Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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CE meets Hainan official

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today met Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee Feng Fei at Government House to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Hainan.

Welcoming Mr Feng, who is leading a delegation to the city to attend the 10th Belt & Road Summit, Mr Lee noted that the signing of the “Hainan Provincial People’s Government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Memorandum of Cooperation” in March further strengthened co-operation between the two places.

The memorandum covers five areas of in-depth collaboration, namely trade and investment, finance, safe and orderly flow of data, tourism, and talent exchanges.

Mr Lee also said Hainan and Hong Kong are both key links under the Belt & Road Initiative. This year marks the customs closure operation and further opening of the Hainan Free Trade Port, actively achieving a high level of opening up and high-quality development, and the two places can fully leverage their collaborative potential, jointly serving as a functional platform and contributing to the Belt & Road Initiative.

The Chief Executive welcomed and thanked the Hainan Provincial People’s Government for leveraging Hong Kong’s advantages as an international financial centre and a platform for offshore renminbi debt products, jointly contributing to the Belt-Road initiative.

He also highlighted that the Hainan Provincial People’s Government is the first provincial government of the Mainland to utilise Hong Kong’s financing platform and professional services to issue bonds.

Mr Lee said the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to actively play its bridging role, deepening exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Hainan in various areas such as economy and trade, tourism, and talent, achieving complementarities and mutual benefits, and contributing to the country’s high-quality development.

Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Carol Yip also attended the meeting.

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LegCo Secretariat releases Policy Pulse on “Expanding global economic and trade network”

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LegCo Secretariat releases Policy Pulse on “Expanding global economic and trade network” 
     The Policy Pulse provides an overview of Hong Kong’s latest developments as an international trade centre under the support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan. It highlights Hong Kong’s unique advantages in economic and trade, demonstrating how the city leverages its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” to continuously expand the economic and trade network, while also summarising relevant discussions in LegCo.
 
     The Policy Pulse points out that, with its four “success factors”, namely free trade policies, world-class infrastructure, the common law system and sound rule of law, as well as the institutional strengths of “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong becomes one of the world’s most competitive trading hubs. The SAR Government has also been adopting a multipronged approach to expand Hong Kong’s global economic and trade network.
 
     The publication highlights Hong Kong’s active expansion of trade and investment agreements network, having signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with 21 economies and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPAs) with 33 economies, with negotiations on an IPPA with Qatar largely concluded. LegCo Members urge the Government to strive to forge FTAs and IPPAs with more economies, with particular focus on emerging markets in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Middle East, while supporting Hong Kong enterprises in market expansion to Latin America.
 
     The Policy Pulse also introduces the SAR Government’s proactive efforts to join the world’s largest FTA – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – with the goal of reducing international trade costs and barriers. It points out that Hong Kong’s accession to RCEP will help deepen trade ties among RCEP members, assisting them in participating in the B&R Initiative and facilitating their access to the Mainland market. LegCo has been actively rallying support from various parties for Hong Kong’s early accession to RCEP. For instance, the President of LegCo led duty visits to three ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore) and Japan respectively, and met with Consuls-General in Hong Kong and parliamentarians from various countries to explain how Hong Kong’s accession to RCEP would be conducive to achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes. Members also suggest that the Government should focus on promoting related supporting industries that can benefit from RCEP when planning the Northern Metropolis.
 
     Furthermore, the Policy Pulse details multiple initiatives by the SAR Government to attract enterprises and investment, including the development of a multinational supply chain management centre, attracting Mainland enterprises to set up international or regional headquarters in Hong Kong to manage offshore trade and supply chains, and supporting Mainland enterprises in “going global”. Through the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), Hong Kong’s access to the Mainland’s goods and services markets has further opened up, enhancing the attractiveness of Hong Kong to overseas investors, and positioning Hong Kong as a perfect springboard for Mainland enterprises to “go global”. The Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to CEPA Agreement on Trade in Services signed last year further facilitates Hong Kong service suppliers in establishing and developing businesses on the Mainland.
 
     The Policy Pulse notes that the B&R Initiative is a far-reaching national development strategy. Leveraging Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages, the city has become the prime functional platform for the B&R Initiative. The SAR Government has been proactively expanding presence in emerging markets, with recent key initiatives including the Chief Executive’s visit to the Middle East to strengthen economic and trade ties, the expansion of Hong Kong’s global office network particularly in emerging markets, and the enhancement of the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales to assist enterprises in developing non-local markets.
 
     The Policy Pulse summarises various recommendations made by Members for expanding Hong Kong’s global economic and trade network. These include comprehensively co-ordinating and strengthening efforts in attracting enterprises and investment; reviewing and enhancing the division of responsibilities and functions among relevant government departments and public organisations to avoid duplication of resources; establishing sound industry and supply chains to assist enterprises in “going global and attracting foreign investment”; formulating and promoting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area standards in more different areas, with a view to assisting Hong Kong businesses in utilising the preferential measures under CEPA to tap into the Mainland market; encouraging local airlines to operate more international flights between Hong Kong and Middle East cities in order to facilitate business and tourism; and attracting enterprises and family offices from B&R countries to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong.
 
