Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Chief Executive John Lee

I am delighted to join you at this fireworks extravaganza. Last night, we welcomed the Year of the Snake with a night parade. Tonight, we cheer it on with a fabulous fireworks show.

Hong Kong, our vibrant city, is shining brighter than ever with its unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures. As we marvel with and over the dazzling pyrotechnics lighting up the skies above Victoria Harbour, let us remember that the display is more than a cheering spectacle – more importantly, every burst of colour celebrates the diversity and soaring promise of our home.

The snake symbolises wisdom, resilience and renewal in Chinese culture. Hong Kong has long thrived on its dynamic spirit and adaptability, endlessly mingling tradition and innovation. In the Year of the Snake, Hong Kong will revitalise its strengths and boundless future.

I invite you all to enjoy what Hong Kong has to offer in the Year of the Snake. Alongside magnificent mega events such as this evening’s, our city never fails to delight in its thriving wine and dine scene, breath-taking natural scenery, East-meets-West arts and cultural bounty, world-class sports and non-stop entertainment.

My thanks to HSBC (The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation) for sponsoring tonight’s fireworks display. HSBC celebrates its 160th anniversary this year. My warmest congratulations on your most meaningful anniversary!

I wish you all a very healthy and successful Year of the Snake. Enjoy the show, as we look forward to an even brighter tomorrow.

Chief Executive John Lee gave these remarks at the 2025 Hong Kong Chinese New Year Fireworks Display on January 30.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Chief Executive John Lee

Hello, Hong Kong! Hello, friends from different parts of the world!

Welcome to the annual Hong Kong International Chinese New Year Night Parade, on this, the first fabulous day of the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Snake.

There is no better way, anywhere on earth, to welcome in the New Year than by following – and revelling in – Hong Kong’s magnificent Chinese New Year Night Parade.

This year’s celebration is led by 55 performing groups and floats from 14 countries and regions. Here in the world city of Hong Kong, to dance, sing and perform, skip, juggle, cheerlead and otherwise amaze and delight you, on this most auspicious of days.

And the Night Parade is just the start of our New Year’s festivities. Tomorrow night, a 23-minute fireworks display will light up our world-renowned Victoria Harbour. Our sky will be filled with auspicious symbols, as well as adorable pandas – showcasing Hong Kong’s giant panda family, now counting six and readying for their first full public appearance at the same time in mid-February.

And, alongside the horses at Chinese New Year Raceday, in Sha Tin on January 31, you will want to catch the lions – and lion dancers – on show, part of a fun-filled day at the track.

The Night Parade floats you see tonight, together with some of our performers, will find their way to Lam Tsuen, from tomorrow night, for the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival. This year, the floats are on display there until February 13.

Only in Hong Kong, the world’s East-meets-West centre for cultural exchange – and day-and-night entertainment. All around town, you will be greeted by the magnificent spectacle of our festivities, and the warm hospitality of the people of Hong Kong, as we share the joy of the New Year with all of you.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and eventful Year of the Snake. Kung Hei Fat Choi! Thank you and enjoy the evening.

Chief Executive John Lee gave these remarks at the 2025 International Chinese New Year Night Parade on January 29.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Chief Executive John Lee today met Governor of Guangdong Province Wang Weizhong at Government House to discuss strengthening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Guangdong and promoting high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Welcoming Mr Wang and his delegation, Mr Lee said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches importance to the work on Hong Kong’s integration into the overall national development.

He noted that shortly after the establishment of the current-term Government, the Steering Group on Integration into National Development was set up to take forward and provide a steer from the top level on the work of serving the GBA development.

Mr Lee said Guangdong and Hong Kong are adjacent to each other and interdependent, and have shared an all-round, deep and multidisciplinary co-operative relationship for many years.

With the strong support from the central authorities, the two places have worked with one mind to promote co-operation in finance, innovation and technology, logistics, healthcare and other fields to achieve fruitful results.

Mr Lee highlighted Guangdong’s issuance of offshore renminbi local government bonds in Hong Kong for the first time in September last year.

He said the initiative not only further strengthened Hong Kong’s position as a global offshore RMB business hub, but also promoted the GBA in better serving as the driving force for high-quality development.

Welcoming more Mainland local governments to issue offshore RMB bonds and green bonds in Hong Kong, Mr Lee stressed that the city will continue to leverage its advantages in connecting with the international financial system and providing professional services, contributing to the country’s promotion of high-level financial opening up.

