Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Commissioner of Customs and Excise visits Dalian and Qingdao and attends APEC Customs-Business Dialogue       
     Coinciding with this year being the APEC “China Year” and with the nation hosting the meetings, Mr Chan led a delegation on August 20 to attend the Strategic Dialogue and related events of the APEC Customs-Business Dialogue, engaging in in-depth discussions with Mainland officials, Customs leaders from APEC economies, and business representatives on championing technology and innovation, as well as building smart Customs co-operation partnerships.
      
     On the sidelines of the Dialogue, Mr Chan met with the Director General of the National Customs Service of the Republic of Chile, Ms Alejandra Arriaza Loeb, and signed the Customs Co-operative Arrangement to strengthen co-operation on information exchanges in combating transnational crimes, and to promote closer ties in trade facilitation. Hong Kong Customs has so far signed 36 similar arrangements with customs administrations worldwide. The signing of the Arrangement signifies the continuous effort of Hong Kong Customs in promoting international customs co-operation and fostering multilateral trade.
      
     In addition, Mr Chan also met with the Minister of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), Ms Sun Meijun, in Dalian to exchange views on further deepening collaboration between Mainland Customs and Hong Kong Customs. He expressed gratitude to the GACC for their consistent and strong support for the work of Hong Kong Customs at the meeting.
      
     During the visit to Dalian and Qingdao, Mr Chan met with the Deputy Director General of the Dalian Customs District, Mr Wen Siquan, and the Director General of the Qingdao Customs District, Mr Shen Yang, respectively. He also conducted on-site visits to local customs facilities, including the Dayaowan Customs House of the Dalian Customs District, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport and the automated terminal of Qingdao Port, to learn about local Customs clearance procedures and advanced regulatory technology.
      
     Mr Chan stated that Hong Kong Customs will continue to actively promote the development of Smart Customs and leverage innovative technology to enhance trade facilitation and safeguard the gateway of the country, thereby contributing to the high-quality development of the country and regional economic and trade prosperity.
Issued at HKT 18:55

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SJ leads cross-professional delegation to begin visit to Xinjiang  
     Mr Lam attended the Exchange Meeting on Opportunities and Strategies for Chinese Enterprises “Going Global” and the Opening Ceremony of the Hong Kong Common Law and Dispute Resolution Practical Training Course organised by the Academy in the morning. He delivered his opening remarks and gave a keynote speech briefing the participants on the principle of “one country, two systems” and Hong Kong’s common law system.
 
     Addressing the opening ceremony, Mr Lam said that Xinjiang serves as a pivotal gateway, connecting Mainland enterprises to Central Asia and extending their reach into Europe. In recent years, its foreign trade volume has repeatedly surpassed the RMB100 billion mark. As cross-border trade and investment become increasingly frequent, enterprises face a complex and ever-changing international landscape alongside rigorous compliance requirements, making professional legal services crucial to their overseas expansion. This practical training course was timely as it focused on the opportunities and risks associated with Chinese enterprises going global. The course covered three core themes – the unique value of the “one country, two systems” principle and Hong Kong’s common law system; Hong Kong court litigation procedures and international arbitration practices; and practical issues and arbitration clauses relevant to Chinese enterprises expanding into Central Asia – all designed to help Mainland enterprises understand and leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages and professional services as they navigate global markets.
 
     Mr Lam then attended a plaque-unveiling ceremony of a partnership association set up between Urumqi, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong law firms, witnessing further exchanges and professional collaboration between the legal sectors of the two places.
 
     In the afternoon, Mr Lam met the Secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional Committee, Mr Chen Xiaojiang, for a lunch meeting to brief him on the latest progress of Hong Kong’s work on aligning with the country’s planning. They also exchanged views on strengthening co-operation between the two places.

     Mr Lam also met with the Party Secretary of the Department of Justice of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Mr Liu Jiansheng, and the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director-General of the Department of Justice of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Mr Naibijiang Yibulayimu, to discuss topics such as further promoting the training, exchange and co-operation of legal professionals between Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as well as how Hong Kong’s professional services can assist Xinjiang enterprises in going global. 
     Mr Lam and the delegation will depart for Almaty, Kazakhstan, tomorrow (August 25) to continue their visit.
Issued at HKT 18:40

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Hong Kong Customs combats illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers (with photo)     ​
     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080, its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 18:30

Hongkong Post alerts public not to download Hongkong Post Mobile Application from any unofficial channels      
     For enquiries, members of the public may contact the Hongkong Post enquiry hotline at 2921 2222 or email hkpo@hkpo.gov.hkIssued at HKT 18:52

Development Bureau announces tender result for Hung Shui Kiu pilot area under large-scale land disposal      
     The six shareholders of the successful tenderer are the subsidiaries of China Overseas Land and Investment Limited, China Merchants Land Limited, China Resources Land Limited, China Tourism Group Corporation Limited, JD.com, Inc. (JD) and Sino Land Company Limited respectively.
      
     The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said, “The HSK pilot area is the first tender project under large-scale land disposal in the NM, covering a total area of nearly 11 hectares. It is a project of considerable scale with a long investment period. The consortium of the successful tenderer encompasses not only major enterprises that have long participated in local real estate development, but also market leaders that are well-established in other industries with undeniable experience and capability. This demonstrates that a large-scale land disposal project can facilitate co-operation across different business sectors. The six enterprises pool their strengths and join forces to cast a vote of confidence in the NM through concrete actions, setting a new course for the diversified development models in the NM.”
      
