MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, led a delegation of the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis to commence a visit to Germany yesterday (May 18, Aachen time). During the trip, site visits to local higher education and innovation and technology infrastructure will be arranged, providing a solid reference for the planning and development of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT).

The delegation first visited RWTH Aachen University. Founded in 1870, RWTH Aachen University is the largest technology university in Germany, and a leading institution in engineering and applied sciences in Europe. The university is one of the nine members of the TU9, the alliance of leading universities of technology in Germany, and houses many national research centres, maintaining close ties with industry.
 
The delegation exchanged views with university representatives and stakeholders, and toured campus facilities, including WZL, one of the institutes of the university with the closest co-operation with industry and also one of Europe’s largest production technology institutes; and a running demonstration factory that involves industry partners and also serves research and training purposes. They learned about the university’s successful experience and practices in campus planning, industry-academia-research integration, innovation ecosystem development, technology transfers and interdisciplinary collaborations, thereby accumulating valuable practical references for the NMUT’s campus ecosystem and industry-academia collaboration.
 
Mr Chan said that RWTH Aachen University is widely recognised for its achievement of translating fundamental research into real-world applications through an exceptionally strong industry-led model, and deep collaboration with corporations. He expressed hope to draw on the university’s successful experience so that higher education and cutting-edge research can jointly drive technological breakthroughs and industrial advancement at the NMUT. He also expressed hope to learn from RWTH Aachen University’s experience in nurturing long-term fundamental research while fostering close industry partnerships in order to further deepen the integration of industry, academia, and research at the NMUT.
 
Mr Chan and other members of the delegation will proceed to Stuttgart on May 19 (Aachen time) to continue their visit.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced today (May 19) that Gelray, a Mainland women’s homewear brand, has opened its first store in Hong Kong and established a regional headquarters in the city to expand into the Southeast Asian market.

The Head of Consumer and Hospitality of InvestHK, Ms Sindy Wong, said, “As an international business hub, Hong Kong possesses distinctive advantages including a robust logistics infrastructure, zero-tariff policies and more, providing Mainland brands with an ideal springboard for international growth. We look forward to Gelray bringing fresh momentum to the local retail industry and leveraging Hong Kong as its home port to expand into broader Asian markets.”

     Founder of Gelray, Mr Tim Fang, said, “Hong Kong is a gateway to Asian and the Belt and Road markets, as well as a hub for international fashion and lifestyle trends. Hong Kong consumers are sophisticated and diverse, which aligns well with our brand philosophy. Our Hong Kong office will take the lead in Southeast Asian business planning, from market research and product localisation to establishing distribution networks, driving our regional development strategy.”

Gelray was founded in 2012, upholding the brand philosophy of innovation, health, and professionalism. The brand offers a range of products spanning loungewear, lingerie, shapewear, yoga wear and sportswear. By providing full-size ranges and a high-quality experience, the brand enables customers of every body type to discover comfort in any scenario.

For more information about Gelray, please visit www.gelray.com.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

According to the latest labour force statistics (i.e. provisional figures for February – April 2026) released today (May 19) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.7% in February – April 2026, same as that in January – March 2026. The underemployment rate decreased from 1.6% in January – March 2026 to 1.5% in February – April 2026.
 
Comparing February – April 2026 with January – March 2026, movements in the unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) in different industry sectors varied. Decrease was mainly seen in the construction sector while increase was mainly seen in the manufacturing sector. As to the underemployment rate, decreases were mainly seen in the foundation and superstructure sector, and food and beverage service activities sector. 

Total employment decreased by around 7 700 from 3 655 700 in January – March 2026 to 3 648 000 in February – April 2026. Over the same period, the labour force also decreased by around 5 200 from 3 792 400 to 3 787 200.

The number of unemployed persons (not seasonally adjusted) increased by around 2 600 from 136 600 in January – March 2026 to 139 200 in February – April 2026. Over the same period, the number of underemployed persons decreased by around 2 000 from 60 100 to 58 100.

Commentary

Commenting on the latest unemployment figures, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, said, “The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 3.7% in February – April 2026, same as that in the preceding three-month period. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate edged down by 0.1 percentage point to 1.5%. Over the same period, the labour force and total employment decreased slightly.”