The Chief Executive said the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to actively maintain close co-operation with the Guangdong People’s Government, with a view to enhancing the innovation capabilities and influence of the GBA as a region with economic development advantages, as well as achieving complementarity and collaborative development among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

It also aims to align with national development strategies and leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle to deepen international exchanges and co-operation, and better integrate into the overall national development.

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang, Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Carol Yip and Commissioner for the Development of the Greater Bay Area Maisie Chan also attended the meeting.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Civil Service College today held a talk on the topic of  “Xi Jinping Thought on Culture”, delivered by Vice President of the National Academy of Governance Li Wentang.

Addressing the talk, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture serves as the theoretical guidance for the development of a socialist culture with Chinese Characteristics for a new era.

Mrs Yeung noted that it emphasises strengthening cultural confidence, upholding openness and inclusiveness, and adhering to fundamental principles and breaking new ground.

The significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture lies not only in the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture, but also in providing spiritual strength for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through the promotion of building a strong cultural nation.

She pointed out that Hong Kong possesses a unique advantage in the integration of Chinese and Western cultures.

Hong Kong should leverage its role as a platform for cultural exchange between China and the West to promote the inheritance and innovation of the fine traditional Chinese culture, and facilitate the exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and other cultures. Hong Kong should tell the international community the story of the successful implementation of “one country, two systems” in China to attract more talent from across the world for enhancing its international competitiveness and influence, and make greater contributions to the high-level opening up of the country, Mrs Yeung added.

About 160 senior officials and civil servants in the directorate, senior and middle ranks attended the talk.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

Chief Executive John Lee today met Secretary of the CPC Jiangmen Municipal Committee Chen Anming to discuss deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Jiangmen and promoting high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Welcoming Mr Chen and his delegation, Mr Lee said there is vast potential for collaboration between the two places.

He commented that Jiangmen is a hub and gateway city in the western part of the GBA, and is experiencing rapid development in advanced manufacturing.

Mr Lee outlined that Hong Kong – as an international city that enjoys unique advantages under the “one country, two systems” arrangement – will continue to act as a super connector and a super value-adder, and will leverage its highly internationalised and market-oriented business environment in order to collaborate with Mainland enterprises and inject new impetus into the GBA’s development.

He expressed confidence that Hong Kong and Jiangmen can complement each other’s strengths through enhanced co-operation in areas such as green industries, scientific research and elderly care services.

Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang and Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan also attended the meeting.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

All eight of the Security Bureau’s disciplined and auxiliary services will hold open days on weekends and holidays throughout April, dovetailing with the 10th National Security Education Day on April 15.

The open days will be held in the services’ training schools, museums, headquarters or divisional premises. They are targeted at deepening public understanding of the services and their work and achievements in safeguarding national security.

Activities will include flag raising ceremonies, Chinese-style foot drills, rescue demonstrations, displays of firearms and equipment, working dog demonstrations and game booths.

From today, interested parties can register for free tickets via the disciplined services’ websites or mobile applications. Tickets are not required for auxiliary service open days.

Click here for details.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Chief Executive has specified that the general election for the eighth-term Legislative Council will be held on December 7.

The Government said the announcement takes into consideration relevant electoral legislation and practice adopted in past elections.

The Election Committee Subsector By-elections, which must be held before the LegCo General Election, will take place on September 7.

The polling date for the general election will be published in the Government Gazette on March 21.

In addition to liaising closely with the Electoral Affairs Commission, the Government said it will prepare for the two polls in accordance with relevant electoral legislation and actual circumstances, to ensure that they are conducted smoothly in a fair, just, honest, safe and orderly manner.

Full details of the electoral arrangements will be announced later this year.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Housing Authority Subsidised Housing Committee today endorsed measures to tighten policies in relation to well-off public rental housing (PRH) tenants and encourage their upward mobility.

Households whose family income exceeds two times and not more than three times the prevailing PRH income limits (PRHILs) will be required to pay 2.5 times the standard rent instead of the existing 1.5 times.

Households with family income exceeding three times and not more than four times the prevailing PRHILs will pay 3.5 times the standard rent, in lieu of the existing double rent.

As for households whose family income exceeds four times and not more than five times the prevailing PRHILs, they have to pay 4.5 times the standard rent instead of the existing double rent.

The new additional rent levels will take effect from the next declaration cycle in October of this year, and the first batch of well-off tenants will pay rent at the new levels from October 1, 2026.

The threshold for vacating PRH flats will also be adjusted. PRH tenants with income levels exceeding four times but not five times the PRHILs after two declaration cycles, i.e. four years in total, must relinquish their tenancies.