     The detailed content of “Expanding global economic and trade network” is available on the LegCo website. The Policy PulseIssued at HKT 20:08

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Chinese med hospital pact signed

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today attended the signing ceremony of collaboration agreements between The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and three local universities with Chinese medicine schools, witnessing CMHHK as the Chinese medicine teaching hospital for these universities to promote the quality development of Chinese medicine (CM) in Hong Kong.

The three universities are: Baptist University, Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong.

CMHHK will commence services in phases from December. Its clinical services cover six specialised CM services of Internal Medicine, External Medicine, Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics & Traumatology, and Acupuncture & Moxibustion.

Chinese medicine experts from the three universities will participate in these services and jointly formulate clinical standards and guidelines, enabling CMHHK to provide quality and safe services for the public.

As the teaching hospital for the three universities, CMHHK will provide local clinical placements and advanced training opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates, serving as an important base for nurturing CM talent.

Additionally, the hospital’s diverse clinical cases, coupled with the top-tier research capabilities of the universities, will foster Chinese medicine scientific research development, including proprietary Chinese medicines development and clinical research.

CMHHK will also strengthen co-operation with counterparts on the Mainland and overseas through the international academic networks of the three universities to facilitate Chinese medicine going global.

Prof Lo said that he expects CMHHK and the three universities to create synergy in providing better Chinese medicine services for the public, as well as fostering training and education, and scientific research and innovation.

The Government will fully support CMHHK in collaborating with stakeholders to make use of the development platform of the Greater Bay Area and fully leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantage of its strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world to contribute to the national development of Chinese medicine, he added.

Located at Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, CMHHK adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government. Baptist University, commissioned as the contractor through tendering procedures, incorporated a company limited in accordance with the service deed to manage, operate and maintain the hospital.

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National Day fireworks set for Oct 1

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

To celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the 2025 National Day Fireworks Display will illuminate the night sky over Victoria Harbour at 8pm on October 1.

 

With the theme of “Victoria Harbour Fireworks Shine Across the Motherland”, the 23-minute display will consist of eight segments featuring over 30,000 firework shells.

 

The show will open with “Fireworks Bloom to Celebrate National Day” showcasing the nation’s patriotic passion, while the segment “Dongjiang Water Crossing Mountains to Reach Hong Kong” symbolises the motherland’s care for Hong Kong.

 

“The Shenzhou-20 Aerospace Dream” segment represents pride in the motherland’s remarkable aerospace achievements.

 

Other segments include “The Great Story of Nezha”, “Always Lovable Giant Pandas”, “The Five-Star Flag Shining at the National Games”, and “Inherited Affection for Family & Motherland”.

 

For the finale, “Forging Ahead on the Road to Rejuvenation”, a crescendo of gold, silver and red fireworks will sweep across the sky, wishing the nation continued prosperity and strength, and Hong Kong lasting stability and success.

 

The show is co-ordinated by the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau.

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HK prepares for Golden Week visitors

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law today convened a meeting to co-ordinate the preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week from October 1 to 8.

Miss Law noted that the eight-day National Day Golden Week overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival and various activities will take place in Hong Kong simultaneously, bringing a rich and vibrant tourism experience to visitors.

“Relevant departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will maintain close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade with a view to making good preparation, ensuring the smooth operation of various aspects of receiving visitors and offering them a high-quality experience.”

Representatives from Customs, Police, the Immigration Department, the Transport Department and various District Offices participated in the meeting.

Also attending were representatives from the Travel Industry Authority, Tourism Board, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority as well as major tourist attractions and the hotel industry.

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CE meets Secretary of CPC Hainan Provincial Committee (with photo)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met the Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, Mr Feng Fei, at Government House today (September 9) to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Hainan. Also attending the meeting were the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Carol Yip, and the Under Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Clement Woo.
 
Mr Lee welcomed Mr Feng and his delegation to Hong Kong to attend the 10th Belt and Road Summit. Mr Lee said that he is pleased to meet Mr Feng again since they last met during the Chief Executive’s visit to Hainan in March. Noting that Hong Kong and Hainan enjoy close geographical, cultural and business ties, Mr Lee said that the two governments signed the Hainan Provincial People’s Government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR) Memorandum of Cooperation in March, covering five areas of in-depth collaboration, namely trade and investment, finance, safe and orderly flow of data, tourism, and talent exchanges, further strengthening co-operation between the two places.
 
Mr Lee said that Hainan and Hong Kong are both key links under the Belt and Road Initiative. This year marks the customs closure operation and further opening of the Hainan Free Trade Port, actively achieving a high level of opening up and high-quality development. Hong Kong and Hainan can fully leverage their collaborative potential, jointly serving as a functional platform and contributing to the Belt and Road Initiative.
 
