Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health (DH) carried out surprise inspections in Kwun Tong today (May 30) and issued a total of three fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in an effort to clamp down on illegal cigar smoking in no-smoking areas.

During the operation codenamed “Smokeshield”, officers from TACO (including plainclothes officers) carried out inspections and enforcement action at one cigar retail shop in Kwun Tong, and issued a total of three FPNs to persons smoking cigars illegally at the premises. TACO’s investigation is ongoing, and prosecution may also be taken against operators of the cigar retail shop who are suspected of aiding and abetting smoking offences.

Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Ordinance), smoking in a statutory no-smoking area (including indoor areas of shops) is prohibited. Any person who smokes in a statutory no-smoking areas is liable to a fixed penalty of $3,000. Venue managers of statutory no-smoking areas are empowered by the Ordinance to request a smoking offender to cease the act. If the offender is not co-operative, the manager of the no-smoking area may contact the Police for assistance.

Moreover, where smoking products (including cigars) are sold, whether in cigar retail shops or otherwise, the restrictions on the promotion and sale of smoking products stipulated in the Ordinance apply. Offenders are liable on summary conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000.

In addition, under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, any person who aids, abets, counsels or procures the commission by another person of any offence shall be guilty of the same offence.

“From January 2025 to date, the DH has conducted over 42 inspections of cigar shops regarding illegal smoking activities, and issued a total of eight FPNs for illegal smoking in these premises. The DH will continue to closely monitor and rigorously enforce the law against smoking in no-smoking areas, as well as the illegal sale and promotion of smoking products,” said the Head of TACO, Dr Manny Lam.

He cautioned that cigar smoking is just as harmful to health as other smoking products, and urged smokers to quit as early as possible for their own health and that of their family and friends. In support of the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31 each year, the DH is launching the ‘Quit in June’ campaign. Free one-week smoking cessation drug trial packs are being distributed at over 300 community pharmacies, smoking cessation clinics, District Health Centres (DHCs)/DHC Expresses and DH clinics, while free Chinese medicine ear points patches are available at over 200 designated Chinese medicine clinics to help alleviate withdrawal symptoms. The DH has collaborated with the School of Nursing of the University of Hong Kong to launch a pilot AI-assisted smoking cessation counselling service – “Chat to Quit” this year. The AI provides accurate and appropriate smoking cessation information instantly, and offers personalised smoking cessation counselling according to users’ smoking history and quitting preferences. It can also provide emotional support. 

The DH also operates an integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline (1833 183) to answer enquiries about smoking cessation, and provide professional counselling and referral services. Members of the public can visit the smoking cessation thematic website (www.livetobaccofree.hk) for more information on smoking cessation and related support tools and services. They can also download the “Quit Smoking App” to keep track of their quitting progress and obtain tips on fighting cravings to maintain a tobacco-free life.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in June to establish new trade routes for Hong Kong.

Commissioner for Belt & Road Nicholas Ho believes that Hong Kong and Central Asian countries have significant bilateral development potential.

Mr Ho said there are areas of co-operation that Hong Kong and Central Asia can further explore.

“Number one is natural resources. These state-owned companies are looking for a platform, a market to list their companies and to fundraise. Hong Kong can empower that.

“Second is green development. Hong Kong has a comprehensive green economic engine, from green finance to green industry, green technologies, green standards, and green professional services; with these, we can help Central Asian countries to reach carbon neutrality a lot sooner.

“Third is digital economy. Many Central Asian countries are driving artificial intelligence and digital development, and they are hoping that Hong Kong can help them get there faster.

“Fourth is tourism infrastructure. Central Asia has a lot of rich tourism assets, and Hong Kong service providers and hospitality brands can help invest and develop Central Asian countries to unlock these tourism treasures.”

Opening doors

Mr Ho added that Hong Kong is the ideal Belt & Road trading hub. Compared with 2020, Hong Kong’s total merchandise trade with Central Asia had increased by 27% in 2025.

He expressed confidence that the Chief Executive’s visits will further promote economic and trade development between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

“For this mission, we are hoping to first expand into new markets. Second is to build these communication mechanisms.