To encourage the upward mobility of well-off tenants, starting from the next home ownership scheme (HOS) sale exercise, the quota allocation ratio of Green Form to White Form applicants will be adjusted to 50:50.

Moreover, well-off tenants paying additional rents, irrespective of the rent level, can retain their Green Form status for four years after voluntarily moving out of their flats. This policy will be effective from October 1.

Relevant declaration arrangements will also be enhanced. Each family member will have to declare individually whether they own any domestic property in Hong Kong. This will allow identification of false declarations and corresponding enforcement measures to be taken.

Those who make false declarations will be subject to a five-year debarment from applying for PRH and will also be liable to prosecution.

Meanwhile, the authority’s Subsidised Housing Committee endorsed today the proposed income and asset limits for applicants of different household sizes for PRH for 2025/26. These will take effect from April 1. Click here for details.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Government today said it will adjust the conditions of sale for the tender of two sites in Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen for multistorey buildings for modern industries (MSBs) and extend their tender period to July 25.

The original tender closing date of Hung Shui Kiu Town Lot No. 10 and Yuen Long Town Lot No. 545 was tomorrow. 

Given the substantial investment outlay the project would involve and the latest market conditions, some potential bidders recently indicated that they hoped the Government would consider making some adjustment to the tender conditions.

Taking into account market feedback and without deviating from the original policy intent, the Government decided to adjust some of the conditions of sale for the two MSB sites. 

Upon completion of the MSB, the successful bidding enterprise will lease part of the floor space to the Government at a nominal rent for 10 years. The Government or its appointed agent will manage and rent out the floor space to brownfield operators affected by government development projects. 

This arrangement will replace the requirement under the original conditions of sale that the enterprise must permanently assign designated floor space to the Government at nil cost.

In other words, the revised conditions will allow ownership of the MSB to be fully consolidated in the hands of the enterprise being awarded the site. 

Secondly, the Government will adjust the minimum floor space required to be leased to the Government within the 10-year period to around 46,000 sq m for the Hung Shui Kiu Lot and around 29,000 sq m for the Yuen Long Lot.

In other words, the basis for calculating the floor space to be leased to the Government is changed from the maximum gross floor area (GFA) permissible to the minimum GFA permissible on the lot.

Thirdly, the floor loading requirement of the floor space to be leased to the Government for the Hung Shui Kiu Lot will be adjusted from 30 kilonewtons per sq m to 25 kilonewtons per sq m, same as the floor loading requirement for the Yuen Long Lot, thereby achieving greater consistency with the requirement for industrial buildings in general and reduce the construction cost.

The revised land sale documents for the two sites will be available online in early April, while the extension will give interested bidders sufficient time to prepare for their tender submission, the Government added.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Government today launched a first batch of 38 low-altitude economy (LAE) Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects.

The Working Group on Developing LAE approved the 38 projects after reviewing 72 project proposals. They cover a wide range of fields and application scenarios, including emergency and rescue, logistics and distribution, inspections and safety maintenance, surveillance, and low-altitude infrastructure.

The projects are being implemented by enterprises, research institutes, public utilities and government departments.

Officiating at today’s launch event, Chief Executive John Lee said: “The LAE is one of our nation’s strategic emerging industries, as well as the example in exploring new quality productive forces.”

He outlined that the LAE not only gives rise to various emerging industries, but also opens up a wide range of application scenarios with great potential.

“It is set to strengthen city management and business efficiency, and create a whole new experience of smart living for the public, making it an important growth engine for the economy.

“The Government will unleash the potential of the LAE by bringing together research and development outcomes and corporate efforts, taking forward the LAE in a safe and healthy manner to make Hong Kong a pioneer in the emerging new quality productive forces industry of the LAE, creating a new era of a ‘smart sky’.”

Also speaking at the launch, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan said the sandbox projects will help to accumulate experience and data, thereby allowing the Government to devise comprehensive infrastructure support for the execution of LAE activities.

“With the launch of the various sandbox projects from April, and in the coming months ahead, we really hope that the society, and members of the public, will visualise the projects and they can even touch these projects.

“And we would like to hope that with all these projects launching, we would incorporate the innovation and technology into our daily lives”

She added that the Government plans to amend existing regulations with regard to low-altitude drones. Weight limits will be increased, allowing heavier and more sophisticated drones to be used.

The Government also plans to introduce a special provision enabling the Director-General of Civil Aviation to allow trials of more sophisticated and heavier low-altitude equipment, including models which can carry passengers.

A number of organisations conducting pilot projects had booths at the event to showcase their application scenarios and other features. A logo specifically designed for the LAE Regulatory Sandbox was also unveiled.