Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Brussels ETO promotes Hong Kong’s latest economic opportunities to European business leaders at NHKBA annual summer event
During a seminar at the event, the Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Yung, delivered a presentation highlighting Hong Kong’s continued progress in the innovation and technology sector. Assistant Representative of Brussels ETO Ms Eva Wong also participated in a fireside chat, engaging with the audience on related topics.
Speaking at the networking dinner following the seminar, Ms Yung remarked that Hong Kong has set clear green targets to contribute to a more sustainable future, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. She highlighted a range of initiatives supporting green finance and green innovation, including the issuance of green bonds and tokenised green bonds, the introduction of the Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance, pilot projects for cross-boundary carbon trading settlements, and various forms of support for green technologies. She noted, “With a comprehensive innovation ecosystem, we believe Hong Kong can become a place where green technologies are not only invented, but also commercialised, financed and deployed globally.”
Ms Yung further underlined Hong Kong’s steadfast commitment to free trade and international co-operation, and the growing importance of its roles as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” linking the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world amid an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.
She also introduced the Hong Kong Government’s latest initiatives to support trade and investment, including the “Go Global” initiative, which assists Chinese Mainland enterprises in expanding internationally through Hong Kong, as well as the Economic and Trade Express platform, which brings together the expertise and networks of Hong Kong’s overseas Economic and Trade Offices, Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to strengthen two-way trade and investment promotions through enhanced collaboration.Issued at HKT 20:55
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Committee on AI+ and Industry Development Strategy holds first meeting
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Committee on AI+ and Industry Development Strategy holds first meeting —————
Financial Secretary———————
Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Secretary for Health
Secretary for Environment and Ecology
Commissioner for Digital Policy
Commissioner for Innovation and Technology
Commissioner for Industry (Innovation and Technology)
(Representatives from other relevant bureaux and departments will be invited to attend Committee meetings as and when appropriate)————————
Chairperson of Board of Directors of Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute
Chairperson of Hong Kong Life and Health Technology Research Institute Steering Committee
Chairperson of Board of Directors of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited
Chairperson of Board of Directors of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Chairperson of Board of Directors of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited
Chairperson of Board of Directors of Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute
Chairperson of Hong Kong Productivity Council
Chairperson of Board of Directors of Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute—————————————————————–
Professor Au Kwok-wai Samuel
Professor Chan Kwok-leung
Professor Chiu Wai-yan Philip
Dr Chuang Tzu-hsiung Steve
Dr Kam Chak-pui Jacob
Dr Lam Tzit-yuen David
Dr Lo Kam-wing
Professor Man Kwan
Professor Shum Ho-cheung Anderson
Mrs Tse Annie Yau On-yee
Mr Wang Hua
Professor Yang Hongxia
Mr Yao Cho-fai Andrew
Professor Yu Cheung-hoi
Professor Zhang Fumin
Issued at HKT 19:58
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Advisory Committee on Tax Policy holds first meeting
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Advisory Committee on Tax Policy (ACTP), chaired by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, held its first meeting today (June 29).
At the meeting, members were briefed on and discussed the various preferential policies and measures under Hong Kong’s current tax regime and the relevant measures in this year’s Budget, including preferential policies for promoting investments and development of industries.
Mr Chan said, “Tax policy is a key component of enhancing the competitiveness of an economy. One of Hong Kong’s institutional advantages is our simple and low tax regime. Our tax policy is widely and internationally recognised. For instance, in the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook 2026 published by the International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong’s tax policy has topped the global rankings for two consecutive years. However, in the face of the evolving and increasingly stiff global competitive environment, we must move ahead with the times and continue to enhance our tax policy and create a more facilitating business environment, with a view to attracting more quality enterprises and industry clusters to Hong Kong and supporting the diversified and long-term development of our economy. I am very grateful for members’ participation and support by proactively putting forward valuable insights.”
