Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at a dinner reception co-hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden in Stockholm, Sweden today (May 11, Stockholm time):
 
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening. It is a pleasure to join you here in Stockholm. Home to more than 40 unicorns, from global music icons like Spotify, to the creators of mobile games like Candy Crush Saga, Sweden has shown to the world how innovation has been a story of connection. Hong Kong believes in the same.
 
     Hong Kong and Sweden are both open economies with a global outlook. We invest in people, education and scientific excellence. In today’s world, we are witnessing the convergence of major trends such as the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) and digitalisation, and the reshaping of global supply chain. Hong Kong is determined to seize the opportunities these trends bring.
 
     I&T (innovation and technology) are at the heart of Hong Kong’s economic future. Our I&T Blueprint, promulgated in 2022, sets out a coherent and forward-looking strategy to develop Hong Kong into an international I&T centre, with a focus on life and health technologies, AI and robotics, as well as advanced manufacturing and new energy.
 
     In recent years, Hong Kong has established an I&T ecosystem anchored by three major I&T Parks and five key research and development (R&D) institutions. Through this framework, we hope to promote the positive interaction of research and development in the upstream, technology transfer in the midstream, as well as application and development of industries in the downstream.
 
     Hong Kong is home to five of the world’s top 100 universities. Our academic excellence and research capability are among our greatest assets. To leverage our strengths and foster global I&T collaboration, our flagship R&D initiative, InnoHK, has built collaboration with more than 30 world-renowned universities and research institutes from 12 economies, including Sweden. Together, we have set up a total of 38 research centres under three clusters focusing on the research on health technologies, AI and robotics, and sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, pooling together more than 3 000 international research talents. We are proud to have Karolinska Institutet as a key collaborating partner in two of these centres, demonstrating the synergy between Swedish scientific excellence and Hong Kong’s research strengths.
 
     We are also making bold and strategic investment in I&T infrastructure. The most exciting development is the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Hong Kong Park).
 
     Opened last December, the Hong Kong Park will become a world‑class hub for frontier research, technology translation, and pilot production. What makes it unique is its cross-boundary model combining Hong Kong’s robust R&D capabilities and international openness with Shenzhen’s industrial depth and manufacturing power. This is a perfect destination for Swedish companies that hope to tab into the vast Mainland market while at the same time enjoying the various convenience of doing business in Hong Kong – our low and simply tax system, free flow of capital, our common law system – to name but a few.
 
     Here in Sweden which is a global leader in life sciences and health technology, let me share with you all that Hong Kong is establishing the Life and Health Research Institute with a focus on “AI and Life Sciences” in the Hong Kong Park. This Institute will leverage Hong Kong’s R&D strengths in life and health technology supplemented by artificial intelligence, attract leading global innovation and technology talents and research teams to Hong Kong. We hope to achieve more original results and pioneering breakthroughs, and accelerate the transformation of research outcomes, so as to allow Hong Kong to contribute to the health and well-being of humanity worldwide. On this, we very much welcome Swedish researchers, start-ups and enterprises to join this new Institute for more regional and global I&T collaboration.
 
     AI is reshaping industries worldwide. Sweden has developed its national AI Strategy, and so has Hong Kong. Putting forward our national AI+ initiative, Hong Kong is focusing on “strengthening infrastructure and promoting the application-oriented approach” to drive AI across multiple dimensions. The Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute will commence operation later this year. The Institute welcomes international collaboration including joint labs, researcher exchanges, and co‑development of AI governance frameworks, an area where Nordic countries are global leaders.
 
     Our digital infrastructure is also expanding rapidly. The Sandy Ridge Data Facility Cluster, now under construction, will provide 180 000 PFLOPS (peta-floating point operations per second) of computing power by 2032. It will serve as a secure, efficient international data hub that supports digital innovation and AI-related industries.
 
     Hong Kong is also making use of market forces to develop our strategic technology industries. For example, we will soon launch a HK$10 billion funds-of-funds called the I&T Industry-Oriented Fund, approximately 11.9 billion Swedish kronor, to encourage market capital to invest in strategic industries. By selecting eligible professional fund managers to set up sub-funds, we hope to channel more market capital to invest in I&T industries and support the development of emerging and future industries of strategic importance to Hong Kong. We very much welcome capital from Sweden to join us on this exciting venture.
 