“We are hoping that this mission will open big doors between government to government, and also chamber to chamber, business to business. These are important communication channels.

“Third is the hub to hub model, we hope that Hong Kong can be Central Asian companies’ hub to access the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the Chinese Mainland, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and beyond. And in return, we are hoping that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan can be Hong Kong companies, GBA companies and ASEAN companies’ hub to access into Central Asia.”

Trading partners

Kazakhstan has the most developed economy in Central Asia and is rich in oil resources. In 2025, Kazakhstan was Hong Kong’s largest trading partner and the leading export market in the region.

Hong Kong has also made a significant investment in Kazakhstan, with the city ranked as the country’s 10th largest net-investor globally and its fourth largest Asian net-investor as of January 2026.

Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Principal Economist Alice Tsang said the council tracks the development of this emerging market closely because there is always new potential.

“We can see that more Kazakhstan companies are actually seeking for listing in Hong Kong, as well as (organisations) like the Development Bank of Kazakhstan also have a ‘dim sum’ bonds issuance in Hong Kong, so we can see that in the services sector there will be huge potential; in particular, there are 14 Hong Kong companies already registered in the Astana International Financial Centre.

“We believe that there are more Hong Kong businessmen or companies that are interested in these new Central Asian markets.”

Rail links

The most populous Central Asian country, Uzbekistan is home to more than 38 million people. It also boasts a diverse range of natural resources, including hydrocarbons, gold and cotton.

In 2025, Uzbekistan was Hong Kong’s third largest trading partner in Central Asia. 

Uzbekistan is actively working to open and integrate into international transport corridors, with the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway as one of its top priorities. Once completed, the railway will provide Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan with their first direct rail connections to China.

HKTDC Director of Research Bruce Pang noted that some of the countries have introduced serious economic reforms.

“They want to diversify their economy. Like Uzbekistan, the policy-makers vow to better upgrade their light industry. So we may expect more imported products from their light industries.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today welcomed the State Council’s approval of exemption of the requirement of a guarantee and implementation of temporary ship nationality registration for Hong Kong and Macau yachts temporarily entering and exiting the Chinese Mainland through designated ports in the nine cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and only navigating within these cities.

The Transport & Logistics Bureau noted that under the new policy, the exemption for the requirement for a guarantee will significantly reduce the financial burden on owners of Hong Kong and Macau yachts when handling cross-boundary procedures.

Meanwhile, the temporary ship nationality registration allows Hong Kong and Macau yachts to obtain temporary ship nationality certificates issued by Chinese Mainland without affecting their original ship registration, enabling individual yacht travel within the waters of the nine Chinese Mainland cities in the GBA.

In addition, the Marine Department is actively co-ordinating with the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration on facilitation measures for southbound travel for yachts from the Chinese Mainland. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

An incident occurred at the Tseung Kwan O Government Offices Dental Clinic under the Department of Health (DH) today (May 29), in which a dental light became detached from a dental chair. The dental light briefly struck a person who had undergone dental service, but the person concerned sustained no serious injury. The DH has apologised to the person and has immediately contacted the local supplier of the medical device in question to follow up the incident. A comprehensive inspection of all dental lights from the same batch is currently underway to ensure patient safety.
 
The DH’s preliminary investigation revealed that, this morning, after a person received dental service in a consultation room, the dental light suddenly became detached while the dentist was preparing to move it aside so that the person concerned could get off the dental chair. The dental light struck the person’s right shoulder. After an examination, no serious injury was found and the person concerned declined for accompanying by staff to hospital for further assessment. The dental light in question was repaired by the supplier’s personnel in mid-April and had been operating normally since then.
 
The DH immediately suspended the use of the dental chair in question and arranged the supplier for conducting a comprehensive inspection of all dental lights from the same batch at the dental clinic on the same day to ensure that all have been functioning normally.
 
The concerned dental light in question is a Class I (low risk) General Medical Device under the Medical Device Administrative Control System. The DH has requested the supplier to immediately inspect all dental lights from the same batch to ensure safety and reliability, and to conduct an investigation and to submit an investigation report.
 