In the 2026-27 Budget, the Financial Secretary proposed the establishment of the ACTP. The ACTP’s terms of reference are: To advise the Government on tax policy matters, with a view to sustaining and enhancing Hong Kong’s economic development and competitiveness, taking into consideration the evolving global tax environment and Hong Kong’s international tax obligations. Members comprise representatives from the commercial, industrial and professional sectors, as well as relevant government departments. The membership is as follows:
Chairman
———–
Financial Secretary
Ex-officio members
———————-
Deputy Financial Secretary
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Treasury)
Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Government Economist
Head, Budget and Tax Policy Unit
Non-official members (in alphabetical order of surnames)
————————
Mr Roger Barbour
Dr Sunny Chai Ngai-chiu
Ms Agnes Chan Sui-kuen
Mr Alan Chan Chung-yee
Mr Calvin Chan Ka-wai
Mr Pierre Chan Tat-hin
Mr Johannes Hack
Ms Namalee Kodikara
Mr Anthony Lam Sai-ho
Ms Amy Lo Choi-wan
Mr Paul McSheaffrey
Dr Webster Ng Kam-wah
Mr Michael Olesnicky
Mr Ou Xiaoming
Ms Jennifer Tan Yuen-chun
Mr Sunny Tan
Ms Sally Wan Yuen-wai
FSTB and HKMA to further unlock potential of distributed ledger technology in Hong Kong’s fixed income market
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
FSTB and HKMA to further unlock potential of distributed ledger technology in Hong Kong’s fixed income market The FSTB and the HKMA look forward to continued collaboration with various stakeholders in the next phase of the review. In considering potential legal enhancements to further facilitate the use of DLT in the fixed income market, the FSTB and the HKMA will also take reference from, and consider the relevant implications of, the Government’s broader digitalisation initiatives.
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said, “A clear and robust regulatory framework provides a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the digital asset sector. Following the release of the Policy Statement 2.0 on the Development of Digital Assets in Hong Kong (Policy Statement 2.0) last June, this review represents another critical step forward in unlocking the full potential of DLT in our fixed income market. By providing clarifications on DLT record keeping requirements today and exploring further legislative enhancements in the next phase, we are keeping Hong Kong at the forefront of Web3 development and financial innovation.”Issued at HKT 19:45
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Government responds to Ombudsman’s direct investigation report on private man-made slopes
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Government responds to Ombudsman’s direct investigation report on private man-made slopes
There are about 61 000 man-made slopes in Hong Kong, of which about 16 000 are private man-made slopes, and over 6 000 are slopes with mixed maintenance responsibilities (i.e., slopes managed by both the Government and private owners for their respective portions). As noted by the Ombudsman in the report, regular inspection and maintenance of private man-made slopes are the responsibility of the owners, while the Government primarily implements slope management work through three departments. First, the LandsD is responsible for determining maintenance responsibilities. Second, the CEDD conducts safety screening and identifies dangerous slopes. Third, the BD takes enforcement actions to rectify hazards, including issuing Dangerous Hillside Orders for dangerous slopes or executing default works on behalf of owners.
The three departments have taken proactive steps over the past period to execute concrete measures and have so far addressed most of the improvement recommendations in the report. The follow-up actions on the Ombudsman’s major recommendations include:
Clarifying maintenance responsibility early and informing owners proactively
To enable private owners to fulfil their slope maintenance responsibilities as early as possible, the LandsD has implemented various measures to expedite processes, including streamlining determination procedures, enhancing communication and information sharing with relevant departments, setting target processing time for cases of varying complexity, and strengthening the monitoring on consultancy firms. Since the second half of 2025, the determination of maintenance responsibility for man-made slopes newly formed or modified could generally be completed within six months, demonstrating a significant improvement in efficiency. In addition to uploading determination results to the Slope Maintenance Responsibility Information System, the LandsD will notify private owners concerned promptly. For cases already been determined, the LandsD will issue notification letters to private owners concerned by batches, with the first batch expected to be issued by phases starting from the second half of the year.
Enhancing safety screening studies and strengthening owner education and support
Starting from 2025, the CEDD is progressively increasing the number of safety screening studies for private slopes from 100 to 130 per year over a three-year period. The department will also launch the Smart Slope Catalogue within this year. This catalogue integrates records of preventive works, maintenance, rainfall, and landslides, and applies Artificial Intelligence for big data analysis to select slopes for safety screening studies with higher precision. Furthermore, the department will step up public education and technical support for owners. For example, for slopes that are not classified as dangerous after screening studies but show signs of inadequate maintenance, the CEDD will issue advisory letters to owners as appropriate, pointing out specific issues and providing advisory services, including necessary maintenance recommendations, to embody the management philosophy of prevention first.
