Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Social Welfare Department announced today that China Taiping Life Insurance (HK) Company Ltd has been commissioned to assist the Government in implementing the “Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong – Pilot Medical Subsidy Arrangement” for two years starting from December 22.

Upon the pilot arrangement’s commencement, elderly participants in the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong can apply for a subsidy for medical expenses incurred at designated medical institutions in the Greater Bay Area under the coverage of the National Basic Medical Insurance Policy.

These institutions include clinics, hospitals and pharmacy stores. The annual ceiling is 10,000 renminbi for outpatient expenses and RMB30,000 per person for inpatient expenses.

Under the pilot arrangement, Taiping Life (HK) will assist in processing applications for reimbursement of medical expenses by seniors. This will include vetting and settling claims and conducting investigations of medical services provided.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun said that the subsidy’s implementation is a policy innovation that will provide additional healthcare support to participants in the care services scheme.

He added that the company was selected as service provider via an open bidding process, and that he looked forward to it promoting cross-boundary elderly care.

To date, 24 residential care homes for the elderly, spanning eight Mainland cities in the bay area and covering more than 800 elderly Hongkongers, have joined the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong,

Click here for further details.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu hosted a year-end luncheon for the chiefs of Sydney-based Taiwanese banks, providing an opportunity to exchange views on Taiwan–Australia financial engagement and cooperation. He also expressed his sincere appreciation for the banks’ long-standing support for the work of TECO in Sydney and for activities within the Taiwanese community.
DG Wu extended his best wishes to the participating banks for continued stability and growth in the year ahead, expressing hopes for prosperity, strong performance, and success for Taiwan’s Financial National Team in 2026.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today launched a three-month public consultation on the review of the registered designs regime of Hong Kong.

Industrial design, as a type of intellectual property, broadly refers to the ornamental aspect of a product, and embodies a designer’s intellectual efforts and acumen for making a product appealing to customers. Legal protection of an industrial design can be obtained in Hong Kong by way of registration under the Registered Designs Ordinance.

Since the enactment of the ordinance in 1997, design trends around the world have significantly evolved with technological innovation and advancement, the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau said, noting that Hong Kong must continue to afford effective protection for designs as the city drives towards new industrialisation.

To ensure that Hong Kong’s registered designs regime is up-to-date and remains competitive, the Government considers it timely and necessary to conduct a comprehensive review of the regime, the bureau added.

The consultation document, now uploaded onto the websites of the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau and the Intellectual Property Department, looks into a wide range of issues pertaining to the local registered designs regime, from the scope of and requirements for legal protection of designs, the procedures for design applications and registrations, to the possible alignment with international practices and standards.

Members of the public may submit their views by email, by fax to 2147 3065 or by post to Division 3, Commerce & Economic Development Bureau, 23/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong, on or before March 16 next year. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The General Assembly of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) has decided to establish the UNIDROIT Asia-Pacific Liaison Office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The office is expected to open at the Hong Kong Legal Hub in the second half of 2026, marking the first regional presence of UNIDROIT outside its seat in Rome in its 100-year history.

The Government noted that hosting UNIDROIT’s first overseas office in Hong Kong is a significant milestone for the city’s development as a legal hub, as it reflects the international community’s continued confidence in the Hong Kong SAR’s legal system and reinforces its position as a leading international legal hub.

Noting that the office at the Hong Kong Legal Hub will establish UNIDROIT’s permanent presence in the Asia-Pacific region, the Government said it could also contribute to facilitating co-ordination and creating synergies among the “three sisters of private international law”, namely UNIDROIT, the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).  

The Hong Kong Legal Hub has already housed the HCCH Regional Office for Asia ＆ the Pacific and the Department of Justice (DoJ) Project Office for Collaboration with UNCITRAL.

The DoJ submitted the proposal for the establishment of the office to the secretariat of UNIDROIT, with the support of the Central People’s Government. In May, the UNIDROIT Governing Council expressed support for the proposal and recommended it to the General Assembly, which accepted the recommendation at its 85th session, held on December 11.

China has been a member of UNIDROIT since 1986, and the Hong Kong SAR has participated in its work as part of the Chinese delegation. It is anticipated that the establishment of the office in 2026 will further strengthen the existing collaborative relationship between the DoJ and UNIDROIT.

UNIDROIT is an independent intergovernmental organisation with 65 member states. The institute’s aim is to study the needs and methods to modernise, harmonise and co-ordinate private and, in particular, commercial law among states and groups of states and to formulate uniform law instruments, principles and rules to achieve those objectives.

UNIDROIT is an independent intergovernmental organisation with 65 member states from five continents. It is aimed to study the needs and methods for modernising, harmonising and co-ordinating private and, in particular, commercial law among states and groups of states and to formulate uniform law instruments, principles and rules to achieve those objectives.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Government today (December 17) launched a three-month public consultation on the review of the registered designs regime of Hong Kong.
 
     Industrial design as a type of intellectual property broadly refers to the ornamental aspect of a product. It embodies a designer’s intellectual efforts and acumen for making a product appealing to customers. Legal protection of an industrial design can be obtained in Hong Kong by way of registration under the Registered Designs Ordinance (Cap. 522) (the Ordinance).
 
     A spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) said, “Since the enactment of the Ordinance in 1997, design trends around the world have significantly evolved with technological innovation and advancement, opening up new possibilities and opportunities for growth of the creative and manufacturing industries. With technological innovation and integration of industries, designs that a business applies to products have become instrumental to the degree of its success.”
 
The spokesman stressed, “In driving towards new industrialisation, Hong Kong must continue to afford effective protection for designs which is crucial to not only incentivising sustainable innovation and creativity, but also enhancing the design capability of our advanced manufacturing sectors and emerging industries. As a matter of fact, there have been a number of reviews and reforms in different areas of designs laws in various jurisdictions over the years.”
 
     The spokesman added, “The Government is fully committed to upholding an effective and robust intellectual property protection regime. To ensure that our registered designs regime is up to date and remains competitive for meeting the changing needs of our industries, the Government considers it timely and necessary to conduct a comprehensive review of the regime. As announced in the 2025 Policy Address, the Government is now embarking on the next step of the review by launching a consultation on various issues pertinent to updating the regime.”
 
     The consultation document looks into a wide range of issues pertaining to the local registered designs regime, from the scope of and requirements for legal protection of designs, the procedures for design applications and registrations, to the possible alignment with international practices and standards. It has been uploaded onto the websites of the CEDB (www.cedb.gov.hk) and the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) (www.ipd.gov.hk). Members of the public may submit their views and relevant information by email (design_consultation@cedb.gov.hk), fax (2147 3065) or post (Division 3, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, 23/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong) on or before March 16, 2026.
 
     The Government will also organise engagement sessions to collect views on the consultation. Details will be announced on the websites of the CEDB and IPD in due course.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will launch a Chinese dance appreciation series in January next year. Hosted by veteran choreographer Yan Xiaoqiang, the six-lecture series will introduce the historical background, aesthetic characteristics and physical culture of Chinese dance from various perspectives, guiding audiences to appreciate its rich diversity and experience its profound connection with traditional Chinese culture. 

     Details of each lecture are as follows:————————————————————————–
Date: January 12 (Monday)————————————————————————–
Date: January 15 (Thursday)————————————————————————–
Date: January 19 (Monday)————————————————————————–
Date: January 22 (Thursday)————————————————————————–
Date: January 26 (Monday)————————————————————————–
Date: January 29 (Thursday)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region