Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, on his visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today (January 30) officiated at a Chinese New Year dinner hosted by the newly established Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur ETO) to celebrate the festive season with various sectors of the local community and deepen links between the two places.

     This was the first-ever large-scale event organised by the new ETO in Kuala Lumpur after its establishment last December. Speaking to some 400 guests at the dinner, Mr Yau thanked the Malaysian government for supporting the setting up of the ETO in the capital city, adding that it is an important milestone in the already close and solid ties between Malaysia and Hong Kong, and also a clear testament to the shared commitment to deepening bilateral co-operation. From January to October 2025, bilateral trade reached US$21.5 billion, making both places among each other’s top 10 trading partners.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

  Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident in Tuen Mun today (January 30) in which a man died.

     At 5.38pm, a motorcycle driven by a 30-year-old man was travelling along Tsing Tin Road towards Tai Hing. When approaching a right bend near lamp post KHM111, it suspectedly went out of control, sideturned and rammed into barriers. The motorcyclist then fell from Tsing Tin Road onto a carriageway of Tuen Mun Road near Tsing Tin Interchange.

     Sustaining serious head injuries, the motorcyclist was rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 6.36pm.
 
     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, New Territories North is underway.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 3800.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) announced today (January 30) that it noted public discussions on the scope of application of the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) (Amendment) Regulation 2025. Having consulted the Department of Justice, it is considered that there are technical deficiencies in those legal provisions which state the requirement on passengers to wear seat belts on franchised and non-franchised buses. Those provisions do not fully reflect the legislative intent, which is to extend the statutory requirement for the wearing of seat belts to all vehicle seats, thereby providing better protection for passengers.

The TLB will promptly repeal the relevant provisions (i.e., Section 8D and related provisions (if applicable)) of the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) Regulations (Chapter 374F) by way of publishing in the Gazette as subsidiary legislation. Upon repealing, there will be no statutory requirement for passengers to wear seat belts on franchised or non-franchised buses; for the period leading up to the repeal of relevant provisions, the Government will not enforce the provision. The statutory requirement for the wearing of seat belts on other types of vehicles (including private cars, taxis, goods vehicles, light buses, special purpose vehicles, student service vehicles) will remain in effect.

As the next step, we will gather opinions from various stakeholders, and consider how best to ensure road safety while addressing the concerns raised during the implementation of new requirements. We will further consult the Legislative Council after optimising the arrangements, and reintroducing them at an appropriate time. Meanwhile, we will continue to enhance publicity and education efforts to encourage the voluntary habit of wearing seat belts.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Buildings Department (BD) today said it found through its monitoring mechanism that two registered contractors violated the compliance requirements regarding scaffold nets which were not procured through the Construction Industry Council (CIC). 

One of the cases involved a contractor that had installed scaffold nets prior to obtaining a test report confirming compliance, involving repair works in an existing building. 

In the other case, the contractor installed a batch of scaffold nets with test reports failing to meet the standards, involving a construction site of a new building. 

The BD has ordered the contractors to remove non-compliant nets and is investigating the irregularities, adding that it will take punitive action against the parties involved in accordance with the investigation results.

The department promulgated new tracking and testing requirements for scaffold nets in December last year.

A media report today claimed that there was a case in which sampling tests had been conducted in accordance with the new requirements and a test report was obtained with results that met the fire retardant performance standards. The nets were installed on scaffolding. However, after installation, an audit check by the BD revealed that the scaffold nets did not meet the required standards and removal was required.

The BD made it clear that there was no such case to date.

It pointed out that it has only recently started receiving notifications on completion of scaffold net installation and random testing of installed scaffold nets has just commenced. So far, samples have been collected from three cases that have completed net installation, not involving the scaffold nets procured collectively by the CIC and have been or will shortly be sent to the Government Laboratory for testing. Test results are not yet available.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong today said its Disciplinary Committee is investigating and taking appropriate follow-up actions on individuals or organisations for suspected violations of provisions of the code of conduct for Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs).

The council made the statement in response to media enquiries regarding reports on the promotion of Chinese medicine practices.

A media report alleged today that online posts by certain individuals or organisations may have violated relevant provisions of the code of conduct for CMPs.

The council said that over the past five years, its Board and the Disciplinary Committee have investigated a total of 410 cases involving suspected violations of the code of conduct regarding practice promotion by CMPs.

For substantiated allegations, the Disciplinary Committee issued advisory letters to CMPs involved in 365 cases after confirming that the irregularities had been rectified.

Should a CMP fail to comply with the requirements of an advisory letter, the Board and the Disciplinary Committee will take further disciplinary action.

If during the course of handling a case, the Board or the Disciplinary Committee suspects that illegal activities are involved, the matter will be immediately referred to the law enforcement authorities for follow up.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The eighth Hong Kong-Switzerland Financial Dialogue was held in Bern, Switzerland on January 29 (Bern time). Co-organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF) under the Federal Department of Finance of Switzerland, the Dialogue aims to foster collaboration in financial services between Hong Kong and Switzerland, and to facilitate the exchange of views on important issues surrounding the global financial system.
 
The Dialogue was chaired by Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMA Mr Darryl Chan and the Deputy State Secretary of the SIF, Mr Christoph König. Representatives from the Swiss National Bank, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, and the HKMA also participated in this bilateral dialogue. During the meeting, the representatives discussed regional and domestic outlook and policy challenges, as well as the latest developments and potential areas of collaboration in sustainable finance, fintech, and market connectivity.

Following the Dialogue, a financial seminar for the private sector was co-hosted by the Swiss Bankers Association and the Hong Kong Private Wealth Management Association to exchange views on the latest financial trends and developments in Switzerland and Hong Kong, including the use of AI in banking, digital assets, as well as cross-border opportunities and challenges, and to explore opportunities for further collaboration.