Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Hongkong Post announced today (July 23) that a set of special stamps and associated philatelic products on the theme of “24 Solar Terms – Autumn” will be released for sale on August 7 (Thursday).
 
     The 24 Solar Terms collectively refer to a knowledge system of time and social practices progressively developed by Chinese people through observation of the sun’s periodic motion, changes of seasons and phenological cycles. This system was inscribed onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2016.
 
     As a continuation of the “24 Solar Terms” series subsequent to the special stamps themed on “24 Solar Terms – Spring” and “24 Solar Terms – Summer” issued in 2020 and 2023 respectively, Hongkong Post will issue a set of six stamps and associated philatelic products on the theme of “24 Solar Terms – Autumn”, depicting the scenes of the six solar terms of autumn, namely “Autumn Commences”, “End of Heat”, “White Dew”, “Autumnal Equinox”, “Cold Dew” and “Frost”, in a myriad of colours.
 
     Official first day covers for “24 Solar Terms – Autumn” will be on sale at all post offices and Hongkong Post’s online shopping mall ShopThruPost (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk) from tomorrow (July 24). This set of special stamps and associated philatelic products will be on sale at all post offices and ShopThruPost from August 7, while serviced first day covers affixed with the special stamps will be available at philatelic offices only.
 
     A hand-back date-stamping service will be provided on August 7 at all post offices for official first day covers/souvenir covers/privately made covers bearing the first day of issue indication and a local address.
 
     Information about this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products is available on the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Lillian Kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:

     There are views pointing out that among the many tobacco control measures implemented by the Government in recent years, smoking cessation support services and education are of great importance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the number of persons served by the smoking cessation clinics under the Hospital Authority in each month of the past three years, as well as such persons’ success rate of quitting smoking;

(2) whether it has compiled statistics on the relapse rate for the persons who successfully quit smoking as mentioned in (1), and whether it has provided them with follow-up and support services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) of the following information on the provision of community-based smoking cessation services by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) subvented by the Department of Health in the past three years: the names of such NGOs, the types of services provided, the number of participants in the smoking cessation services and, among them, the numbers of those who completed the smoking cessation service programme and successfully quit smoking, as well as those who failed to complete the entire service programme;

(4) whether it has conducted survey on the levels of satisfaction of smoking cessation service users with the various smoking cessation support services (such as smoking cessation counselling services, medications, and smoking cessation services with Chinese medicine and acupuncture) and collected relevant feedback; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5) whether it has compiled statistics on the ratios of different smoking cessation treatments used in Hong Kong at present;

(6) whether it has compiled statistics on and assessed the relationship between the allocation of public resources and the effectiveness of smoking cessation services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(7) whether it has studied and analysed the reasons for smoking among minors and adults respectively; if so, of the details, and how its future tobacco control education and publicity strategies will tie in with the findings of the relevant studies; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Having consulted the Hospital Authority (HA), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Lillian Kwok is as follows:

(1) to (6) Promoting smoking cessation is an important pillar under the tobacco control strategy. The Department of Health (DH) is responsible for co-ordinating smoking cessation services in Hong Kong. In addition to operating the Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline that handles general enquiries and provides professional counselling on smoking cessation, the DH also collaborates with local universities for setting up hotlines to provide telephone-counselling services especially for young smokers. From 2022 to 2024, the Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline of the DH handled 7 404, 9 684, and 9 297 enquiries respectively. Satisfaction survey results revealed that over 90 per cent of the service recipients interviewed were satisfied with the service in general. 

     On smoking cessation service, the DH collaborates with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in providing free and accessible community-based smoking cessation services including counselling service and consultations by doctors (with free postal services of smoking cessation medication) or Chinese medicine practitioners, and designated services for smokers from different ethnicities, as well as immigrant, teenager and workplace smokers. The DH arranges referrals for smokers to access various local smoking cessation services, including the aforementioned community-based smoking cessation services or those provided by clinics under the HA. The smoking cessation clinics under the HA will also assist HA’s patients (especially those with chronic diseases) in quitting smoking. Smoking cessation service providers provides smokers receiving smoking cessation treatment with 52-week follow-up services to assess their quit status. The DH also launched the “Quit Smoking App”, through which smokers can assess their nicotine dependence level, set quit plan, record quitting progress and get tips on how to deal with smoking craving, which would help maintain a smoke-free life.

     From 2022 to 2024, 20 389, 27 709, and 28 559 smokers received smoking cessation services respectively through HA’s smoking cessation clinics or community-based smoking cessation services (see Annex). The quit rates of service users (i.e. the percentage of service users who self-reported to have stayed quit in the past seven days) at 52 weeks after the quit date ranged from 20 per cent to 60 per cent (Note), which are comparable to those in overseas countries. The DH and HA do not maintain relevant data on the relapse rates among successful quitters.

     The Government announced in June last year “10 measures for tobacco control”, which include strengthening smoking cessation services. Currently, smoking cessation services have been extended to cover all District Health Centres (DHCs)/DHC Expresses across 18 districts in Hong Kong with a view to facilitating quitters in finding the most suitable and convenient way to quit smoking. The DH has also subvented three more Chinese medicine smoking cessation service providers (from one to four in total) starting from this year to operate smoking cessation clinics with an emphasis on counselling and acupuncture. The available service quotas for Chinese and Western medicine smoking cessation services under the community-based smoking cessation services are expected to increase to approximately 2 600 and 4 000 per annum respectively.