Accelerating the issuance of repair orders and follow-up on compliance
For cases that are clear in nature and relatively simple, the BD has shortened the target time for issuing repair orders to three months. If a slope is found to pose an imminent danger, the BD will immediately arrange for government contractors to carry out emergency works. To assist owners in complying with repair orders, after issuing a repair order, the BD will proactively arrange site inspections with owners to provide explanations, attend owners’ meetings to offer technical advice, and introduce financial support schemes such as the Building Safety Loan Scheme. These measures ensure that case follow-up would not be a one-way punitive process, but rather a comprehensive approach combining guidance and assistance. For cases where compliance is overdue, the Department has, since the end of last year, used its departmental information system to automatically generate reminder and warning letters, thereby enhancing enforcement efficiency. The BD has also streamlined its prosecution procedures, with internal guidelines clearly stipulating the criteria for further prosecution and target processing time. The Development Bureau has also proposed amendments to the Buildings Ordinance to increase penalties for non-compliance, and plans to submit a bill to the Legislative Council for consideration by the end of this year.
Enhancing mechanism for effective handling of complex cases
The BD has established various committees to monitor the progress of outstanding repair orders and default works carried out on behalf of owners, as well as the performance of consultancy firms and government contractors. The BD is currently exploring ways to optimise the Building Condition Information System to enable classification of complex cases through the system, with progress monitored via regular meetings and various committees. Staff have also been reminded to deploy social worker teams in a timely manner to assist owners in need. The BD will continue to work with the CEDD and LandsD to establish a regular mechanism for information sharing and follow-up, and will discuss follow-up actions at co-ordination meetings. Furthermore, the BD will compile a list of frequently encountered issues and difficulties in complex cases to enhance communication with industry practitioners and improve the efficiency of the approval process.
Accelerating the completion of default works
For cases of non-compliance with no substantive progress, the BD will, while taking prosecution action, arrange default works for slopes with immediate safety risks. Through proactive intervention by the BD, the number of default works cases has significantly increased from 22 in 2023 to 40 in 2024 and 66 in 2025. Over the past five years, default works have been completed for more than 150 repair orders, with full cost recovery from the owners.
Streamlining permission applications for works on government land
For cases where the BD has to enter a government land to carry out default works on private man-made slopes, the LandsD has streamlined procedures by granting the Simplified Temporary Government Land Allocation to the BD by way of block approval, eliminating the need to submit individual applications for each default works project, so that the default works could be carried out as early as possible. Between May 2025 and March 2026, 18 default works projects were accelerated under this measure.
The LandsD is also liaising with the BD to optimise the handling procedures for owners and their appointed professionals to enter government land to carry out works. The LandsD plans to introduce new arrangements, such as providing the application form and guidelines to owners at the time when they have been issued with a Dangerous Hillside Order, so that the repair works on private slopes can be commenced as soon as possible.
Strengthening inter-departmental collaboration
The LandsD has joined the high-level working group and regular meeting mechanisms previously established by the CEDD and BD to strengthen tripartite collaboration, swiftly resolve complex cases and disputes over rights and responsibilities, and ensure that essential slope repairs or emergency works are not delayed by such disputes. The LandsD established a new inter-departmental online platform in December 2025, enabling departments to exchange views in real-time on the content of determination reports after these being uploaded by consultancy firms, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency. The departments will also continue to co-operate with the property management industry. Apart from encouraging property management companies to help owners co-ordinate slope maintenance and comply with Dangerous Hillside Orders, they will organise briefing sessions on technical guidelines, seminars, and exhibitions to strengthen public education and professional support.
The LandsD, CEDD, and BD will continuously review the operation of the entire private man-made slope safety management system, from maintenance responsibility determination to risk screening, and then to enforcement and rectification, strengthening inter-departmental collaboration to elevate the safety level of private man-made slopes and safeguard public safety.
Issued at HKT 21:39
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Lands Department responds to Ombudsman’s direct investigation report on unlawful occupation of government land
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Lands Department responds to Ombudsman’s direct investigation report on unlawful occupation of government land
The LandsD is pleased to note the Ombudsman recognised the Department’s necessary adoption of a “risk-based” approach to prioritise and handle vast amount of unlawful occupation of government land cases according to their urgency. The Ombudsman also noted that the LandsD has successively introduced a series of measures in recent years, such as the incorporation of multiple data integration and analysis functions into a new database system introduced in September 2025.
