Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today officiated at an Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) reception for new establishments of international and Mainland businesses in Hong Kong and encouraged companies to seize the myriad opportunities in the city to expand globally.

​Mr Lee also reaffirmed Hong Kong’s role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” connecting the Mainland and the rest of the world.

In his keynote speech, the Chief Executive pointed out that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong enjoys the advantages of being connected to both the Mainland and the rest of the world, offering an open and easy place to do business, a long and established tradition of the rule of law, and a simple and low tax regime.

Mr Lee highlighted that as the world’s freest economy and one of the world’s top three international financial centres, Hong Kong’s global competitiveness has risen two places to rank third globally in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025, marking the second consecutive year of such advancement from its seventh place two years ago.

In the recent World Investment Report released by the United Nations Trade & Development, the city has moved up to third place in terms of foreign direct investment inflows.

Mr Lee stressed that the Government will continue to co-ordinate the practical needs of enterprises across different sectors, enabling them to develop their business overseas through Hong Kong’s multinational supply chain management centre and explore new strategic blue oceans for development.

The event also marked the 25th anniversary of InvestHK and served as an occasion to thank businesses for their trust and support in Hong Kong’s business environment. About 350 senior representatives from companies worldwide attended.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Financial Secretary Paul Chan today attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025 in Tianjin, and led representatives from about 20 startups and enterprises to visit the Tianjin Binhai High-tech Industrial Development Area for business matching activities.

At the annual meeting, also known as the Summer Davos, Mr Chan joined the Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders where he exchanged views on the current international financial and trade landscape and developments with other international and regional leaders.

In the afternoon, Mr Chan participated as a keynote speaker in a discussion session on the economic and investment relationship and development prospects between the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) and China.

He pointed out that Hong Kong can serve as a “super connector” in trade, investment, finance, and innovation and technology (I&T) between China and the MENA.

Specifically, with the increasing popularity of trade settled in local currencies among economies in the region, renminbi liquidity, the range of renminbi investment products and risk management tools, and custodian services can be enhanced to support renminbi investment and funding needs of MENA countries.

Furthermore, as the region invests heavily in infrastructure and green transformation, Hong Kong can act as a financing centre for quality enterprises and projects. Collaboration between I&T enterprises can also help countries in the region achieve their development goals in various fields.

Separately, the Financial Secretary, leading representatives from startups from the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, Cyberport and the Hong Kong Investment Corporation, visited the Tianjin Binhai High-tech Industrial Development Area in the morning.

They toured two enterprises and held a roundtable meeting with about 30 Tianjin-based tech companies to discuss further co-operation directions and strategies between Tianjin and Hong Kong’s innovation sectors, and promote exchanges and interface between enterprises of the two places.

During the roundtable meeting, Mr Chan said Hong Kong welcomes Tianjin’s I&T companies to leverage Hong Kong’s platform for international expansion. He emphasised that enterprises can utilise Hong Kong’s vibrant and comprehensive fundraising market and high-quality financial services to connect with global funds and investors. He also encouraged them to collaborate with Hong Kong’s I&T enterprises to make use of Hong Kong’s internationalised application scenarios and global business networks, thereby accelerating the pace of their international expansion.

In the evening, Mr Chan met Tianjin Municipal Committee Deputy Secretary Liu Guiping for in-depth exchanges on strengthening co-operation in trade, finance, shipping, I&T and tourism between Tianjin and Hong Kong.

Additionally, Mr Chan met Xi’an Mayor Ye Niuping, also attending the Summer Davos, to exchange views on further fostering co-operation.

The Financial Secretary will continue to attend the Summer Davos in Tianjin tomorrow and depart for Beijing in the evening.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today announced that two teams of civil servants were awarded the Chief Executive’s Award for Exemplary Performance.

They were the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Search & Rescue Team to quake-stricken areas in Myanmar in March 2025 and the Inter-departmental Preparation Team for Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) Commissioning respectively.

Mr Lee congratulated the two teams and expressed pride in their performance and contributions.

