Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs has long been committed to promoting Customs co-operation in the Asia-Pacific (A/P) region to combat cross-boundary illicit cigarette activities at source. Fruitful results have been achieved, with various kinds of cross-boundary cigarette smuggling cases detected. During the first half of this year, Customs detected 84 large-scale illicit cigarette smuggling cases and seized about 278 million illicit cigarettes in total, with an estimated market value of about $1.25 billion and a duty potential of about $920 million.
 
Following the Regional Conference on Combating Illicit Cigarettes cohosted with the Australian Border Force in November last year, Hong Kong Customs continues to actively strengthen regional co-operation in the A/P region, and adjusts its enforcement strategies in response to evolving smuggling trends to further step up enforcement actions to curb the inflow of illicit cigarettes at source.
 
Early this year, Hong Kong Customs and the anti-smuggling departments of Mainland Customs mounted a joint radar surveillance operation targeting maritime cigarette smuggling syndicates, detecting four large-scale maritime illicit cigarette smuggling cases, seizing a total of about 49 million illicit cigarettes on four fishing vessels. 
 
Between March and July this year, Hong Kong Customs and Singapore Customs mounted a joint operation codenamed “Cutflow” and detected multiple large-scale cigarette smuggling cases by sea, seizing a total of about 107 million illicit cigarettes in 33 sea-borne containers arriving in Hong Kong from Singapore.
 
Customs also reinforced enforcement actions against air smuggling of illicit cigarettes. During the first half of this year, Customs mounted a special enforcement operation against illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers, and detected 44 related cases with 48 passengers arrested and a total of about 1.4 million illicit cigarettes seized. Moreover, Customs detected multiple smuggling cases of illicit cigarettes through air parcels and seized a total of about 130 million illicit cigarettes. Eleven controlled delivery operations were conducted, and seven persons were arrested.
 
Customs will continue to maintain close liaison and strengthen intelligence exchanges with Mainland and other law enforcement agencies to vigorously combat cross-boundary illicit cigarette activities.
 
Customs stresses that smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years upon conviction. Moreover, under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
​
Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette 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

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, arrived in Beijing yesterday afternoon (August 20) to begin his visit.
 
     Mr Chan first called on the Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xu Qifang, and briefed Mr Xu on the latest developments in advancing patriotic education and the progress of organising the 15th National Games in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, also attended the meeting.
 
     Mr Chan stated that since the establishment of the Working Group on Patriotic Education last year, it has formulated short-, medium-, and long-term objectives and policy measures tailored to Hong Kong’s specific circumstances. The group has actively carried out extensive work and achieved remarkable results. He expressed his sincere gratitude to the Central Government for its continued care and support of the HKSAR Government’s promotion of patriotic education. On the other hand, the HKSAR Government is collaborating closely with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Macao Special Administrative Region Government on preparations for the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, contributing to the country’s efforts to become a sporting powerhouse. The Government will also leverage this opportunity to deepen co-operation with cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and jointly build a world-class bay area.
 
     This morning (August 21), Mr Chan attended the establishment ceremony of the Patriotic Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth. With the support of the Central Government, the first Patriotism Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth has been established at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, located by the Lugou Bridge. The base aims to provide young students and teachers from Hong Kong and Macao with enhanced first-hand experience, enabling them to study and understand the country’s development, helping them develop a sense of nationhood and national identity, and inspiring patriotic sentiments. The establishment of the first education base holds particular significance as it coincides with the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
 
     At the establishment ceremony, Mr Chan said that the establishment of the Education Base marks an important milestone in Hong Kong’s implementation of patriotic education. The Education Base will serve as a crucial platform for deepening Hong Kong and Macao youth’s affection for their home and country, and their understanding of the country’s history, as well as enhancing their sense of patriotism, which is highly significant in nurturing a new generation devoted to the country and ready to shoulder their mission. He expressed his hope to develop more patriotic education resources nationwide in the future, enabling more Hong Kong and Macao youth to strengthen their national and ethnic identity through site visits and cultural exchange, gain a deeper understanding of the history and achievements of the country, and work together to create a brilliant future for the motherland.
 
     Officials attending the ceremony today included Mr Xu; Vice Mayor of Beijing, Mr Xia Linmao; Mr Chan; Mr Tsang; and the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms O Lam. The Convenor of the Working Group on Patriotic Education under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee, Dr Starry Lee, also attended the ceremony.
 
