Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
SDEV concludes visit to Beijing
In the morning, Ms Linn led the study tour on national water infrastructure, culture and technology to attend a seminar. She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Department of Water Resources of Guangdong Province for making meticulous arrangements for the tour. She also thanked Hong Kong’s engineering and education sectors for their joint efforts, which allowed the younger generation and the engineering community to gain first-hand understanding of the country’s tremendous achievements in water infrastructure, deepen their appreciation of the country’s rich history and culture, and learn about the rapid technological advancement and modernisation of the country. She firmly believed that the tour had strengthened the patriotic sentiments of Hong Kong’s younger generation and enhanced the sense of mission among engineering professionals as builders of the country. She hoped that Hong Kong citizens, especially the younger generation, would be grateful for the care rendered by the country and remember the inseparable blood ties between the motherland and Hong Kong.
In the afternoon, Ms Linn visited urban renewal projects in Beijing to learn about the integration of the old and the new through the redevelopment of the local district of Zhonghai Daji Alley in Xicheng District; the enhancement of facilities in old district and revitalisation of old buildings in Yaojiang Hutong; and the enhancement of the environment of the old district by improving the facades and spatial layout of old buildings in Xidan Beidajie. She also visited an in-situ redevelopment and relocation project at No. 8, Huabichang Hutong, to learn about the adoption of the concrete Modular Integrated Construction method, which significantly reduced the construction period of the project to three months. It was implemented by the property owners with subsidies and personal investment. Ms Linn said that to effectively address the challenges of ageing buildings in Hong Kong, the Government will continue to adopt a multi-pronged approach to support and encourage public and private organisations to take forward urban renewal with an innovative and forward-looking mindset, using a dual-track approach of building rehabilitation and redevelopment to improve the living environment of residents.
Ms Linn concluded her visit and returned to Hong Kong this evening.
Issued at HKT 20:44
NNNN
Director-General of Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises visits Beijing to promote Hong Kong’s advantages (with photos)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Director-General of Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises visits Beijing to promote Hong Kong’s advantages
During his visit to Beijing from July 23 to 25, Mr Yan met with representatives of the Beijing Zhongguancun (ZGC) and several leading enterprises in AI and data science, and advanced manufacturing and new energy industries, to promote Hong Kong’s latest developments and emerging opportunities in innovation and technology, and to explore collaboration opportunities between Hong Kong and Beijing to foster strategic enterprises to establish regional headquarters and research and development (R&D) centres in Hong Kong, and expand their overseas business through the city.
During the visit, Mr Yan held strategic discussions with leaders of local semiconductor and information and communication technology enterprises, focusing on the applications and trends of semiconductor technologies and solutions. He also visited a leading smart mobility technology platform enterprise in Mainland China. Both parties engaged in substantive discussions on the application of smart mobility solutions. Additionally, Mr Yan met with representatives of the Beijing ZGC and its recommended enterprises, exchanging views on innovation technology developments and emerging trends.
Mr Yan stated, “The visit to Beijing aimed to strengthen ties with local tech firms and introduce the support measures offered by OASES to facilitate business establishment and expansion in Hong Kong. Open-source chip technologies possess significant potential to drive innovation and lower R&D barriers, making them strategically important to Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development. Furthermore, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is actively promoting smart city initiatives, with the goal of attracting more high-tech enterprises to Hong Kong and enhancing the city’s overall competitiveness.”
Mr Yan concluded his visit to Beijing this evening and returned to Hong Kong.
Issued at HKT 20:26
NNNN
19 wanted for breaching NSL
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Police’s National Security Department today announced that 19 people suspected of committing offences under the National Security Law have been put on the wanted list, with a reward in respect of each wanted person being offered.
These individuals are suspected of being involved in organising, establishing or participating in, outside Hong Kong, a subversive organisation named the “Hong Kong Parliament”, Police explained.
Among them, nine people, including male Yuan Gong-yi, male Victor Ho, male Fok Ka-chi, male Choi Ming-da, female Chan Lai-chun, male Feng Chongyi, female Gong Sasha, male Ng Man-yan and male Tsang Wai-fan allegedly organised, outside the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a “Hong Kong Parliament” election to establish a so-called “Hong Kong Parliament”.
The other 10 people, including female Chin Po-fun, male Paul Ha, male Hau Chung-yu, male Ho Wing-yau, male Keung Ka-wai, male Tony Lam, female Agnes Ng, male Wong Chun-wah, male Wong Sau-wo and female Zhang Xinyan, are alleged to have participated as candidates in the “Hong Kong Parliament” election and, upon being elected, taken an oath to serve as so-called “members of the Hong Kong Parliament”.
Police said the “Hong Kong Parliament” aims to subvert state power – its objectives include promoting “self-determination”, promulgating a so-called “Hong Kong Constitution”, and overthrowing or undermining the basic system of the People’s Republic of China or overthrowing the body of the central power of the People’s Republic of China or the body of power of the Hong Kong SAR with unlawful means.
The 19 individuals are thereby suspected of committing the offence of subversion, contrary to Article 22 of the National Security Law, Police pointed out.
The force applied to the court for arrest warrants in accordance with the law and put the 19 people on the wanted list. The court then issued arrest warrants against the suspects.
Police remarked that Yuan Gong-yi, Victor Ho, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da, also suspected of committing offences endangering national security, have already been put on the wanted list with a reward of $1 million each. Exercising powers conferred by section 89 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the Secretary for Security, in June and December 2024, specified in the Gazette Yuan Gong-yi, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da as absconders, as well as the measures to be applied against them. Police stressed that they will continue to make every effort to bring all the wanted individuals to justice.
For the remaining 15 people, a reward of $200,000 in respect of each of them is being offered by Police to any member of the public who can provide information on the wanted people or related cases.
The investigation is ongoing, and more people will be put on the wanted list with rewards offered if necessary, Police added.
The force further noted that if an offender voluntarily discontinues the commission of the offence; voluntarily surrenders himself or herself and gives a truthful account of the offence; or reports on the offence committed by other persons or provides material information which assists in solving other criminal cases, a lighter penalty may be imposed, or the penalty may be reduced.
The above wanted individuals are urged to surrender to Hong Kong Police, so as to rectify their mistakes.
It is illegal for anyone, no matter in what ways, including through the Internet, to aid, abet or financially assist other people for participating in any illegal activities related to the “Hong Kong Parliament” or to commit other offences endangering national security, Police added.
Students win physics, maths medals
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Two teams of Hong Kong students achieved outstanding results in the 55th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO 2025) and the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO 2025) by winning six gold medals, four silver and one bronze.
The IPhO 2025, hosted by France, was held from July 18 to 24, with 415 students from 89 countries or regions taking part.
The four gold medallists were Bill Fu from Inno Secondary School (Kowloon Tong), Edison Fu from Queen’s College, Lincoln Liu from Sha Tin College and Qiao Lok-hei from St Paul’s Co-educational College, while Garfield Leung from Evangel College took home silver.
Meanwhile, the IMO 2025 was held in Australia from July 10 to 20. Among the 630 participating students from 110 countries or regions, the Hong Kong team won two gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal.
Kwan Yung-ho from Diocesan Boys’ School and Lincoln Liu from Sha Tin College clinched the gold medal.
The silver medal went to Chan Kwan-yu and Sze Long from St Paul’s Co-educational College and Jerry Xu from Victoria Shanghai Academy, while Chong Tsz-sing from Diocesan Boys’ School bagged a bronze medal.
Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin congratulated the Hong Kong teams on their outstanding performance.
Ms Choi said: “The impressive results achieved by the Hong Kong teams bear testament to the concerted efforts of the Government and various stakeholders in promoting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics) and gifted education.”
The Education Bureau will continue to strengthen the promotion of STEAM and gifted education in primary and secondary schools, and encourage the effective use of the school-based student talent pool to identify and nurture more students with talent, she added.
Green plan becomes fully digitised
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Environmental Protection Department announced today that the GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme (GREEN$ ePIS) will be fully digitised on April 1, 2026, under which citizens can redeem gifts at more than 500 supermarkets and retail stores as well as free MTR tickets and local ecotours via the GREEN$ mobile app.
They will no longer need to visit GREEN@COMMUNITY to redeem a limited selection of around 10 types of gifts with the full digitisation, the department noted.
