Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), as representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR Government), announced today (June 19) that a tender of 3-year HKD Government Bonds (Bonds) through the re-opening of existing 3-year Government Bond issue 03GB2804001 under the Infrastructure Bond Programme will be held on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, for settlement on Thursday, June 26, 2025.

An additional amount of HK$1.25 billion of the outstanding 3-year Bonds (issue no. 03GB2804001) will be on offer. The Bonds will mature on April 25, 2028 and will carry interest at the rate of 2.76 per cent per annum payable semi-annually in arrear. The Indicative Pricings of the Bonds on June 19, 2025 are 102.45 with an annualised yield of 1.882 per cent.

Tender is open only to Primary Dealers appointed under the Infrastructure Bond Programme. Anyone wishing to apply for the Bonds on offer can do so through any of the Primary Dealers on the latest published list, which can be obtained from the Hong Kong Government Bonds website at www.hkgb.gov.hk. Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof.

Tender results will be published on the HKMA’s website, the Hong Kong Government Bonds website, Bloomberg (GBHK ) and Refinitiv (IBPGSBPINDEX). The publication time is expected to be no later than 3pm on the tender day.

HKSAR Institutional Government Bonds Tender Information

Tender information of re-opening of 3-year HKD HKSAR Institutional Government Bonds:
 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, began his visit to France on June 18 (France time) to promote Hong Kong’s unique advantages and vast opportunities for businesses.
　
     Mr Yau first visited Toulouse and met with the Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Elior Group SA, Mr Daniel Derichebourg, to learn about the company’s latest developments and exchange views on promoting closer business collaboration between Hong Kong and France. Elior Group SA is a global aeronautic services company, which is part of Derichebourg SA, a leading business in Europe.
 
     With the assistance of Invest Hong Kong, Elior Group SA has recently set up an Asian headquarters and expanded its presence in Hong Kong. The company early this year signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Airport Authority Hong Kong to explore the possibility of providing professional services such as aircraft dismantling, parts recycling and related training in Hong Kong, thereby helping Hong Kong develop into the first aircraft parts processing and trading centre in Asia.
　　
     Mr Yau said that Hong Kong and France have long-standing business relations and many companies in Hong Kong with parent companies located in France are internationally renowned enterprises. With the distinct advantages under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong is the premier destination for enterprises around the globe to set up or expand their businesses. He believes that the co-operation between the company and various stakeholders in Hong Kong will help unleash market potential and create new opportunities, leveraging Hong Kong’s advantages as a business and investment hub, and its role as a springboard to the Mainland, markets in Asia and beyond.
　　
     Meanwhile, Mr Yau took the opportunity to visit the Derichebourg Aeronautics Training Center and the Airbus assembly lines respectively to learn about the latest advancements in related aeronautic training, aircraft manufacturing and sustainable aviation development.
　　
     Mr Yau will proceed to Bordeaux on June 19 (France time).

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui today attended a seminar in Shanghai discussing the collaborative development of the Shanghai and Hong Kong international financial centres.

A 2025 Lujiazui Forum event, the seminar featured a research report, “Synergistic Development of Shanghai & Hong Kong as International Financial Centres in the New Era”, jointly released by the Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council and the Shanghai Research Center for Financial Stability & Development.

Addressing the seminar, Mr Hui highlighted that Hong Kong and Shanghai are unlocking many more new opportunities for collaborative development, with their positions as the country’s “dual engine” financial centres, providing strong support for the country’s “dual circulation” strategy.

On Wednesday, the treasury chief attended the Lujiazui Forum opening ceremony and plenary session.

Speaking at the fourth plenary session titled “Deepening the Cooperation between Shanghai & Hong Kong as International Financial Centers”, Mr Hui said the mutual-market access between financial markets on the Mainland and Hong Kong has been expanding in scope and capacity.

The programmes enhance not only the product offering for domestic and foreign investors but also the attraction for more capital influx into the capital markets of the two places, promoting long-term development of the markets.

“In future, we anticipate closer collaboration with Shanghai in areas such as financial innovation and green finance to achieve synergy effects.”

On Monday morning, Mr Hui signed the Action Plan for Collaborative Development of Shanghai & Hong Kong International Financial Centres, on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, with Shanghai.

The action plan covers various measures to promote collaborative development, including supporting Mainland banks and financial institutions headquartered in Shanghai to set up regional headquarters in Hong Kong, and pressing ahead with the linkage of the Faster Payment System in Hong Kong with the Internet Banking Payment System on the Mainland.

During his two-day trip to Shanghai, Mr Hui also visited the Shanghai Gold Exchange, the Shanghai Clearing House and the Shanghai Futures Exchange, and met Bank of China (Hong Kong) Deputy Chief Executive Wang Huabin and Bank of Communications President Zhang Baojiang.

During these engagements, discussioins were held to explore the opportunities and models for co-operation.

Mr Hui returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Education Bureau today said today that it is encouraged that universities funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) continue to hold top spots in the latest World University Rankings, which are published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), an international higher education organisation.