Highlighting that the Hainan Provincial People’s Government is the first provincial government of the Mainland to utilise Hong Kong’s financing platform and professional services to issue bonds, Mr Lee welcomed and thanked the Hainan Provincial People’s Government for leveraging Hong Kong’s advantages as an international financial centre and a platform for offshore Renminbi debt products, jointly contributing to the Belt and Road Initiative. The HKSAR Government will continue to actively play its bridging role, deepening exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Hainan in various areas such as economy and trade, tourism, and talent, achieving complementarities and mutual benefits, and contributing to the country’s high-quality development.
 

  

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Secretary for Health witnesses signing of collaboration agreements between The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong and three local universities

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, today (September 9) attended the signing ceremony of the collaboration agreements between The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and three local universities with schools of Chinese medicine, namely Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He witnessed CMHHK, as the Chinese medicine (CM) teaching hospital for the respective universities, establish a close partnership with the universities to promote the high-quality and high-standard development of CM in Hong Kong on all fronts. 
 
Professor Lo said, “Today, CMHHK becomes the CM teaching hospital for the three universities, which marks a significant milestone in the development of CM services, training and education, and scientific research in Hong Kong. I expect CMHHK and the three universities to create synergy in providing better CM services for members of the public, as well as fostering training and education, and scientific research and innovation in CM. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to give full support to the CMHHK in collaborating with various stakeholders to make good use of the development platform of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and fully leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantage of enjoying strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world, with a view to contributing to the national development of CM.”

The clinical services of CMHHK cover six specialised CM services, namely Internal Medicine in CM, External Medicine in CM, Gynaecology in CM, Paediatrics in CM, Orthopaedics and Traumatology in CM and Acupuncture and Moxibustion in CM. CM experts from the three universities will participate in these services and jointly formulate clinical standards and guidelines, enabling CMHHK to provide quality and safe services for members of the public. Meanwhile, as the CM teaching hospital for the three universities, CMHHK will provide local clinical placements and advanced training opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates, serving as an important base for nurturing CM talent. In addition, the hospital’s diverse clinical cases, coupled with the top-tier research capabilities of the universities, will foster CM scientific research development, including proprietary Chinese medicines development and clinical research. CMHHK will also strengthen co-operation with counterparts on the Mainland and overseas through the international academic networks of the three universities, thereby facilitating CM’s going global with concerted effort. 
  
At the signing ceremony, Professor Lo; the President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, Professor Alexander Wai (representative of CMHHK); and representatives of the three universities, namely the Vice-President (Research and Development) of HKBU, Professor Lyu Aiping; the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the CUHK, Professor Philip Chiu; and the Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health) and Dean of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the HKU, Professor Lau Chak-sing, jointly witnessed the signing of agreements by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Huen Wong, with the Dean of the School of Chinese Medicine of HKBU, Professor Li Min; the Director of the School of Chinese Medicine of the CUHK, Professor Lin Zhixiu; and the Associate Dean (Clinical Affairs) of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of HKU and Director of HKU Health System, Professor Victoria Wong, respectively. The Hospital Chief Executive of CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, also attended the media briefing held after the signing ceremony.
 
Located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, CMHHK adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government. The Government commissioned HKBU as the Contractor through tendering procedures in 2021. HKBU subsequently incorporated a company limited by guarantee in the same year in accordance with the service deed to act as the operator for managing, operating and maintaining the hospital. CMHHK will commence services in phases starting from December this year. 

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Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Norway and Spain suspended

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 9) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Hadsel of Nordland County in Norway and Huelva Province of Andalucía in Spain, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong currently has established a protocol with Norway for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 40 kilograms of frozen poultry meat from Norway in the first six months of this year. Moreover, Hong Kong imported about 50 tonnes of frozen poultry meat, and about 50 000 poultry eggs from Spain in the first six months of this year.

“The CFS has contacted the Norwegian and Spanish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

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CSTB convenes meeting to co-ordinate preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during National Day Golden Week of Mainland (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau convened a meeting today (September 9) to co-ordinate the preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland from October 1 to 8. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, with representatives from government departments including Hong Kong Customs, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Immigration Department, the Transport Department, and various District Offices. Representatives from various tourism-related organisations, including the Travel Industry Authority, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, major tourist attractions and the hotel industry, also attended.

Miss Law said, “We are approaching the eight-day National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, which also overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Various activities will take place in Hong Kong simultaneously, bringing a rich and vibrant tourism experience to visitors. Relevant departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will maintain close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade with a view to making good preparation, ensuring the smooth operation of various aspects of receiving visitors and offering them a high-quality experience.”

Relevant parties will maintain close communication before the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland to plan and take forward various preparations in various areas for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong.