Category: MIL-OSI

CE meets Secretary of CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee (with photo) 
     Mr Lee welcomed Mr Chen’s visit to Hong Kong with his delegation for a Guangxi promotion conference themed around the region’s role in connecting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to be held tomorrow (February 26). Mr Lee will also attend the conference to witness and support the signing ceremony for co-operation between Guangxi and Hong Kong. He said that Guangxi serves as the country’s international passage to ASEAN and, like Hong Kong, is a key link in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will fully leverage Hong Kong’s role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” and has established the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global to assist Mainland enterprises in overseas expansion with its cross-professional services platform. He expressed confidence in working together with Guangxi to tap into overseas markets, including ASEAN, to explore more global business opportunities.
 
     Mr Lee said that Guangxi is actively developing itself into an important strategic hinterland of the GBA while Hong Kong, as a core city of the GBA, will proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to continuously deepen regional co-operation in the GBA and promote regional integration and efficient connectivity. As an international financial, shipping and trade centre, Hong Kong will harness its role under the “one country, two systems” principle in connecting with both the Mainland and the world. Hong Kong will utilise its professional and high value-added services and highly market-oriented business environment in promoting Guangxi’s further opening-up internally and externally, seize the opportunities in the GBA, and contribute to the country’s high-quality development.
 
     Mr Lee highlighted that Hong Kong and Guangxi enjoy close geographical and cultural ties. Hong Kong has long been Guangxi’s largest source of external investment, with close co-operation in areas such as economic and trade exchanges, shipping and logistics, people-to-people exchanges, and education. As the HKSAR Government is making every effort to develop Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre and an international hub for high-calibre talent, Mr Lee expressed the hope that Hong Kong and Guangxi would deepen co-operation for mutual benefit, particularly through more in-depth and extensive exchanges in areas like I&T and youth exchanges. With the advancement of the Western New Land-Sea Corridor’s development, Hong Kong and Guangxi will further strengthen practical co-operation in shipping and logistics, jointly seizing the immense opportunities presented by national development strategies.
Issued at HKT 16:15

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LCQ12: Claims relating to minor traffic accidents 
Question:
 
     The media have recently reported that quite a number of drivers who were only involved in minor traffic accidents, or even accidents where their vehicles did not collide with any other vehicles, have been pursued by other road users through lawyers for substantial compensation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as it has been reported that the demand letters received by individuals being claimed against in the aforesaid cases were all issued by the same law firm, whether, apart from these cases, the Government is aware of any similar cases that have occurred in recent years; if so, of the total number of cases reviewed by the authorities; among them, the number of cases found to be questionable, and whether such cases involved illegal “recovery agents”; if so, whether the Government has taken measures to combat these unlawful acts;
 
(2) as it has been reported that quite a number of claims did not involve any traffic accidents, and therefore the individuals being claimed against did not report them in a timely manner to the insurance companies which underwrote their third party liability insurance, potentially resulting in these insurance companies refusing to pay compensation in these cases, whether the authorities will require the insurance industry to review afresh the mechanisms or stipulations concerned for handling compensation in the light of such cases; and
 
(3) whether it will step up publicity and education in response to such cases so that all road users can clearly understand their own responsibilities and rights, thereby avoiding exploitation by lawbreakers and incurring losses?
 
Reply:
 
President:

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to the recent cases of suspected fraudulent insurance claims relating to traffic accidents and has taken a series of follow-up actions. Any acts of abuse of the insurance claim mechanism, exaggerated claims or conspiracy to defraud are serious offences. At present, the Police are carrying out investigations on the relevant cases. If any illegal acts are found, the Police will take resolute enforcement actions.
 
     The reply to the Member’s question is as follows:
 
(1) The Police noticed that some law firms lodged claims of traffic accidents on behalf of a number of claimants and that some claimants sought compensation for injuries allegedly sustained in multiple traffic accidents over the past few years. The situation aroused suspicions. In this connection, the Police have launched investigations and taken law enforcement actions promptly. To date, the Police have arrested four persons suspected to be involved in cases of fraudulent claims relating to traffic accidents and have searched a law firm with a court warrant.
 
     The Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) of the Police has all along been strengthening information exchanges and intelligence sharing with the industry through the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI) and has been providing relevant training and conducting anti-deception publicity campaigns for the industry. In collaboration with the HKFI, the CCB has established an insurance fraud notification mechanism since 2012 to jointly combat illegal acts through the referral of suspicious cases. In 2025, the CCB received a total of 12 suspected insurance fraud cases referred by the HKFI. There were cases in the past in which successful enforcement actions were taken against insurance fraud. For example, in 2024, a woman was prosecuted and convicted of “having an intent to defraud” and was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment. The woman made a false statement after a traffic accident, claiming that she had suffered incapacity for work due to injuries sustained in the accident and lodged claims with an insurance company through a law firm.
 
     Besides, the HKFI established the Insurance Fraud Prevention Claims Database (IFPCD) in 2018 to detect potential fraudulent claims. This enables insurers to initiate focused investigations promptly while ensuring the efficient settlement and payment of genuine claims. 
 