     Mr Chan and the delegation concluded their visit and returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Labour Department will conclude the Pilot Rehabilitation Programme for Employees Injured at Work on September 22 as planned, in view of the participation rate and the need to utilise public resources effectively.

Making the announcement today, the department said that as of the end of July, a total of 2,309 injured employees, or about half of the original estimate, had joined the pilot scheme, with 1,729 of them having recovered after treatment.

The programme will stop accepting new applications from September 23, although the relevant office will continue to provide assistance to cases that still require rehabilitation treatment and follow-up services.

Launched on September 23, 2022, the three-year pilot adopts a case-management approach to provide timely private outpatient rehabilitation treatment services to injured construction employees.

The scope of the scheme was later was extended to cover the catering and hotel sector, as well as transportation and logistics.

Call 2293 7000 for enquiries.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui today convened the first meeting of the Task Force on Review of Government Procurement Regime to follow up on the incident regarding the Government’s procurement of bottled drinking water. 

Mr Hui, who chairs the task force said: “In order to enhance the tendering and procurement procedures at the earliest time, in the interim, we have plans to put forward ready-to-implement proposals on major areas such as due diligence, tender requirements, contract management and quality assurance to enhance gatekeeping at different aspects and remedy deficiencies.”

Apart from establishing the direction and scope of the review on the existing government procurement regime and procedures, certain areas of oversight or deficiencies at the organisational, systemic and implementation levels were also identified.

The task force also discussed various improvement proposals and set a timetable for the upcoming work with a view to putting forward a review report on the preliminary recommendations which will be available after three months.

Members of the Task Force include Permanent Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury (Treasury) Andrew Lai, Director of Government Logistics Carlson Chan and representatives from the Civil Service Bureau, the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau, the Development Bureau and the Department of Justice.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Overall consumer prices rose 1% in July, a smaller increase than the 1.4% registered in June, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

Netting out the effects of the Government’s one-off relief measures, the underlying inflation rate was 1%, the same as that seen in June.

Compared with a year before, price increases were recorded in July in the following categories: housing; alcoholic drinks and tobacco; transport; meals out and takeaway food; miscellaneous services; electricity, gas and water; and miscellaneous goods.

Meanwhile, year-on-year decreases were logged in clothing and footwear; durable goods; and basic food.

The Government said consumer price inflation stayed modest in July, and that price pressures on major components were largely contained.

As pressures from domestic costs and external prices stay broadly in check, overall inflation should remain modest in the near term, it added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Labour Department (LD) announced today (August 21) that the Pilot Rehabilitation Programme for Employees Injured at Work (Pilot Programme) will cease accepting applications starting September 23.
 
A spokesperson for the LD said, “As of the end of July 2025, a total of  2 309 injured employees have participated in the Pilot Programme, and 1 729 of them have recovered after treatment, with the number of participants about half of the original estimate. Having considered the participation rate of the Pilot Programme and the need to utilise public resources effectively, the LD decided that the Pilot Programme will conclude on September 22, 2025, as originally scheduled, and cease accepting applications.”
 
The Work Injury Rehabilitation Office (WIRO) will continue to operate for a period under the Pilot Programme after September 23, 2025, to provide services to cases admitted before this date that still require rehabilitation treatment and follow-up services.
 
The LD launched the three-year Pilot Programme on September 23, 2022. The Pilot Programme adopts a case-management approach to provide timely private outpatient rehabilitation treatment services to participating injured employees. During this period, the LD promoted the Pilot Programme through various rehabilitation bodies, labour organisations, employer associations, the media, and others. In May 2024, the LD expanded the coverage of the Pilot Programme from the construction industry to the catering and hotel industry, as well as the transportation and logistics industry.
 
For details, please visit the dedicated webpage of the WIRO (www.prp-wiro.gov.hk) or call 2293 7000 for enquiries.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (August 21) the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for July 2025. According to the Composite CPI, overall consumer prices rose by 1.0% in July 2025 over the same month a year earlier, smaller than the corresponding increase (1.4%) in June 2025. The smaller increase in July 2025 was mainly due to the lower ceiling of rates concession in June 2025 when compared with the same month last year, whereas there was no such concession in July in both years. Netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures, the year-on-year rate of increase in the Composite CPI (i.e. the underlying inflation rate) in July 2025 was 1.0%, the same as that in June 2025.