The LandsD will continue to leverage the use of technology to enhance its enforcement efficiency and proactively detect irregularities, including making use of the Geographic Information System of its Survey and Mapping Office, aerial photographs taken by unmanned aerial vehicles, and robotic dogs to assist in daily inspections and monitoring, thereby enabling early identification of repeated occupation or larger scale unlawful occupation cases.
The LandsD will actively follow up on the recommendations of the Ombudsman to optimise the handling of unlawful occupation of government land and strengthen enforcement actions. These include continuously reviewing the effectiveness of existing guidelines and the database system, exploring the use of technology to improve enforcement efficiency, enhancing training for frontline staff in investigation and evidence collection, and ensuring that the staff understand and fulfil their leading role when co-ordinating departmental efforts in resolving land issues.
Issued at HKT 21:15
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Private slope safety to be enhanced
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Government announced today that the Lands Department (LandsD), the Civil Engineering & Development Department (CEDD) and the Buildings Department (BD) will strengthen safety management with regard to private man-made slopes.
This follows the publication of a report on investigations by the Office of The Ombudsman into the Government’s work in relation to slope maintenance.
In response to the Ombudsman’s observations and recommendations, the Government highlighted that the three departments have already proactively introduced and implemented a number of improvement measures.
They will now further strengthen safety management in relation to private man-made slopes through four approaches, namely determining maintenance responsibility; safety screening; enforcement and rectification; and inter-departmental collaboration.
In terms of clarifying responsibility, the Government stressed that since the second half of 2025 such determinations with regard to newly formed or modified man-made slopes can generally be completed within six months, representing a significant improvement in efficiency.
Going forward, in addition to uploading determination results to the Slope Maintenance Responsibility Information System, the LandsD will notify private owners concerned promptly.
In cases already determined, the LandsD will issue notification letters to private owners concerned in batches, with the first batch expected to be issued in phases starting from the second half of this year.
Regarding safety screening, starting from last year the CEDD has been progressively increasing the number of safety screening studies for private slopes from 100 to 130 per year over a three-year period.
The department will also launch the Smart Slope Catalogue this year. This catalogue integrates records of preventive works, maintenance, rainfall, and landslides, and applies artificial intelligence to analyse data and select slopes for safety screening studies with higher precision.
Furthermore, the department will step up public education and technical support for owners.
Additionally, it will accelerate the issuance of repair orders and follow-up on compliance. For cases that are clear in nature and relatively simple, the BD has shortened the target time for issuing repair orders to three months.
If a slope is found to pose an imminent danger, the BD will immediately arrange for government contractors to carry out emergency works.
To assist owners in complying with repair orders, after issuing a repair order the BD will arrange site inspections with owners to provide explanations, attend owners’ meetings to offer technical advice, and introduce financial support schemes such as the Building Safety Loan Scheme.
The Development Bureau has also proposed amendments to the Buildings Ordinance to increase penalties for non-compliance, and plans to submit a bill to the Legislative Council for consideration by the end of this year.
In addition, the BD is exploring ways to optimise the Building Condition Information System to enable classification of complex cases, with progress being monitored via regular meetings and various committees.
The BD will continue to work with the CEDD and LandsD to establish a regular mechanism for information sharing and follow-up, and will discuss follow-up actions at co-ordination meetings.
Furthermore, the BD will compile a list of frequently encountered issues and difficulties in complex cases to enhance communication with industry practitioners and improve the efficiency of the approval process.
For cases of non-compliance with no substantive progress, the BD will, while taking prosecution action, arrange to carry out default works at slopes which pose immediate safety risks.
Through proactive intervention by the BD, the number of default works cases increased significantly from 22 in 2023 to 40 in 2024 and 66 in 2025. Over the past five years, default works have been completed for more than 150 repair orders, with full cost recovery from the owners.
In addition, the LandsD is liaising with the BD to optimise the handling procedures for owners and their appointed professionals to enter government land to carry out works.