     The Insurance Authority (IA) encourages all insurers to participate in IFPCD, enhancing their capability of identifying fraudulent claims and safeguarding the interests of policyholders. The IA will continue to work closely with the HKFI and the insurance industry to ensure that all bona fide claims are handled in a fair and timely manner, while appropriate measures are adopted to combat fraudulent claims.
 
(2) The existing insurance regulatory framework requires an insurer to implement and maintain proper policies and procedures governing its claims handling processes, making sure that claims are handled fairly and promptly, and that policyholders are treated fairly.
 
     Generally speaking, the reporting requirement stipulated in insurance policies should be “reasonable and practicable”. Where a policyholder is, on an objective and reasonable basis, unaware of an accident or claim, insurers should, under the premise of adhering to the policies and procedures, consider the specific circumstances in handling the case. Therefore, the IA encourages policyholders to report all known traffic-related accidents to their insurers as soon as practicable, including vehicle theft and damage, bodily injury or third-party property damage, to safeguard their policy interests. 
(3) The Government has been adopting a multi-pronged approach in implementing publicity and education work with a view to enhancing road users’ knowledge about their own rights and responsibilities when traffic accidents happen. The initiatives include the following:
 
(a) The Road Users’ Code published by the Transport Department offers comprehensive guidelines and information to road users, including general notes on dealing with traffic accidents;
 
(b) By disseminating road safety information through various social media platforms, producing educational videos and infographics and distributing publicity leaflets, the Police call on members of the public to comply with traffic rules and be responsible road users; andIssued at HKT 13:00

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LCQ14: Patriotic Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth 
Question:
      
     There are views pointing out that the Patriotism Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth, which was established in August last year at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in Beijing Municipality with the strong support from the Central Government, will be of great significance in deepening the understanding of our country among young people in Hong Kong and Macao, as well as enhancing their patriotic spirit in the long term. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has plans to co-operate with memorial halls and museums in other Mainland cities (such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen) to set up patriotic education bases for Hong Kong and Macao youth; if so, of the time and the arrangements for implementing such plans; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) of the measures put in place by the Working Group on Patriotic Education under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee to promote visits by local schools and organisations to the aforementioned patriotic education bases for Hong Kong and Macao youth; and
 
(3) of the mechanism currently put in place by the Government to collect feedback from teachers and students after they have visited the aforementioned patriotic education bases for Hong Kong and Macao youth, and whether it will regularly review and enhance the arrangements for the visits based on the data obtained?
 
Reply:
 
President,
      
     Having consulted the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), our reply in response to the questions raised by the Hon Albert Chuang is as follows:
 
(1) There is a rich and diversified array of patriotic education facilities in the Mainland. These resources are highly valuable and well worth young people and students visiting and studying, so as to gain a deeper understanding of our country’s history and culture, and personally appreciate our country’s development and achievements, thereby fostering a sense of national identity, national pride and patriotic sentiment. Last year marked the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. With the support of the Central Government, the first Patriotic Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth was established in August last year at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression located by the Lugou Bridge in Beijing. The Government is actively identifying other suitable patriotic education facilities in the Mainland for inclusion as patriotic education bases of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The specific locations and relevant arrangements will be announced in due course upon further discussion with the relevant Mainland authorities.
 
(2) The Working Group on Patriotic Education comprises experts and representatives from different sectors, as well as the relevant bureaux and departments, including EDB and HYAB. Encouraging students and young people to visit the Mainland in person is one of the effective ways to promote patriotic education. On students, EDB has all along been committed to providing primary and secondary school students with diversified Mainland Exchange Programmes (MEPs). Since the implementation of the senior secondary subject of Citizenship and Social Development (CS) from the 2021/22 school year, all senior secondary students studying the local curriculum are provided with opportunities to participate in the Mainland study tours organised by EDB. These Mainland study tours aim at providing students with life-wide learning experiences to deepen their understanding of our country’s history, culture, economic and technological development, etc., through first-hand experience, thereby enhancing their understanding of our country’s development and achievements from different aspects, so as to strengthen their sense of national pride, patriotic sentiment and sense of national identity. Following the establishment of the Patriotic Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, visits to the Base under the MEPs for primary and secondary students have already been launched. For senior secondary CS, study tours to Beijing are also planned for the coming school year, and visits to the Base will also be arranged for students.
      
     On young people, the District Offices under the Home Affairs Department funded 20 Mainland exchange tours in the 2025-26 financial year, with over 500 youth participants in total. As 2025 marked both the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 60th anniversary of Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, the exchange tours covered related thematic visits, including visits to the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, anti-Japanese war memorial halls in various provinces, and the Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project Memorial Park, etc. Through these visits, youth participants gained a deeper understanding of our country’s history of the War of Resistance and the significance of Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, thereby strengthening their sense of patriotism.
      
