Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Development Bureau announced today that the Government has decided to cancel the tender for two sites in Yuen Long and Hung Shui Kiu and proactively utilise the sites according to the Government’s development strategy.

 

Yuen Long Town Lot No. 545 was handed over to the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC), while Hung Shui Kiu Town Lot No. 10 has been put into the Development Bureau’s policy study.

 

The tenders of the Yuen Long Lot and the Hung Shui Kiu Lot were launched under the two-envelope approach in March and October 2024 respectively for the development of multi-storey buildings for modern industries. The tender invitation for the two sites was originally to close on July 25, 2025.

 

The Development Bureau explained that taking into account the views of the innovation and technology sector and the logistics sector on the industry development strategy in the area, as well as the Government’s planning strategy for the Northern Metropolis, the Government decided to cancel the tender for the two sites and proactively utilise such sites in accordance with its development strategy, enabling the greater play of the sites in promoting industry development.

 

The three-hectare Yuen Long Lot is situated within the vicinity of the Yuen Long InnoPark and the Microelectronics Centre therein. The Yuen Long InnoPark is operated and managed by the HKSTPC.

 

To cater for the HKSTPC’s plan to establish a vibrant microelectronics ecosystem within the Yuen Long InnoPark, the Government has seized the opportunity to convert the Yuen Long Lot to innovation and technology use. The Innovation, Technology & Industry Bureau will further discuss with the HKSTPC to draw up a concrete development proposal.

 

On the other hand, the Development Bureau has been exploring the establishment of a company led by the Government to build and operate an industrial park, involving some of the logistics sites in Hung Shui Kiu.

 

The study will cover around 15 hectares of industry sites situated in the northern part of Hung Shui Kiu, and the eight-hectare Hung Shui Kiu Lot is exactly adjacent to this 15-hectare area of industry land.

 

Incorporating the Hung Shui Kiu Lot in the study will endow the industry park company with more ample land resources to achieve economies of scale in the future.

 

The Development Bureau will complete the study within this year and subsequently commence the work for the establishment of the company.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin (HKETO Berlin) sponsored the 17th International Dragon Boat Federation World Dragon Boat Racing Championships (IDBF World Championships) held in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, from July 14 to 20 (Berlin time).

The one-week competition brought together over 4 000 athletes from 33 countries and regions, showcasing the global appeal of dragon boat racing.  The Acting Director of HKETO Berlin, Mr Billy Leung, supported Hong Kong team’s competition and delivered a speech at the event dinner, highlighting Hong Kong as a centre for international major sports events.   

“Hong Kong is a centre for major sports events. Every year, our annual Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races attract athletes from around the world, uniting top competitors in a thrilling celebration of athleticism and culture.” 

This year, the Hong Kong delegation won a total of eight medals, namely one gold, three silver and four bronze medals. Hong Kong will host the next IDBF World Championships in 2027. The closing ceremony held on July 20 was concluded with a symbolic flag handover from the event organisers to the Hong Kong delegation.  

About HKETO Berlin

HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Austria as well as Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland. 
 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Development Bureau and the Education Bureau announced that the Hostels in the City Scheme will start accepting applications today.

Through the scheme, the Government has streamlined development control procedures to encourage and facilitate the market to convert commercial buildings into student hostels on a self-financing privately funded basis to increase the supply of hostel places, thereby strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international hub for post-secondary education.

Specifically, operators may make use of the facilitation measures under the scheme to apply for converting commercial buildings into eligible student hostels.

In terms of planning procedures, the Town Planning Board has already expanded the definition of “Hotel” under the planning regime to cover eligible student hostels under the scheme. As a result, since “Hotel” is an always permitted use in most commercial sites, no planning procedures would be required for converting those commercial buildings into student hostels.

Under the buildings regime, converted student hostels under the scheme will continue to be treated as non-domestic buildings for plot ratio and site coverage calculations, meaning that the existing gross floor area (GFA) of the commercial building can be retained.

Moreover, facilities previously exempted from GFA calculations before conversion, such as car parking spaces and loading/unloading areas, can be retained and continue to be exempted from GFA calculation, so as to facilitate developers/operators to flexibly convert these facilities into facilities supporting hostel uses, such as gyms and study rooms, so that the hostel better suits the study and daily needs of the student tenants.

In terms of land administration, most of the leases stated for non-industrial use allow student hostel use without the need for lease modification or payment of premiums. For the small number of cases where a lease modification is needed, the Lands Department will assess the amount of premium payment.

The scheme welcomes wholesale conversion of an entire commercial building into a student hostel, while permitting partial conversion if specific conditions are fulfilled.

