highlight of the initiative, the other events will include a housing construction robot design competition for secondary school students in September and an international summit in November, aimed at fostering the development of a construction technology market.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region