     Smoking cessation is a dynamic process, and its effectiveness is influenced by social and environmental factors. For example, past experience from increasing tobacco duty shows that the greater the tax hike, the larger the number of calls received by the smoking cessation hotline. On the other hand, publicity and educational efforts are critical to assisting smokers to quit smoking successfully. Therefore, it is recommended under the “10 measures for tobacco control” to also strengthen publicity and education. The DH is committed to promoting a smoke-free culture, including promoting smoking cessation through mass media and promotional campaigns. The DH has launched the Quit in June campaign since 2021, and subsequently started distributing one-week trial packs of smoking cessation drugs (nicotine replacement therapy) to smokers for free with a view to encouraging smokers to attempt quitting and increasing the success rate, as well as introduced a trial programme on the use of Chinese medicine ear-point patches for smoking cessation. Most of the smokers who have tried the ear-point patches consider them useful in relieving the withdrawal symptoms. Following the Quit in June campaign each year, the number of calls to the smoking cessation hotline has significantly increased, indicating an uptick in smokers’ intentions to quit.

     Smoking cessation is beneficial to smokers of any age. There is a wide range of smoking cessation therapies that have been proven effective. Studies show that counselling and pharmacotherapy can boost the quit rate substantially. Through personalised and targeted smoking cessation services, healthcare professionals can better assist smokers in quitting smoking, and at the same time help the Government to promote smoking cessation more precisely. The Government will continue to support smokers intending to quit smoking and allocate resources as needed to strengthen smoking cessation services as well as publicity and promotional efforts, thereby safeguarding public health.

(7) The results of the Thematic Household Survey (THS) in 2023 showed that among the daily smokers of conventional cigarettes aged 15 and above in Hong Kong, over 90 per cent started smoking due to the influence of family, friends, or others. As such, the Government has actively engaged in public education for promoting a smoke-free environment. The DH, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, NGOs and healthcare professionals, have targeted young people on promoting anti-smoking messages, including organising smoking cessation competitions, health talks, training programmes and theatre programmes with local service groups; and through interactive teaching materials and mobile classrooms, revealing to students the tactics used by the tobacco industry to promote tobacco products and equipping them with the skills to resist picking up smoking habit when under peer pressure.

     The findings of the THS showed that the younger the age group, the higher the rate of smoking flavoured cigarettes, and nearly 70 per cent smoked flavoured cigarettes when they first smoked. Scientific evidence shows that flavoured cigarettes, such as menthol or fruit-flavoured cigarettes, reduce the awareness of the hazards of tobacco and increase the chances of non-smokers (especially teenagers) to start smoking, as well as making them more vulnerable to continuing with the smoking habit and harder to quit. Besides, the findings of the school-based surveys on smoking pattern of students as commissioned by the Health Bureau and conducted by the School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong in 2023 revealed that the ratio of secondary school students who currently smoke electronic cigarettes to those who smoke conventional cigarettes was similar (1.1 per cent each), indicating that e-cigarettes, among other smoking products, are particularly popular amongst the younger generation. Research suggests that e-cigarettes can serve as a gateway to smoking conventional cigarette. In this connection, the “10 measures for tobacco control” include banning flavoured conventional smoking products, banning the possession of alternative smoking products (ASPs), as well as prohibiting the provision of conventional smoking products and ASPs to persons aged below 18.

     The Government will continue to step up the work on smoking cessation and explore various tobacco control measures in the medium and long term in order to eliminate the hazards posed by tobacco products on the society in all aspects and protect the health of the community under a progressive and multi-pronged approach with a view to moving towards a tobacco-free Hong Kong.

Note: The quit rates recorded by different smoking cessation programmes vary due to differences in target groups and treatment methods (for example counselling, pharmacotherapy and Chinese medicine and acupuncture). Smokers should choose the smoking cessation service/method that best suits their personal needs in order to quit smoking successfully.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:

     It is reported that the Singapore Government is actively developing the meetings, incentive travels, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry, having set a clear target of tripling related tourism revenue by 2040. Through measures such as policy support, financial assistance, and cross-departmental collaboration, the Singapore Government has successfully attracted numerous international event organisers to establish a presence there, significantly enhancing Singapore’s competitiveness in the global MICE market. However, Hong Kong’s ranking in the international MICE market is relatively behind, having ranked only 33rd globally in terms of the number of MICE events held in 2023. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether comprehensive and regular evaluations of the effectiveness of Hong Kong’s existing MICE policies have been conducted, including performance in areas such as recent international rankings, market competitiveness, economic gains and spillover benefits to related industries; if so, of the details and how the authorities will adjust future development strategies for the MICE industry based on the evaluation results; if not, the reasons for that and whether consideration will be given to initiating such evaluations as soon as possible to more effectively promote the long-term development of the MICE industry;

(2) as there are views that Hong Kong’s current image at international MICE events is primarily associated with traditional trade exhibitions and lacks high-end international summits with global influence, whether the Government will consider re-examining and adjusting its current MICE promotion strategies, which could involve actively pursuing the hosting of internationally renowned summits with decision-making influence, with a view to enhancing Hong Kong’s image as an international city, attracting high-end visitors and driving economic growth; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as there are views that resources for the MICE industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) are dispersed, and with Hong Kong being the most internationalised city in the region, how the Government will assume a leading role in promoting MICE development; whether it will, through policy advocacy, resource integration, cross-city collaboration and other means, guide the Mainland cities in the GBA to jointly develop a co-ordinated MICE development strategy, thereby enhancing the overall competitiveness of the entire GBA in the international MICE industry?

