Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:

     The 2025 Legislative Council General Election (LCGE) will be held on December 7 (Sunday). The nomination period for the election will run from tomorrow (October 24) to November 6.

     The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, Mr Justice David Lok, today (October 23) visited the Returning Officer’s office at the Central Government Offices, Tamar, to inspect the procedures for receiving nomination forms and the preparatory work at the venue.

     Mr Justice Lok said, “Preparatory work and various arrangements for the nomination period of the LCGE at relevant Returning Officers’ offices are all ready. The staff members will receive nomination forms in accordance with the established procedures to ensure smooth operation of the nomination period starting from tomorrow.”

     Mr Justice Lok held a briefing on October 9 for the Returning Officers where he highlighted the important roles and responsibilities of the Returning Officers and reminded them to carry out the electoral work in strict compliance with the relevant electoral laws and guidelines to ensure that the LCGE will be conducted openly, honestly and fairly, as well as in a safe and orderly manner.

     A total of 90 members, with 20 from geographical constituencies, 30 from functional constituencies and 40 from the Election Committee constituency, will be returned in this election.

     To run for a seat in a geographical constituency, a functional constituency or the Election Committee constituency, a nominated person must be a registered geographical constituency elector aged 21 or above. He or she must also have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for three years immediately preceding the date of his or her nomination, and must be a Chinese citizen who is a Hong Kong permanent resident with no right of abode in a foreign country.

However, candidature in 12 functional constituencies is open to Hong Kong permanent residents who are not Chinese citizens or who have the right of abode in a foreign country. These constituencies are: legal; accountancy; engineering; architectural, surveying, planning and landscape; real estate and construction; tourism; commercial (first); industrial (first); finance; financial services; import and export; and insurance.

     A nominated person for the functional constituency election must be a registered elector for, or have a substantial connection with, the relevant functional constituency. For the Election Committee constituency election, a nominated person needs not be a member of the Election Committee.

     Details on the eligibility to be nominated as a candidate and disqualification from being nominated as a candidate and from being elected as a Member, as well as the requirements to be complied with by persons nominated as candidates, are set out in sections 37, 39 and 40 respectively of the Legislative Council Ordinance (Cap. 542).

     For the geographical constituency election, each nominated person needs to be subscribed by at least 100 but not more than 200 registered electors of the constituency concerned, and an elector may subscribe only one nomination of the geographical constituency in the capacity as an elector in respect of his/her own geographical constituency. Each nominated person for the geographical constituency election must also be subscribed by at least 10 but not more than 20 members of the Election Committee, which must include at least two but not more than four members from each of the five sectors of the Election Committee. A member of the Election Committee may subscribe only one nomination form of the geographical constituency election in his/her capacity as a member of the Election Committee.

     Each nominated person for the functional constituency election must be subscribed by at least 10 but not more than 20 registered electors of the constituency concerned and an elector may subscribe any number of nomination forms up to the number of seats in his/her functional constituency. Each nominated person for the functional constituency election must also be subscribed by at least 10 but not more than 20 members of the Election Committee, which must include at least two but not more than four members from each of the five sectors of the Election Committee. A member of the Election Committee may subscribe only one nomination form of the functional constituency election in his/her capacity as a member of the Election Committee.

     For the Election Committee constituency election, each nominated person must be subscribed by at least 10 but not more than 20 members of the Election Committee, which must include at least two but not more than four members from each of the five sectors of the Election Committee. A member of the Election Committee may subscribe only one nomination form of the Election Committee constituency election.

     The nomination forms may be obtained at the two offices of the Registration and Electoral Office (8/F, Treasury Building, 3 Tonkin Street West, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, and Unit 2301-03, 23/F, Millennium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon), or at the offices of the Returning Officers of the relevant constituencies. The nomination forms may also be obtained from any of the District Offices during their operation hours, or downloaded from the election website (www.elections.gov.hk).