The bureau highlighted that five UGC-funded universities stayed in the world’s top 100 in the World University Ranking 2026, making Hong Kong the place with the highest concentration of top-ranked universities globally.

It said the rankings reflect not only the unremitting efforts and continuous pursuit of excellence of Hong Kong’s higher education institutions but also the Government’s long-term commitment to investing in education.

The University of Hong Kong rose six places to 11th globally in the latest rankings, while the Chinese University of Hong Kong climbed four spots to 32nd, and the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology advanced three positions to 44th.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong also achieved outstanding results, ranking 54th and 63rd respectively.

The bureau said the Government will do its utmost to provide assistance and convenience to overseas talent interested in studying or conducting research at higher education institutions in Hong Kong, and will strive to further expand the non-local student quota. It added that the Government will continue to promote internationalisation and diversified development in the eight UGC-funded universities.

Furthermore, it outlined that the Government strives both to attract talent from around the world and nurture local talent through various initiatives such as scholarship programmes, thereby leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths to serve the country’s needs.

The bureau also stressed that the Government will continue to strengthen global exchanges, including strengthening and broadening research networks and co-operation.  

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 19) launched a new edition of antimicrobial guidelines entitled the Interhospital Multi-disciplinary Programme on Antimicrobial ChemoTherapy (IMPACT) Guidelines. These guidelines serve as a reference for doctors when prescribing antimicrobial drugs for inpatients, aiming to prevent overuse which may aggravate antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
 
“In view of the evolving AMR situations, the CHP in collaboration with experts updated IMPACT based on local AMR data and the latest international and local literature for reference of doctors so that antimicrobials can be prescribed in a more accurate manner. The CHP organised a forum today to introduce the major updates of the guidelines, including the empirical therapy of common infections, antimicrobials for known pathogens and recommendations for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis to over 150 participating healthcare professionals from the public and private sectors. Recommended dosing and adverse reactions for certain antimicrobials are also set out in the updated guidelines,” said the Consultant (Antimicrobial Resistance) of the Infection Control Branch of the CHP, Dr Edmond Ma.
 
In addition to the forum for the medical field, the CHP also issued a Letter to Doctors today, urging them to refer to the new guidelines and prescribe the appropriate antimicrobials to patients in need. This will help curb the spread of drug resistance and safeguard the effectiveness of existing treatments.
 
Dr Ma added, “AMR occurs when microorganisms (such as bacteria and viruses) evolve and become resistant to previously effective medications. When patients are infected with drug-resistant bacteria, their illness may be prolonged, and their risk of death may even increase. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics are the major drivers of drug-resistant bacteria. Since the first edition of the IMPACT Guidelines was launched in 1999, it has become an important reference for healthcare professionals, helping to minimise unnecessary or inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobials. At the same time, it has become a key foundation for launching the Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme in public hospitals and will facilitate the enhancement of relevant measures in private hospitals in the future. According to the latest surveillance data, the proportion of antimicrobials in the Watch category (i.e. antimicrobials considered by the World Health Organization to be at a higher risk of developing drug resistance) in the total supply of antimicrobials in Hong Kong decreased from 40.3 per cent in 2016 to 34.6 per cent in 2024, indicating that doctors are prescribing relatively fewer broad spectrum antibiotics to help combat AMR.”
 
The Government has been placing great importance on addressing the necessity of combating AMR. In 2022, the Government published the second Hong Kong Strategy and Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (Action Plan), outlining strategies to tackle the threat of AMR from 2023 to 2027. The measures include reviewing and updating IMPACT, and reminding doctors to prescribe antimicrobials to patients in accordance with guidelines and scientific evidence.
 
The IMPACT set of guidelines, now in its 6th edition, are a collaborative effort among the CHP, the Hospital Authority, the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Medical Association and the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association. The CHP would like to express its sincere gratitude to the Editors, Dr Ho Pak-leung, Dr Wu Tak-chiu, and the other members of the Editorial Board.
 
The CHP also urged members of the public to work with healthcare professionals to eliminate AMR by observing the following:
 

• Consult a doctor when having a cold, flu or COVID-19. Do not buy antibiotics without a prescription at community pharmacies;
• Do not demand antibiotics from doctors. Only take antibiotics when advised by doctors and complete the whole course of treatment even if symptoms have improved;
• Follow health advice stated on the prescription bag and adopt appropriate infection control measures such as maintaining hand hygiene, wearing a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, and disinfecting and covering all wounds properly to prevent person-to-person spread of resistant bacteria when taking antibiotics;
• Receive seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines as effective means to prevent secondary bacterial infection, hence reducing the use of antibiotics and occurrence of AMR;
• Be aware of the risk of acquiring resistant bacteria from ready-to-eat (RTE) food. People taking antibiotics or antacids, and high-risk populations (such as pregnant women, infants and young children, the elderly and people with weakened immunity) are of higher risk and should avoid eating raw or undercooked RTE foods; and
• Observe good hygienic practices in the kitchen when handling food to minimise the risk of cross-contamination by resistant bacteria.

For details of the IMPACT Guidelines, please visit the IMPACT webpage (impact.chp.gov.hk/). For more information about AMR, please visit the CHP website.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region