In addition, the DH issued a special alert on the Medical Device Division’s website and notified stakeholders, including the Hospital Authority, all private hospitals, licensed private healthcare facilities and relevant medical professional bodies, informing them to contact the local supplier, Henry Schein Hong Kong Limited, as soon as possible if they are using the concerned device.
 
The DH will continue to liaise closely with the supplier and take appropriate follow up actions to safeguard patient safety.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced today (May 29) the implementation of two land lease arrangements to facilitate industry development, which are:
 

1. a three-year “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme, which allows lot owners to carry out non-residential development in phases and pay the required land premium as determined according to the actual gross floor area (GFA) constructed in each phase and the “preferred use” proposed by the lot owner; and
2. the arrangement of granting longer-term tenancies of up to 21 years to industries with the support of relevant policy bureaux.

A DEVB spokesman said, “The Policy Address last year proposed to introduce flexible land-grant arrangements such as ‘Pay for What You Build’ and longer-term tenancies, with a view to reducing initial capital outlay and financing costs, thereby enhancing investment incentives in industry sites and accelerating industry development.”

“Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme

The “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme is applicable to all lease modification and land exchange applications for non-residential developments throughout the territory. It allows lot owners to carry out phased development, provided that the GFA under the initial phase of the development must amount to at least 60 per cent of the total permissible maximum GFA of the whole development and be completed in time in accordance with the building covenant. The land premium will be assessed based on the full market value of the GFA under the initial phase of the development (i.e. at least 60 per cent of the total permissible maximum GFA of the whole development) and the “preferred use” of the land proposed by the lot owners. This arrangement supersedes past practices. Land premium assessment will no longer be based indiscriminately on the permissible maximum GFA of the lot and the use having the highest market value as assumed by the Lands Department.

To optimise land use, the Government expects the developer to decide whether to take forward the development of the remaining portion of the total permissible maximum GFA (i.e. 40 per cent or less of the total permissible maximum GFA) through another lease modification application within 10 years after the completion of the initial phase of the development, and pay the land premium at the then prevailing full market value in accordance with the use to be stipulated in the modified lease. Considering that under fragmented ownership, it is generally difficult to reach a consensus among various owners on whether to proceed with the remaining development in the future, the Pilot Scheme will also include safeguard measures. The entire site will be subject to alienation restrictions within 10 years after the completion of the initial phase of development, unless approval is obtained from the Lands Department through a lease modification application to develop the remaining portion of the permissible maximum GFA.

If the developer does not come forward for such a lease modification upon expiry of the 10-year period, the Government may, on application from other lot owners in the district, redeploy the development intensity and infrastructure capacity of the remaining balance of the total permissible maximum GFA of the relevant land to other lots in the district. In other words, although the land owner will retain ownership of the relevant land at that time, there is no guarantee that they can continue to develop the remaining portion beyond the 10-year period. Upon the expiry of the 10-year period, the land owner may apply to remove the alienation restrictions through a lease modification.

The Pilot Scheme will start accepting applications on June 1. Details can be found on the website of the Lands Department. (www.landsd.gov.hk/doc/en/practice-note/lpn/PN 2_2026.pdf)

Providing industries with longer-term tenancies of up to 21 years

The DEVB is also introducing a flexible arrangement on the term of government tenancies. For sites provided through short-term tenancies, the Lands Department may, with policy support of the relevant bureaux, provide longer-term tenancies with a total tenure of all the terms not exceeding 21 years. Specifically, tenants can enjoy renewal option upon the expiration of the first fixed term (up to seven years), maximum for two renewals and up to seven years each time, i.e. the longest possible tenancy arrangement is “7+7+7”. The individual tenure may be tailor-made pursuant to the needs of the specific industry. Rent review will take place only when the tenancy is due for renewal having regard to the prevailing market rental, which could increase and decrease.