     A nominated person must submit the completed nomination form together with an election deposit in person to the respective Returning Officer during ordinary business hours (from 9am to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays and from 9am to noon on Saturdays, except public holidays) within the nomination period. A deposit of $50,000 needs to be paid by each nominated person for the geographical constituency election. Each nominated person for the functional constituency election or the Election Committee constituency election has to pay an election deposit of $25,000. Nominated persons may consider lodging the election deposit by Faster Payment System (FPS) newly introduced this year (but attention should be paid to the transfer limit setting of the relevant account), or by cash and cashier orders to avoid any complications arising from a cheque not being honoured.

     For enquiries, please call the election hotline at 2891 1001 or visit the election website.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

A Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delegation led by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, today (October 23) visited the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center and the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei to study the development experiences of major new areas on the Mainland and to advance the planning, construction and investment promotion for the Northern Metropolis.

The Beijing Municipal Administrative Center and the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei are the new “two wings” established in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei co-ordinated development strategy. In the morning, the delegation visited the planning exhibition hall, the Yunhe Business District and the Beijing Library of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center to learn about the planning, industry development, business environment, canal-side development and conservation, as well as the construction of public cultural facilities there. Accompanied by member of the Party Leadership Group of the Beijing Municipal Government and Vice Mayor of Beijing Mr Tang Wenhong, the delegation also toured the Tongzhou campus of the Renmin University of China to learn about its campus planning and smart campus management.

In the afternoon, the delegation proceeded to the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei to tour the comprehensive service centre of Xiong’an’s start-up area and the command centre of Xiong’an Intercity Railway Station along the east-west axis to better understand the planning and construction of both the start-up area and the integrated transport hub of Xiong’an Intercity Railway Station. Accompanied by member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice-Governor of the People’s Government of Hebei Province, Mr Zhao Dachun, delegation members also visited a construction site at the Xiong’an campus of the University of Science and Technology Beijing to understand its development.

Upon arriving in Beijing yesterday (October 22), the HKSAR delegation also visited the Liangma River in Chaoyang District to study the Liangma River restoration and improvement project, the development of the local night and waterfront economy, and cruise at the Blue Harbor Pier. The delegation will continue its visit to the Xiong’an New Area tomorrow (October 24).

The visit is co-ordinated by the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, while arrangements for the activities are made by the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality and the People’s Government of Hebei Province. Members of the delegation include the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau; the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn; the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; and the Permanent Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Kevin Choi; as well as representatives from the Education Bureau, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Invest Hong Kong and relevant government departments. The delegation also comprises senior management members from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the MTR Corporation Limited, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited, and the eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee, and representatives from the business, finance and banking sectors.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Chan Tsz-tat, made a visit to the Lhasa Customs District starting October 19, with the visit concluding today (October 23).

During the visit, Mr Chan met with the Director General in the Lhasa Customs District, Mr Wang Honghan, and exchanged views on the promotion of economic and trade connections and, exchanges between Hong Kong and Xizang, as well as strengthening efforts in anti-smuggling of national cultural heritage and enhancement of collaboration between the two customs administrations. Mr Chan also visited the Gyirong Port and Shigatse International Land Port to learn more about the boundary facilities, and the cargo monitoring and customs clearance process of the South Asia Freight Train in Xizang.

Mr Chan said that the markets of the two sides enjoyed a foundation of complementarity and mutual benefits. He hoped this visit would serve as an opportunity to fully implement the spirit of the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping and leverage Hong Kong’s pivotal role in facilitating “bringing in and going global” under the principle of “one country, two systems” to enhance industrial competitiveness on both sides. Mr Chan also expressed his gratitude to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Lhasa Customs District for their arrangements for the visit.

Mr Wang also pointed out that there was a vast scope for co-operation between the two customs administrations for mutual benefits, hoping that a long-term close co-operative relationship between both sides could be established through this meeting.

Mr Chan also met with relevant leaders of the Xizang Autonomous Region during the visit to discuss issues of mutual concern.