     We are happy to see that our dedication to I&T has come to fruition. In the Global Innovation Index 2025 Ranking of World’s Top 100 Innovation Clusters by World Intellectual Property Organisation, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster ranked first globally for the first time. In the 2025 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking published by the International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong ranked fourth globally. We also witnessed a record high of 5 200 start-ups in Hong Kong—an increase of around 40 per cent compared with five years ago. Over the past few years, we have also facilitated more than 600 leading I&T or high potential enterprises to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong, including international names like AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
 
     Ladies and Gentlemen, Hong Kong is always open to global talent and ideas and will continue to play our role as a “super connector” and “super value‑adder” at an international level. As we look ahead, I am confident that the ties between Hong Kong and Sweden will continue to deepen and I look forward to the many possibilities we will create together.
 
     May I thank the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London for organising this reception. I wish everyone an enjoyable evening. Thank you.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Lands Department announced today (May 12) that the tender for a site, Tseung Kwan O Town Lot No. 137 at Po Hong Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, has been awarded to the highest tenderer, Sinopec (Hong Kong) Petrol Filling Station Company Limited (parent company: Sinopec (Hong Kong) Petroleum Holding Company Limited), on a 12-year land grant at a premium of $36,386,000. The site has an area of about 2 640 square metres for electric vehicle charging station purposes.

The tenderers, other than the successful tenderer, in alphabetical order, with the name of the parent company where provided by the tenderer in brackets, were:

(1) AX Xeco Limited; and
(2) Shell Hong Kong Limited.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (May 12) the results of the Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for April 2026.
 
The current diffusion index (DI) on business receipts amongst SMEs decreased from 44.3 in March 2026 in the contractionary zone to 44.0 in April 2026, whereas the one-month’s ahead (i.e. May 2026) outlook DI on business receipts was 47.5. Analysed by sector, the current DIs on business receipts for some surveyed sectors dropped in April 2026 as compared with previous month, particularly for the restaurants (from 40.6 to 38.1), import and export trades (from 46.3 to 45.4) and wholesale trade (from 42.2 to 41.3).

The current DI on new orders for the import and export trades decreased from 46.8 in March 2026 to 46.1 in April 2026, whereas the outlook DI on new orders in one month’s time (i.e. May 2026) was 47.9.
 
Commentary
 
A Government spokesman said that business sentiment amongst SMEs was still cautious in April amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, but the situation stabilised somewhat. While the current diffusion index on business receipts for SMEs fell slightly from the preceding month, the outlook diffusion index rose back. Meanwhile, the overall employment situation remained generally steady.
 
Looking ahead, the evolving Middle East conflict remains a key source of uncertainty for local business sentiment, but sustained growth of the Hong Kong economy will provide support. The Government has taken targeted measures to ease the impact from high fuel costs and assist SMEs in navigating the fast-changing market environment, and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
 
Further information
 
The Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises aims to provide a quick reference, with minimum time lag, for assessing the short-term business situation faced by SMEs. SMEs covered in this survey refer to companies with fewer than 50 persons engaged. Respondents were asked to exclude seasonal fluctuations in reporting their views. Based on the views collected from the survey, a set of diffusion indices (including current and outlook diffusion indices) is compiled. A reading above 50 indicates that the business condition is generally favourable, whereas that below 50 indicates otherwise. As for statistics on the business prospects of prominent companies in Hong Kong, users may refer to the publication entitled “Report on Quarterly Business Tendency Survey” released by the C&SD.
 
The results of the survey should be interpreted with care. The survey solicits feedback from a panel sample of about 600 SMEs each month and the survey findings are thus subject to sample size constraint. Views collected from the survey refer only to those of respondents on their own companies rather than those on the respective sectors they are engaged in. Besides, in this type of opinion survey on expected business situation, the views collected in the survey are affected by the events in the community occurring around the time of enumeration, and it is difficult to establish precisely the extent to which respondents’ perception of the business situation accords with the underlying trends. For this survey, main bulk of the data were collected around the last week of the reference month.
 
More detailed statistics are given in the “Report on Monthly Survey on the Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080015&scode=300).
 
Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact Industrial Production Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7246; email: sme-survey@censtatd.gov.hk).

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Lands Department today announced that the tender for a site at Po Hong Road, Tseung Kwan O has been awarded on a 12-year land grant at a premium of $36,386,000.

Tseung Kwan O Town Lot No. 137 was awarded to Sinopec (Hong Kong) Petrol Filling Station Company, a subsidiary of Sinopec (Hong Kong) Petroleum Holding Company.

It has a site area of about 2,640 sq m and is designated for electric vehicle charging station purposes.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

On the morning of May 12, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. In remarks, President Lai stated that Taiwan and Wyoming have built a strong cooperative relationship in agriculture and education, and that in recent years, they have explored new opportunities for collaboration in such areas as the economy, trade, energy, and technology. The president said that Taiwan anticipates both sides continuing to leverage their respective industrial advantages and bolster collaboration while working hand in hand to build more secure and resilient democratic supply chains. Together, he said, we can make even greater contributions to Taiwan-United States relations, as well as to global prosperity and development.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
This is Governor Gordon’s second time leading a delegation to Taiwan, with his first visit being in April last year. This demonstrates the great importance he attaches to Taiwan and shows that our partnership continues to deepen. I want to thank him for staunchly supporting exchanges between Taiwan and Wyoming since he took office in 2019. This has allowed both sides to build a strong cooperative relationship in such fields as agriculture and education. Many Taiwanese students are also pursuing education in Wyoming, further deepening the connections between our people and cultures.
In recent years, we have explored new opportunities for collaboration in such areas as the economy, trade, energy, and technology. For example, last year, the Wyoming Energy Authority and the Taiwan Association of Quantum Computing and Information Technology signed an MOU on jointly promoting the development of quantum technology. During Governor Gordon’s current visit, the University of Wyoming has signed research MOUs with Taiwan’s National Central University and National Atomic Research Institute, as well as a letter of intent with our Industrial Technology Research Institute. This further strengthens our cooperation in forward-looking technologies and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) as we work together to drive the net-zero transition and technological innovation. All of these developments clearly demonstrate the achievements of our joint efforts.
At present, we face supply chain restructuring and the challenges brought about by the AI era. Energy security and industrial resilience have thus become important issues of global concern. Wyoming’s strengths in critical minerals and low-carbon technology make it an indispensable partner in Taiwan’s transition. Going forward, we anticipate continuing to leverage our respective industrial advantages and bolster collaboration as we work hand in hand to build more secure and resilient democratic supply chains.
Additionally, Taiwan became the fourth largest trading partner of the US last year. I would like to thank the Wyoming State Legislature for passing resolutions in support of Taiwan for four consecutive years since 2023. These have backed Taiwan’s international participation and endorsed the signing of a Taiwan-US bilateral trade agreement.
This year, Taiwan and the US completed negotiations and signed the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and an MOU on investment. We also held the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue and signed the Joint Statement on the Pax Silica Declaration and Taiwan-US Economic Security Cooperation. Through the signing of a bilateral agreement for the avoidance of double taxation, we hope to further expand economic and trade cooperation and create win-win outcomes.
In closing, I would like to once again welcome Governor Gordon and the delegation. I am confident that with your support, Taiwan and Wyoming will continue to increase cooperation. Together, we can make even greater contributions to Taiwan-US relations, as well as to global prosperity and development. 
Governor Gordon then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for taking time from his busy schedule to meet with the delegation and for the opportunity to meet with top officials from the Taiwanese government. He then stated that it has been an honor to be in Taiwan as well as to continue the work that Taiwan and Wyoming been doing together in honoring their historic relationships.
The governor indicated that on this visit, both sides have had a very eventful opportunity to talk about CCUS. He stated that we now have the opportunity to lead the world in this area, and that the willing partnership of Taiwan and Wyoming can demonstrate the economic viability and importance of reaching net zero. Governor Gordon further remarked that we live in a very interesting time where both the opportunities and the challenges before us have never been greater. He said that in friendship, we can advance the right ways of doing things to make sure that we leave this world a better place.
Governor Gordon continued on to say that with the agreements the two sides have signed, and through technologies like CCUS and small modular nuclear reactors, we can provide tremendous energy that will help power the AI revolution, which is very important to meet. He said that Wyoming is also eager to be able to supply natural gas and other energy materials to help the Taiwanese economy, and that they look forward to economic cooperation to be able to build infrastructure in the US.
Governor Gordon stated that as friends, Taiwan and Wyoming share many similarities. The people of Wyoming are entrepreneurial in spirit and hardworking, he said, just as the people of Taiwan are. He also remarked that they love small business, which is why Wyoming enjoys economic cooperation with Taiwan. The governor closed his remarks by stating that it is wonderful to be with friends, to see a beautiful horizon, and to know there is work to do, saying that together, we can accomplish much.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs today (May 11) detected two suspected cases of illegal importing of animals at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point. Six suspected illegally imported live cats with a total estimated market value of about $60,000 were seized.
 
Customs officers today intercepted a 59-year-old incoming male passenger and a 41-year-old incoming female passenger at the Arrival Hall of the Control Point. Upon examination, three live cats were seized from each of their rucksacks, and they were subsequently arrested. The cases were handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for follow-up investigation.
 
Customs reminds the public that importing animals into Hong Kong without a valid permit is an offence.
 
Under the Rabies Regulation, any person found guilty of illegally importing animals, carcasses or animal products is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for one year.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 11) that due to suspension of water supply resulting from water pipe burst in the vicinity, Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool in Southern District has been temporarily closed until further notice.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region