     At present, HYAB also provides funding to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to organise youth exchange projects in the Mainland through the “HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland”, with a view to enhancing young people’s understanding of our country’s culture, history, way of life and the latest developments, and strengthening exchanges with youth in the Mainland. Under the 2026-27 round of the Scheme, HYAB will actively encourage NGOs to arrange for youth participants to visit the Patriotic Education Bases for Hong Kong and Macao Youth in their exchange projects, and applications that include such visits will be given priority consideration.
 
(3) EDB has been gauging views from different stakeholders to review the effectiveness of and enhance the arrangements for MEPs for primary and secondary students and CS Mainland study tours. EDB also keeps in view the learning effectiveness of MEPs and CS Mainland study tours through school visits, inspections, collection of student work (including photos, video clips and student reflections), and interviews with teachers and students, and shares students’ learning outcomes with the public. According to the results of questionnaire surveys submitted by schools, feedback from teachers and students on MEPs and CS Mainland study tours has been very positive. They agree that the Mainland exchanges and study tours help deepen their understanding of our country’s history, culture and technological development, extend classroom learning, and enhance their sense of national identity and pride. EDB also gauges participants’ feedback through deployment of staff for on-site participation, questionnaire surveys, post-trip sharing sessions, etc. to assess the appropriateness of the content of Mainland exchanges and study tours, continuously optimise visit arrangements and explore new visiting spots, thereby further promoting patriotic education.
      
     As regards the youth exchange projects subsidised under the “HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland”, HYAB monitors the effectiveness and quality of exchange projects by collecting feedback from participants through their evaluation questionnaires completed after the projects. In addition, NGOs are required to organise debriefing and sharing sessions for participants after their return to Hong Kong. Representatives of HYAB and the Youth Development Commission also attend these sessions from time to time to understand participants’ exchange experience and learning, and enhance the Scheme as needed. Besides, participants’ feedback on each funded exchange tour will be collected by the District Offices, which will take into consideration such feedback when planning other exchange tours, with a view to continuously enhancing the relevant arrangements.
Issued at HKT 12:30

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LCQ8: Promoting Hong Kong externally through holding international meeting 
Question:

     The Central Government has earlier on announced that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministers’ Meeting 2026 will be held in Hong Kong in October this year. There are views that the international meeting is a major diplomatic and financial event drawing global attention, while providing Hong Kong with an opportunity for international promotion, telling the world good stories of our country, Hong Kong and Chinese culture. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: 
President,
 
     China is the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2026 and is responsible for preparing for and chairing the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, as well as a series of ministerial and other meetings under the theme of “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together”. The Central People’s Government announced earlier that the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) will be hosted by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and will be held in Hong Kong under the arrangements and organisation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. The HKSAR Government will spare no effort in making comprehensive and meticulous preparations to support our country in successfully hosting APEC 2026. Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government will also seize this opportunity to deepen international exchanges and co-operation, further reinforcing and elevating Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre, thereby better integrating into and serving the overall national development.
 
     The HKSAR Government attaches great importance to the relevant preparatory work. The Steering Committee on the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting 2026 preparatory work (Steering Committee), chaired by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, has convened its first meeting to review the preliminary preparatory work and discuss key follow-up tasks for the FMM with relevant policy bureaux, departments, and organisations. The Steering Committee, comprising senior representatives from 20 policy bureaux, departments, and organisations, oversees areas of work including meeting arrangements, transportation, security, publicity, cultural and arts activities, etc. The HKSAR Government will facilitate the successful hosting of the FMM in Hong Kong through close interdepartmental collaboration.
 
     In response to the question raised by Dr the Hon Elvin Lee, our reply is as follows:
 
(1) With reference to past arrangements, the FMM will bring together finance ministers and senior finance officials of the 21 APEC member economies, as well as representatives of observing international organisations (such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development Bank). We expect that around 500 visitors (including accompanying persons of delegates and visiting international journalists) will come to Hong Kong in mid-to-late October this year for the three-day FMM and related activities. We will make good use of this high-level international platform to actively showcase and promote Chinese culture to visitors from around the world, along with Hong Kong’s unique appeal and boundless opportunities as an international metropolis. This includes the thriving development of Hong Kong’s financial sector and its robust capabilities in organising meetings, conventions and exhibitions, and incentive travel activities.
 
(2) Finance ministers, senior finance officials, and representatives of international organisations participating in the FMM would typically need to attend multiple international conferences around the world, including the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group to be held in Bangkok in October this year. Given their tight schedules, the time they could spend in Hong Kong before and after the FMM will be limited. The HKSAR Government will leverage the FMM programme arrangements and incorporate elements of Chinese culture, as well as the unique characteristics of Hong Kong, into the venue set-up (including exhibition booths around the conference area) and the design of side events (including welcoming dinner, cultural performances, and site visits) to enable participants to experience and interact with these cultural elements firsthand, thereby effectively telling good stories of our country and Hong Kong.
 
(3) Hong Kong has long been recognised as an events capital for hosting major international conferences, and has extensive experience in managing media affairs and promotional activities for such events. The Steering Committee will formulate publicity and promotion strategies, with details to be announced in an opportune time after consulting the MoF.
Issued at HKT 12:45

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