The LandsD plans to introduce new arrangements, such as providing the application form and guidelines to owners when they have been issued with a Dangerous Hillside Order, so that repair works on private slopes can commence as soon as possible.
In terms of strengthening inter-departmental collaboration, the LandsD has joined a high-level working group and regular meeting mechanisms previously established by the CEDD and BD to strengthen tripartite collaboration, swiftly resolve complex cases and disputes over rights and responsibilities, and ensure that essential slope repairs or emergency works are not delayed by such disputes.
The LandsD established a new inter-departmental online platform in December 2025, enabling departments to exchange views in real-time on the content of determination reports after these being uploaded by consultancy firms.
The departments will also continue to co-operate with the property management industry. Besides encouraging property management companies to help owners co-ordinate slope maintenance and comply with Dangerous Hillside Orders, they will organise briefing sessions on technical guidelines, seminars, and exhibitions to strengthen public education and professional support.
Land enforcement to be strengthened
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Lands Department has welcomed the Ombudsman’s review of enforcement actions taken by it and other departments in relation to a case of unlawful occupation of government land in Tin Shui Wai.
It also accepted the recommendations contained in the Ombudsman’s report, which was released today.
The department said it was pleased to note that the Ombudsman recognised the necessity of its adoption of a risk-based approach to prioritising and handling cases of unlawful occupation of government land according to their urgency.
The Ombudsman also noted that the department has introduced a series of measures in recent years. This includes incorporating multiple data integration and analysis functions into a new database system introduced in September last year.
The department said it will continue to leverage technology to enhance its enforcement efficiency and detect irregularities. This includes making use of its Geographic Information System, aerial photographs taken by unmanned aerial vehicles, and robotic dogs in inspections and monitoring, to enable early identification of unlawful occupation.
The department will also follow up on the Ombudsman’s recommendations to optimise its handling of unlawful occupation cases and strengthen enforcement actions.
These include continuously reviewing the effectiveness of existing guidelines and the database system, exploring the use of technology to improve enforcement efficiency, enhancing training for frontline staff in investigations and evidence collection, and ensuring that staff understand and can fulfil their leading role in resolving land issues.
Security TV show set to debut
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Security Bureau today held a launch ceremony for the new TV series “NS-files: Decoded“, which is scheduled to premiere tomorrow to mark the 6th Anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law.
The five-episode documentary series will present details of key national security cases, including those involving Tong Ying-kit, the “Sheep Village” picture books, Tam Tak-chi, the “Returning Valiant” group, and the “Project 35+” subversion campaign.
It will also provide an in-depth analysis of the city’s national security laws and key points from court judgments, with a view to heightening public awareness in safeguarding national security.
The series also aims to strengthen in the community the spirit of knowing, understanding, observing and upholding the law.
Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung said the main idea of the series is to show investigation and evidence-gathering processes and to analyse the court’s verdicts.
He added that the series showcases how anti-China and destabilising offenders were finally brought to justice by law enforcement agencies upholding the rule of law, justice and the city’s national security laws.
Mr Tang said the series will serve as a reminder to the public that national security risks still exist, and that safeguarding national security is a continuous endeavour with no end point. He urged everyone to stay vigilant at all times.
The show will be aired on HOY 78 at 8.15pm every Tuesday starting from tomorrow.
Labour Department highly concerned about fatal work accident that happened in Ho Man Tin today
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened on a construction site in Ho Man Tin this morning (June 29), in which an excavator toppled while lifting a bundle of metal pipes, causing a male worker working nearby to be struck by the falling pipes. He was certified dead later in hospital. The LD is saddened by death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family.
The LD’s spokesman said, “We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending the use of the excavator and lifting operations at the site. The contractors cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that suitable measures to abate the relevant risks have been taken.”
The spokesman added, “We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”
To ensure the safety of lifting operations, the LD reminds employers to conduct a task-specific risk assessment to identify all potential hazards and formulate and implement the related safe lifting procedures, including selecting suitable lifting appliances for operations, assessing stability of lifting appliances during the operations, demarcating and barricading lifting zones and prohibiting any person from entering the zones during lifting operations.
The general duty provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the relevant provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for two years.
In regard to today’s accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its mobile application “OSH 2.0”, website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers’ unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents.
The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees’ compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees’ compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should also co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers.