Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
　　
     Ballots were separately drawn today (July 10) for the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA)’s Sale of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats 2025 (HOS 2025), Sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) Flats 2025 (GSH 2025) and White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) 2025 (WSM 2025). The Chairman of the HA’s Subsidised Housing Committee, Professor Stephen Cheung, officiated at the ballot drawings.
 
     To streamline application arrangements for the convenience of applicants, HOS 2025, GSH 2025 and WSM 2025 were launched together. During the application period, the HA received a total of around 104 000, 31 000 and 48 000 applications for HOS 2025, GSH 2025 and WSM 2025 respectively, among which over 65 per cent of applicants applied for two schemes at the same time through the streamlined application arrangements (See Annex).
 
Extra ballot numbers to help young people and repeated unsuccessful applicants achieve homeownership

     “It is the first time the HA has allocated an extra ballot number to young family applicants and young one-person applicants aged below 40 with White Form (WF) status who opted to join the Youth Scheme (HOS). Approximately 54 000 relevant applications for HOS 2025 have been allocated an extra ballot number,” a spokesman for the HA said.

     “Following the first implementation in GSH 2024, the HA continues to allocate an extra ballot number in HOS 2025 and GSH 2025 to applicants who failed to purchase a subsidised sales flat (SSF) in the last two consecutive sale exercises of the same type of SSF, with the aim of increasing their chances of successfully purchasing SSFs. HOS and GSH will be counted separately. Approximately 20 000 applications and 10 000 applications for HOS 2025 and GSH 2025 have been allocated an extra ballot number respectively,” the spokesman said.
 
Same-day online announcement of ballot results

     The ballot drawings separately conducted today determine the applicants’ priority sequence for HOS 2025, GSH 2025 and WSM 2025 based on the last two digits of their application numbers and the extra ballot numbers (if any). For applicants holding the same drawn digits within each application categories, their order of priority will be randomly generated by computer according to the ballot results. The flat selection order for applicants under HOS 2025 and GSH 2025 with extra ballot numbers will be determined by the ballot number with higher priority according to the ballot results.
 
     The ballot results have been uploaded to the HA/Housing Department (HD)’s designated websites for HOS 2025 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/hos/2025), GSH 2025 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/gsh/2025) and WSM 2025 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/wsm/2025). Applicants who have submitted online applications will receive email notifications of the ballot results following the ballot drawing ceremony.
 
     The randomly generated order of all applications will be uploaded to the designated website and displayed at the HA Customer Service Centre in Lok Fu and the office of the HA’s GSH Sales Unit in Kwun Tong this afternoon. It will also be displayed from July 13 at all Estate offices and District Tenancy Management Offices of the HA, rental estate offices of the Hong Kong Housing Society and the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres. Applicants may call the HA Sales Hotline 2712 8000 for enquiries.
 
     The HA will, in accordance with the order of priority, issue letters/emails (for applicants who submitted online applications and opted to receive electronic notifications) to invite WF applicants and applicants holding a valid Green Form Certificate to submit the income and asset declaration form and supporting documents within a specified period for detailed vetting to ascertain whether individual applicants meet the eligibility criteria for the respective application category and the final priority for flat selection of eligible applicants.
 
Eligible applicants to be notified by mail regarding flat selection commencing from the second half of the year

     “For HOS 2025 and WSM 2025, flat selection is expected to commence from the fourth quarter and the third/fourth quarter of this year respectively. By then, the HA will send notifications in batches to invite eligible applicants according to their priority in the application category to select flats for sale at sales offices. For WSM 2025, approval letters for successful applicants are expected to be issued in the fourth quarter of this year for their applications for the Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase,” the spokesman said.
 
Supply of almost 8 000 flats in six projects with diverse locations and flat types

     The flats for sale under HOS 2025 and GSH 2025 offer a diverse range of choices, ensuring that young families, first-time homebuyers, and applicants seeking to improve their living environment can purchase a flat that suits their needs.
 
     HOS 2025 includes about 7 000 flats in five new HOS developments located in Kai Tak, Kam Tin, Tseung Kwan O, Ping Shan and Tung Chung, with saleable areas ranging from about 26.1 square metres to about 52.0 sq m (about 281 square feet to about 560 sq ft).
 
     GSH 2025 includes over 800 flats from the new GSH development, Shing Chi Court, in Kowloon Bay with saleable areas ranging from about 26.0 sq m to about 43.6 sq m (about 280 sq ft to about 469 sq ft). In addition, a new batch of recovered Tenants Purchase Scheme flats will be offered for sale under GSH 2025.
 
WSM quota amounting to 7 000 with nearly 30 per cent allocated to young applicants

     The HA further increases the quota by 1 000 to 7 000 starting from WSM 2025, of which nearly 30 per cent (a total of 2 000 quotas) are allocated to young applicants aged below 40, while the remaining 5 000 are ordinary quotas. The allocation ratio for family and one-person applicants remains at 9:1, and any unused family quotas will be reallocated to one-person applicants and vice versa.
 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

From July to September, the Government will put up for tender one small to medium-scale residential site, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn announced today.

The site is located at Fat Kwong Street in Ho Man Tin and can provide around 250 flats. Originally zoned for “Government, Institution or Community” use, it has been rezoned for residential use.

Ms Linn commented that the site is situated in a mature neighbourhood with comprehensive surrounding facilities and a nearby MTR station, making it attractive to the market.  

She added that the Government will require the site’s eventual developer to allocate a small portion of the floor area for social welfare facilities.

Elsewhere, three residential sites located in the large-scale land disposal pilot area in the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area, for which the tender closed on July 3, are expected to provide around 3,120 flats in total. 

Aside from government land sales, residential land supply in the second quarter of 2026-27 will include the MTR Corporation’s Tuen Mun A16 Station (Package 2) development project, which will have capacity to supply around 5,510 flats.

Additionally, the Urban Renewal Authority’s Bailey Street/Chi Kiang Street project in Hong Hum was launched on July 3 and will provide around 1,220 flats.

Separately, in terms of private development and redevelopment, three projects are expected to complete lease modification procedures in the second quarter, providing a total supply of around 90 flats.

Taking all sources of land supply into account, the total private housing land supply in the second quarter of this financial year will support the development of around 10,190 units in total.

Ms Linn said: “Together with the supply from the first quarter, the total private housing land supply of the first half of this financial year is expected to support some 12,430 units, which is very close to the annual target of private housing supply for this financial year (12,600 units).

“The supply target for the financial year is likely to be achieved shortly because of the need for the Government to spearhead development in the Northern Metropolis or railway property development projects in a timely manner, taking into account the overall land and infrastructure development strategy.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Housing Authority today drew ballots for three subsidised housing schemes to determine sequences of priority for applicants.

The ballots covered the Sale of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats 2025, the Sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) Flats 2025, and the White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) 2025. The three schemes were launched together to streamline application arrangements.

The authority received about 104,000 applications for HOS 2025, 31,000 for GSH 2025, and 48,000 for WSM 2025. Over 65% of applicants applied for two schemes concurrently.

For the first time, the authority allocated an extra ballot number to young family and one-person applicants aged below 40 who have White Form status and opted to join the Youth Scheme (HOS). About 54,000 applications under HOS 2025 benefited from this new arrangement.

The authority also continued to allocate an extra ballot number under HOS 2025 and GSH 2025 to repeat applicants to boost their purchasing chances.

The arrangement applies to those who were unsuccessful in buying a flat during the preceding two consecutive sales exercises in the corresponding category. About 20,000 HOS and 10,000 GSH applications benefited from the measure.

Adhering to the established priority order, the authority will invite applicants to submit an income and asset declaration form, alongside supporting documents, within a specified timeframe to verify their eligibility and final priority for flat selection.

Flat selection for HOS 2025 and WSM 2025 is slated to commence in the fourth quarter, and the third or fourth quarter of this year, respectively. The authority will dispatch notifications in batches to invite eligible applicants, according to their category priority, to select flats at sales offices.

For WSM 2025, approval letters are expected to be issued to successful applicants in the fourth quarter of this year to facilitate their subsequent applications for the Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase.

Ballot results are available on the designated websites for HOS 2025, GSH 2025 and WSM 2025.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Housing Bureau today awarded the operation and management contract for the Light Public Housing (LPH) project at Tsing Fat Street in Tuen Mun to the China Overseas Property Services Limited – Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Joint Venture, at tender sums of about $180.67 million.

The project will provide about 4,200 units, with tenant intake anticipated in the third quarter of this year. It involves a supermarket, convenience stores, catering facilities, launderettes, a fresh provisions shop, a hair salon, an activity room, a public transport terminus and a promenade.

The Housing Bureau said it will supervise the operating organisation in carrying out pre-management works in order to ensure the smooth handling of LPH applications and intake matters, and to provide various services for the local community upon intake.

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho said: “With the experience of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals in the LPH operation and management, together with China Overseas Property Services Limited’s solid property management experience in public rental housing, we are confident that they are capable of bringing significant improvement to the lives of about 4,200 units of families who will be moving into the LPH.”

To date, eight out of 13 LPH projects have already been completed, providing about 19,130 units. Among these, 9,650 units had achieved full intake by the first quarter of this year.

“We expect that about 10,670 more LPH units will be completed within 2026, while the remaining small batch of about 200 LPH units will also be completed in early 2027, gradually moving towards the target proposed by the Chief Executive in the 2022 Policy Address of completing the construction of about 30,000 LPH units before 2027-28,” Ms Ho added.

About 41,600 applications for LPH housing have been received as at early July.

Call 3464 0700 or send an email for enquiries.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The inaugural LEAP East 2026 technology exhibition concludes today, with exhibitors noting that the event has provided a premier platform for innovation and technology firms to expand overseas. Held at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, LEAP East 2026 brought together 450 exhibitors and over 35,000 visitors from 30 countries and regions.

A Mainland exhibitor highlighted that LEAP East maintains deep ties to the Middle East. Its debut in Hong Kong is expected to attract government organisations, investors and buyers from the region and across the globe.

With the exhibition set to run in Hong Kong for the next three years, the exhibitor said this long-term commitment serves as a valuable gateway to global markets while allowing local start-ups massive exposure.

Among the participants was a Hong Kong-based start-up that specialises in robotic automation solutions and collaboration platforms. Founded about six years ago, the firm seek to leverage the platform to scale its business internationally.

Founder San Wong said that the domestic market is limited in scale and he hoped to leverage the exhibition to tap into international markets, particularly the Middle East.

“LEAP is an exhibition that is very focused on the Middle East,” Mr Wong said. “A couple of years back, we had a client from Germany and they were actually running oil infrastructure in the Middle East. They saw that we had some products that could help robots automate the process,” he explained.

He added that his company was still in the research and development phase at the time and lacked the finalised product. “Now, after we have the product ready, we feel like we are more ready to have international deployment in the Middle East and other countries. We are very excited to reconnect with the whole Middle East region through our product,” he said.

Source: Government of Singapore

More resources for future cohorts of YES Leaders Programme 

10 July 2026 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) celebrated the graduation of the third cohort of the YOUth for Environmental Sustainability (YES) Leaders Programme (LP) today, joined by the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Grace Fu, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Goh Hanyan. Ms Fu congratulated the 28 YES Leaders from eight different Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) on completing their year-long programme and welcomed the incoming YES LP cohort. She also announced a 20 per cent increase in project grants to enable future cohorts to go further in their environmental initiatives.

Nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards

2.     Over the past year, the 28 YES Leaders spearheaded 15 initiatives [1] , ranging from bridging knowledge gaps and lowering barriers to adopting sustainable habits, to practical solutions addressing various waste streams, all tailored to the needs of their respective communities. NEA will be working with the YES Leaders to explore potential next steps for their projects. Some of this cohort’s initiatives are:

• Eco-blanket – Led by Wang Yiling, Soh Jia Yun, and Yeo Charmaine from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West, the project collected over 15 kg of used textiles through ITE’s recycling corner, the Brickland community, repurposing them into blankets for individuals in need. Through sewing workshops, Green Ambassador Club student volunteers gained practical skills while helping to reduce textile waste and making a tangible difference to those needing support.
• Ecologic: Circuit Cycle –- Led by Lim Xingmin, Kathy Anne from LASALLE College of the Arts, the project uses a visually-driven card game to help players rethink their relationship with e-waste. Tracing the life cycle of electronic devices from manufacture to disposal, players make decisions on repair, reuse, and recycling, discovering how everyday choices impact the environment. Designed for younger audiences, the project transforms a complex issue into an engaging, interactive learning experience.
• Plastics to Possibilities: Recycle Waste to Worth –- Led by James Wang from the National University of Singapore (NUS), this project offers a proof of concept for recycling polypropylene, one of the least-recycled plastics globally, by converting discarded polypropylene laboratory plastic boxes into 3D printing filament for NUS robotics and design projects. As such plastic waste is commonly sent to landfills due to high cost of recycling and upcycling, the project creates a circular solution by returning the filament to the laboratories that generated it. In doing so, it diverts plastic from landfill while supporting scientific research, demonstrating that sustainability and scientific innovation can advance together.
• Wear Your Waste –- Led by Sohana Khatun from Temasek Polytechnic, this project transforms coffee grounds and post-consumer plastics into handcrafted wearables through upcycling workshops for persons with disabilities and special needs. Delivered in partnership with social service agencies, hospitality companies, green groups, and schools, the workshops promote creative waste repurposing while fostering practical skills and environmental awareness. By bringing together partners across sectors, the project shows that sustainability can be both inclusive and community driven.

More offerings for future cohorts

3.        The fourth cohort of 40 YES Leaders also commenced their journey today, embarking on a year-long programme of learning, mentorship, and community engagement, with support from NEA and their Advisors. 

4.        To further strengthen the programme for the fourth cohort and beyond, the YES Advisors Network [2] will be expanded this year with the appointment of four new advisors, namely Carlo Charles, Ernest Goh, Preston Wong, and Tan Shi Zhou. All four are past recipients of NEA’s EcoFriend Award, with experience spanning innovation-driven start-ups and impact-focused social enterprises, in areas such as sustainable materials, circular economy solutions, food waste reduction, and arts-based approaches to environmental advocacy. Their appointment broadens the range of expertise within the advisory community, bringing technical depth and fresh perspectives to the network.

5.       Poject grants under the YES Leaders Programme will also be increased by 20 per cent, from $5,000 to $6,000, starting from the fourth cohort. The enhancement reflects the potential and creativity of the participants and will enable them to pursue more ambitious environmental initiatives, including stronger prototype development, broader outreach, and more meaningful community impact.

Launch of the YES Festival

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA response to Japan and EU reiterating importance of peace and stability across Taiwan Strait at third EU-Japan Strategic Dialogue

March 27, 2026High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union Kaja Kallas and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi jointly held the third EU-Japan Strategic Dialogue in France on March 26. During the talks, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They also expressed strong opposition to any unilateral attempts in the East China Sea and South China Sea aimed at changing the status quo by force or coercion, as well as to increased tensions that could undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order.Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung welcomes and appreciates the fact that the European Union, the Group of Seven, and other like-minded partners continue to express concern over peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that Taiwan will continue to work with all democratic partners to jointly defend the international rules-based order and staunchly safeguard peace, stability, prosperity, and development across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region