Compared to the current fixed tenancy term of a maximum of seven years only, the new arrangement of up to 21 years provides greater tenure certainty, and the lengthened payback period is also conducive to industry investment. Furthermore, the rent, once adjusted upon a tenancy renewal, will remain unchanged during that tenancy term, which further enhances investment stability. The arrangement for adjusting rent upon tenancy renewal provides flexibility for both the Government and tenants, allowing market conditions to be reflected in a timely manner. The DEVB will continue to discuss with relevant policy bureaux to identify which government sites are suitable for granting under longer-term tenancies to accelerate industry development. Subject to the fulfilment of the policy objective of promoting industry development, both new tenancy and existing tenancy upon renewal may be considered for the longer-term tenancies arrangement. Details of the arrangement can be found in the relevant circular. (www.devb.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_2398/DEVB General Circular 2_2026.pdf)

The DEVB has consulted the industries and stakeholders on the “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme and the arrangement of providing industries with longer-term tenancies of up to 21 years. They have expressed support for these two initiatives.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​Hong Kong Customs today (May 29) seized 153 turtles of suspected scheduled endangered species at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point, with a total estimated market value of about $1.58 million.

Through risk assessment, Customs today intercepted an incoming lorry at the control point. After inspection, Customs officers found the batch of turtles of suspected scheduled endangered species concealed in the socks inside the paper boxes.

The batch of turtles was handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for follow-up action.

Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586), any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     A delegation of 13 overseas government officials completed its visit to Hong Kong today (May 29), deepening its understanding of the city’s advantages and development opportunities under the “one country, two systems” arrangement.
 
     The visit was arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which invited government officials from 13 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, namely Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guyana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, Republic of the Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Suriname.
 
     The visit aims at enhancing exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and these countries, as well as expanding the “circle of friends” of Hong Kong.
 
     During the delegation’s stay in Hong Kong, it met with the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; and the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, to exchange views and learn more about Hong Kong’s unique advantages of enjoying strong support of the country while maintaining unparalleled international connectivity under “one country, two systems”, as well as its dual gateway role between the Chinese Mainland market and the global market.
 
     It also met with the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai; the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan; the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan; and the Deputy Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Philip Har, as well as representatives of a number of relevant institutions. The delegation also visited the International Organization for Mediation, the Hong Kong Science Park and the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Through these meetings and visits, the delegation learned about the city’s latest developments and opportunities in education, finance, trade, legal services, innovation and technology, as well as arts and culture.

     The delegation also visited Shenzhen to learn more about the integrated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (May 29) held a briefing session with the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI) to introduce the policies and relevant arrangements for allowing dogs to enter permitted food premises to representatives of insurance companies.

A spokesman for the FEHD said, “To enable the insurance industry to gain a comprehensive understanding of the arrangements for allowing dogs to enter permitted food premises, the FEHD, together with the HKFI, held a briefing session today. The session covered relevant policies, legislative requirements, licensing conditions, the Guidelines on Good Practices and Behaviour and the regulatory framework, with a view to facilitating the insurance industry in formulating and providing appropriate insurance products and services for their clients.”

“The FEHD advises that permitted food premises should proactively notify their insurance companies in the future and consult them to confirm the coverage and specific terms of their insurance.”

Following the three briefing sessions held for the food trade from May 11 to 13, the FEHD held the fourth briefing session yesterday (May 28), to set out relevant application procedures, eligibility criteria, licensing conditions and matters that require restaurant operators’ attention, as well as to answer questions from attendees. Over 400 persons have attended the four briefing sessions in person, while more than 18 000 viewers watched the live broadcast or replay online.

The FEHD is accepting applications from restaurants for allowing dogs to enter their premises. As of 6pm yesterday, the department has received over 1 700 applications. The application period will end on June 8. Interested restaurants may submit their applications electronically through the FEHD’s dedicated webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/dog_restaurants/index.html). The first batch of permission is expected to be granted in mid-June, with dogs allowed to enter permitted food premises starting from a specified date in July. The exact date will be announced in due course. Information including the Guidelines on Good Practices and Behaviour has been uploaded to the FEHD’s dedicated webpage for reference by restaurant operators and members of the public. Enquiries about the applications can be made from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) through the dedicated hotlines (2867 5912 and 2867 2836).