     On a seasonally adjusted basis, the average monthly rate of change in the Composite CPI for the 3-month period ending July 2025 was 0.2%, and that for the 3-month period ending June 2025 was 0.0%. Netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures, the corresponding rates of change were both 0.1%.

     Analysed by sub-index, the year-on-year rates of increase in the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) were 1.5%, 0.9% and 0.6% respectively in July 2025, as compared to 2.1%, 1.3% and 0.9% respectively in June 2025. Netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures, the year-on-year rates of increase in the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) were 1.4%, 0.9% and 0.6% respectively in July 2025, as compared to 1.5%, 0.9% and 0.7% respectively in June 2025.

     On a seasonally adjusted basis, for the 3-month period ending July 2025, the average monthly rates of change in the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) were 0.4%, 0.2% and 0.1% respectively. The corresponding rates of change for the 3-month period ending June 2025 were all 0.0%. Netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures, the average monthly rates of change in the seasonally adjusted CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) for the 3-month period ending July 2025 were 0.1%, 0.1% and 0.0% respectively, and the corresponding rates of change for the 3-month period ending June 2025 were 0.2%, 0.1% and 0.0% respectively.

     Amongst the various components of the Composite CPI, year-on-year increases in prices were recorded in July 2025 for housing (1.8%), alcoholic drinks and tobacco (1.7%), transport (1.4%), meals out and takeaway food (1.3%), miscellaneous services (1.0%), electricity, gas and water (0.7%), and miscellaneous goods (0.3%).

     On the other hand, year-on-year decreases in the components of the Composite CPI were recorded in July 2025 for clothing and footwear (-3.3%), durable goods (-2.3%), and basic food (-0.1%).

     Taking the first 7 months of 2025 together, the Composite CPI rose by 1.6% over a year earlier. The respective increases in the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) were 2.2%, 1.4% and 1.1% respectively. The corresponding increases after netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures were 1.2%, 1.5%, 1.0% and 0.9% respectively.

     For the 3 months ending July 2025, the Composite CPI rose by 1.5% over a year earlier, while the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) rose by 2.1%, 1.3% and 0.9% respectively. The corresponding increases after netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures were 1.0%, 1.4%, 0.9% and 0.7% respectively.

     For the 12 months ending July 2025, the Composite CPI was on average 1.7% higher than that in the preceding 12-month period. The respective increases in the CPI(A), CPI(B) and CPI(C) were 2.2%, 1.5% and 1.3% respectively. The corresponding increases after netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures were 1.2%, 1.4%, 1.1% and 1.0% respectively.

Commentary

     A Government spokesman said that consumer price inflation stayed modest in July. The underlying Composite CPI increased by 1.0% over a year earlier, same as the increase in the preceding month. Price pressures on major components were largely contained.

     Looking ahead, as pressures from domestic costs and external prices stay broadly in check, overall inflation should remain modest in the near term.

Further information

     The CPIs and year-on-year rates of change at section level for July 2025 are shown in Table 1. The time series on the year-on-year rates of change in the CPIs before and after netting out the effects of all Government’s one-off relief measures are shown in Table 2. For discerning the latest trend in consumer prices, it is also useful to look at the changes in the seasonally adjusted CPIs. The time series on the average monthly rates of change during the latest 3 months for the seasonally adjusted CPIs are shown in Table 3. The rates of change in the original and the seasonally adjusted Composite CPI and the underlying inflation rate are presented graphically in Chart 1.

     More detailed statistics are given in the “Monthly Report on the Consumer Price Index”. Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1060001&scode=270).

     For enquiries about the CPIs, please contact the Consumer Price Index Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7374 or email: cpi@censtatd.gov.hk).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Opening Ceremony of the Belt and Road Software Pavilion (Hong Kong) 2025 today (August 21):

Duncan (President of the Hong Kong Information Technology Joint Council and Member of the Legislative Council, Mr Duncan Chiu), 錦� (Honorary President of the Hong Kong Information Technology Joint Council and Member of the Legislative Council, Professor William Wong), Tony (Chair of the Organising Committee of the Belt and Road Software Pavilion 2025, Mr Tony Hau), Consuls-General, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. It is a great pleasure to join you all today at the opening ceremony of the second edition of the Belt and Road Software Pavilion. Let me first extend my sincere thanks to the Hong Kong Information Technology Joint Council and the Chamber of Hong Kong Computer Industry for organising this important flagship event. To all our distinguished guests who have travelled from near and far, a very warm welcome to Hong Kong.