Reply:

President,

     We have consulted the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau on the part involving the promotion of meetings, incentive travels, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, and the consolidated reply is as follows:

     Hong Kong is the world’s seventh-largest trading entity in merchandise trade and also the region’s premier convention and exhibition (C&E) hub. Many well-known international organisations and businesses have chosen to host C&E events in Hong Kong. C&E events, in particular international ones, have attracted numerous participants (including exhibitors and buyers), not only benefitting the C&E industry but also bringing in high-spending business travellers that drive economic activities in such related sectors as accommodation, catering, retail, entertainment etc., thereby benefitting various industries and bringing important contributions to Hong Kong’s economy.

     In 2024, Hong Kong’s two dedicated venues for mega C&E events (viz. the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE)) hosted over 350 C&E events, attracting 9.17 million participants. In terms of attracting visitors, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been striving to attract different types of visitor segments. Among others, the HKTB seeks to encourage those visitors coming to Hong Kong to participate in MICE-related business activities as well as stay and travel in the city through promoting Hong Kong as a destination for MICE tourism. In 2023 and 2024, there were about 1.3 million and 1.42 million overnight MICE visitors respectively. Their per capita spending was about 30 per cent and 40 per cent higher than that of the overall overnight visitors in the respective years.

     In view of the contribution of C&E events to Hong Kong’s overall economy, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government launched the Incentive Scheme for Recurrent Exhibitions (ISRE) in July 2023 to subsidise venue rentals of eligible exhibitions organised by private organisers. The ISRE was very well received, supporting more than 200 eligible exhibitions by the end of June this year. To further promote the development of the C&E industry and the mega event economy, thereby generating overall economic benefits for Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government has just launched the ISRE 2.0 on July 1, 2025, by allocating an additional provision of $500 million, focusing on attracting new and recurrent international exhibitions of a large scale.

     Since the resumption of tourism in Hong Kong starting from February 2023, the HKTB has stepped up its efforts to promote the recovery and development of MICE tourism. So far, the HKTB has successfully bid, assisted in successful bidding, or subsidised the staging of over 2 500 international MICE events in Hong Kong, which span across various fields including innovation and technology, financial services, medical science, luxuries, community services, aviation, etc. Among these events, there are high-end international summits of global impact, including the Fortune Innovation Forum 2024 held in March 2024, the Leaders of Luxury Summit 2024 held in November 2024 and the Consensus Hong Kong held in February 2025. Meanwhile, scheduled international MICE events include the Routes World 2025 to be held in September 2025, as well as the Lions International Convention and the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly to be held in 2026 etc. It is estimated that the MICE events supported by the HKTB in 2025-26 will attract more than 183 000 high value-added overnight MICE visitors to visit Hong Kong, generating a total spending of about $1.4 billion based on the per capita spending of $7,800 by MICE visitors in 2024.

     In respect of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the HKTB will extend the scope of its promotion work under the theme of “Meet Hong Kong ‧ Meet GBA” to explicate the opportunities within the GBA so as to attract the staging of overseas MICE events in Hong Kong. In addition, the C&E industry will also explore the inclusion of GBA elements in suitable events. Among others, the UFI Global Congress 2025 will be held in the AWE in November 2025. As the host of the event, the AWE has incorporated GBA itineraries (Zhuhai and Macao) for participants from all over the world with a view to showcasing Hong Kong’s strategic advantage of being located in the centre of the GBA.

     Looking ahead, the HKSAR Government and the HKTB, in collaboration with the C&E industry and relevant organisations, will continue to support the staging of international MICE events of different scales and types in Hong Kong, so as to help consolidate Hong Kong’s position as an international MICE capital and attract more high value-added overnight visitors.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by the Hon Gary Zhang a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:

The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) launched in August 2023 the Same-day Flexi-trip Arrangement (Flexi-trip) for passengers travelling between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Futian Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link. The service has been extended to include train trips running to and from Shenzhenbei Station since March 18 last year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the current number of Flexi-trip-applicable train trips, its percentage in the total number of train trips running via Futian Station and/or Shenzhenbei Station, and the average proportion of passengers utilising Flexi-trip among such train trips;

(2) whether it knows the average occupancy rates of Flexi-trip-applicable train trips during weekdays, weekends and public holidays respectively from August 2023 to March 17 last year, and from March 18 last year to the present; and

