Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government reported that Hong Kong’s economy staged a robust performance in the third quarter of 2025, with real gross domestic product (GDP) rising 3.8% year-on-year.

Presenting the Third Quarter Economic Report 2025 at a press conference today, Acting Government Economist Cecilia Lam said the robust performance was driven by a continued surge in exports and sustained expansion in domestic demand. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter basis, real GDP rose 0.7% further in the third quarter.

Propelled by strong demand for electronic-related products and buoyant regional trade flows in Asia, total goods exports continued to grow markedly by 12.1% year-on-year in real terms in the third quarter. Exports of services also expanded notably by 6.3% in real terms over a year earlier, mainly supported by sustained increases in inbound tourism and cross-boundary traffic as well as vibrant cross-boundary financial service activities.

Domestically, private consumption expenditure picked up slightly in growth in the third quarter, rising further by 2.1% year-on-year in real terms, reflecting the continued recovery of the local consumption market.

Overall investment expenditure saw an accelerated increase of 4.3% in real terms over a year earlier, alongside the economic expansion and stabilisation in the residential property market. Flat prices showed a more visible pick-up and rentals remained solid.

The labour market softened in the third quarter. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.9% from 3.5% in the preceding quarter. 

The Hong Kong economy is expected to have further solid growth for the rest of 2025, Ms Lam said.

“Sustained moderate growth of the global economy in the near term, coupled with easing China-US trade tensions of late and persistent demand for electronic-related products should lend support to Hong Kong’s exports of goods.

“Continued increases in inbound tourism and vibrant financial market activities should provide further impetus to exports of services.

“Domestically, the renewed US interest rate cuts since September are conducive to asset market sentiment.

“Together with the gradual recovery in consumption confidence and steadfast improvement in business sentiment, these developments should help bolster consumption and investment activities.

“The Government’s various measures to develop the economy and diversify markets will also provide support.”

Taking into account the actual out-turn in the first three quarters of this year and the near-term outlook, Hong Kong’s real GDP growth forecast for 2025 as a whole has been revised up to 3.2% from 2% to 3% in the August round of review.

As for the inflation outlook, as domestic cost pressures remain contained and external price pressures are subdued, overall inflation should remain modest in the near term. The forecasts for underlying and headline consumer price inflation rates this year have been revised down to 1.2% and 1.5% respectively, from 1.5% and 1.8% in the August round of review.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     More than 300  building professionals, property management practitioners, academics, government officials and non-governmental representatives attended the Building Safety Symposium organised by the Buildings Department (BD) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (November 14). They explored innovative solutions to enhance building safety and advance the future development of the industry by delving into the application of innovative technologies in optimising building design, repair and maintenance, and construction site safety management.
        
     Speaking at the symposium, the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that the use of new technologies to enhance building safety and efficiency is an inevitable trend. The Government is committed to promoting construction digitalisation, including plans to announce a revamped roadmap for Building Information Modelling (BIM) by the end of this year to progressively extend BIM application to private development projects of different scales.

     With regard to construction and site safety, Ms Linn said that the Government is actively promoting the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) method. The guidebook to facilitate cross-boundary trade of MiC modules has been released earlier, along with the implementation of MiC Manufacturer Accreditation Scheme, to encourage more MiC projects. The Government will conduct central procurement on a trial basis in the first half of next year, piloting in the procurement of commonly used materials including steel reinforcement and MiC modules, and will also launch a Project Cost Management Platform to establish a market price database. Moreover, the Government will continue to promote the wider adoption of the Smart Site Safety System (4S) in the industry. Over 550 public and private construction sites have been awarded the 4S label so far.      
     The Building Safety Symposium is the closing event of Building Safety Week 2025. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Digital Transformation for Safer Building Design, Construction and Maintenance”. In the symposium, a number of local experts spoke on the following topics:•   Digital Works Supervision System: Enhancing Safety and Quality through Smart Site Management;
•   Urban Renewal Authority in Building Rehabilitation – The Lighthouse in the Darkness;
•   Smart Governance: Digital Transformation for Building Control and Sustainability;
•   Embodied AI in Construction; and
•   Implementation of Advanced Technologies for Maintenance of Existing Buildings.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Working Group on Ageing Society Strategies, led by Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, today held its first meeting during which policy bureaus discussed the group’s strategic directions and initial plans.