“The two award-winning teams reflected the outstanding competence of the civil service of the Hong Kong SAR and the efficiency of the Government, and exemplified Hong Kong’s second-place global ranking in the ‘Government efficiency’ factor of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025. All these have confirmed and reinforced my belief in driving result-oriented policies for the Government,” he said.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said the Hong Kong SAR Search & Rescue Team demonstrated fearless professionalism and humanitarian care, while the Preparation Team for KTSP Commissioning displayed efficient collaboration and precise planning of the civil servants. 

In March this year, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, resulting in serious casualties. The Hong Kong SAR Government quickly formed an interdepartmental search and rescue team.

Civil servants from the Security Bureau, the Fire Services Department and the Immigration Department, together with medical representatives from the Hospital Authority, rushed to Mantalay, one of the most devastated areas in Myanmar, to conduct search and rescue operations.

With professional training, fearlessness and perseverance, the team completed 61 search and rescue operations covering 57 locations amid the constant aftershocks and scorching heat in the disaster-stricken areas, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) said.

The team also conducted joint operations with the China Search & Rescue Team and successfully rescued one survivor who had been trapped for more than 125 hours.

Meanwhile, the Inter-departmental Preparation Team for KTSP Commissioning comprised civil servants from the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, the Security Bureau, the CSB, the Transport & Logistics Bureau, Police and the Transport Department.

In the face of multiple challenges such as the pressing schedule, the large scale of the project and complicated co-ordination work, the preparation team, with its innovative thinking, meticulous planning and interdepartmental collaborations, completed around 20 test events, including five large-scale drills, in just five months, mobilising 140,000 civil servants to participate in the stress tests to evaluate the capability of the KTSP and its surrounding facilities comprehensively.

Through continuous stress tests and optimisation of detailed arrangements, thorough preparation was made for the commissioning of the KTSP, the CSB added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     In response to media enquiries about safeguarding national security, an Education Bureau (EDB) spokesman made the following response today (June 24):

     Safeguarding national security is the Government’s responsibility, as well as the obligation of the whole community of Hong Kong. It is also part and parcel of the routine school work in promoting national security education. With the implementation of the National Security Law for five years, Hong Kong has transited “from chaos to stability” and “from stability to prosperity”.  The EDB has adopted a “multi-pronged and co-ordinated” approach, including activities inside and outside the classroom, to strengthen students’ understanding of Chinese culture, the Constitution and the Basic Law, and their awareness of law-abiding in promoting patriotic education.

     The EDB has issued detailed administrative and educational guidelines to schools, requiring them to establish school-based mechanisms and formulate appropriate measures according to their own circumstances and needs to implement various tasks related to safeguarding national security and national security education. The EDB also provided schools with an updated “National Security: School Self-evaluation Checklist” in April this year, and provided suggestions of refinement and good practices of different areas of work, covering national security work planning, monitoring mechanisms, learning and teaching and related resources, school activities, personnel management and training, and home-school co-operation, in order to effectively prevent and suppress acts and activities that endanger or are detrimental to national security. Schools have the responsibility to play a good gate-keeper role and to enhance the sensitivity of teachers and students to national security.

     Schools offering non-local curricula also have the responsibility to help their students, regardless of their ethnicity and nationality, acquire a correct and objective understanding and appreciation of the concept of national security and the National Security Law, as well as the duty to cultivate a law-abiding spirit among their students. These schools should devise and continuously review relevant strategies and measures in light of their school-based circumstances and needs, with a view to maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment and promoting students’ effective learning and healthy development.

     The EDB will continue to monitor and support schools in implementing the relevant work through various channels, such as daily communication with schools. The EDB will also advance towards more in-depth and effective implementation of work to safeguard national security, and continue to work hand in hand with different stakeholders to help schools build a protective barrier to safeguard the well-being of students.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Taiwan has unveiled its Digital Nomad Visa, offering global talent a fresh opportunity to work remotely in a vibrant setting.
To promote this initiative and highlight Taiwan’s appeal for professionals, the National Development Council is hosting two online workshops. These sessions will cover eligibility, application procedures, and real-life insights from digital nomads in Taiwan. The first session targets Europe, while the second is tailored for Australia and New Zealand.
The Australia session is scheduled for July 11, 2025, at 11:30 AM (AEST). Join to explore Taiwan’s talent policies and TALENT TAIWAN services!
Registration:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeACc2Fjhfjtcxu7IKb-FK7Wy8MVBFdcE5F6GZhpFo3ZVMeMw/viewform

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government announced today (June 24) that the HKSAR Search and Rescue Team to quake-stricken areas in Myanmar in March 2025 and the Inter-departmental Preparation Team for Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) Commissioning were awarded a new round of the Chief Executive’s Award for Exemplary Performance.
 
