The Working Group on Patriotic Education under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee (CBLPSC) today held its fourth meeting to review the progress and achievements of promoting patriotic education across Hong Kong.
CBLPSC Chairman and Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki noted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will capitalise on several upcoming festive occasions, commemorative dates and events in the second half of this year to launch a series of patriotic education activities.
Key commemorative milestones include the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March and the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s birthday. Hong Kong will also mark the 30th anniversary of its return to the motherland next year.
“It aims to let Hong Kong citizens gain a deeper understanding of the country’s history and present achievements, as well as how Hong Kong can fully integrate into and serve the overall national development, thereby enhancing their sense of national identity and affection for and sense of belonging to the country,” he said.
Mr Chan emphasised that the Government attaches great importance to promoting patriotic education. It remains dedicated to fostering mainstream values centred on patriotism and affection for the country and Hong Kong, in alignment with the “one country, two systems” principle.
He noted that over the past two years, the Government has worked closely with the Working Group to unite patriotic forces across the Government and various sectors of society. “I am delighted to see that the spirit of patriotism has now taken root in society and people’s hearts, and that the patriotic and Hong Kong-loving atmosphere within the community has also improved significantly,” he added.
He highlighted that the Government utilised special festive and commemorative occasions last year to organise well-received events. These included activities marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the 60th anniversary of Dongjiang’s water supply to Hong Kong, and the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
During the meeting, Mr Chan also welcomed the new Convenor of the Working Group Eliza Chan, alongside four new members. He also expressed his gratitude to the former convenor, Starry Lee, for her contributions.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today continued leading a cross-professional delegation in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to promote Hong Kong’s legal, dispute resolution, financial and accounting services.
Addressing the opening of the Collaborate2Win seminar, Mr Lam highlighted Hong Kong’s role as a leading common law jurisdiction that provides reliable, top-quality international legal services. He emphasised that the city has made tremendous efforts to leverage its common law advantages to maintain and promote Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre.
Given its unique status as a premier financial hub, Mr Lam added that Hong Kong can serve as an important and indispensable partner for Kazakhstan.
Co-organised by the Department of Justice and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the seminar attracted more than 160 representatives from local legal and business sectors.
Upon arriving in Almaty yesterday, the delegation met with the representative of a local Mainland law firm to better understand the latest developments in the local legal services sector.
They also met representatives from Shaanxi’s chamber of commerce in Kazakhstan to learn about the current operations of Mainland enterprises in the country. The delegation used the opportunity to promote Hong Kong’s professional services, encouraging both Mainland and Kazakh enterprises to leverage Hong Kong as a major gateway for venturing into international markets.
The delegation will depart for Uzbekistan this afternoon to continue the visit.
Chief Executive John Lee today toured a public housing estate, an elderly centre and the 1823 Contact Centre in Sham Shui Po District to hear the public’s views ahead of the 2026 Policy Address.
During his visit to Un Chau Estate, Mr Lee met an elderly resident to learn about her experience with ambulatory care services. He noted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been actively promoting these services, which allow suitable patients to undergo examinations and treatments with multidisciplinary support, enabling them to rest at home without the need for overnight hospital stays.
Ambulatory care services help reduce unnecessary hospitalisation and provide patients with more convenient treatment and services. Mr Lee added that this could enhance the service capacity and efficiency of the public healthcare system, while allowing more people to receive appropriate services at an early stage.
Earlier, the Chief Executive visited Kwong Wah Hospital to review the operation of its Ambulatory Orthopaedic Service Centre and its deployment of innovative technologies. He said the Hong Kong SAR Government is committed to deepening healthcare reform and enhancing service quality, particularly through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the accuracy and speed of clinical diagnoses.
Following the public estate tour, Mr Lee proceeded to the Un Chau Estate Baptist Church Elderly Centre to observe its activities and support services. Mr Lee said the Government has long upheld ageing in place as a core principle, and has continued to strengthen elderly support, including increasing the total number of Community Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly, and establishing three Neighbourhood Elderly Centres as announced in last year’s Policy Address.
The Chief Executive then visited the 1823 Contact Centre to observe how it leverages AI to expedite public enquiries, assistance requests and complaints. He said the centre’s active application of AI in receiving cases, data analysis and workflow assignments has enabled it to respond more quickly to assistance requests and complaints from the public, adding that he has asked the Digital Policy Office to continue leading 1823 in adopting innovative technologies to drive efficiency.