     The DEVB said that the successful tenderer will be responsible for forming and developing three residential sites, on which some 3 000 flats can be built in total (assuming that each flat is about 50 square metres in size), and also complete site formation to build a smart modern logistics centre on an Enterprise and Technology Park (E&TP) site of permissible gross floor area (GFA) up to 50 950 square metres. The centre will adopt modern and quality design with JD stationing as the leading enterprise. It will commence operation with no less than 15 300 square metres of GFA within 55 months, faster than the minimum requirement of 96 months in the tender documents. The mentioned three residential sites and one E&TP site (namely HSK Town Lot Nos. 18 to 21), with a total area of about 3.6 hectares, will be leased to the successful tenderer for a term of 50 years.
      
     The successful tenderer will also be responsible for forming various remaining sites in the HSK pilot area. Amongst them, two E&TP sites (namely HSK Town Lot Nos. 23 and 24, about 4.5 hectares) and one “Government, Institution or Community” site (about 0.6 hectares) for government facility shall have the site formation completed and handed back to the Government by end 2028. Besides, the successful tenderer will construct an open space, a pedestrian street and a footpath, which need to be completed and handed back to the Government no later than 2030 to 2033 by batches.
      
     Ms Linn said, “After the successful tenderer completes the site formation and hands back the sites to the Government, the Government will grant the two mentioned E&TP sites of 4.5 hectares directly to Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company Limited (the Park Company), which is wholly owned by the Government, for development of superstructure and operation. The size of sites granted to the Park Company at a nominal land premium for a term of 50 years will increase by 20 per cent, previously from 23 hectares to 27.5 hectares, which facilitates the introduction of industries with a competitive edge to the NM. This land grant arrangement also enables the Park Company to start working on attracting investments and enterprises for the additional sites, so that enterprises may settle in early after completion of site formation in 2028.”
      
     As estimated by the successful tenderer, the implementation of the whole large-scale land disposal project involves an investment of about $16.8 billion, and is anticipated to create over 6 000 employment opportunities. 
      
     The successful tenderer will need to enter into a service deed with the Government, submit a performance guarantee and arrange for a bank bond within 14 days, with a view to ensuring the timely implementation of the non-premium proposal and various requirements. As the successful tenderer has not elected to pay land premium in instalments and will settle the accepted tender price in full within 28 days, the Government can receive the full amount of the tender early.

     ​The Northern Metropolis Project Supervision Office established by the DEVB earlier will render full support to the successful tenderer in taking forward the HSK pilot area project to expedite its implementation.
      
     To develop the HSK pilot area, the Government has adopted a two-envelope approach in the tender, with the weighting for premium proposal at 30 per cent and non-premium proposal at 70 per cent. The assessment criteria for non-premium proposal focus on the development of the E&TP sites, including whether strategic industries are developed, whether leading enterprises are introduced, development speed, investment scale, employment opportunities to be created, etc., with a view to attracting high-quality enterprises to establish their presence in the HSK pilot area and promoting the development of industry chains.
      
     The Government launched the open tender on December 30, 2025, which closed on July 3, 2026 with two tenders received.  After the Tender Assessment Panel (TAP) assessed the tenders in accordance with the marking scheme in the tender documents, HSK New Development Limited attained the highest marks for both its premium and non-premium proposals with an overall score of 100. The TAP recommended to the CTB to accept the relevant tender, and the recommendation was approved.
Issued at HKT 19:59

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Construction Safety Week 2026 promotes site safety       
     Speaking at the kick-off ceremony, the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that “Build Smart. Care with Heart. Own the Task.” represents three key priorities of site safety: technology empowerment, mutual care, and fulfilling safety responsibilities. She said that the Government has been actively promoting smart site safety in recent years, and currently about 80 per cent of construction sites in Hong Kong have installed the Smart Site Safety System (4S) devices. While the overall construction accident rate between 2023 and 2025 dropped by around 20 per cent, even a single industrial incident is one too many. Therefore, the Government aims to make the 4S a standard feature on Hong Kong construction sites, and its specifications must keep pace with industry and technological developments. The DEVB updated the relevant technical circular for public works contracts last month by adding three new types of 4S devices, with a view to covering high-risk site operations more comprehensively. The DEVB is also striving to progressively promote the 4S across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area through pilot projects in Qianhai. She also expressed hope that the industry would foster a people-oriented caring culture, uphold the belief that site safety is everyone’s responsibility, and create a safer working environment for every construction worker striving to build Hong Kong.

     The Chairman of the CIC, Professor Thomas Ho, stressed that site safety is the cornerstone of the construction industry and that the industry should continue promoting a safety culture. All construction industry stakeholders should lead by example and uphold site safety. He also called on top management and senior executives to visit construction sites in person and engage with frontline site personnel, demonstrating their commitment to site safety. Through technology and a caring culture, the industry can work together to build a safer, smarter, and brighter future.
      
     The CSW Conference commenced right after the kick-off ceremony. Experts and project teams shared their experiences in adopting the 4S, uplifting site safety and nurturing a caring culture. An exhibition on the 4S was also held at the venue.
      
     Launched in 2012, CSW aims to promote zero accidents and a caring environment in the construction industry. The campaign has received wide support from various sectors of the community, including professional groups, organisations, trade associations and labour unions. Details of this year’s CSW are available at www.safetyweek.hk.Issued at HKT 17:45

Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing of duty-not-paid cigarettes       
     Customs officers intercepted the two incoming Mainland male passengers, aged 34 and 37, at Hong Kong International Airport on August 21, and seized a total of 200 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $900,000 and a duty potential of about $660,000 from their personal baggage. The two passengers were subsequently arrested.
      
     Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences.
      
     Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 16:40