The working group also received an analysis of future population trends and the economic implications of Hong Kong’s ageing society, presented respectively by the Census & Statistics Department and the Office of the Government Economist at the session.

By 2046, more than one in three Hong Kong residents will reach the age 65 or above. Mr Cheuk noted that challenges and opportunities arising from an ageing society impacts various facets, spanning multiple policy areas, therefore the working group includes members from all 15 policy bureaus.

He also said the working group will look into how community resources and market participation may be capitalised to drive cross-sector collaboration and synergise with government policy initiatives to formulate strategic responses to societal ageing.

Additionally, it will monitor the implementation of the measures announced earlier to promote the silver economy and consider additional measures to develop silver economy for the city, Mr Cheuk added.

The working group comprises the Secretary for Labour & Welfare as deputy leader and heads of the other 14 bureaus as well as the Head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit as members. It will submit a report to the Chief Executive next year.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     In view of the influenza activity remaining at a relatively high level, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (November 14) appealed to parents again to arrange a free seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) for their children early, especially young children aged 6 months to under 2 years, to reduce their risk of serious illness and death from seasonal influenza.
      
     “With the promotion efforts made by the Government and the support from all sectors of the society, over 1.33 million doses of vaccines have been administered since the launch of the 2025/26 SIV Programmes (including the SIV School Outreach Programme, the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme and Vaccination Subsidy Scheme) in late September, representing an approximately 3.9 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. However, the coverage rate of children aged 6 months to under 2 years is relatively low, which is about 14 per cent only. As in the past, severe or death cases associated with influenza this season primarily affect the elderly and children. However, compared to the winter influenza season earlier this year, children have been particularly affected this season and there has been more severe paediatric influenza infection cases. Eighteen severe influenza cases involving children have been recorded so far this summer influenza season, including two fatal cases. The affected children aged 11 months to 17 years. Nine cases have been recorded since the launch of this year’s SIV Programmes, with only one having received this year’s SIV four days prior to the onset of illness. As it generally takes two weeks for the body to develop sufficient protection after vaccination, in other words, these severe influenza cases are not protected by the vaccine,” the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, said.
      
     He urged parents to arrange SIV for their children as soon as possible, and hope all sectors of society could join hands in educating parents on the importance of vaccination. This will promote a greater vaccine uptake among young children, increase the vaccination coverage rate, and strengthen protection for children.
      
     “Through the Primary Healthcare Commission, the CHP has urged family doctors to assist in encouraging parents to give consent for their children to receive SIV, especially young children aged 6 months to under 2 years who were unvaccinated. The Government has opened all 29 of the DH’s Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) for all children aged 6 months to under 2 years to receive the vaccine. Moreover, the District Health Centres and District Health Centre Expresses and their service outlets under the Primary Healthcare Commission in the 18 districts, and 74 Family Medicine Clinics and 38 public hospitals of the Hospital Authority to provide more choices for the public. For the list of vaccination venues, please refer to the CHP’s Vaccination Schemes page. Parents of eligible children may book an appointment for their children to receive vaccinations at designated MCHCs via the online booking system,” said Dr Tsui.
      
     Regarding schools, to boost SIV rates, enrolment for the SIV School Outreach Programme has started since the beginning of June this year, which was earlier than last year. The CHP has also introduced enhancement measures. All schools may opt for the nasal live attenuated influenza vaccines and the “hybrid mode”, which allows schools to choose both the injectable inactivated influenza vaccines and the nasal live attenuated influenza vaccines during the same or different outreach vaccination activities. With the concerted efforts of the Government and various community sectors (including the medical sector and schools), approximately 2 300 schools (99 per cent) are going to arrange SIV school outreach activities.
      
