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Health chief attends HA convention

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today attended the opening ceremony of the Hospital Authority (HA) Convention 2025 and met multiple high-level delegations from the Mainland and overseas for in-depth exchanges on healthcare co-operation and development.

At the opening ceremony, Prof Lo witnessed the successful national accreditation of the Queen Mary Hospital Chest Pain Centre, making it the first chest pain centre in Hong Kong established in accordance with the national accreditation standards.

He said the establishment of a chest pain centre can improve the efficiency of acute chest pain diagnosis and speed up the time for patients to receive cardiac surgery, thereby lowering the death rate, shortening the hospitalisation period and reducing the hospital readmission rate.

The health chief also noted that the adoption of the national accreditation standards by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will also facilitate integration into the overall national development by fully utilising Hong Kong’s advantage of having the motherland’s  strong support and close connection with the world, with a view to demonstrating the excellence of the national healthcare standards to the international community, and helping promote the development of the national accreditation standards of chest pain centres into an internationally recognised standard.

Over the course of the convention, Prof Lo met multiple delegations from the Mainland and overseas and attended various events, taking the opportunity to promote medical co-operation and exchanges.

Among others, Prof Lo met Guangdong Health Commission Director-General Liu Liqun and his delegation to explore the exchange of healthcare talent between the two places, and to discuss healthcare collaboration projects, such as the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme and the cross-boundary use of electronic health records.

After the meeting, both sides attended the welcoming ceremony for the Mainland Healthcare Talents Visiting Programmes.

Prof Lo was pleased to note that since the 2022 launch of the visiting programmes, 80 outstanding doctors and two batches of about 170 nurses in total from the Mainland have come to the HA on exchange, while more than 25 specialists have also been arranged by the authority to conduct exchanges at public hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.

Afterwards, Prof Lo and the Consul General of France in Hong Kong & Macau Christile Drulhe jointly witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Intent between the HA and the National Conference of University Hospital General Managers of France.

The signing of the declaration formally establishes a strategic collaborative partnership between the two organisations in deepening mutual exchanges, promoting the joint development of hospital services and exchange of medical expertise.

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HK, Maldives sign tax pact

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Hong Kong today signed a comprehensive avoidance of double taxation agreement (CDTA) with the Maldives, on the margins of the 8th High-level meeting of the Asia Initiative hosted by the Maldives.

Commissioner of Inland Revenue Benjamin Chan signed the CDTA on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government with representative of the Maldives Government, Commissioner General of Taxation of the Inland Revenue Authority Hassan Zareer.

The CDTA sets out the allocation of taxing rights between Hong Kong and the Maldives, which will help investors better assess their potential tax liabilities from cross-border economic activities.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said the Maldives is a participant in the Belt & Road Initiative, and this CDTA, which is the 52nd that Hong Kong has concluded, signifies the ongoing achievements of the Hong Kong SAR Government in expanding the city’s CDTA network, in particular with tax jurisdictions participating in the Belt-Road initiative.

“I have every confidence that this CDTA will further promote economic and trade connections between Hong Kong and the Maldives.”

In accordance with the Hong Kong-Maldives CDTA, Hong Kong companies can enjoy double taxation relief in that any tax paid in the Maldives, whether directly or by deduction, will be allowed as a credit against the tax payable in Hong Kong in respect of the same income under the tax laws of Hong Kong.

The agreement also provides tax relief arrangements.

It will come into force after completion of ratification procedures by both jurisdictions. In Hong Kong, the Chief Executive-in-Council will make an order under the Inland Revenue Ordinance, which will be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting.

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Light housing contracts awarded

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Housing Bureau today awarded two operation and management contracts for the Light Public Housing (LPH) projects at Tsing Fuk Lane, Tuen Mun and Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak.

The contract for the Tsing Fuk Lane project, providing about 1,900 units, has been awarded to a joint venture formed by Easy Living Consultant and Yan Oi Tong at tender sums of about $143 million.

While the one for Olympic Avenue Phase 1, providing about 3,000 units, has been awarded to a joint venture formed by Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon and Wellpoint Property Management Services at tender sums of about $139 million.

Both projects are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho said under the bureau’s steer, the first LPH project at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, is progressing towards full intake, while the project at Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok, will commence intake in phases by the end of next month.

She also looks forward to working closely with various operating organisations in the coming years to ensure effective operation and management, thereby allowing the residents and nearby communities to benefit from the projects’ ancillary facilities and community services.

The bureau is inviting tenders for two other operation and management contracts, covering the four school conversion projects and the Sheung On Street project in Chai Wan.

Ms Ho appealed to other organisations to participate in the tenders.

The LPH Phase 1 and Phase 2 applications, covering about 4,400 and 5,060 units respectively, have received an overwhelming response, with about 21,900 applications received by the end of May.

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Alert issued over phone scams

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today reminded the public to stay vigilant against phone scams.

The alert was issued as the SWD had received enquiries from restaurants about phone calls purportedly made by its officers who claimed to want to reserve tables or order food or drinks. The callers even requested that the restaurants assist in ordering goods from other vendors and settle the payments.

