Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee and his wife Janet Lee today officiated at a reception hosted by the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau and the Women’s Commission in celebration of International Women’s Day 2026.

Citing the remarks made by President Xi Jinping at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing in 2025, Mr Lee stated that women play an important role in creating, promoting and carrying forward human civilisation, and the international community has a shared responsibility to advance the cause of women.

With the nation’s support and a widening global vision, women in Hong Kong have been able to pursue their dreams and realise their full potential, Mr Lee added, emphasising that women’s talent and determination are essential to the city’s continuing success.

Recognising the hard work and contributions of women, he expressed hope that women would continue to illuminate the city with their clarity, inclusivity, resilience, and grace.

Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak, also at the reception, said that the current-term Government attaches great importance to women’s development.

The bureau has been working closely with the Women’s Commission to implement initiatives such as launching the Women Empowerment Fund, establishing the Women Affairs Team and the Commissioner for Women Affairs, organising the Hong Kong Family & Women Development Summit, launching the Family & Women Information Portal, and rolling out the “She Inspires” Mentorship Programme — all aimed at supporting women in balancing both their careers and family.

Miss Mak said: “The bureau will continue to take forward relevant work in response to the four proposals put forward by President Xi Jinping at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing in 2025 to jointly foster an enabling environment, jointly cultivate development momentum, jointly develop governance framework, and jointly promote collaboration between all parties, so as to create more opportunities for the high-quality development of the women’s cause.”

Additionally, the bureau will hold the second Hong Kong Family & Women Development Summit on March 31, with a view to promoting the spirit of the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing. The summit will bring together stakeholders from across society to explore ways to advance family and women development in Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Rachel Yeung is currently employed as an Assistant Quantity Survey Officer at a construction company. Her role, which she says is mainly clerical and desk-based, is focused on handling contracts.

Recounting her entry into the construction industry, she explained that she was laid off from a trading company a few years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouraged by friends who worked in construction, she saw the opportunity to make a career change and enrolled in an Advanced Diploma in Quantity Surveying at the Institute of Construction.

Unique strengths

“Previously, I thought the construction industry only involved engineering, which I perceived as a male-dominated field,” she reflected. “However, after entering, I have discovered many female colleagues – in quantity surveying, in engineering teams, and even among architects – and this number is likely to continue growing.”

Elaborating on the attributes women bring to bear, she added: “Women in the industry demonstrate remarkable patience and meticulousness in handling paperwork. Given that construction involves not only hands-on work but also managing numerous backup documents, women truly excel in this area.”

Rachel’s perspective is shared by Nicole Chan, who is currently studying a building services supervision course. She believes that men and women each possess unique strengths.

“I think the biggest difference between women and men lies in physical strength” she said. “While women may be slightly less physically strong, I maintain a regular exercise routine. Additionally, women often excel in attentiveness and the ability to notice specific details. This creates a wonderful balance, with each gender complementing the other perfectly.”

In recent years, there has been a clear uptick in the numbers of women entering the construction industry. According to figures from the Census & Statistics Department, in the fourth quarter of 2025 women accounted for approximately 13% of those employed in construction, up from under 8% two decades ago.

Industrial transformation

Construction Industry Council Executive Director Albert Cheng commented that the construction industry has shifted away from being primarily focused on manual work and labour-intensive jobs.

“In the past, working on-site required a lot of strength and effort. Now we apply a lot of technologies so the workers do not need to spend a lot of effort. Some of the trade now, the workers need only to control robotics, and maybe use some technologies, like building information modelling or artificial intelligence for site management and control. I think because of a change of the nature of the work, a lot of females would like to join this industry.”

He also highlighted the rising proportion of female students attending the Institute of Construction. This grew from 11% of the total number of students in the 2024-25 academic year to about 17% in the current academic year. Last year, the institute launched a flexible training course that better enables students to balance family and career development. With over 150 female applicants enrolling in the course, this is helping to inject new energy into the industry.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Department of Justice today held the Rule of Law Education (ROLE) Ambassador award ceremony and sharing session under the ROLE Stars Train-the-Leaders (TTL) Programme, conferring the title of ROLE Ambassador to 40 trainees.

Delivering his opening remarks, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said that today marked an important milestone of the TTL Programme, as the 40 ambassadors are the first batch of trainees who completed all the training courses under the TTL Programme since it was launched in November 2023.

Mr Lam emphasised that the key to maintaining Hong Kong’s sound rule of law environment is to cultivate public understanding of the principles of the rule of law and to enhance the public’s basic understanding of the city’s common law system. He encouraged the ambassadors to become dedicated advocates for promoting the rule of law in Hong Kong by passing on the knowledge and experience they gained from the TTL Programme in ways that are appropriate to their respective capacities and positions.

At the event, four trainees shared their thoughts and experience of becoming ROLE Ambassadors. They said the courses had deepened their knowledge of the rule of law and boosted their confidence in disseminating such messages. They added that they had concrete plans to promote correct information about the rule of law and cultivate the spirit of respecting the rule of law in schools and the community.

Mr Lam, Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, Chairperson of SideBySide Executive Committee Poon Siu-tung and Under Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Clarence Leung presented the certificates and badges of ROLE Ambassadors to commend the trainees’ completion of all the courses under the TTL Programme and their efforts in promoting the rule of law in the community.

The qualification of ROLE Ambassador is valid for two years, which aims to encourage ambassadors to continue to participate in the Department of Justice’s rule of law education activities and to actively organise rule of law promotion activities during the period in order to obtain a renewal.

As at end-2025, a total of about 380 trainees participated in the TTL Programme, among which 40 have been qualified as the first batch of ROLE Ambassadors under the TTL Programme.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

A man and a woman were sentenced to four months’ imprisonment and two months’ imprisonment respectively by the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (March 6) for dealing with duty-not-paid cigarettes, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO). 
 
Customs officers intercepted a 64-year-old man for inspection at the Chung Ying Street Checkpoint in Sha Tau Kok on February 8. Upon inspection, a total of 3 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes were seized from plastic bags placed on the bike’s baskets and the shoulder bag carried by the man, with an estimated market value of about $15,000 and a duty potential of about $9,900. He was subsequently arrested. The man was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment by the Courts today.
 
In addition, Customs officers intercepted a 43-year-old woman at the same Checkpoint yesterday (March 5). Upon inspection, a total of 4 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes were seized from shopping bags placed on the bike’s baskets and the handbag carried by the woman, with an estimated market value of about $20,000 and a duty potential of about $13,200. She was subsequently arrested. The woman was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment by the Courts today.
 
Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences. 
 
Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.   
 
Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form ((eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/). 
 

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

President Lai presides over seventh meeting of Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee   
On the afternoon of March 5, President Lai Ching-te presided over the seventh meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. In his opening statement, the president said that the government will promote a four-year national pharmaceutical resilience preparedness program. He said that it will allocate a budget of NT$24 billion, and the program will focus on three areas: domestic production for domestic use, smart regulation, and international partnerships to comprehensively build a line of defense for Taiwan’s pharmaceutical supply, from source production to clinical use.
President Lai said that the government will focus on three core strategies: self-sufficiency and strengthening local supply resilience, smart technology and improved monitoring and dispatching, and boosting industrial momentum and driving a trillion-NT-dollar economy. The president emphasized that national resilience must be built collectively across all levels, adding that pharmaceutical resilience is a crucial element of whole-of-society defense resilience and a key support for realizing the Healthy Taiwan vision. He expressed hope for coordinated efforts and joint promotion by the government and private sector so that we can build a healthy, safe, and highly resilient Taiwan.
A translation of President Lai’s opening statement follows:
I am delighted that we are gathered here again so soon after the Lunar New Year holiday to discuss national health policy together. First, I would like to wish everyone a belated happy Lunar New Year, and peace, good health, and happiness for you and your families.
I also want to thank the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) for significantly reducing public demand for emergency medical services during the Lunar New Year period through four major strategies: early response, patient triage , capacity expansion, and strengthening regional care networks. I would also like to thank the healthcare personnel who manned the frontlines nationwide so that the public could still enjoy stable medical services over the holiday . That was a concrete demonstration of medical resilience.
At today’s meeting, we will discuss in-depth a key issue related to whole-of-society defense resilience, namely our national pharmaceutical resilience preparedness program .
In recent years, due to drastic geopolitical changes, the restructuring of the economic and trade order, and challenges posed by climate change and pandemics, global pharmaceutical supply chains are facing vulnerability risks such as single-sourcing and concentration. The United States, European Union, Japan, and other countries have all raised the issue of drug supply stability to the same level as economic security and national security, actively promoting production reshoring and maintaining strategic reserves of essential pharmaceuticals.
In particular, Taiwan is heavily reliant on imports for pharmaceuticals and medical devices , and some items are even subject to foreign hostile forces . In addition, considerations of major international pharmaceutical firms such as transportation, industry strategy, and market scale present significant challenges to the stability of Taiwan’s pharmaceutical supply. I have therefore instructed the Executive Yuan to invite the MOHW and other relevant ministries and agencies to jointly plan a four-year national pharmaceutical resilience preparedness program.
The government will allocate a budget of NT$24 billion, and the program will focus on three areas: domestic production for domestic use, smart allocation, and international partnerships to comprehensively build a line of defense for Taiwan’s pharmaceutical supply, from source production to clinical use.
On that foundation, we will focus on three core strategies:
First, self-sufficiency and strengthening local supply resilience: We will promote the domestic production of at least 50 key pharmaceuticals. Through policy subsidies, market guidance, and National Health Insurance reimbursement incentives, we will drive the domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and self-reliance in biopharmaceutical s. We will also establish a national team to ensure the resilience of key pharmaceutical supplies. This is especially crucial in emergency situations so that Taiwan can maintain the most basic medical capabilities.
Second, smart technology and improved monitoring and dispatching: We will establish a national-level Pharmaceutical Intelligent Logistics and Storage Center (PILLS Center) , which will introduce a smart monitoring system to provide precise early warnings on the supply and demand of medications, and improve both horizontal and vertical dispatching mechanisms.
Third, boosting industrial momentum and driving a trillion-NT-dollar economy: This is not just a plan to safeguard health and ensure national security, but also an opportunity to promote the upgrading of the biomedical industry. We want to make Taiwan an indispensable partner in global supply chains for biomedical products and medical devices, transforming the enhancement of pharmaceutical resilience into industrial momentum leading to a Healthy Taiwan.
National resilience must be built collectively across all levels. Pharmaceutical resilience is a crucial element of whole-of-society defense resilience and a key support for realizing the Healthy Taiwan vision. It urgently requires coordinated efforts and joint promotion by the government and private sector.
I am very pleased to see that Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee operations continue to foster integration across disciplines and specialties. At the beginning of this year, with the cooperation of the MOHW and Ministry of Environment (MOENV), the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee and the National Climate Change Committee convened a joint meeting for the first time, formally incorporating health issues into the core of national climate governance. As for today’s meeting, there is active participation in whole-of-society defense resilience cooperation and initiatives. 
I want to thank the MOENV, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Ministry of Finance (MOF), and Nuclear Safety Commission  (NSC) for attending this meeting for the first time, and the MOHW team for their preparations, as well as all the advisors and committee members for their participation. Let’s keep working hard together to improve the health of our citizens and make our biomedical industry more resilient so that we can jointly build a healthy, safe, and highly resilient Taiwan. 
Following his statement, President Lai heard a report on the progress of certain items listed in the sixth committee meeting from Executive Secretary and MOHW Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) and reports on the national pharmaceutical resilience preparedness program  delivered in succession by MOHW Deputy Minister Lin Ching-yi  (林靜儀), MOEA Deputy Minister Ho  Chin-tsang (何晉滄), NSC Chairperson Chen Min-jen (陳明真), MOENV Deputy Minister Hsieh Yein-rui (謝燕儒), and MOF Minister Chuang Tsui-yun (莊翠雲). Afterward, President Lai exchanged views with the committee members regarding the content of the reports.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee tasked with establishing the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI (artificial intelligence).

Mr Lam emphasised that the Government must take the lead in modernising Hong Kong’s laws to create a facilitative and properly controlled legal environment for AI development in the city. He added that a prompt review is necessary to ensure Hong Kong’s legal framework remains up to date.

The proposed legal framework is expected to help the city harness AI’s benefits while protecting the interests of all affected stakeholders.

Mr Lam noted that the Government must take a proactive approach to managing the risks and regulatory requirements arising from AI development.

He said it is essential to strike a balance between promoting innovation and mitigating associated risks.

Therefore, policy bureaus and departments (B/Ds) should first conduct comprehensive and thorough reviews of existing laws to identify loopholes and deficiencies, and then formulate targeted and practicable solutions that take Hong Kong’s actual environment into account, Mr Lam added.

Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung, Acting Secretary for Environment & Ecology Diane Wong, Permanent Secretaries and Under Secretaries of various policy bureaus, as well as heads and representatives of other government departments attended the meeting.

The participants at the meeting discussed the purpose of the Working Group and its mode of operation under the superintendence of the Steering Committee.

The core members of the Working Group will be drawn from various B/Ds.

The role of the Department of Justice (DoJ) is to help each bureau remain focused on conducting a critical review of the areas of law under their policy responsibility.

After a preliminary study, the DoJ will co-ordinate different B/Ds during the course of the substantive review by the Working Group.

Noting that the establishment of the Working Group would be essential to address issues arising from the rapid development and use of AI, Mr Lam called on all B/Ds, including the Judiciary Administration, the Administration Wing and the Digital Policy Office, to lend their full support.  

The DoJ’s establishment of the Working Group is one of the key policy initiatives in the Policy Address.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today alerted the public to fraudulent emails and SMS messages purportedly issued by the department.

These emails ask recipients to settle outstanding payments by clicking a hyperlink to a website that is not the WSD’s official address. The department clarified it did not send the messages and stressed that it will not direct customers to other websites via embedded links or ask for credit card information.

The department’s official website is www.wsd.gov.hk while all eBill-related emails to its customers are sent from customer_services@wsd.gov.hk or ccbs_no_reply@ccbs.wsd.gov.hk.

Additionally, all SMS messages issued by the department will include the prefix “#” in the SMS Sender ID for easy identification.

The department recommends that customers access their account information by logging into the Electronic Services Account through the official website or by logging into the department’s integrated “eWater” mobile app to access their account details and make payments.

Anyone who has provided personal information to suspected websites should contact Police. Call 2824 5000 for enquiries.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region