(3) as it is learnt that the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway fully implemented the electronic ticket “valid once throughout the ticketed date” services in March this year, allowing passengers who have purchased their tickets to travel on trains of the same direction and of the same class throughout the ticketed date without having to alter tickets, whether the Government will require MTRCL to study applying this ticketing model to Flexi-trip so as to facilitate passenger travel; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Since the commissioning of the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) on September 23, 2018, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the operator of the XRL Hong Kong Section, i.e. the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), have all along been committed to enhancing the services and operational arrangements of the XRL, with a view to fully realising its socio-economic benefits and the advantages of interconnectivity with the national high-speed rail network. The XRL Hong Kong Section connects with the national high speed rail network, which currently spans over 47 000 kilometres. The number of Mainland destinations directly accessible from West Kowloon Station has more than doubled from 44 in the initial commissioning to 96, including 11 short-haul destinations and 85 long-haul destinations. The number of train trips operated per day has also increased from 166 in the initial stage to at least 208 currently. Apart from gradually introducing more destinations, the MTRCL has been actively exploring the provision of diversified XRL train services and products with the Mainland railway authorities, with a view to providing convenience to passengers and meeting their different needs. Of these, there are Same-day Flexi-trip Arrangement (Flexi-trip Arrangement) that provides greater flexibility in journey planning for short-haul travellers; multiple journey tickets, such as the 30-day Ticket and 20-ride Ticket, for frequent travellers commuting between the two places; and sleeper train service running in the mode of evening departures and morning arrivals that provides an alternative travelling experience to long-haul travellers. The XRL caters for the different needs of travellers ranging from short-haul and long-haul trips to business, leisure, and family visits, facilitating more frequent flow of people between the two places.

In consultation with the MTRCL, my consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Gary Zhang is as follows:

(1) and (2) The Flexi-trip Arrangement, first introduced on August 14, 2023, was a new ticketing arrangement, allowing passengers travelling between West Kowloon Station and Futian Station to flexibly alter their train trips on the same day. Apart from altering their tickets once for free before train departure through the General Ticket Alteration arrangement, passengers are also allowed to alter their train trips for up to three times on the day of travel through the Flexi-trip Arrangement. Since March 18, 2024, the arrangement has been extended to cover direct trains running between West Kowloon Station and Shenzhenbei Station, and trains departing from or terminating at Shenzhenbei Station that call at Futian Station. “Non-reserved Seats” are also available for train trips covered by the Flexi-trip Arrangement to provide more room and flexibility to passengers in altering their train trips.  

According to the information provided by the MTRCL, starting from July 1, 2025, there is a daily total of 109 train trips at West Kowloon Station calling at, departing from or terminating at Futian Station, with 74 of these train trips open for the Flexi-trip Arrangement, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the total; and 167 trains calling at, departing from or terminating at Shenzhenbei Station, with 60 of these trains open for Flexi-trip Arrangement, accounting for about 40 per cent of the total. Overall, Flexi-trip Arrangement is applicable to a total of 98 train trips.

Based on the MTRCL’s assessment, after the introduction of the Flexi-trip Arrangement, the overall patronage of the relevant train trips has increased, suggesting that Flexi-trip Arrangement is one of the factors attracting more passengers to take the XRL. The average loading of the Flexi-trip Arrangement-applicable train trips was about 40 per cent for the first phase, and remained at similar level after the extension of the arrangement to Shenzhenbei Station in the second phase, among which the related loading was nearly 60 per cent on average during weekends and public holidays. Of the train trips applicable for Flexi-trip Arrangement, passengers using Flexi-trip Arrangement account for an average of nearly 10 per cent of the total patronage of these trips.

(3) With the increasingly frequent flow of people between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the commissioning of the XRL Hong Kong Section has realised the “one-hour living circle” in the Greater Bay Area. The Flexi-trip Arrangement further facilitates the flexible travel of visitors, marking a significant breakthrough in the services of the XRL Hong Kong Section. The HKSAR Government and the MTRCL have been actively reviewing how to further bring greater convenience to visitors. 

As we understand, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Company Limited introduced the “Same-day One-time Valid” electronic ticket service on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway running between Guangzhou and Shenzhen in March 2025. In short, passengers with a “Same-day One-Time Valid” ticket can choose to take any train of the same direction and class on the same day according to their travel needs. This arrangement saves passengers the hassle of altering their train ticket, enabling more flexibility in choosing different trains and bringing greater convenience to passengers.  

Upon introduction of such ticketing arrangement at the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway, the MTRCL approached the relevant Mainland authorities to explore the feasibility of introducing a similar arrangement in the XRL Hong Kong Section. The HKSAR Government supports the MTRCL to continue exploring various measures to facilitate passengers’ travel. We understand that the MTRCL has recently been actively studying the details of the relevant arrangements with relevant Mainland authorities, with due consideration to factors such as the clearance procedures, ticketing arrangements, train operation safety involved in the XRL Hong Kong section, etc.

The HKSAR Government and the MTRCL will maintain communication and co-ordination with the Mainland railway authorities and the relevant departments to continuously enhance the services of the XRL Hong Kong Section, with a view to providing convenient and comfortable services to passengers.

Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:

Under the existing legislation, a person holding an overseas driving licence issued by a recognised country or place may be directly issued with a Hong Kong full driving licence without taking a local driving test (direct issue of driving licence). It has been reported that queuing gangs have recently been blatantly offering facilitation service for direct issue of driving licence in the vicinity of the Hong Kong Licensing Office of the Transport Department (the Licensing Office) and on social media platforms (such as Xiaohongshu, etc), and some individuals have been transferring their same-day queue tickets after waiting in line early in the morning at the Licensing Office, raising suspicions of abuse of services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether the aforementioned facilitation service is illegal;

(2) whether it has reviewed if the existing legislation is adequate in combating the suspected abuse of services and transfer of queue tickets as mentioned above; if so, of the details;

(3) of the measures the Government will adopt to combat the suspected abuse of services and transfer of queue tickets as mentioned above, including whether it will consider conducting decoy operations on social media platforms (such as Xiaohongshu) or at the Licensing Office; if so, of the details; and

(4) given the current significant demand for direct issue of driving licence, whether the authorities will consider optimising the existing ticket distribution mechanism or application process (including the existing system of online appointment booking for services), so as to shorten applicants’ waiting time and enhance overall efficiency?

Reply:

President,

The Transport Department (TD) implements direct issue of a Hong Kong full driving licence without test (“direct issue”) in accordance with regulation 11(3) of the Road Traffic (Driving Licences) Regulations (Cap. 374B) (the Regulations), which allows a person holding a driving licence issued by one of the 32 countries and places specified in the Fourth Schedule to the Regulations (recognised countries or places) to be directly issued with a Hong Kong full driving licence without taking a local driving test for driving private cars, light goods vehicles, motor cycles and/or motor tricycles, provided that specified conditions are met.

According to the Regulations, to apply for “direct issue”, the driving licence issued by the relevant recognised country or place must still be valid or expired for not more than three years, and be obtained by the applicant after successful completion of a driving test conducted in the issuing country or place. Also, the applicant must be aged 18 years or above and meet one of the following requirements: (1) the driving licence held was issued during a period of the applicant’s residence of not less than six months in the issuing country or place; or (2) the applicant has been holding the driving licence issued by the recognised country or place for not less than five years immediately prior to the application; or (3) the applicant is the holder of a passport or other equivalent travel document issued in the country or place in which the driving licence was issued.

A consolidated reply to the various parts of the question raised by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam is as follows:

(1) to (3) For the convenience of the general public, the TD, as in the case of other licensing services, allows applicants for “direct issue” to choose to submit their applications and supporting documents in person or by authorised persons (including family members, friends, etc) based on their own needs. To meet the eligibility criteria of “direct issue” under the Regulations, an applicant or his/her authorised person should, when submitting an application, produce the relevant original copies of various supporting documents which are authentic and accurate (including a valid driving licence issued by the recognised country or place, the applicant’s passport/other travel document, proof of address or Certificate of Driving Licence Particulars, etc) for on-site inspection by TD staff. The TD has been processing the applications in a stringent manner to ensure that all applications are correctly approved.

Currently, applicants for “direct issue” may use counter services and submit application documents through making online appointments or obtaining same-day queue tickets at the Licensing Offices. As regards obtaining same-day queue tickets, in order to maintain the good order of queuing, the TD has further stepped up staff patrols, set up additional barriers to separate those queuing up for the tickets for “direct issue” and those for the tickets for general driving licensing services, and demarcated designated areas for queuing. In addition, in relation to “direct issue”, the TD will specify the sequence of queuing tickets to prevent situations such as queue-jumping. The TD has been posting notices and deploying staff and security guards to provide on-site assistance as appropriate. Any acts found to be disrupting public order will be reported to the Hong Kong Police Force for follow-up.

To strengthen verification of the identity of queuers, the TD has enhanced the queue ticketing system for same-day queue tickets to ensure that a person using the same identification document (ID) can only obtain one queue ticket for each time slot. The counter staff will conduct strict checking of the ID number of the user and ascertain that the queuer is the one who uses the counter services, so as to curb transfer of queue tickets. Once an unauthorised transfer of queue ticket is found, all relevant queue tickets will become void immediately and the applications will not be processed.

To address the issue of individuals touting facilitation services after obtaining same-day queue tickets, the TD will further enhance the queue ticketing system from mid-August 2025, whereby all queuers will be required to input both the ID numbers of their own and those of the applicants for “direct issue”, which will then be printed on the tickets. When a ticket holder uses the counter services, the counter staff will verify his/her ID numbers and those of the applicant. If either of these ID numbers does not match with those printed on the ticket, the ticket will become void and the application will not be processed. This enhanced arrangement will deter individuals from touting with the same-day queue tickets obtained. The TD will publicise the latest operational arrangement of the queue ticketing system on its website and announce the relevant information through social media. The TD staff will post notices on-site and provide assistance to members of the public at the venue.

(4) The TD has been highly concerned about the situation of queue ticketing and online appointments, and has implemented targeted enhancement measures. Apart from the aforementioned enhanced arrangements for same-day queue tickets, in terms of online appointments, the TD will strengthen its co-operation with the relevant issuers of driving licences. For example, starting from September 2025, applicants’ information in relation to Mainland driving licences provided via online appointments will be checked. If the information is found to be untrue, the relevant online appointment will be cancelled and the quota will be reopened for appointment by other applicants. The relevant measures will ensure the enhancement of effective operation of the system.

