Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

SEE to attend APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting in Korea
     Mr Tse will attend the APEC EMM on August 27 and 28 to discuss with energy ministers or their representatives from 20 APEC member economies how to accelerate the region’s energy transition and innovation, including expanding the energy mix, strengthening grid resilience and deploying artificial intelligence to meet the region’s energy needs.

     During his stay in Korea, Mr Tse will have bilateral meetings with representatives from other APEC member economies to exchange views on topics such as decarbonisation and hydrogen energy development. He will also meet with representatives of an energy company and visit a hydrogen energy facility to learn about the latest developments in hydrogen technology in Korea.

     The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying, and officers from the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department will also join the visit.

     Mr Tse will arrive in Hong Kong on August 29. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, will be the Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology.
Issued at HKT 18:00

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Cluster of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci cases at Pok Oi Hospital2. enhanced environmental cleaning and disinfection; and
3. enhanced hand hygiene for staff and patients.Issued at HKT 17:57

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Clusters of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae cases in Kwong Wah Hospital The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation in the ward concerned. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow up.
Issued at HKT 17:45

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External merchandise trade statistics for July 2025 
     In July 2025, the value of total exports of goods increased by 14.3% over a year earlier to $446.3 billion, after a year-on-year increase by 11.9% in June 2025. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods increased by 16.5% over a year earlier to $480.4 billion in July 2025, after a year-on-year increase by 11.1% in June 2025. A visible trade deficit of $34.1 billion, equivalent to 7.1% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in July 2025.
 
     For the first seven months of 2025 as a whole, the value of total exports of goods increased by 12.7% over the same period in 2024. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods increased by 13.2%. A visible trade deficit of $218.6 billion, equivalent to 7.0% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in the first seven months of 2025.
 
     Comparing the three-month period ending July 2025 with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of total exports of goods remained virtually unchanged. Meanwhile, the value of imports of goods increased by 2.2%.
 
Analysis by country/territory
 
     Comparing July 2025 with July 2024, total exports to Asia as a whole grew by 19.3%. In this region, increases were registered in the values of total exports to most major destinations, in particular Taiwan (+91.9%), Malaysia (+80.7%), Singapore (+42.5%), Vietnam (+42.1%), the Philippines (+16.5%) and the mainland of China (the Mainland) (+16.1%).
 
     Apart from destinations in Asia, decreases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations in other regions, in particular the Netherlands (-42.1%) and the USA (-7.6%).
 
     Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Vietnam (+129.3%), Thailand (+33.1%), Singapore (+28.7%), the United Kingdom (+24.8%), Japan (+22.3%) and the Mainland (+16.3%). On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the value of imports from the USA (-8.8%).
 
     For the first seven months of 2025 as a whole, increases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations, in particular Vietnam (+52.4%), Malaysia (+41.4%), Taiwan (+40.7%), the Mainland (+17.7%) and Japan (+14.8%). On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the value of total exports to the United Arab Emirates (-20.1%).
 
     Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Vietnam (+81.2%), the United Kingdom (+48.5%), Taiwan (+34.4%), Malaysia (+22.4%) and the Mainland (+11.7%). On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the value of imports from Korea (-18.3%).
 
Analysis by major commodity
 
     Comparing July 2025 with July 2024, increases were registered in the values of total exports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular “electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof” (by $41.9 billion or +22.8%) and “telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment” (by $14.9 billion or +32.0%). 
 
     Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular “electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof” (by $39.6 billion or +21.9%) and “telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment” (by $22.2 billion or +49.8%).
 
     For the first seven months of 2025 as a whole, increases were registered in the values of total exports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular “electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof” (by $180.6 billion or +14.8%) and “office machines and automatic data processing machines” (by $127.4 billion or +44.4%).
 
     Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular “electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof” (by $190.9 billion or +15.7%) and “office machines and automatic data processing machines” (by $120.3 billion or +53.1%).
 
Commentary
 
     A Government spokesman said that merchandise exports performance held up well in July. The value of merchandise exports grew visibly further by 14.3% over a year earlier. Exports to the Mainland and a majority of other Asian markets grew notably further, while those to the United States and the European Union continued to fall.
 
     Looking ahead, steady economic growth in Asia, in particular the Mainland, as well as Hong Kong’s enhanced economic and trade ties with different markets, should continue to provide support to Hong Kong’s merchandise trade performance. Yet, the United States’ elevated tariff rates and lingering uncertainty surrounding its tariff policy may begin to weigh on international trade flows in the near term. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely and stay vigilant.
 
