Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, at the 12th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transportation Ministers’ Meeting in Beijing today (September 22):

Chair, honourable fellow ministers and distinguished delegates,

Good afternoon. On behalf of Hong Kong, China, it is a true pleasure to join you here in Beijing for the 12th APEC Transportation Ministers’ Meeting.

First of all, I wish to express our appreciation to the host for the warm hospitality extended to our delegation. China’s leadership in steering this year’s APEC priorities under the theme “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together” underscores our shared commitment to a more connected, resilient and sustainable region. As an international aviation, maritime and logistics hub, Hong Kong, China has always been a staunch supporter of regional co-operation. We look forward to actively contributing to APEC under the newly restructured Transportation Working Group.

Hong Kong, China fully supports and endorses the Joint Ministerial Statement to be adopted today. We strongly resonate with its forward-looking theme – “Collaboration and Innovation: Shaping a Better Future for Transportation in the Asia-Pacific Region”. We champion our collective commitment to accelerating the digital and intelligent transformation of our transport infrastructure through artificial intelligence (AI), smart mobility solutions and autonomous technologies. We stand ready to work closely with all member economies to translate the practical priorities of this statement into tangible outcomes.

Today, I would like to take this opportunity to share Hong Kong, China’s strategic visions for transport digitalisation. This vision forms a cornerstone of our first five-year development plan for the aviation, maritime and logistics sectors, driving both the commercialisation and internationalisation of smart transport technologies. It also serves as a key catalyst for the high-quality growth initiatives outlined in our 2026 Policy Address.

On road transport, just this February, we rolled out the Transport Strategy Blueprint to drive sustainable urban mobility. A core pillar of this blueprint is fostering a “Well-connected City” by leveraging advanced technology, promoting digitalised traffic management, advancing autonomous driving and opening transport data to the public. Central to this effort is our new Traffic Management Platform. Powered by big data and AI, this platform predicts traffic changes, detects bottlenecks before they happen, formulates instant emergency plans and disseminates real-time information directly to commuters and transport operators alike.

We are also putting a lot of energy into autonomous vehicles (AVs), a critical piece of the smart mobility puzzle. We are facilitating this transition holistically through policy support, regulatory adaptation and financial backing. This July, we achieved a landmark milestone when one of our projects commenced fully driverless robotaxi trials on mixed-traffic public roads, marking a historic first for a right-hand-drive market.

Moving forward, we will begin accepting applications from AV operators for commercial operations later this year. Looking slightly further ahead, we will expand our autonomous driving footprint along the Hong Kong Section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2027, marking a pioneering, cross-boundary application scenario taking place on an expressway.

Beyond autonomous driving, we are formulating a roadmap for the automation of our port to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong as an international maritime centre. We have also launched a Port Community System this January to digitally integrate trade and capital flows across sea, land and air networks. This platform serves as a powerful bridge, enabling Hong Kong to foster closer port-to-port collaboration with other global gateways. By expanding our digital network, we aim to grow our ecosystem and accelerate the development of our high-value-added aviation, maritime and logistics sectors, leveraging blockchain technology to record trusted cargo data that underpins trade financing.

No single economy can navigate the fast-paced digital transition alone. Hong Kong, China stands ready to work hand-in-hand with all APEC member economies. Together, let us unlock the full potential of AI to build an Asia-Pacific transport network that is smarter, safer, more sustainable and highly resilient.

Thank you very much.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Transport Department (TD) today (September 22) announced that the auction of vehicle registration marks will be held on October 3 (Saturday) at Meeting Room S221, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     “A total of 100 personalised vehicle registration marks (PVRMs) will be put up for public auction in the morning session, and 220 traditional vehicle registration marks (TVRMs) will be put up for auction in the afternoon session. The lists of marks have been uploaded to the department’s website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html　　
     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the physical auction should take note of the following points:(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque payable to “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” or “The Government of the HKSAR”. Any bidder who wishes to bid for both TVRMs and PVRMs on the same day, should bring along at least two crossed cheques for payment of auction prices (for an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed). Successful bidders may also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS), but are reminded to note the maximum transfer amount in the same day of the payment card. Payment by post-dated cheque, cash, credit card or other methods will not be accepted.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to attend the 8th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Conference on Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine held in Macao today (September 22) to have in-depth exchanges on the inheritance and innovation, talent cultivation, and industry transformation of Chinese medicine (CM) with the Vice Minister of the National Health Commission and Commissioner of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mr Liu Jinfeng, and health officials from the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Guangdong Province and cities in the GBA, as well as experts and representatives from the CM sectors.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Professor Lo elaborated on the direction of advancing the development of CM set out in the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) (Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan) and the 2026 Policy Address recently announced by the Chief Executive. He said, “The National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly proposes advancing the inheritance and innovation of CM and promoting CM to go global. Hong Kong is proactively aligning with the overall national development, and the Chief Executive has proposed in Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan to promote comprehensive, high-quality, and high-standard development of CM; to make good use of CM to provide Hong Kong citizens with higher-quality and more comprehensive healthcare services for better health outcomes by inheriting the wisdom of CM and leveraging our country’s development experience and resources; and to strive to establish Hong Kong as a bridgehead for the global expansion of CM by participating in developing international CM standards with a view to extending the benefits of Chinese medicine services and products to more countries.”