Noting that about 87% of the approximately 1.06 million users of GREEN$ ePIS are using the mobile app that allows the seamless transition to full digitisation, the department said it will offer an extra 50 GREEN$ points to those who return their physical cards and switch to the GREEN$ mobile app from August 1 to September 30, 2025.
The public will be given time to adapt and transition to the new arrangements, as physical gifts will remain available for redemption at GREEN@COMMUNITY until the first quarter of 2026.
Physical cards will cease operation on April 1, 2026. GREEN@COMMUNITY staff will assist people in installing the GREEN$ mobile app and demonstrate how to use the e-point redemption feature.
For those without smartphones, their existing physical cards will not be cancelled. They can register their cards at designated GREEN@COMMUNITY facilities and continue to use the GREEN$ points in the physical cards for redeeming gifts.
After the full digitisation, members of the public can continue to donate GREEN$ points to charitable organisations, the department added.
Click here for figures including the five most popular gifts redeemed at GREEN@COMMUNITY and the total recyclables collected by GREEN@COMMUNITY in the past years.
Belt-Road forum held in Beijing
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) and relevant central ministries held the eighth Joint Conference on Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in & Contribution to the Belt & Road Initiative in Beijing today.
NDRC Vice Chairman Zhou Haibing attended the conference, together with representatives from the commission, the Hong Kong & Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission of the State Council, and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, in his capacity as chairperson of the Working Group on Belt & Road Development under the Steering Group on Integration into National Development, led Hong Kong officials to attend the conference.
He pointed out that the Hong Kong SAR Government has been taking forward Belt-Road collaboration to go deeper and deliver outcomes, fully participating in and contributing to the initiative under the guidance of the major steps the country has taken to support high-quality co-operation, so as to facilitate Hong Kong’s integration into overall national development.
With the country’s support, Hong Kong will deepen international exchanges and actively utilise its advantages to exert a greater role in the nation’s high-level opening up to the world, Mr Lam added.
The justice chief also said the Hong Kong SAR Government is exploring emerging markets such as the Middle East, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other Belt & Road countries, while making full use of the city’s professional services, thereby building it as a gateway between the country and the world.
He expressed gratitude to the central government for the staunch support of hosting the International Organization for Mediation headquarters in Hong Kong, which will strengthen its roles as an international dispute resolution services centre and a hub for international mediation.
Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau, who was also at the conference, noted that the Hong Kong SAR Government will fully capitalise on the 10th Belt & Road Summit to showcase the city’s roles as an active participant and the premier platform to the Mainland and overseas.
At the meeting, Mr Yau reported on Hong Kong’s progress in carrying out Belt & Road work, including the ongoing pursuit of Hong Kong’s early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, pursuit of early conclusion of ongoing negotiations for free trade and investment agreements, and more.
Today’s session also covered the work proposals on further promoting the Belt & Road Initiative put forward for consideration by central ministries. Relevant Mainland ministries introduced their work in supporting Hong Kong’s participation in and contribution to the initiative and provided feedback on the work proposals.
Special traffic arrangements for Hong Kong Football Festival 2025 pre-match open training session
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Police will implement special traffic arrangements in So Kon Po and Causeway Bay today (July 25) to facilitate the Hong Kong Football Festival 2025 pre-match open training session to be held at the Hong Kong Stadium.
Traffic arrangements before the start of the event
Depending on the crowd and traffic conditions, the following special arrangements will be implemented from about 5pm:
Road closure
———————–
– Caroline Hill Road between its eastern junction with Leighton Road and Cotton Path;
– Part of the traffic lane of Caroline Hill Road between Eastern Hospital Road and Cotton Path;
– Westbound Hysan Avenue between Yun Ping Road and Hoi Ping Road;
– Stadium Path; and
– Lee Garden Road between Lan Fong Road and Hysan Avenue, except for green minibuses (GMBs).
