Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Free Trade Agreement between Hong Kong and Peru to enter into force on September 1
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, said, “Peru is an important trading partner of Hong Kong in Latin America. The FTA encompasses trade in goods, trade in services, investment, electronic commerce, and other related areas. The overall commitments in the FTA go beyond those undertaken by the two economies respectively under the World Trade Organization, which will enhance bilateral trade and investment.
“This is Hong Kong’s second free trade agreement forged with a Latin American economy, fully demonstrating Hong Kong’s commitment to forging closer economic partnerships with trading partners in the Latin American region. The FTA will provide a favourable platform for Hong Kong’s traders and investors to expand their business in Peru and explore business opportunities in other Latin American markets through Peru,” he added.
On trade in goods, Peru will eliminate tariffs on approximately 98.3 per cent of its tariff lines for Hong Kong-origin exports to Peru, among which tariff elimination concerning 91.3 per cent of the tariff lines will take immediate effect upon the entry into force of the FTA, while tariffs on the remaining 7 per cent of tariff lines will be phased out gradually. The competitiveness of Hong Kong products exported to Peru will be enhanced. Apart from preferential tariffs, the trade can also benefit from trade facilitation measures and reduction of trade barriers.
On trade in services, Hong Kong service providers will enjoy benefits in over 150 services sectors in which Peru has made specific commitments under the FTA. These commitments cover sectors where Hong Kong has traditional strengths or has potential for development, including professional services, computer and related services, research and development services, financial services, and transport services.
As regards investment, Peru will accord Hong Kong investors national treatment as specified in the FTA. To further enhance investment flows between Hong Kong and Peru, negotiation of an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) has been concluded between the two places. The IPPA will be signed after the completion of respective necessary internal procedures.
“We will continue to actively forge FTAs and IPPAs with more trading partners to expand economic and trade networks, with a view to consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as an international trade centre and investment hub, and playing its role as a ‘super connector’ and ‘super value-adder’,” Mr Yau added.
Details of the FTA, including its full text, are available on the Trade and Industry Department (TID)’s website (www.tid.gov.hk/en/our_work/trade_and_investment_agreements/ftas/peru.html
Including the FTA with Peru, Hong Kong has so far signed nine FTAs with 21 economies, namely the Chinese Mainland, New Zealand, the member states of the European Free Trade Association (i.e. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), Chile, Macao, the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam), Georgia, Australia and Peru.
Issued at HKT 15:52
NNNN
Auction of vehicle registration marks to be held on September 12
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Transport Department (TD) today (August 25) announced that the auction of vehicle registration marks will be held on September 12 (Saturday) at Meeting Room S221, L2, Old Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
“A total of 100 personalised vehicle registration marks (PVRMs) will be put up for public auction in the morning session, and 220 traditional vehicle registration marks (TVRMs) will be put up for auction in the afternoon session. The lists of marks have been uploaded to the department’s website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque payable to “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” or “The Government of the HKSAR”. Any bidder who wishes to bid for both TVRMs and PVRMs on the same day, should bring along at least two crossed cheques for payment of auction prices (for an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed). Successful bidders may also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS), but are reminded to note the maximum transfer amount in the same day of the payment card. Payment by post-dated cheque, cash, credit card or other methods will not be accepted.
Housing Bureau reminds owners of Wang Fuk Court to return “Letter of Acceptance” before deadline
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Housing Bureau today (August 25) reminded owners of the eight buildings from Blocks A to H of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to sign and return the “Letter of Acceptance” at or before 5pm on August 31 if they accept the Government’s acquisition offer.
Owners may submit the duly signed “Letter of Acceptance” with the return envelope enclosed with the “Letter of Offer” by post, by hand or by courier to the following address:
Housing Bureau, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
c/o Wang Fuk Court Property Rights Acquisition Limited
1/F, Block 2, Hong Kong Housing Authority Headquarters,
33 Fat Kwong Street, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong
For owners who opt to send the return by post, the postmark date will be taken as the submission date. Owners must therefore send their return by post before the cut-off time ends on August 31 to ensure the envelope is postmarked with that date. Owners may also choose to submit the return in person to the drop-off box at the above address at or before 5pm on August 31, or hand it over to their designated Engagement Team member.
A spokesman of the Housing Bureau said that in handling the long-term housing arrangement plan for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po (long-term plan), the Government has consistently prioritised empathy as its guiding principle. In setting the acquisition price, the Government takes into account that the residents have lost their homes and suffered significant losses, and their difficult circumstances warrant the understanding and support from society. In addition, the scale and impact of the Wang Fuk Court fire are unprecedented in Hong Kong. The arrangements made for this “special case of exceptional nature” will not constitute a precedent. Therefore, the current acquisition price is about 30 per cent higher than the pre-fire market transaction prices of Wang Fuk Court as assessed by the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, with a view to enabling Wang Fuk Court owners to secure long-term housing. As reflected in the acquisition figures, the vast majority of owners welcome the Government’s proposal.
The spokesman said that after the deadline of the long-term plan (i.e. August 31), the unsold titles will be reverted to and be handled through the market mechanism, and owners will inevitably have to bear the risks of not selling their flats before that deadline. The Government does not rule out the need to ultimately handle the unsold flat titles through legislative means.
The Government has reserved over 4 400 flats in a total of 10 development projects of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) for owners who have sold their titles of Wang Fuk Court flats to the Government to purchase or to participate in the “Flat-for-Flat” arrangement.
The flat selection priority under the Special Sales Exercise will be determined in batches according to the date on which the duly signed “Letter of Acceptance” from the owners is received by the Government. The deadline for the first batch is June 30, and the deadline for the second batch is August 31. The flat selection order for applicants within the same batch will be further determined by their sequence as drawn in a ballot. The ballot and flat selection under the Special Sales Exercise will commence in September.
The Housing Bureau reminds Wang Fuk Court owners that if they have returned the “Letter of Acceptance” but have not yet signed the Agreement for Sale and Purchase, they may still participate in the ballot according to their respective batches. For owners who have already signed the Agreement for Sale and Purchase, thereby legally confirming the sale of their titles to the Government, they will be invited for flat selection. If the titles of the Wang Fuk Court flats have not yet been assigned to the Government, a new flat under the Special Sales Exercise will only be reserved for the owners during the flat selection stage. The HA/HKHS will enter into an Agreement for Sale and Purchase or a Provisional Agreement for Sale and Purchase with the owners for the purchase of the new flat only after the completion and execution of assignment.
The Engagement Team co-ordinated by the Housing Bureau will continue to communicate with Wang Fuk Court owners. If owners have any enquiries, they may contact their designated Engagement Team member or call the hotline at 2129 8133. Owners may also visit the dedicated website for the Wang Fuk Court long-term housing arrangements plan (www.hb.gov.hk/wfc) for further details.
Result of tenders of People’s Bank of China RMB Bills held on August 25, 2026
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Result of tenders of People’s Bank of China RMB Bills held on August 25, 2026
Result of the tenders of the People’s Bank of China RMB Bills held on August 25, 2026: