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Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government published the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Gazette today to make amendments to the existing legislation for the implementation of a new phase of tobacco control measures.

The Health Bureau outlined an overall tobacco control strategy in June last year, with a view to reducing the social hazards posed by smoking products and safeguarding public health. Among the 10 short-term tobacco control measures announced, eight of them require law amendments:

(1) implementation of a duty stamp system for cigarettes

(2) increased penalties for duty-not-paid tobacco

(3) prohibition of the possession of alternative smoking products

(4) implementation of a plain packaging requirement

(5) prohibition of smoking while queuing

(6) extension of statutory no-smoking areas

(7) prohibition of the provision of smoking products to people aged below 18

(8) banning flavoured conventional smoking products.

Meanwhile, the other two short-term measures, namely “continuously reviewing the effectiveness of increasing tobacco duty and the pace of future adjustments” and “strengthening smoking cessation services as well as publicity and education”, do not involve legislative amendments.

The Health Bureau stressed that the Government needs to put in place more proactive measures to curb tobacco use and minimise its harmful effects on society in order to further alleviate the threat posed by tobacco to public health. Having taken in account factors such as effectiveness, practicability and public receptiveness, the bureau put forward these measures last year and further refined the details of the proposed legislative amendments after considering stakeholders’ views.

The Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be introduced into the Legislative Council for first and second readings on April 30.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Environment & Ecology Bureau (EEB) said the Inter-departmental Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel, led by the bureau, has given agreement-in-principle to eight more applications of trial projects on hydrogen fuel technology at its meeting today.

The first project entails an application jointly submitted by International New Energy Industry Alliance, Wing Tat Cargo & Trading (HK), H2 Powertrains and Ontime International Logistics (HK) Co, involving 10 hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) goods vehicles for cross-boundary transport.

The second one is an application submitted by Wilson Logistics to try out two HFC goods vehicles for cross-boundary transport.

The third project concerns an application submitted by Kam Wai Tourist Bus (HK) Company to try out two HFC coaches for local passenger services.

The fourth one pertains to an application submitted by China Travel Tours Transportation Services HK, Allenbus Automotive Technology Co and REFIRE Hong Kong to test out two HFC coaches for cross-boundary passenger services.

The fifth application was submitted by Affluent Coach Services Company to test out two HFC coaches for local passenger services.

The sixth one concerns an application jointly submitted by the Hong Kong & China Gas Company (HKCGC) and CIMC Enric Hong Kong, involving the provision of electricity with hydrogen power generation equipment for charging electric vehicles at a North Point commercial building.

The seventh is an application jointly submitted by the HKCGC and the Housing Society on extracting hydrogen from the existing towngas network at a Shau Kei Wan construction site to generate electricity for charging electric vehicles and providing electricity for the site office.

The final application was jointly submitted by the HKCGC and the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation to extract hydrogen from the existing towngas network at the Science Park to generate electricity for charging electric vehicles.

The bureau pointed out that to date, the working group has given agreement-in-principle in stages to a total of 26 applications of hydrogen energy trial projects.

Among them, the three HFC street washing vehicles from the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department have passed the examination with the Certificate of Roadworthiness issued.

Furthermore, Sinopec (Hong Kong) has completed all commissioning and testing for the public hydrogen filling station at Au Tau, Yuen Long, and expects to launch the operational trials in the first half of this year.

At today’s meeting, the EEB and the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department briefed the working group on the latest implementation progress of the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong, which includes the Government introducing the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2025 to the Legislative Council to cover safety regulations on hydrogen fuel, and organising the International Hydrogen Development Symposium 2025.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today announced that local COVID-19 activity in Hong Kong is expected to increase further in the coming few weeks. As such, it advised that all sectors of the community should enhance personal hygiene and protection measures, including receiving the initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.

Those in high-risk priority groups should receive a booster dose in a timely manner to minimise the risk of serious complications and death after infection.

CHP Controller Dr Edwin Tsui said: “According to the latest surveillance data as of the week ending April 19, the viral load of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from sewage surveillance, the test positivity rate and the average consultation rate of COVID-19 cases in general outpatient clinics have continued to rise over the past four weeks.

“In particular, the percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus increased to 8.21% from 1.71% four weeks ago, a record high in the past six months.”

Meanwhile, the viral load per capita of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was around 440,000 copy/litre, a significant increase from 260,000 copy/litre four weeks ago. Sewage surveillance data also showed that the local prevalence of XDV was on the rise.

Dr Tsui pointed out: “As XDV is a JN.1-related variant, the COVID-19 vaccines currently used in Hong Kong are still effective in preventing it.”

Furthermore, in the past four weeks, the CHP recorded 40 severe cases related to COVID-19, including 10 fatal cases. The majority of the patients are aged 65 or above.

“More than 90%of them had not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past six months,” added Dr Tsui.

He urged members of the public who are yet to receive the initial dose of the COVID-19 jab to get vaccinated as soon as possible. He also noted that those at high risk, particularly the elderly and people with underlying comorbidities, should receive a booster dose for effective prevention against COVID-19 to minimise the risk of serious complications and death after infection.

In light of the Easter holiday, the upcoming Labour Day and Buddha’s Birthday holidays, as well as the recent increase in COVID-19 activity in the community, the Hospital Authority activated service demand surge special measures since April 14 to cope with the potential increase in service demand.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today chaired a meeting of the interdepartmental working group to co-ordinate the preparatory work for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the Mainland’s Labour Day Golden Week.

The Immigration Department estimates that around 5.71 million passengers, including Hong Kong residents and visitors, will pass through Hong Kong’s sea, land and air control points from May 1 to 5, among which 4.9 million are expected to pass through land control points.

The peak period of outbound and inbound passengers using land boundary control points (BCPs) will be May 3 and 5, with around 590,000 and 580,000 passengers expected respectively.

Passengers are advised to plan in advance, avoid making journeys during busy periods and keep track of radio and TV broadcasts on traffic conditions at various control points. The busy times at BCPs are available on the department’s website.

Furthermore, residents and passengers may also check the estimated waiting times at each land BCP via the Immigration mobile app.

In terms of Mainland inbound visitors, around 840,000 passengers are expected to visit Hong Kong via sea, land and air control points during the five-day Labour Day Golden Week. Compared with last year’s Labour Day Golden Week and this year’s Chinese New Year Golden Week, the daily average visitor arrivals will increase by 10% and 13%.

Special arrangements have been formulated at major tourist spots to cope with the increase of people flow.

The Transport Department will enhance transportation services connecting various BCPs, including increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge shuttle bus (Gold Bus) and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus), and issue additional cross-boundary coach quotas to enhance services.

Regarding local transport services, the department has approached public transport operators to enhance their capacity, and reserve vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of visitors.

Among them, the MTR will enhance train services of the East Rail Line between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau at different times from May 1 to 5 for the convenience of residents and visitors.

Meanwhile, the Tourism Board has launched a dedicated webpage to provide useful information including the operating arrangements of major tourist attractions in Hong Kong.

Noting that a notable increase in visitor arrivals is estimated during the Labour Day Golden Week, Mr Chan said the Government will make good preparations for receiving visitors to ensure the smooth operation of various aspects in receiving them and offering a high-quality experience.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee attended the Hong Kong Investment Promotion Conference – Zhejiang (Ningbo) Forum & Ningbo-Hong Kong Economic Co-operation Forum today in Ningbo, Zhejiang.

The conference was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Ningbo Municipal Government.

Mr Lee led the Hong Kong SAR Government delegation to attend the opening ceremony and related activities today to promote to Mainland enterprises Hong Kong’s unique advantages and dual roles as a platform in going global and attracting foreign investment, fostering investment and co-operation.