     “In view of the continued increase in influenza activity and the number of school outbreaks since the start of the school year, the CHP has actively contacted the schools since mid-last month, urging them to try to further advance school outreach activities where feasible. Twenty-three schools have responded to the CHP’s call to advance their outreach activities, originally scheduled for December this year or January next year, to be held by the end of this month. To date, over 2 220 schools (96 per cent) are going to arrange SIV school outreach activities by the end of this month, while all participating schools will conduct the SIV school outreach activities by the end of December, which are higher than the 83 per cent and 91 per cent recorded respectively during the same period last year. Thanks to the schools’ concerted efforts in expediting the SIV outreach activities, reported school influenza outbreaks have significantly decreased recently. The number of school outbreaks fell from the peak of 169 cases in the week of October 12 to 18, to 61 cases last week. I believe that the School Outreach Programme has offered greater convenience for parents, resulting in a vaccination coverage rate of about 44 per cent for children aged 2 to under 12. I hope that more schools will participate in the School Outreach Programme in future, providing greater convenience for pupils and safeguarding their health,” Dr Tsui said.
      
     He reminded members of the public that, especially children, the elderly and those with underlying illnesses, should seek medical advice promptly if they present with fever and respiratory symptoms for early treatment. As children with influenza can deteriorate rapidly, parents must pay close attention to their children’s condition. They should go to an Accident and Emergency Department immediately if the child’s condition deteriorates, for example, if they develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, blue lips, chest pain, confusion, a persistent fever or convulsions.
      
     Separately, high-risk individuals should wear surgical masks when staying in crowded places. People with respiratory symptoms, even if mild, should wear a surgical mask and seek medical advice promptly. They should also consider whether to attend work or school.
      
     For more information on the SIV programmes, please visit the Vaccination Schemes page or call the CHP during office hours at 2125 2125.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The 15th National Games (NG) of the People’s Republic of China “The China Telecom Trophy” Athletics (Marathon) Competition will take place on November 15. The event will be the first cross-boundary marathon in the history of the NG, spanning Hong Kong and Shenzhen utilising the Shenzhen Bay Bridge as the track. The entire track is 42.195 kilometres long, of which the section in Hong Kong is 21.85 km. Starting from the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, participants will enter Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Port, run along the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Kong Sham Western Highway Viaduct, then return to the Shenzhen Bay Port through the same route, and finally finish at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center. 

     The event includes men’s and women’s races, with the participation of 69 athletes consisting of 36 male athletes and 33 female athletes. Among them, two male athletes and three female athletes are from Hong Kong. The men’s group will start at 7am and the women’s group at 7.30am. The athletes will enter the Hong Kong section after completing approximately 2 km of the race route. Both groups are expected to spend around two hours in the Hong Kong section. As part of the track is within the Frontier Closed Area, no public viewing zone will be set up in Hong Kong in order to ensure the event runs smoothly and is well managed. Members of the public can watch the broadcast on television.
 
　　To facilitate the smooth running of the race, clearance services of the Shenzhen Bay Port (including all passenger and cargo clearance services) will be suspended during part of the morning on the event day, while temporary control measures will be implemented on the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and other related roads. Members of the public and visitors should pay attention to the following key points: 
　  Cross-boundary vehicles (including good vehicles, passenger vehicles and private cars) with valid closed road permits for the Shenzhen Bay Port may choose to use the the Lok Ma Chau (Huanggang), Heung Yuen Wai and Man Kam To boundary control points (BCP) according to the operating hours of the relevant control points during the suspension of arrival and departure clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port on the event day. The above special arrangements will cease upon the reopening of the Shenzhen Bay Port.
 
　   Cross-boundary coach services running between Hong Kong and the Mainland via the Shenzhen Bay Port as well as local public transport services serving the Shenzhen Bay Port, including franchised buses, green minibuses (GMB), urban and New Territories taxis, will be suspended during the aforementioned period. The bus companies and GMB operators will display notices at en-route stops of the affected routes and company websites to inform affected passengers. Travellers should choose other control points to Shenzhen.
 