As we speak about the Belt and Road, it is worth taking a moment to reflect on the enduring spirit of the Initiative. Since it was first proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative has been guided by the core principles of connectivity, openness, mutual respect and shared prosperity. Over the years, its breadth and depth of co-operation have been continuously expanding. Beyond physical infrastructure development across continents, technological collaboration has become an increasingly vital dimension.

Recent studies show that China’s technology-related investments in Belt and Road countries have grown significantly, from US$24 billion in 2023 to over US$30 billion in 2024. In just the first half of this year, such investments have already reached US$23 billion, more than doubling year on year. 

We take pride in China’s emergence as a global leader in innovation – particularly in cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and green tech. Chinese innovators and start-ups are making their mark on the global stage by offering solutions that not only rival the best in the world, but are also open, cost-effective and inclusive. These advancements are creating real impact, improving lives, and enabling sustainable growth in Belt and Road economies.   

In today’s interconnected world, digital transformation is reshaping industries, governments and communities. At the same time, it has also brought about daunting challenges – from widening digital divide and rising cybersecurity risks, to increased technological fragmentation. These challenges cannot be addressed by any single economy alone. They demand open dialogue, deeper collaboration and cross-border partnerships. 

That is why I am pleased to see events like today’s to take place in Hong Kong. The Pavilion this year brings together over 120 innovation and technology enterprises from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and beyond. From fintech and smart healthcare, to cloud computing, 5G technology and city management, this place showcases a broad spectrum of digital solutions. It is a vivid demonstration of how we can work together to harness the power of innovation and technology to uplift communities and improve lives across regions. 
 
Today’s event also highlights two key value propositions of Hong Kong. First, under the “one country, two systems” framework, Hong Kong remains a free and open economy with the free flow of capital, data, talent and goods. We serve as a “super connector”, a platform that welcomes and facilitates technological exchanges, collaboration and investment. For users and partners from Belt and Road countries and the Global South, Hong Kong offers access not only to world-class technologies and expertise from across the globe, but also a full range of funding support. For solution developers and tech providers, Hong Kong offers internationally acknowledged testing grounds, professional services, and seamless access to global markets and capital. 

Second, Hong Kong – together with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – is fast emerging as the world’s leading centre for I&T. I am confident that many of our homegrown innovations, which are showcased here today, will attract international interest. Indeed, many of our start-ups have already found success in overseas markets. Over the past few years, we have launched a comprehensive strategy to accelerate I&T development in four key areas: AI, biotech, fintech, and new energy and new materials. We have made substantial investments to build a vibrant eco-system. From supporting basic translational research and commercialisation, to incubating start-ups and attracting enterprises and talent, we are scaling up Hong Kong’s tech ecosystem from upstream to downstream.  

In terms of digital policy, over the past two years, we have put in place an action plan, covering such areas as digital infrastructure and governance, digital transformation, cross-boundary flows of data and talent development. Our vision is to unlock the full value of data, and enhance economic inclusiveness through digitalisation. In particular, Hong Kong’s unique position as a convergence point for both Mainland and international data gives us a distinct advantage in developing data-driven industries such as AI and biotech. 

As of last year, Hong Kong was home to around 4 700 start-ups, representing a 40 per cent increase since 2020. Notably, about 30 per cent of these start-ups were founded by entrepreneurs from outside Hong Kong, reflecting our city’s global connectivity and appeal. Our tech ecosystem is open and welcoming, and we look forward to more talent from around the world to join us and thrive together. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot better conclude by reiterating the spirit of openness, mutual respect, collaboration and shared progress that lies at the heart of the Belt and Road Initiative. This is what this event echoes. I am confident that the event today will once again be a dynamic platform for experience sharing, knowledge exchanges and partnership-building. I wish you all a fruitful, rewarding and inspiring event, and the best of health and business for the time to come. 

Thank you.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region