The two flagship institutions for CM development, namely The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI), which commenced services last year, enhance Hong Kong’s role in promoting collaboration in the GBA and the country’s high-quality development of CM, as well as in serving as a bridgehead for CM’s global expansion. Professor Lo added, “The 2026 Policy Address sets out a number of initiatives, including the launch of 24-hour in-patient services at CMHHK starting from the end of this year, the establishment of the International Consortium of Herb-Drug Interaction, the continued development of the Hospital Authority’s integrated Chinese-Western Medicine services, and the sponsoring of regional and international CM conferences and exhibitions, signifying more breakthroughs and opportunities ahead for the development of CM in Hong Kong.”

The Hong Kong SAR Government will progressively implement various initiatives under the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint in accordance with the guiding principles of Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan, contributing its utmost efforts to promote the inheritance, innovation and development of CM.

The Conference was co-organised by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau of Guangdong Province, the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government (HHB) and the Health Bureau of the Macao SAR Government. Representatives from Hong Kong took part in the plenary forum, as well as the keynote session and roundtable discussion of parallel forums, introducing to attendees the latest developments in areas such as CM policy development, CM regulation and standard setting, clinical CM practices, and the integrated Chinese-Western medicine services in Hong Kong, along with the latest progress of CMHHK and the GCMTI.

Members of the Hong Kong delegation included the Controller of Regulatory Affairs of the Department of Health, Dr Fung Ying; the Project Director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office of the HHB, Dr Cheung Wai-lun; and the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Libby Lee. The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Wong Kwai-huen, and the Hospital Chief Executive of CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, also joined the delegation for the Conference.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The nomination period for the 2026 Election Committee Subsector (ECSS) Ordinary Elections will run from October 7 (Wednesday) until October 20 (Tuesday). The numbers of members of the Election Committee (EC) to be elected by each of the subsectors were gazetted and uploaded to the election website (www.elections.gov.hk) today (September 22). If the number of validly nominated candidates for an EC subsector exceeds the number of EC members to be elected by that subsector, a poll will be held on November 22.

     A spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) said, “A person nominated as a candidate (a nominated person) must be a registered geographical constituency elector aged 18 or above, who is a registered voter for the relevant subsector or has a substantial connection with that subsector. Details on the eligibility and disqualification in regard to nomination as a candidate and being elected as an EC member, as well as the requirements to be complied with by persons nominated as candidates, are set out in sections 17, 17A, 18, 18A, 19 and 20 of the Schedule to the Chief Executive Election Ordinance (Cap. 569).

     “The nomination form must be subscribed by at least five voters registered for the subsector concerned. Each voter may subscribe multiple nominations regarding a particular subsector but the number of candidates that each voter can nominate should not exceed the number of EC members to be elected by that subsector. In the case of a corporate voter, the subscription of the nomination form may only be effected by the corporate voter’s authorised representative,” the spokesman said.

     The Electoral Affairs Commission has appointed Returning Officers to receive nomination forms and to handle other electoral matters for their respective subsectors. The notice for the appointment of Returning Officers, with their office addresses, was also gazetted today and uploaded to the election website.

     The nomination forms may be obtained during ordinary business hours from 9am to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays and from 9am to noon on Saturdays (except public holidays) beginning today at the two offices of the REO (8/F, Treasury Building, 3 Tonkin Street West, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, and Unit 2301-03, 23/F, Millennium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon), or the offices of the Returning Officers of the relevant subsectors. The nomination forms may also be obtained from any of the District Offices during their operation hours, or downloaded from the election website.

     A nominated person must submit the completed nomination form and an election deposit of $1,000 in person to the respective Returning Officers during the abovementioned ordinary business hours (except public holidays) within the nomination period. The spokesman reminded nominated persons that they should lodge the election deposit by the Faster Payment System (FPS) as far as possible, or by cash and cashier orders, to avoid any complications arising from a cheque not being honoured.

     “Nominated persons are advised to submit their nomination forms as early as possible to allow time to correct mistakes, if any, in the forms before the end of nomination period,” the spokesman added.

     Separately, nominated persons must, in accordance with the requirements of the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, complete and return the Eligibility Review Supplementary Information Form (SIF). The SIF can be downloaded from the election website, and nominated persons are advised to complete the SIF electronically and submit the completed SIF by email to cerc_secretariat@cerc.gov.hk. Nominated persons should submit their SIFs as soon as possible and no later than 5pm on October 20 to facilitate prompt processing.

     Copies of the nomination forms of respective subsectors are available for public inspection at the offices of the Returning Officers during ordinary business hours after the start of the nomination period. Members of the public may also inspect copies of all the nomination forms at the REO office in Kwun Tong.

     For enquiries, please call the election hotline at 2891 1001.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

​Today (September 22) is World Marrow Donor Day. The Bone Marrow Donor Award Ceremony 2026, organised by the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry of the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS), was held recently on September 19, recognising 53 enthusiastic bone marrow donors for their selfless contributions. The BTS calls on more citizens to join in saving lives by registering for bone marrow donation, enabling more patients to receive a second chance at life.

     The ceremony was officiated by the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan; the Deputy Director of Health of Macao, Dr Cheang Seng-ip; the Chairman of the Hospital Governing Committee of the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service and the Governing Sub-committee of the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Mr Ignatius Chan; the Chairperson of Hong Kong Red Cross, Dr Lau Chor-chiu; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Marrow Match Foundation, Professor Chiu Tsang Hok-wan.

Dr Fan expressed the sincerest gratitude to all donors on behalf of the patients in her opening remarks. Dr Fan said, “Bone marrow donors have willingly extended a helping hand to patients, influencing lives with their own lives. This act of kindness transcends geographical boundaries and exemplifies the spirit of selfless dedication. I hope more members of the public will register as bone marrow donors, giving more patients in need a chance to recover.”

A first meeting between a pair of bone marrow recipient and donor was arranged at the ceremony for sharing their genuine experiences of donation and bone marrow transplantation. The recipient, Ms Tse, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2023. After experiencing recurrent unstable conditions, she sought an unrelated bone marrow donation through the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry in 2024, and received a bone marrow donation from Mr Liu in April 2024. She expressed her special gratitude to the donor, Mr Liu, saying, “I am very grateful to him for giving me the hope of a new life!”

Mr Liu, who belongs to Generation Z, is a regular blood donor who registered as a bone marrow donor during his university years. He recalled that upon receiving a notification of a bone marrow match, he fully appreciated that was a precious opportunity ordained by fate and immediately agreed without hesitation to lend a helping hand, ultimately succeeding in saving Ms Tse’s life.

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) of donor and recipient must be highly or completely matched for a successful transplantation. “The BTS helped patients requiring unrelated transplantation search for any potentially matched donor in the database. In general, the chance of finding a matching unrelated donor is about one in five thousand to one in ten thousand only. The odds will be even less than one in one hundred thousand for patients who have rare HLA type,” the Chief Executive and Medical Director of the BTS, Dr Lee Cheuk-kwong added. He hoped to see more young people register as bone marrow donor to increase the chance for finding a matched donor for patients.

The world’s first Chinese-based unrelated bone marrow donor registry was founded in Hong Kong in 1991. As of June this year, over 193 000 people in Hong Kong have registered as voluntary bone marrow donors, successfully finding suitable haematopoietic stem cells for transplantation for 1 259 local and 142 overseas patients.

Members of the public aged between 18 and 45 and in good health condition can register for bone marrow donation at any blood donor centre. The simple registration process includes completing a registration form, followed by a health screening and taking blood samples for laboratory tests. For information on bone marrow donation, please call 2710 1206 or visit the website at www.ha.org.hk/rcbts.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region