Mr Lee said the current-term Government remains committed to translating policy blueprints into tangible outcomes that develop the economy and improve livelihoods. He emphasised that direct community exchanges are vital for understanding public needs, adding that the insights gained will help formulate upcoming policy initiatives as he and his team continue to listen to views from all sectors of society.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
FEHD releases fifth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in August
District
District During the rainy season, the FEHD continues to carry out a series of mosquito prevention and elimination measures, including: During the follow-up actions and following the discovery of stagnant water at a construction site and a private housing estate in Central and Western District and Yuen Long District, the FEHD has issued a total of two statutory notices to the responsible persons-in-charge, requiring the clearance of such stagnant water within a specified timeframe.
Public participation is crucial to the effective control of mosquito problems. The FEHD appeals to members of the public to continue to work together in strengthening personal mosquito control measures, including: Starting in August 2025, following the completion of the surveillance of individual survey areas, and once the latest gravidtrap index and the density index are available, the FEHD has been disseminating relevant information through press releases, its website and social media. It aims to allow members of the public to quickly grasp the mosquito infestation situation and strengthen mosquito control efforts, thereby reducing the risk of chikungunya fever (CF) transmission.
Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and taking into account the local situation in Hong Kong, the FEHD sets up gravidtraps in districts where mosquito-borne diseases have been recorded in the past, as well as in densely populated places such as housing estates, hospitals and schools to monitor the breeding and distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit CF and dengue fever. At present, the FEHD has set up gravidtraps in 62 survey areas of the community, with a surveillance period of two weeks. During the surveillance period, the FEHD will collect the gravidtraps once a week. After the first week of surveillance, the FEHD will immediately examine the glue boards inside the retrieved gravidtraps for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes to compile the Gravidtrap Index (First Phase) and Density Index (First Phase). At the end of the second week of surveillance, the FEHD will instantly check the glue boards for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes. Data from the two weeks of surveillance will be combined to obtain the Area Gravidtrap Index and the Area Density Index. The Gravidtrap and Density indexes for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas, as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures, are available on the department’s webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/dengue_fever/Dengue_Fever_Gravidtrap_Index_Update.html#Issued at HKT 18:25
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Fashion Fest presents eight flagship programmes for its third edition This edition of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest offers a rich lineup of programmes, covering haute couture, city-wide pop-up stores, cross-regional menswear, a sustainable design forum, modern denim culture and more, propelling the creativity and aesthetics of emerging designers from Hong Kong and abroad onto the global stage. The eight flagship programmes include the opening programme “VIRTUOSE: The Artistry of Couture 2026”, the citywide fashion pop-up “Wear’s HK”, the international fashion showcase and trade platform CENTRESTAGE, “Future Threads: Menswear’s New Waves Between Italy and Hong Kong”, “Fashion Summit (Hong Kong) 2026”, “Hong Kong Fashion Fest Gala 2026”, “Fashion Asia Hong Kong 2026”, and the “5th Hong Kong Denim Festival”.
Admission to all public exhibitions at the third edition of Hong Kong Fashion Fest will be free. Members of the public and fashion enthusiasts are welcome to visit and experience the city’s vibrant creativity and energy. For more detailed information and the latest updates on Hong Kong Fashion Fest, please visit the official website (www.hongkongfashionfest.comIssued at HKT 17:22
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (Sydney ETO) supported a dinner reception celebrating the co-production of “Hansel and Gretel” in Adelaide, Australia, yesterday (August 25) by State Opera South Australia and Opera Hong Kong. The event showcased the strong cultural ties between Hong Kong and Australia while promoting Hong Kong’s role as an East-meets-West centre for international arts and cultural exchanges.
The event was co-hosted by the Sydney ETO, State Opera South Australia, Adelaide Airport and Cathay Pacific. It brought together senior government representatives, business leaders, arts and cultural stakeholders, and community leaders to celebrate the enduring partnership between Hong Kong and South Australia, as well as the collaboration between two leading arts organisations from Hong Kong and Australia.
Speaking at the reception, the Director of the Sydney ETO, Mr Ricky Chong, said that the relationship between Hong Kong and South Australia is underpinned by connections across a wide range of areas, including business, education, tourism and culture.
Mr Chong welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Hong Kong and Adelaide, noting that the renewed air link would bring the two cities closer together and open up more opportunities for people, businesses and creative ideas to move between them.
“Culture is a wonderful way to bring people together. The collaboration between State Opera South Australia and Opera Hong Kong on ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is a great example. It is especially fitting that this production begins its journey here in Adelaide before travelling to Hong Kong next year, allowing audiences in both cities to share and enjoy the same artistic experience,” Mr Chong said.
Mr Chong also highlighted Hong Kong’s vibrant arts and cultural scene, world-class events and infrastructure, and encouraged guests to visit Hong Kong to experience its cultural energy.
The co-production of “Hansel and Gretel” brings together the creativity and professional expertise of the arts communities in Hong Kong and Australia, demonstrating the achievements that can be realised through cultural collaboration across borders. Through artistic exchanges and partnership, the two places can strengthen connections, foster mutual understanding, and create new opportunities for the development of arts and culture. The production will have its world premiere in Adelaide in August 2026, before being presented in Hong Kong in 2027.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Northern Metropolis Financial Advisory Taskforce holds its second meeting (with photo) The Northern Metropolis Financial Advisory Taskforce (Taskforce), jointly established by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and The Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB), convened its second meeting today (August 26) to explore how the banking sector can facilitate the implementation of Northern Metropolis projects through diverse financing models.
At the meeting, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) presented the diversified development models adopted by the Government to expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis, including through establishing industry park companies to participate in the development and operation of industries (Note 1), as well as guiding market forces to accelerate project development through public-private partnerships (PPPs). The FSTB also noted that funding for Northern Metropolis-related public works projects secured from the Legislative Council Finance Committee has already exceeded HK$180 billion (Note 2), demonstrating the Government’s firm commitment to the Northern Metropolis development. In addition, the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company Limited gave an introduction to the development direction, strategies and models for the Industry Park as well as collaboration opportunities for the banking sector. Such information enables banks to prepare in advance for the provision of financing and other ancillary financial services to support the development of industry park projects.
Considering that many Northern Metropolis projects will adopt diverse PPP models, a dedicated Workstream on PPP Financing (Workstream) (Note 3) has been established under the Taskforce to promote the exchange of industry expertise in related areas. During the meeting, the Workstream presented PPP financing case studies from the Chinese Mainland and overseas, covering projects in areas including large-scale land disposal, education, transportation and infrastructure. The Workstream will draw on relevant experiences to examine different development models and risk mitigation measures that can enhance the bankability of the projects in the Northern Metropolis. It will also explore complementary arrangements to support PPP project financing, including developing financing templates for reference by banks, with the aim of expediting the provision of targeted financing solutions for Northern Metropolis-related projects.
Meeting participants included representatives from the HKMA, the HKAB, the Development Bureau, the FSTB, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company Limited and 23 participating banks in the Taskforce (see Annex).
The Northern Metropolis Financial Advisory Taskforce was jointly established by the HKMA and the HKAB in April 2026 to strengthen the banking sector’s communication and collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and other stakeholders and explore ways to actively support the Northern Metropolis development through financing. The Taskforce comprises representatives from the HKMA, the HKAB and 23 banks that possess experience in large-scale project financing. The Chinese Banking Association of Hong Kong and the Infrastructure Financing and Securitisation Unit of the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited participate as observers.
Note 1: The Government has injected funding of HK$10 billion into each of the three dedicated industry companies, namely Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited, Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company Limited, and San Tin Technopole Company Limited.Issued at HKT 14:38
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, met today (August 26) with over 50 university students participating in this year’s Administrative Service Internship Programme, and listened to their sharing of internship experiences and learning outcomes. She encouraged them to apply for civil service positions such as the Administrative Officer (AO) post, where they can leverage their strengths and contribute to society.
She said that the Programme has been well received by university students in recent years, with nearly 600 applications collected over the past year. To enable more young people at different stages of study to learn about public service and plan their career development at an early stage, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) has decided to expand the eligibility for the Programme to all full-time students pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate studies, regardless of their year of study, starting from this year’s Winter Internship Programme.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
With the summer vacation coming to an end, students and parents are ready to welcome the new school term. The Education Bureau (EDB) reminds students and parents to stay tuned to the latest weather and traffic updatesAlthough autumn is approaching in Hong Kong, the city may still be affected by tropical cyclones and heavy persistent rain, and the weather may become unstable. Students and parents are therefore reminded that in the event of tropical cyclones and/or heavy persistent rain, the EDB will announce the schooling arrangements for that day based on the latest weather information provided by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), through the following channels:
AM and Whole-day Schools
AM and Whole-day SchoolsIn addition, in accordance with the above-mentioned EDB Circular, schools will formulate and review from time to time school-based contingency plans in advance to cater for various situations that may arise under inclement weather conditions, such as class suspension. Where events organised by schools might need to be postponed or cancelled under inclement weather, schools should inform all relevant parties of the contingency arrangements in advance.
As the situations in localised areas may differ from the territory as a whole, under the prevailing mechanism, if the EDB has not made any announcement for suspension of classes but individual schools consider it necessary to suspend their classes having regard to local weather, road, slope or traffic conditions, the schools concerned may proceed after consulting the EDB. They should at the same time inform relevant parties according to the established contingency plans. Parents can exercise their discretion in deciding whether or not to send their children to school if the local weather, roads, slopes or traffic conditions are adverseStudents, especially those attending a new school, should familiarise themselves early with public transport routes to and from their schools and the service frequencies. The Transport Department (TD) anticipates that the overall road traffic on the first school day will be busier and urges students to allow more time and pay attention to the latest traffic information. The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will release the latest information as appropriate. Members of the public are advised to heed the latest traffic news through the TD’s website (https://www.td.gov.hk), the HKeMobility mobile app, radio and television broadcasts. For details, please refer to the TD’s press release issued on August 24 entitled “TD reminds public transport operators to provide adequate services on first school day”.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
CE visits Sham Shui Po District to gather public views on Policy Address The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak; the Director of Home Affairs, Ms Priscilla To; and the Director of Social Welfare, Mr Edward To, also joined relevant parts of the visit.
Accompanied by the District Officer (Sham Shui Po), Mr Oscar Wong, Mr Lee visited Un Chau Estate, where he met with an elderly resident to learn about her use of services from ambulatory care centres. Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been actively promoting ambulatory care services, under which suitable patients may undergo examinations and treatment with multidisciplinary support within the same day, without the need for an overnight hospital stay, before returning home to rest. Ambulatory care services help reduce unnecessary hospitalisation and provide patients with more convenient treatment and services. This could enhance the service capacity and efficiency of the public healthcare system, so that more members of the public may receive appropriate services at an early stage.
Mr Lee had earlier visited Kwong Wah Hospital to learn about the operation of its Ambulatory Orthopaedic Service Centre and the hospital’s application of innovative technologies. He said that the HKSAR Government is committed to deepening healthcare reform and enhancing the quality and efficiency of public healthcare services, including the application of AI technologies in hospitals to enhance the accuracy and speed of clinical diagnoses, so that patients may receive appropriate treatment sooner. He said that the Government will continue to promote the digital upgrading of the healthcare system and actively introduce innovative technologies to further enhance the standard of public healthcare services.
Mr Lee then visited the Un Chau Estate Baptist Church Elderly Centre to learn about the various types of activities and services provided by the centre to enrich the lives of its elderly users. He said that the Government has long upheld the principle of ageing in place as the core, and has continued to strengthen support for elderly persons, including increasing the total number of Community Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly and adding three Neighbourhood Elderly Centres in last year’s Policy Address to strengthen district support for the elderly.
Mr Lee then visited the 1823 Contact Centre to learn how the centre applies AI technologies to expedite the handling of public enquiries, requests for assistance and complaints. He said that 1823 has been actively applying various AI technologies in receiving and analysing public enquiries, assigning cases, analysing data and so on, so as to respond more quickly to requests for assistance and complaints from members of the public. He has asked the Digital Policy Office to continue leading 1823 in actively applying AI and other innovative technologies to continuously enhance efficiency.
Mr Lee said that the current-term Government is committed to turning policy blueprints into tangible outcomes in developing the economy and improving people’s livelihood. Through district visits and meaningful exchanges with members of the public, the Government can better understand their needs and aspirations, and the insights gained will help formulate new policy initiatives. He said that he and his team will continue to listen to views from various sectors of society, so that policy measures could better address livelihood needs and the Government could dedicate its efforts in striving for a vibrant economy, pursuing development and improving people’s livelihood. Issued at HKT 16:42