The TD will keep in view of the effectiveness of the aforementioned enhancement measures and make timely adjustments to the relevant arrangements, as well as continue to promote the digitalisation of licensing services, thereby allocating more counters for processing applications which require counter services such as “direct issue”.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by the Hon Rock Chen and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Development, Mr David Lam, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):
 
Question:
 
Land premium is one of the major revenue sources of the Government. However, there are views pointing out that the current high inventory of new private residential units has reduced developers’ willingness to bid for land, apply for payment of land premium and redevelop old buildings. This has led to significant fluctuations in public finances. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it will consider introducing targeted measures to lower the initial investment costs for developers’ projects, e.g. enhancing the additional conditions for land sales and splitting up sites for sale, etc, as well as stepping up publicity to attract more local and overseas developers to invest in land, thereby increasing the revenue from land premium; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) whether it will re-launch the “Application List” system (i.e. the Government puts land up for sale hinges on whether there is any developer triggers a certain piece of land) in order to strike a balance between market demand and the Government’s dominant position; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) apart from lowering the application threshold for compulsory sale for the redevelopment of old buildings, will the Government consider adjusting the upper limits of plot ratios in various districts to attract developers to participate in the redevelopment of old buildings by raising the plot ratios of sites earmarked for redevelopment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
The Government land revenue primarily comes from premium generated from land sales, private treaty grants and lease modifications. The market sentiment can be affected by economic and property market conditions, resulting in fluctuations in land revenue. The Government’s policy objective is to maintain a sustained and stable land supply to support society and industry development in Hong Kong. The Government will continuously create land and roll out such land to the market in an orderly manner in light of the latest situation.
 
Regarding various parts of the Hon Chen’s question, the Development Bureau (DEVB)’s reply is as follows:
 
Firstly, regardless of external environment or property market conditions, the Government will strive to enhance the attractiveness of land sale sites. When formulating the annual land sale list and deciding when to dispose of individual sites to the market, the Government has been closely monitoring market conditions and listening to the views of the industry and potential investors. In recent years, the Government has introduced smaller-scale residential sites located in mature neighbourhood with simple tender terms. The market response has been positive, with all four residential sites successfully tendered out in the previous financial year (2024-25).
 
Apart from individual land sale sites, we are mindful of the need to alleviate the financial pressure on developers participating in projects of larger scale. Last December, the Government conducted an expressions of interest exercise for three pilot areas under large-scale land disposal in the Northern Metropolis (NM). We have invited the market to provide views on, among other things, various financial arrangements including payment of premium by instalment with certain interest rate. We would liaise with the banking sector on any facilitating arrangements for developers to finance the NM projects. To enhance development incentives of the developers, we will consider allowing land owners to voluntarily surrender land planned to be resumed by the Government in the NM to offset the premium payable for in-situ land exchange or large-scale land disposal in new development areas. In addition, we are exploring wider application of the “pay for what you build” approach, which allows developers to pay premium for lease modifications that is determined based on the actual floor area and actual use, thereby reducing their development costs.
 
On publicity, we held the Enterprise Participation in Northern Metropolis Development Event last November. Over 80 enterprise representatives attended and signed a Memorandum of Understanding about supporting and participating in the NM development. During the ceremony, 35 enterprise representatives also signed agreements among them to collaborate in the NM development, with a total investment of over $100 billion, demonstrating strong confidence and interest in the NM.

We also joined hands with other bureaux, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) and Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) in promoting the NM and facilitating the development of various industries therein. In particular, OASES is tasked with attracting high-potential and representative strategic enterprises from around the globe, and has announced four batches of 84 strategic enterprises that have set up or expanded their businesses in Hong Kong, many of which have also expressed interest in establishing their presence in the NM. InvestHK, on the other hand, is committed to assisting Mainland and overseas enterprises to set up and expand in Hong Kong by providing one-stop support services. Last year, InvestHK assisted over 500 enterprises to set up or expand in Hong Kong, including those which have expressed interest in the land for industries in the NM. OASES, InvestHK and the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office under the DEVB will further collaborate to follow up on the needs of those enterprises interested in setting up businesses in the NM.
 
Secondly, under the prevailing system, the Government will announce the Land Sale List in advance on a yearly basis, and also the land tender programme on a quarterly basis based on considerations such as policy needs, market conditions and other sources of supply. We consider that the current system enables the Government to assume the lead in land disposal, thereby ensuring that it can increase the supply of land in a stable and prudent manner. At present, the Government has no intention to re-launch the “Application List” system, nor does it have any plan to implement a dual-track approach of land sale and adopting the “Application List” system, so as not to cause disruption to the Government’s strategy and pace regarding land disposal and send confusing signals to the market. If developers are interested in particular sites, they may express their interest to the DEVB through various channels for its reference.
 
As one of the Government’s measures to encourage the private sector to participate in the redevelopment of old buildings, the Land (Compulsory Sale for Redevelopment) (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (the Amendment Ordinance) was implemented last December to lower the compulsory sale application thresholds and facilitate multiple adjoining-lot compulsory sale applications. Since the implementation of the Amendment Ordinance, the Lands Tribunal has received four compulsory sale applications.
 
The Government has also implemented other measures in recent years to incentivise the private sector to participate in the redevelopment of old buildings, so as to expedite the pace of urban renewal. For example, we have been progressively implementing the recommendations proposed in the District Study for Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok completed in 2021, including piloting the transfer of plot ratio within the same district and permitting interchangeability of domestic and non-domestic plot ratio, with a view to enhancing the financial viability of redevelopment projects. For the ongoing district studies for Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan being undertaken by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), we would explore the feasibility of adjusting the maximum plot ratio of individual district, as well as increasing the maximum plot ratio of individual old building site upon redevelopment. The URA will submit the Master Renewal Plans to the Government in the second half of this year. Moreover, the DEVB is studying the use of newly developed land to drive large-scale urban redevelopment projects, including considering cross-district transfer of unutilised plot ratio be allowed from old districts to new development areas, and reducing the density of old districts. We will complete the relevant study and put forward preliminary recommendations within this year.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Chau Siu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):
 
Question:

     Regarding the improvement of labour importation policy, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as it has been reported that some employers have engaged in “bogus recruitment” (e.g. rejecting suitable local job seekers after interviews on the grounds that they do not meet the requirements) in order to create the false impression of difficulties in local recruitment, so as to justify applications to the Government for labour importation, while some unscrupulous employers have exploited the imported labour they employed through various means, resulting in the issue of “cheap imported labour”, and there are views pointing out that such non-compliant practices severely undermine employment opportunities for local workers, whether the Government will consider establishing a blacklist system to regularly publish information on companies involved in substantiated cases of violation of labour importation regulations (including company names, the industries to which they belong, nature and dates of violations, the labour importation schemes involved, and follow-up actions taken by the authorities), so as to enhance monitoring and increase deterrence;
 
(2) whether it will study the feasibility of introducing an administrative penalty system to impose heavy fines on employers who violate regulations related to imported labour (including reducing the working hours of local employees or dismissing them after recruiting imported labour) in order to enhance deterrence;
 
(3) as there are views pointing out that the median monthly wages for some job categories (particularly those in the catering industry) on the List of Common Posts under the current Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme are below market levels, which may bring down the wages for local workers in related job categories and even discourage employers from recruiting local workers, whether the authorities will review and refine the methodology for determining the median wage levels on the List to better align them with market levels;
 
(4) as there are views that local labour market statistics (including size of labour force, unemployment rate, underemployment rate and monthly employment earnings of employed persons) regularly published by the Census and Statistics Department do not process data on imported labour separately, making it difficult for such statistics to effectively reflect the impact of labour importation policy on the local labour market (including the employment and wages of local workers), whether the authorities will consider regularly compiling and publishing relevant labour market statistics that exclude the factor of imported labour; and
 
(5) whether the authorities will consider proactively and regularly publishing statistics on imported labour (including the numbers of applications, approvals and arrivals to Hong Kong for work, broken down by labour importation scheme, industry and job category, as well as the number and names of enterprises employing imported labour, the industries involved, and the number of local employees and imported workers), so that society can better understand the implementation of the labour importation policy?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     To cope with the challenges brought by manpower shortage and on the premise of ensuring employment priority for local workers, the Government suitably allows employers to apply for importation of workers. Apart from launching sector-specific labour importation schemes for the construction sector, transport sector, and residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities, the Labour Department (LD) has implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023 to suspend the general exclusion of the 26 job categories as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts from labour importation under the previous Supplementary Labour Scheme for two years.
 
     In consultation with the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the reply to the Member’s question is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) To safeguard employment priority for local workers, applicant employers of the ESLS must undertake a four-week local open recruitment and accord priority to employing qualified local workers to fill the job vacancies at a salary not lower than the prevailing median monthly wage of a comparable position in the market. Upon completion of the local recruitment procedures, employers shall report the results and submit recruitment advertisements to the LD for verification. The LD will contact each of the unsuccessful local job seekers to verify the interview details and confirm if the reasons for not employing the job seekers as reported by the employers are consistent with the facts and reasonable, so as to assess whether the employers have sincerity in recruiting local workers. If there is evidence showing that an employer has violated the requirements of local recruitment or refused to employ qualified local job seekers without reasonable grounds, the LD will terminate the processing of the relevant application. The LD will also impose administrative sanction on the employer and refuse to process any other application(s) submitted by the employer concerned in the following year. In parallel, employers approved to import workers are required to sign a Standard Employment Contract (SEC) with imported workers, and shall pay a salary not lower than the median monthly wage of a comparable position to prevent the imported workers from becoming “cheap labour” and undermining the employment opportunities of local workers.

     Since June 17 this year, the LD has implemented a series of new measures to strengthen the protection of the employment priority for local workers, including launching an online complaint form on the ESLS dedicated webpage to enable local employees and imported workers to lodge complaints against employers for suspected breaches of the requirements of the ESLS, displaying the names of applicant companies when publishing job vacancies for local recruitment under the ESLS on the Interactive Employment Service website to increase the information transparency of local recruitment, launching a special inspection campaign to check whether establishments employing imported workers have continuously met the manning ratio requirement of full-time local employees to imported workers of 2:1, requiring employers to report information on full-time local employees and imported workers as well as the relevant manning ratios based on a risk-based approach, and refusing to process other application(s) submitted by the same employer within six months after the employer submitted an application under the ESLS. Besides, the LD launched additional measures in July to strengthen monitoring of employers’ local recruitment arrangements to ensure fairness and authenticity in the local recruitment process.
 
     The ESLS also requires employers not to displace local workers with imported workers. In the event of redundancy, imported workers should be retrenched first. If there is sufficient evidence substantiating violation of the relevant requirements, the LD will impose administrative sanction, including withdrawal of approvals for importation of labour previously granted to the employer and refusal to process applications for labour importation submitted by the employer in the following two years.
 
     With regard to the treatment of imported workers, the Government attaches great importance to protecting their employment rights and benefits. Imported workers also enjoy the protection of labour laws in Hong Kong. The Government adopts a multi-pronged strategy, including requiring employers and imported workers to sign the SEC, requiring that wages be paid directly into imported workers’ bank accounts in Hong Kong by automatic payment, conducting surprise inspections to workplaces of imported workers, and organising briefings on employment rights to ensure imported workers understand their employment rights and benefits. For cases of suspected exploitation of imported workers, the Government has set up an inter-departmental task force to follow up and investigate whether criminal elements are involved. If there is sufficient evidence, law enforcement agencies will take out prosecution. In addition, the LD launched the Imported Workers Support Scheme in January this year to strengthen support for imported workers who are suspected of being exploited, including case consultation, follow-up and guidance, as well as assisting imported workers whose employment has been terminated by their employers to arrange temporary accommodation and apply for relevant subsidies.
 
(3) In consultation with relevant government bureaux/ departments/ training bodies/ professional organisations and making reference to details of the applied posts commonly processed under the ESLS, the LD complies the List of Common Posts under the ESLS (including the scope of duties, academic requirements, years of experience, normal working hours per day, and median monthly wages of relevant posts). Among others, the median monthly wages are mainly determined by the C&SD’s data of wages earned by relevant employed labour force in the specified survey reference month. The LD will continue to closely monitor the local labour market and relevant statistics, and continuously review the operation and implementation arrangements of the ESLS, striving to safeguard the employment priority for local workers.
 
(4) To reflect the latest conditions of the overall labour force (including imported workers in Hong Kong), the C&SD conducts regular sample surveys to compile and disseminate statistics on the labour force, employment, unemployment and underemployment, etc, in Hong Kong. As imported workers in Hong Kong only constitute a very small proportion of the labour force, the relevant breakdowns will have significant sampling error. Taking into account the accuracy of the statistics, it is difficult to segregate the factor of imported workers and publish the statistics separately.
 
(5) The Government reports regularly to the Labour Advisory Board on the implementation and relevant statistics of the labour importation schemes, and will continue to closely monitor changes in the local labour market and the manpower situation of different industries, and from time to time review the operation and implementation arrangements of the sector-specific labour importation schemes and the ESLS to ensure measures for safeguarding employment priority for local workers are implemented.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu hosted the Sydney Preliminary Forum for the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) General Assembly, joined by OCAC Director Chia-Hui Chiang and Council Members Johnson Hsiung and Shirley Chen. Together, they listened to our community’s voices and responded to questions and feedback.
DG Wu expressed his gratitude for the unwavering support from our community—ranging from Taiwan’s efforts in international participation, such as the WHA and CPTPP, to cultural diplomacy through events like the 2025 International Tour of Taiwan Gourmet Cuisines. He also emphasized Taiwan’s commitment to strengthening its “Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience” in the face of growing geopolitical challenges. This year’s Han Kuang Exercise—the longest, largest, and most extensive mobilization of reservists to date—demonstrates to the world Taiwan’s unity and resolve in self-defense.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Wu were delighted to join the Learning Delights Book Club’s urban exploration event, engaging with the street art of Sydney’s Inner West.
Not to be outshone by Melbourne’s famous street art, Sydney’s Inner West is also a vibrant hub of creativity and culture. Suburbs like St Peters, Newtown, and Enmore each showcase a unique character through a wide range of mural styles.
Why not take a leisurely stroll here over the weekend? You’ll discover a whole new side of Sydney — full of character-filled cafés, eateries, and charming indie shops.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Tawan in Sydney had the pleasure working with Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Australia to host Taste of Taiwan- 2025 International Tour of Taiwan Gourmet Cuisine at #Prefecture48.
We’d like to thank the parliamentary friends- the Hon Rod Roberts MLC and Matt Cross MP, colleagues from consular corps & community leaders for attending.
Amb Douglas Hsu remarked that Taiwan is recognized as a culinary paradise, and he is delighted to have the opportunity to share Taiwanese cuisine with friends around the world. He trusted that through food and culture mutual understanding can be greatly enhanced.
Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu pointed out that Taiwanese food is rich in variety, which reflects the unique history, profound culture background & our colourful life. It has incorporated different gourmet cultures and formed such a harmonious & diverse feature.
We also kicked off 2025 Soft Power 3 Episodes thru Taste of Taiwan on that day, and Episode Two & Three will be Taiwan Film Festival in Australia Premiere on July 24 at Event Cinema and performance of Cutural Goodwill Mission formed by Formosa Melody Music Centre on Sep 22 at Chatswood Concourse.
NSW members of Parliment mentioned the close ties between #Taiwan & #Australia, expressed gratitude for the outstanding contributions of the Taiwanese community, recognized the resilience & strength of Taiwanese people and affirmed that NSW & Taiwan will always stand shoulder to shoulder in mutual support. They also praised Taiwan’s cuisine, noting that Australia—also being a multicultural society—blends culinary traditions from around the globe.
Big thanks go to the organizer TCCA & its President Peter Huang, Ms. Sonia Chen, and the owner of P48 Michael Wu for allowing all the guests to enjoy themselves and experience charm of Taiwan.