The Zhejiang (Ningbo) forum, with the theme of “Hong Kong, joining hands with Zhejiang and meeting in Ningbo, the channel for more opportunities”, brought together a number of business leaders from various sectors including finance, supply chain, innovation and technology (I&T) and professional services to share their insights on Hong Kong’s advantages and opportunities in different areas and attracted more than 600 participants.

The concurrent Ningbo-Hong Kong Economic Co-operation Forum has been held alternately in Hong Kong and Ningbo every year since 2002 to facilitate bilateral exchanges and co-operation on economic, trade and investment and has been well received by the business communities of the two places.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Mr Lee noted that Ningbo in Zhejiang Province is a manufacturing and port hub in the Yangtze River Delta, while Hong Kong is an international financial, trade and shipping centre.

Both Ningbo and Hong Kong are important gateways in the opening up of the country, with complementary advantages and limitless opportunities for collaboration.

Hong Kong is the largest source of external investment in Ningbo and more than 1,000 enterprises and institutions from Ningbo have been established in Hong Kong, reflecting the close economic and trade ties between the two places.

The Chief Executive said that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong possesses the unique advantages of having the country’s strong support while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world, serving as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”. Hong Kong acts as a two-way springboard for Mainland enterprises to go global and for attracting overseas enterprises.

He pointed out that despite the US’ bullying and unjustified imposition of tariffs, and the emergence of unilateralism that disrupted the global landscape and geopolitics and posed risks of economic destruction and recession, the country’s immense economic strength and vast market provide certainty for global investors, and a new economic and trade order is taking shape.

Mr Lee added that Hong Kong will continue to proactively serve Mainland enterprises in going global to explore international markets, and attract overseas enterprises to tap into the Mainland market.

Members of the Hong Kong SAR Government delegation attending the Conference included Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau, Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Carol Yip and Under Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan.

In his remarks on promoting Hong Kong’s advantages at a themed promotion activity, Mr Wong said that on finance, Hong Kong is the most trusted international financial safe haven for Mainland enterprises, offering diversified financing channels and financial services for companies to expand their businesses internationally.

Furthermore, Invest Hong Kong held a signing ceremony of a number of key Zhejiang-Hong Kong and Ningbo-Hong Kong co-operation projects, covering various sectors including finance, technology, transportation, aviation, I&T and consumer goods.

In the afternoon, the Hong Kong SAR Government, the HKTDC and relevant authorities of the Ningbo Municipal Government jointly organised three special promotion activities on finance, multinational supply chain management centre and I&T to promote investment in Hong Kong.

Mr Lee and the delegation departed for Hong Kong this afternoon.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hospital Authority announced today that the new fee schedule for public services in public hospitals will take effect on January 1 next year, following its publication in the Government Gazette today.

Since the announcement of the “Public Healthcare Fees & Charges Reform” in March, the Health Bureau and the authority have been engaging with the Legislative Council, the public and other stakeholders to explain the reforms and gather feedback.

They have found a consensus that the current public healthcare subsidisation structure cannot cope with increasing service demands driven by demographic changes and healthcare developments. In light of these realities, modifications to patterns of healthcare service utilisation, more precise allocation of medical resources, and reduced wastage and misuse of medical resources are deemed necessary.

Besides restructuring subsidisation levels for various services, the reforms seek to enhance the medical fee waiver mechanism, introduce a cap on annual spending, and strengthen protection for patients with critical illnesses in relation to drugs and medical devices.

As such, public healthcare will be reinforced as a safety net for all, and it is expected that the enhanced medical fee waiving mechanism will expand the number of eligible beneficiaries from 0.3 million to 1.4 million underprivileged individuals, while the annual spending cap will benefit 70,000 patients with serious illnesses.

The Hospital Authority’s next steps are to refine implementation measures to ensure the reforms’ smooth execution. This includes streamlining application procedures for medical fee waivers and relaxing the eligibility criteria under means testing for the Samaritan Fund safety net.

The authority will launch a means test calculator on its website and a mobile application, ‘HA Go’, on April 28. By inputting information about household income and assets, patients can make a preliminary estimation of their eligibility for medical fee waivers and safety net applications under the new healthcare protection measures.

Additionally, starting from January 1 – when the new Accident & Emergency fee of $400 takes effect – the special A&E refund arrangements will be regularised simultaneously. While waiting for consultation after nurses conduct triage and preliminary medical assessments, patients who choose to seek treatment at other healthcare institutions may apply for a $350 refund.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Water Supplies Department (WSD) said today that the efficiency of its enforcement against overcharging of tenants living in sub-divided units (SDUs) for water has been significantly enhanced following the enactment of a legislative amendment.

The Waterworks (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 empowered the WSD and the Rating & Valuation Department (RVD) to exchange information, thereby enabling a more effective inspection process. The WSD now handles cases that could not be followed up in the past.

As of today, since the enactment of the amended ordinance on April 19 last year, the WSD has completed 280 investigations into suspected overcharging tenants for water in SDUs.

Of these, a total of 21 cases were prosecuted, resulting in convictions with fines, while a number of other cases are currently at the prosecution stage.

The WSD said this represents an increase of between five and six times compared to the 40-plus cases per year before the enactment of the amended ordinance. Moreover, the conviction rate exceeds the previous average of about six per year by between three and four times.

Meanwhile, with its new enforcement powers allowing the WSD to compel relevant parties to provide information or documents, including receipts for water charges or payment records, for investigation, landlords’ response rate has grown from 10% in the past to about 90% recently.

The WSD added that it has successfully prosecuted several landlords and WSD-registered consumers for failing to provide the requested information or documents.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Government of Samoa

KEYNOTE SPEECH by the Minister of Works, Transport & Infrastructure – Hon. Olo Fiti Afoa Vaai [April 10, 2025]

Your Excellency, Aliona Niculita, the Resident Representative of UNDP Samoa Country Office,

Your Exellency, Ryotaro Suzuki, Ambassador, Government of Japan

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am indeed extremely privileged and humbled to address this important ceremony for the handing over of the much needed and immensely valued e-truck and charger to support the administration of TTM Hospital Oxygen Plants services and transportation of oxygen cylinders from our main oxygen plant here to other health facilities both in Upolu and Savaii.

I believe this electric-truck is one of the e-vehicles procured under the Climate Action Pathways for Island Transport project implemented by the Government of Samoa through the leadership of the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure in close partnership with UNDP and funded by the Government of Japan.

The procurement of this electric-truck is increasingly important for oxygen plant administration due to their potential to reduce emissions, lower operating costs and improve air quality, especially in areas where oxygen plants often operate.

I applaud the fact that this is the first time ever that this electric truck has been specially manufactured and reconfigured to cater the need of MOH, for a specialized truck to transport oxygen cylinders from the TTM Hospital Oxygen Plant to rural health facilities.

Most importantly, it is Samoa’s commitment to expected outcomes of the Pathway for the Development of Samoa 2021-2026 in placing emphasis on Samoa’s efforts towards decarbonization and enhancement of health services provision.

On behalf of Samoa government and its people, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to UNDP and Government of Japan for your never-ending support. This handover is another good example of how we can continue working together and fostering our partnership in finding solutions for challenges that confront the health of our people on a daily basis.

I have no doubt that this pivotal assistance, will go a long way to save lives and improve the quality of life of all our people, by ensuring sufficient oxygen supplies to all health facilities in Samoa.

To this end, I would like to reiterate my deepest appreciation to our development partners who had kindly provide this assistance for us, not forgetting our local counterparts who had worked together in facilitating and negotiation of such important assistance to support the provision of quality and safe health support services for our people.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to celebrate with you this addition of e-vehicles provided by UNDP and Government of Japan through Climate Action Pathways for Island Transport project for Samoa, and look forward to receiving more e-vehicles in the coming years, and continue to receive more support from our partners to promote health and wellbeing of our people.

Soifua ma ia manuia.