The SWD emphasised that its officers would never ask members of the public to settle any payments.

The matter has been reported to Police.

The department advised citizens to remain vigilant when receiving suspicious calls, adding that anyone who has received a suspected phone scam call should immediately make a report to Police.

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Secretary for Health attends various events at Hospital Authority Convention highlighting Hong Kong’s role as “super connector” (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Secretary for Health attends various events at Hospital Authority Convention highlighting Hong Kong’s role as “super connector”  
     Professor Lo said, “Hong Kong enjoys the distinctive advantages of having strong support from the motherland and close connection with the world under ‘one country, two systems’. The HA Convention fully capitalises on Hong Kong’s international and professional advantages in the healthcare field in providing a broad platform for participants from the Mainland and overseas to exchange and share experiences in hospital management and healthcare services, and facilitate communication and networking between industry players from different parts of the world, demonstrating Hong Kong’s important role as a ‘super connector’.”
 
     At the opening ceremony, Professor Lo also witnessed the successful national accreditation of the Chest Pain Centre of Queen Mary Hospital, making it the first chest pain centre in Hong Kong established in accordance with the national accreditation standards while demonstrating national healthcare service standards to the international community. He said, “The establishment of a chest pain centre can improve the efficiency of diagnosis of acute chest pain and speed up the time for patients to receive cardiac surgery, thereby improving patient care, including lowering the death rate, shortening the length of hospitalisation and reducing the rate of hospital readmission. The adoption of the national accreditation standards by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will also facilitate integration into the overall national development by fully utilising Hong Kong’s advantage of having strong support from the motherland and close connection with the world, with a view to demonstrating the excellence of the national healthcare standards to the international community, and helping promote the development of the national accreditation standards of chest pain centre into an internationally recognised standard.”
 
     Over the course of the Convention, Professor Lo met with multiple delegations from the Mainland and overseas and attended various events, taking the opportunity to promote medical co-operation and exchanges between Hong Kong and other regions.
 
     Professor Lo subsequently met with the Director-General of the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, Mr Liu Liqun, and his delegation to explore the exchange of healthcare talent between the two places, and to exchange views on healthcare collaboration projects, such as the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme and the cross-boundary use of electronic health records.
 
     After the meeting, both sides attended the welcoming ceremony for the Mainland Healthcare Talents Visiting Programmes. Professor Lo is pleased to note that since the launch of the visiting programmes in 2022, 80 outstanding doctors and two batches of a total of about 170 nurses from the Mainland have come to the HA on exchange, while more than 25 specialists in organ transplantation, cardiology, orthopaedics, neurology, rare diseases and pathology have also been arranged by the HA to conduct exchanges at public hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong. He said, “The Mainland Healthcare Talents Visiting Programmes have effectively facilitated bilateral on-site clinical training and exchanges between healthcare professionals of the two places and broadened their horizons through mutual learning, thereby complementing each other’s strengths in terms of healthcare personnel and clinical services, and enhancing the quality of healthcare services of both places.”
 
     Afterwards, Professor Lo and the Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Mrs Christile Drulhe, jointly witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Intent between the HA and the National Conference of University Hospital General Managers (CNDG) of France, which formally establishes a strategic collaborative partnership between the two organisations in deepening mutual exchanges, promoting the joint development of hospital services and exchange of medical expertise. As a vital component of the French public healthcare system, the CNDG is covering 40 per cent of the public healthcare services in France. Its delegation shared the cutting-edge experience in green hospitals and hospital innovation at the HA Convention.
 
     Professor Lo will continue to meet with multiple delegations coming to Hong Kong to attend the HA Convention tomorrow.
Issued at HKT 19:48

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HKMC’s Annual Results Highlights for 2024

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

HKMC’s Annual Results Highlights for 2024 

  • Completed the second issuance of infrastructure loan-backed securities. The issuance consists of multiple classes of US dollar-denominated secured notes backed by the cash flows from a diversified portfolio of project and infrastructure loans across different geographies and sectors, with a total size of US$423.3 millionDebt Issuance
  • Issued corporate debts of HK$103.5 billion for 2024 (2023: HK$98.3 billion), being the most active issuer in the domestic market of Hong Kong dollar (HKD) corporate bonds
  • Successfully completed the issuance of multi-tenor HKD benchmark bonds of HK$12 billion, being the largest-ever HKD senior unsecured public bond transaction at the time of issuance
  • Successfully completed the third social bond issuance of approximately HK$23.8 billion equivalent in triple-currency of HKD, Renminbi and US dollar, being the largest social bond issuance in Asia Pacific
  • Outstanding balance of debt securities issued was HK$148.3 billion as at December 31, 2024 (December 31, 2023: HK$161.7 billion)Mortgage Insurance Programme (MIP)
     SME Financing Guarantee Scheme
     Dedicated 100% Loan Guarantee Schemes
     Annuity Business
     Reverse Mortgage Programme (RMP)
     Financial Highlights

    The audited consolidated loss after tax of the HKMC for 2024 was HK$418 million (2023: consolidated loss after tax of HK$260 million). The increase in accounting loss was largely due to the negative impact of property price drop on fast-growing reverse mortgage business which was partly mitigated by the increase in net interest income together with the return from the placements with the Exchange Fund.Issued at HKT 19:48

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    HKPF and DPO jointly organise 9th Inter-departmental Cyber Security Drill to enhance ability of government departments to counter cyber attacks

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    HKPF and DPO jointly organise 9th Inter-departmental Cyber Security Drill to enhance ability of government departments to counter cyber attacks 
         Addressing the opening ceremony of the drill, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, said that “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address”  announced the introduction of a “Three-tier Prevention Framework” to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts. In this connection, a counter-terrorism segment titled “Counter-Terrorism Information Security Awareness Challenge” and the “Cyber Defence (Defense UK spelling) Tournament”, were introduced for the first time this year, aiming to bolster the Government’s overall defense capabilities against cyber terrorism threats and enhance personnel’s ability to handle cybersecurity incidents.
     
         He pointed out that while the Government promotes digitalisation to improve administrative efficiency, it also faces increasingly severe cybersecurity challenges. All government departments must be well-prepared and strengthen inter-departmental collaboration to further prevent cyber incidents and enhance response capabilities, ensuring that Hong Kong continues to play an important and unique role within the national security framework, contributing to social stability and safeguarding national interests.
     
         Addressing the event, the Assistant Commissioner (Project Governance and Cybersecurity) of the DPO, Ms Candy Chan, said that with the continuous development of the digital economy, cybersecurity has become a critical cornerstone for driving efficient government operations and innovation in public services. She hoped that through this exercise, participants would gain hands-on experience in detecting threats, analysing intrusions, and responding attacks effectively, thereby accumulating valuable practical experience and mastering effective strategies to counter real-world cyber threats.
     
         The drill this year included representatives from 71 bureaux and departments, as well as industry experts from six professional and academic institutions. More than 280 personnel participated, setting new records in both scale and attendance.
     
         The counter-terrorism segment, “Counter-Terrorism Information Security Awareness Challenge” was co-ordinated with the support of the Information Security and Technology Application Working Group. It utilised a highly interactive real-time Q&A platform to raise information security awareness and improve decision-making capabilities in responding to cybersecurity threats among senior management and IT security officers across various bureaux and departments.
     
         In addition, the “Cyber Defence Tournament” was conducted in the form of a “blue teams versus red teams” approach, where participants formed “blue teams” to collectively respond to simulated cyber attacks launched by “red teams” composed of cybersecurity industry experts and academics in a virtual network environment.
     
         This drill also serves as a prelude to the second Hong Kong Cybersecurity Attack and Defence Drill which will be held in October this year. The second drill will be further expanded in scale, encompassing more government departments and public organisations. Through the Inter-departmental Cyber Security Drill, participating departments can strengthen their readiness and enhance their response capabilities, laying a solid foundation for the participation in the Hong Kong Cybersecurity Attack and Defence Drills.
     
         The Government will continue to implement various measures to enhance its cybersecurity capabilities in order to ensure all departments can effectively counter cyber attacks and uphold overall cybersecurity.
     
    Issued at HKT 19:44

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    LegCo Panel on Public Service conducts duty visit to Shenzhen (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

          The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Public Service conducted a duty visit to Shenzhen today (May 26) to gain insight into the developments in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for assisting public officers in handling government administrative work. The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, and other government officials also participated in the visit.
     
          Members visited the Government Services and Data Management bureau of the Shenzhen Municipality in Futian District in the morning to learn about how the local government has introduced “AI digital employees” to assist public officers in their work. The system began development in 2023 and utilised DeepSeek to enhance the capability of its large language model for public administration early this year. Members were informed about how public officers make use of the “AI digital employees” installed on computers and mobile phones, including for drafting official documents and handling public cases more efficiently.
     
          Members then visited the Shenzhen Government Service Center and received a briefing by its representatives on how AI is used for providing various public services. During the visit, Members observed the services provided by the Center, and learned about the operation of the platform for addressing public concerns.
     
          Members went to the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in the afternoon to learn about the operation of the nation’s first “Vertical Domain-specific Large Model” dedicated to judicial trials, which was established last year. Members observed the use of the AI-Enhanced Adjudication Assisting System, and exchanged views with representatives of the Court. The system covers the legal processes of civil, criminal and administrative litigation, helping judicial officers analyse case details, summarise facts and clarify points of contention. It also assists judges in accurately citing authoritative precedents in their rulings.
     
          Members also toured an innovative and technology company in Nanshan District to learn how AI is being used to enhance the efficiency of legal services. The company specialises in providing enterprises with large-model services and solutions for legal compliance. Members received a briefing from company representatives on innovations in the legal services sector, followed by an exchange session.
     
          Members who participated in the duty visit were the Chairman of the Panel, Ms Nixie Lam, the Deputy Chairman of the Panel, Mr Benson Luk, Panel members Ms Doreen Kong, Dr Johnny Ng, Mr Lam San-keung, Mr Dennis Leung, Mr Kingsley Wong, and Dr So Cheung-wing; as well as a non-Panel member Ms Maggie Chan. They returned to Hong Kong in the evening.