Traffic diversions
———————————–
– Caroline Hill Road between its western junction with Leighton Road and Stadium Path will be re-routed one way southbound;
– Eastern Hospital Road between Stadium Path and Tung Lo Wan Road will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Two traffic lanes on Caroline Hill Road between its western junction with Leighton Road and Link Road will be designated for traffic entering Caroline Hill Road from Hoi Ping Road;
– Hysan Avenue between Leighton Road and Hoi Ping Road will be re-routed one way eastbound;
– Two traffic lanes on eastbound Hysan Avenue will be designated for traffic turning right to Hoi Ping Road;
– Vehicles leaving the private driveway of Lee Garden One must turn left to eastbound Hysan Avenue;
– Traffic along Yun Ping Road cannot turn left to westbound Hysan Avenue, and vehicles will be diverted to Lan Fong Road and Pak Sha Road;
– Traffic along northbound Link Road downhill to northbound Caroline Hill Road may need to turn left to westbound Leighton Road; and
– Vehicles travelling along Lan Fong Road may not be allowed to turn left to southbound Lee Garden Road, and will be diverted to northbound Lee Garden Road, Foo Ming Street and southbound Percival Street, except for GMBs.
Passenger alighting arrangements
—————————————————————
The drop-off zone for taxis and private cars will be arranged to set down passengers at the locations specified below:
– Western kerbside of Caroline Hill Road near the Disciplined Service Sports and Recreation Club;
– Northern kerbside of Cotton Path; and
– Southern kerbside (taxi drop-off zone) and northern kerbside (private car drop-off zone) of Eastern Hospital Road near the main entrance of Hong Kong Stadium.
B. Traffic arrangements upon conclusion of the event
Depending on the crowd and traffic conditions, the following special arrangements will be implemented from about 8pm:
Road closure
———————–
– Caroline Hill Road;
– Eastern Hospital Road between Caroline Hill Road and Cotton Path;
– Hoi Ping Road;
– Sunning Road, except for vehicles exit from Lee Garden Three Car Park;
– If necessary, Cotton Path, Leighton Road and northbound Link Road (downhill), except for vehicles heading for No. 1, 3, 5 and 7 on Link Road.
Traffic diversions
———————————–
– Before the end of the event, vehicles leaving the South China Athletic Association car parks may be permitted to turn right at the western exit to northbound Caroline Hill Road;
– Before the end of the event, vehicles leaving buildings on Eastern Hospital Road may be permitted to turn right to northbound Eastern Hospital Road;
– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road cannot enter Caroline Hill Road for Link Road, and vehicles will be diverted via Wong Nai Chung Road and Broadwood Road; and
– When Leighton Road is closed, traffic along westbound Causeway Road will be diverted via Irving Street; traffic along eastbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted via Canal Road West; traffic along southbound Percival Street must turn right to westbound Leighton Road; and traffic along southbound Canal Road East cannot turn left to Leighton Road.
C. Traffic arrangements during the event
Prohibition for learner drivers
——————————–
From 4.30pm to 9.30pm, the following roads will be prohibited to all learner drivers:
– Westbound Leighton Road;
– Percival Street south of Hennessy Road;
– Caroline Hill Road;
– Link Road;
– Stadium Path;
– Cotton Path; and
– Eastern Hospital Road.
Suspension of parking spaces
—————————-
All on-street parking spaces on the following roads will be suspended from 4.30pm to 9.30pm:
– Stadium Path;
– Northbound Caroline Hill Road between Stadium Path and Cotton Path;
– Hoi Ping Road;
– Sunning Road; and
– Eastern Hospital Road.
Restrictions on access to / exit from car parks
———————————————–
If necessary, all car parks along Caroline Hill Road, Eastern Hospital Road, Stadium Path and Cotton Path will be closed at short notice.
Vehicles in car parks within the road closure area may not be permitted to leave during the road closure period.
During the implementation of the special traffic arrangements, any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts mentioned above will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.
Police will implement the above arrangements subject to traffic and crowd conditions in the area. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience, and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected controlled cosmetic injections worth about $76,000 (with photo)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Hong Kong Customs on July 16 and 17 seized 249 pieces of suspected controlled cosmetic injections with an estimated market value of about $76,000. Some of the seized cosmetic injections were suspected to contain Part 1 poisons.
Through risk assessment, Customs on July 16 inspected an express parcel, declared as carrying body lotion, imported from Korea to Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Control Point. Upon inspection, Customs officers found 20 cosmetic injection vials suspected to contain Part 1 poisons in the parcel.
After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation the following day (July 17) at the consignee’s address in Hung Hom and arrested two persons suspected to be connected with the case: a 20-year-old man who collected the parcel and a 45-year-old female consignee. Two hundred and twenty-nine pieces of suspected controlled cosmetic injections, some of which were suspected to contain Part 1 poisons, with an estimated market value of about $59,000, were further seized at the consignee’s address.
An investigation is ongoing, and the arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation.
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years upon conviction. Any person who imports pharmaceutical products and medicines without a valid import licence commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years.
Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, any person who possesses any poison included in Part 1 of the Poisons List other than in accordance with provisions commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the above-mentioned ordinances 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).
United Christian Hospital announces root cause analysis report of previous incident involving insertion of nasogastric tube
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for United Christian Hospital (UCH) today (25 July) announced the root cause analysis report of an incident involving the insertion of a nasogastric tube.
A patient, under the Ear, Nose and Throat Department of UCH, underwent surgery on May 26, during which a nasogastric tube was inserted to facilitate postoperative administration of medication and feeding of formula milk. The patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for close monitoring after the surgery and was arranged for an X-ray examination to verify the position of the nasogastric tube. However, the X-ray image was not reviewed by a doctor afterwards. The nurse then performed a pH test on the gastric aspirate from the patient’s nasogastric tube and began nasogastric tube feeding for the patient with drugs and formula milk according to the pH test result, established protocols, and the doctor’s order. Healthcare staff later reviewed the patient and suspected that there was a malposition of the nasogastric tube. Feeding was terminated, and the nasogastric tube was removed immediately. The patient’s clinical condition continued to improve, and the patient was discharged in late June.
UCH announced the incident on May 30 and appointed a Root Cause Analysis Panel for investigation. After reviewing the case, the Panel concluded that the main cause leading to the incident was the lack of a closed-loop mechanism in the ICU to ascertain that X-ray images were reviewed to verify the position of the nasogastric tube before initiating nasogastric tube feeding for patients.
The Panel believed that the incident also involved other contributing factors, including the X-ray images’ review status not being incorporated into the clinical handover process, which led to clinical teams involved not noticing that the X-ray images had not been reviewed; and the lack of a mechanism to alert doctors to follow up on the unreviewed X-ray images. Moreover, the pH test result from the patient’s gastric aspirate sample was consistent with the pH reading of gastric fluid, which led the clinical team to mistakenly believe that the nasogastric tube was in the right position.
The Panel made the following recommendations:
1. Establish a closed-loop mechanism in the ICU to alert clinical teams to review X-ray images to ascertain the position of the tube before initiating nasogastric tube feeding for patients;
2. Incorporate X-ray image review into the clinical handover process and postoperative checklist to ensure that X-ray images are reviewed to ascertain the position of the nasogastric tube before initiating nasogastric tube feeding for ICU patients;
3. Utilise electronic Clinical Information System in the ICU to standardise the clinical documentation of nasogastric tube position;
4. Review and update relevant nursing clinical guidelines; and
5. Arrange ICU healthcare staff to attend Crew Resources Management simulation training for improving team communication, teamwork, situational awareness and decision making.
UCH will take follow-up actions to implement the recommendations. The hospital has explained the report’s findings to the patient and family concerned and expressed its apology again to them. Patient Relations Team shall continue to provide necessary assistance to the family.
The report has been submitted to the Hospital Authority (HA) Head Office. The hospital expressed gratitude for the work of the Root Cause Analysis Panel. The membership of the panel is as follows:
Chairperson:
Dr Victor Ip
Service Director (Quality & Safety), Kowloon East Cluster, HA
Members:
Dr Chan Ka-hing
Consultant, Department of Intensive Care, Tseung Kwan O Hospital
Dr James Wesley Cheng
Deputy Service Director (Quality & Safety), Kowloon East Cluster, HA
Dr Raymond Cheung
Chief Manager, Quality & Safety Division (Patient Safety & Risk Management), HA
Dr Joseph Chung
Chief of Service, Department of Ear, Nose & Throat, Queen Mary Hospital
(Replace Dr Eddy Wong)
Ms Ho Ka-man
Department Operations Manager, Department of Intensive Care, Prince of Wales Hospital
Mr Leung Lok-man
Cluster General Manager (Nursing), Kowloon East Cluster, HA
Dr George Ng
Chief of Service, Intensive Care Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Eighth Joint Conference on Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in and Contribution to Belt and Road Initiative held in Beijing (with photos)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and relevant central ministries held the eighth Joint Conference on Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in and Contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative (B&RI) in Beijing today (July 25).
Vice Chairman of the NDRC Mr Zhou Haibing attended the conference with Mainland officials led by him, including representatives from the NDRC, the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Supreme People’s Court, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Transport, the People’s Bank of China, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.
The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, in his capacity as chairperson of the Working Group on Belt and Road (B&R) Development under the Steering Group on Integration into National Development, led HKSAR Government officials to attend the conference. They included the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, who was also the Hong Kong-side Convenor of the Joint Conference, and representatives from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB), the Department of Justice, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Belt and Road Office of the CEDB, and the Office of the Government of the HKSAR in Beijing. The Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Professor Frederick Ma, and a representative from the Airport Authority Hong Kong also attended the meeting.
Mr Lam said that the HKSAR Government has been taking forward B&R co-operation to go deeper and deliver outcomes, thereby fully participating in and contributing to the B&RI under the continued guidance of the eight major steps the country has been taking to support high-quality B&R co-operation, with a view to facilitating Hong Kong’s active integration into overall national development. With the country’s support, Hong Kong will continue to deepen international exchanges and co-operation and will actively utilise its own advantages to exert a greater role in the country’s high-level opening up to the world.
He pointed out that over the past year, the HKSAR Government has actively served as a proponent for institutional openness through Hong Kong’s strengths as a platform for two-way opening up; a pioneer for co-operation in new fields through strengths in education, science and technology and talent; and a facilitator for people-to-people bonds through strengths as a melting pot of diversified cultures. The HKSAR Government has been exploring emerging markets such as the Middle East, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other B&R countries, while making full use of Hong Kong’s professional services aligned with international standards, thereby building Hong Kong as the gateway between the country and the world and highlighting Hong Kong’s role as the premier B&R functional platform. He expressed gratitude to the Central Government for the staunch support of hosting the International Organization for Mediation headquarters in Hong Kong, which will help strengthen Hong Kong’s roles as an international dispute resolution services centre and a capital for international mediation.
Mr Yau stated in the meeting that the HKSAR Government will fully capitalise on the 10th Belt and Road Summit to showcase Hong Kong’s important roles as an active participant and the premier B&R functional platform to the Mainland and overseas. He reported on Hong Kong’s progress in carrying out B&R work, including the CEDB’s ongoing pursuit of the early accession of Hong Kong to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the pursuit of early conclusion of ongoing negotiations for free trade and investment agreements, and actively following up on the plan to establish Economic and Trade Offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to fully take forward the economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and B&R countries.
The meeting also focused its discussion on the seven work proposals on further promoting the B&RI that the HKSAR Government put forward for consideration by central ministries, covering capacity building, deepening exchanges and co-operations with B&R countries, legal and dispute resolution services, cross-boundary financing, and the expansion of international co-operation and ties in innovation and technology. Representatives of relevant Joint Conference Mainland ministries introduced their respective work in supporting Hong Kong’s participation in and contribution to the B&RI and provided feedback on the HKSAR Government’s work proposals. The HKSAR Government is grateful for the support expressed by relevant central ministries at the meeting on various work proposals and will actively follow up with them.
In addition, the meeting noted the HKSAR Government’s key areas and major work in its future participation and contribution to the B&RI, including leveraging Hong Kong’s role as a B&R functional platform to explore business opportunities and facilitating business matching and participation in B&R projects. The HKSAR Government will continue to consolidate Hong Kong’s unique advantage of connecting with the Mainland and the rest of the world under “one country, two systems”, seize the enormous opportunities brought about by national development, strengthen and deepen exchanges and co-operations with B&R countries, and give full play to its role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”.
The Arrangement between the NDRC and the HKSAR Government for Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in and Contribution to the B&RI, signed between the HKSAR Government and the NDRC in 2017, provides the direction and a blueprint for Hong Kong’s full participation in and contribution to the B&RI, as well as sets up the Joint Conference mechanism to discuss relevant matters, with meetings convened at least once a year.