     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, congratulated the two award-winning teams and expressed pride in their performance and contributions. He said, “The two award-winning teams reflected the outstanding competence of the civil service of the HKSAR and the efficiency of the Government, and exemplified Hong Kong’s second-place global ranking in the ‘Government efficiency’ factor of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025. All these have confirmed and reinforced my belief in driving result-oriented policies for the Government.”

     Congratulating the two award-winning civil service teams, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, “The HKSAR Search and Rescue Team has demonstrated fearless professionalism and humanitarian care, while the Preparation Team for KTSP Commissioning has displayed efficient collaboration and precise planning of the civil servants. The two teams comprised outstanding civil servants across different departments and grades, who overcame numerous challenges and accomplished their tasks with utmost professionalism. I hope that this honour will inspire more colleagues to forge ahead and continue to serve the community with dedication.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan today led a delegation to Guangzhou for a luncheon to exchange views with senior executives of Guangdong enterprises.

The delegation included representatives from the Law Society, the Bar Association, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, the banking sector and the Advisory Group of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers.

During the exchange session, members of the delegation gave thematic presentations on Hong Kong’s unique advantages as an international legal hub and financing platform.

Other presentation topics covered common legal issues in foreign-related financing, and protection of intellectual property rights in going global.

The delegation also had an in-depth discussion with representatives of Mainland enterprises.

Mr Cheung pointed out that it was the first time for the Department of Justice (DoJ) to bring together representatives from various professions to introduce the city’s unique advantages in connecting the Mainland and the world to Mainland entrepreneurs.

Such a cross-professional approach brought multiple professional perspectives, enhancing the enterprises’ understanding of Hong Kong’s position as the best gateway for global expansion, he added.

Mr Cheung also emphasised that enterprises need quality foreign-related professional services to assist them in opening up a “safe route” for going global successfully, and Hong Kong’s international professional services are positioned as key partners to enterprises expanding into overseas markets.

More than 40 enterprises attended the exchange session hosted by the DoJ, the Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau and Invest Hong Kong, and co-organised by the Guangdong Chamber of International Commerce.

After the session, Mr Cheung brought legal profession members of the delegation to hold a discussion with the Guangdong Lawyers Association, on how lawyers from both places could effectively assist enterprises in addressing practical legal issues arising from going global.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today welcomed the completion of the evaluation and approval procedures for all proprietary Chinese medicines (pCms) with transitional registration by the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (CMCHK).

 

The CMCHK announced today that the evaluation and approval process for converting the transitional registrations of pCm to formal registrations has been completed.

 

The Department of Health explained that the transitional registration system for pCm will conclude on June 30 and by then, all pCms sold in Hong Kong must have valid formal registrations.

 

Prof Lo noted that this marks an important milestone for the regulation of Chinese medicine (CM) in Hong Kong, ensuring the public’s access to quality and safe pCms, while also supporting Hong Kong’s development as a bridgehead for the internationalisation of CM.

 

He pointed out that Hong Kong-registered pCms will become a key component in CM development as well as health and medical innovation.

 

“With Hong Kong’s robust regulatory system for pCms, its brand effect can attract more high-quality pCms from the Mainland and overseas to register in the city, thereby assisting the industry in further expanding into global markets and accelerating the internationalisation of CM.”

 

To assist holders of transitionally registered pCms in obtaining formal registration as early as possible, the Health Bureau has previously provided funding to the industry through the Chinese Medicine Development Fund.

 

Under the Proprietary Chinese Medicine Registration Support Scheme, subsidies were granted to holders of transitionally registered pCms to engage professional consultants for advice on formal registration matters and to conduct necessary laboratory tests.

 

Moving forward, the Government said it will continue to collaborate with the CM industry to jointly promote the innovation and development of CM.

 

In addition, the Health Bureau will release the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint by the end of this year, which will include more strategies to comprehensively enhance the development of CM in Hong Kong.