　　During the suspension of the Shenzhen Bay Port arrival and departure services, the TD expects the roads leading to the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang, Man Kam To and Heung Yuen Wai BCPs, including San Tin Interchange, San Sham Road and Lok Ma Chau Road, will be busy with traffic. Therefore, the TD appeals to cross-boundary private cars and other drivers to avoid driving to the above districts during the relevant hours. Depending on the prevailing traffic conditions in the area, the Police will deploy appropriate manpower and implement corresponding crowd management measures or special traffic arrangements at the affected control points and relevant road sections. In case of traffic congestion, please exercise tolerance and patience and drive carefully, and follow the instructions of the Police on site.  
     The National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) (NGCO) has liaised with relevant government departments and organisations to disseminate information on the relevant BCPs clearance services and transportation arrangements to be implemented for the event to the public, travellers and stakeholders through various channels, including:
 
     The TD will liaise with public transport operators to suitably adjust the services to cater for passenger demand, and issue transport departmental notice of the traffic and transport arrangements for the event and appeal for cross-boundary and local travellers and members of the public via various channels to take heed of arrangements for various public transport travelling to and from the Shenzhen Bay Port and plan their journeys early, including the HKeMobility mobile application, variable messages signs at strategic roads and tunnels, public announcement at MTR stations, Agent T Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AgentT.hk 
      The Home Affairs Department has disseminated the relevant message through the district network (including District Councils, Area Committees and District Committees, Youth Committees, as well as District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams)). That includes distributing leaflets in some of the affected areas so that residents could be informed of the special transportation arrangements for the day of the event and thus plan and adjust their travel accordingly. On the day of the event, the Care Teams will deploy staff to inspect the affected districts, and provide appropriate assistance to members of the public in need (e.g. providing information on public transport arrangements and responding to enquiries).
 
      Hong Kong Customs has informed the transport trades of the traffic arrangements on that day and to use other land BCPs as far as possible for entry and exit. Customs has also posted notices at the clearance facilities of the Hong Kong Port and informed the public through its website (www.customs.gov.hk/en/home/index.html 
      The Immigration Department (ImmD) will update the situation of the control points in real time through its mobile application on the event day. Travellers are advised to check the waiting time situation of the Shenzhen Bay Control Point and other land BCPs through the ImmD’s mobile application before travelling to make better planning for their itinerary and minimise waiting time.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     To ensure the smooth operation of the entire city on the polling day of the Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) today (November 14) issued a direction to Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments to establish a dedicated “Polling Day Coordination and Support Centre” in the departments under their purview on December 7 and make flexible deployments of additional manpower on the polling day. This includes arranging for civil servants who are normally scheduled to rest on Sundays to be on duty on the polling day, having regard to operational needs of the departments, to give full support to the work of the LegCo Election. They also have to take all possible measures to enable civil servants who are on duty on the polling day to cast their votes.

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, “The LegCo is an important component of the political structure of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Ensuring the success of the eighth LegCo General Election is an important task for the HKSAR Government and all government departments have a responsibility to give full support to this. By flexibly deploying additional manpower to work on the polling day and providing all possible facilitation measures for civil servants on duty, we can ensure a smooth and orderly operation of the city and smooth voting by citizens, and at the same time enable civil servants to exercise their right to vote.”

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A Jordan Valley non-industrial site in the 2025-26 Land Sale List will be sold by public tender from November 21, 2025 to January 2, 2026, the Lands Department announced today.

New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6674 at Choi Hing Road is designated for non-industrial purposes excluding its use as a godown, hotel and petrol filling station.

It has a site area of about 3,830 sq m with a minimum gross floor area of 20,682 sq m and a maximum gross floor area of 34,470 sq m.

Both exclude the gross floor area of government accommodation, being a day activity centre and hostel for severely mentally handicapped people, a supported hostel for mentally handicapped people and a lay-by, all to be constructed by the purchaser under the conditions of sale.

The land sale documents will be available on the department’s website from November 21.