Industrial buildings and buildings in industrial zonings are not eligible under the scheme. However, commercial buildings that have undergone wholesale conversions from industrial buildings located on non-industrial zonings would be eligible under the scheme, provided that the relevant land administration procedures have been completed.

Interested developers/operators need to submit applications to the Education Bureau using a prescribed form, and fulfil eligibility criteria under the scheme.

The Government has launched a dedicated website to announce the scheme’s details. The Education Bureau will also publish the list of student hostels with approvals secured on the website in the future.

The Development Projects Facilitation Office under the Development Bureau will provide one-stop facilitation services to applicants, including handling enquiries related to facilitation measures and application progress.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Taiwan in Australia Amb. Douglas Yu-Tien Hsu and Taiwan in Sydney Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu were pleased to be invited by Australia-Taiwan Business Council Limited (ATBC)President John Toigo and CEO Ching-Mei Maddock to its 2025 Annual General Meeting Business Luncheon, catching up and reconnecting with Australian counterparts, business leaders and think tank experts.
In his remarks, Amb. Hsu highlighted that Taiwan’s strengths in the semiconductor and AI industries make it a natural partner to support AU’s “Future Made in Australia” policy. This partnership adds new momentum into supply chain integration, not only between TW and AU, but across the broader region. He emphasized that the CPTPP serves as the best platform to facilitate such cooperation.
Amb. Hsu thanked the ATBC and #ROCABC/CIECA for including TW’s CPTPP application on the agenda for the 38th Joint Conference in Taipei on Aug 21. He expressed the hope that AU would evaluate TW’s bid based on its economic performance and merits, free from external pressure, and that AU, as the current CPTPP chair, would play a constructive role in moving the initiative forward.
We sincerely thank the Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP for his compelling keynote speech. He strongly acknowledged the achievements in TW–AU trade, economic, and scientific collaboration, as well as the great potential for future partnership. He underscored that trade is not a zero-sum game and reaffirmed the NSW Government’s commitment to open and diversified trade principles.
We look forward to seeing TW and AU work hand in hand to expand markets and grow together.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn will depart tomorrow evening for Beijing, where she will call on central ministries and attend a Belt & Road Initiative event. 

During her stay in the capital, Ms Linn will call on the Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security, the Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Water Resources, the State Council’s State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission, and the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

She will also attend the eighth “Joint Conference on Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in & Contribution to the Belt & Road Initiative”.

Her other engagements include visiting urban renewal projects and joining activities on a study tour focused on national water engineering, technology and culture. 

Ms Linn will return to Hong Kong on the evening of July 25.

In her absence, Under Secretary for Development David Lam will be Acting Secretary.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today chaired the fifth meeting of the Steering Committee on District Governance, in order to direct bureaus and departments in formulating strategies in relation to matters of district concern and follow up on the implementation of 12 key district initiatives identified at previous meetings.

Mr Chan said that over the past two years, thanks to the efforts of the entire government team, district governance has taken on a new look.

He highlighted that long-standing, large and difficult environmental hygiene issues have been addressed, public concerns at the district level have been swiftly responded to, and the District Councils have returned to their original purpose of serving the community.

He iterated that the steering committee will continue to focus on people’s well-being and oversee bureaus and departments in formulating and refining various policy measures to foster united, harmonious and caring communities.

The steering committee followed up on the progress made on 12 district issues of public concern identified at previous meetings and provided directives to bureaus and departments on a wide range of matters including support for children and the elderly, community facilities, and environmental hygiene, with a view to enhancing public satisfaction with the living environment.

In respect of water dripping from air conditioning units, the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has strengthened public education and publicity as well as enforcement actions at targeted blackspots.

Meanwhile, improvements in ventilation and lighting at public transport interchanges remain an ongoing programme.

The School-based After School Care Service Scheme will be expanded to more schools in the new academic year, benefitting more low-income families and children in need.

In accordance with the overall strategies set by the steering committee, the Task Force on District Governance, chaired by Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, will continue to co-ordinate bureaus and departments in taking forward various district initiatives to raise people’s standards of living.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Transport & Logistics Bureau (TLB) today alerted the public to a fraudulent web address purporting to be its website.

The bureau said it has no connection with the site – at https://bhsb588[.]online/ – and the case has been reported to Police for follow-up.

The TLB’s genuine website is https://www.tlb.gov.hk/eng/index.html.

Citizens are advised to stay alert to suspicious websites, remain vigilant in protecting personal information, and refrain from clicking on any hyperlinks from unknown sources.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region