Further information
 
     Table 1 presents the analysis of external merchandise trade statistics for July 2025. Table 2 presents the original monthly trade statistics from January 2022 to July 2025, and Table 3 gives the seasonally adjusted series for the same period.
 
     The values of total exports of goods to 10 main destinations for July 2025 are shown in Table 4, whereas the values of imports of goods from 10 main suppliers are given in Table 5.
 
     Tables 6 and 7 show the values of total exports and imports of 10 principal commodity divisions for July 2025.
 
     All the merchandise trade statistics described here are measured at current prices and no account has been taken of changes in prices between the periods of comparison. A separate analysis of the volume and price movements of external merchandise trade for July 2025 will be released in mid-September 2025.
 
     The July 2025 issue of “Hong Kong External Merchandise Trade” contains detailed analysis on the performance of Hong Kong’s external merchandise trade in July 2025 and will be available in early September 2025. Users can browse and download the report at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020005&scode=230 
     Enquiries on merchandise trade statistics may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4691).
Issued at HKT 16:30

CHP announces local HIV/AIDS situation for first half of 2025 
     The 180 new HIV cases involve 140 men and 40 women aged between 20 and 75. Investigations revealed that over 95 per cent of the cases were infected through sexual contact, of which more than half (57 per cent) were acquired via homosexual or bisexual contact, and the rest were acquired via heterosexual contact. The number of new cases of HIV infection in Hong Kong has declined for the ninth consecutive year. Compared to the same period last year (185 cases), the number of new HIV cases has slightly decreased by 3 per cent. The cumulative total of locally reported HIV infections since 1984 is 12 583. 
 
     The new AIDS cases include 33 men and 14 women. Since 1985, a cumulative total of 2 604 AIDS cases has been reported in Hong Kong. The most common AIDS-defining illness was Pneumocystis pneumonia.
 
      “The prevalence of HIV infection among the general public in Hong Kong remained at 0.1 per cent, well below the global average, and the number of new HIV cases recorded also continues to decline, demonstrating the effectiveness of AIDS control and prevention in Hong Kong,” said the Consultant (Special Preventive Programme) of the Public Health Services Branch of the CHP of the DH, Dr Bonnie Wong.
 
     “However, the proportion of late presenters rose from 48 per cent from the same period last year to 58 per cent, which warrants attention. In recent years, the proportion of late presenters has been as high as 40 to 60 per cent. The CHP has conducted in-depth analyses and found that the proportion of late presenters among high-risk populations (such as men who have sex with men and sex workers) was around 40 to 50 per cent, while there was an even higher proportion of late presenters up to 60 to 70 per cent among those who do not belong to high-risk populations. The CHP believed that those who do not belong to high-risk populations may have overlooked they still have the risk of HIV infection even though they do not have frequent high-risk sexual practices, leading to delayed testing and treatment,” said Dr Wong.
 
     Late presenters refer to individuals with a very low CD4 cells (one kind of immune cell) count (less than 200 cells/mm3) or those who have already progressed to AIDS at the time of HIV diagnosis. Late presentation indicates that these individuals were not diagnosed and put on treatment in a timely manner at an earlier stage of infection.
 
     Late presentation can lead to an increased risk of opportunistic infections and malignancies, leading to a tenfold increase in mortality rate when compared with other people infected with HIV. In addition, as a result of an unsuppressed viral load, late presenters contribute to an increased risk of HIV transmission in the community.
 
     “Sexual transmission remained the major mode of HIV transmission. Members of the public should use condoms consistently and properly to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV. Moreover, undergoing HIV antibody testing is also essential in AIDS control and prevention. For early detection of infection, people who have had sex should get HIV testing at least once to keep track of their health status, and that people with higher risk of infection (such as those who do not use condoms properly and injecting drug users) should undergo regular screening,” said Dr Wong.
 
Members of the public can undergo HIV antibody testing through the following:
 Dr Wong stressed that HIV infection is a manageable chronic disease. People with HIV should seek specialist care and receive HIV treatment as soon as possible to achieve viral suppression and health restoration. Early HIV treatment with antiretroviral drugs can effectively prevent the progression to AIDS and other complications, increasing the chance of survival significantly. Moreover, those who achieve an undetectable level of virus in blood while on treatment will not transmit the virus through sex, i.e. Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).

The public may visit the following pages for more information on prevention and control of HIV/AIDS: the Virtual AIDS OfficeIssued at HKT 14:30