Looking ahead, Mr Sun said, “The robust growth momentum of the Hong Kong economy should render support to the overall labour market. The Government will remain vigilant to the potential implications of the elevated geopolitical risks, and continue to monitor the development closely.” 

Further information

The unemployment and underemployment statistics were compiled from the findings of the continuous General Household Survey.

In the survey, the definitions used in measuring unemployment and underemployment follow closely those recommended by the International Labour Organization. The employed population covers all employers, self-employed persons, employees (including full-time, part-time, casual workers, etc.) and unpaid family workers. Unemployed persons by industry (or occupation) are classified according to their previous industry (or occupation).

The survey for February – April 2026 covered a sample of some 25 000 households or 65 000 persons, selected in accordance with a scientifically designed sampling scheme to represent the population of Hong Kong. Labour force statistics compiled from this sample represented the situation in the moving three-month period of February to April 2026.

Data on labour force characteristics were obtained from the survey by interviewing each member aged 15 or over in the sampled households.

Statistical tables on the latest labour force statistics can be downloaded at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/scode200.html). More detailed analysis of the labour force characteristics is given in the “Quarterly Report on General Household Survey” which is published four times a year. The latest issue of the report contains statistics for the quarter October – December 2025 while the next issue covering the quarter January – March 2026 will be available by end May 2026. Users can also browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1050001&scode=200).

For enquiries about labour force statistics, please contact the General Household Survey Section (3) of the C&SD (Tel: 2887 5508 or email: ghs@censtatd.gov.hk). 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Prosecutions Division of the Department of Justice today released its annual report, Prosecutions Hong Kong 2025, reviewing its work over the past year.

In the report’s overview, Director of Public Prosecutions Maggie Yang emphasised that prosecutorial independence, enshrined in Article 63 of the Basic Law, is the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system.

Ms Yang stated that public prosecutors “walk in justice” by ensuring fair, impartial and even-handed justice for victims, defendants and the community at every stage of the criminal justice process.

The report highlighted that Hong Kong organised the 15th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference in 2025, which was hosted by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China. The event drew around 80 prosecutors to discuss challenges in combating money laundering and corruption in the technological age.

The annual report also provides prosecutorial statistics and case overviews, demonstrating the division’s dedication to maintaining an effective criminal justice system.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki yesterday led a delegation of the Working Group on Planning & Construction of the University Town under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis as they began a visit to Germany.

The visit aims to provide a solid reference for planning and development of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT) through site visits to local higher education and innovation and technology infrastructure.

The delegation first visited RWTH Aachen University yesterday to exchange views with university representatives and stakeholders, as well as tour campus facilities.

Founded in 1870, RWTH Aachen University is Germany’s largest technology university and a leading European institution in engineering and applied sciences.

As a member of the TU9 alliance of leading German technology universities, it houses numerous national research centres and maintains close ties with industry.

The delegation toured WZL, an institute renowned for its deep industry co-operation and status as one of Europe’s largest production technology facilities. They also visited an operational demonstration factory that integrates industry partners while serving research and training purposes.

Through the site visits, the delegation studied the university’s experiences in campus planning, industry-academia-research integration, innovation ecosystem development, technology transfers and interdisciplinary collaborations. The insights gathered will serve as practical references for developing the campus ecosystem and industry-academia co-operation at the NMUT.

Mr Chan noted that RWTH Aachen University is widely recognised for translating fundamental research into real-world applications through an exceptionally strong industry-led model and deep corporate collaboration.

He expressed hope to draw on this successful model to ensure higher education and cutting-edge research jointly drive technological breakthroughs and industrial advancement at the NMUT.

Mr Chan added that learning from the university’s ability to nurture long-term fundamental research while fostering close industry partnerships will help deepen the integration of industry, academia and research at the NMUT.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today introduced three legislative amendments in the Legislative Council to impose clear legal obligations and prohibit smoking at all construction sites.

The move aims to reduce fire risks and safeguard the safety of workers and the public.

The three legislative amendments are the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 2) Order 2026, the Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) (Specification of Authorities and Public Officers) (Amendment) Notice 2026, and the Construction Sites (Safety) (Amendment) Regulation 2026.

The Government will publish the Amendment Order and the Amendment Notice in the Gazette on Friday.

The Amendment Order designates construction sites as no smoking areas and the Amendment Notice specifies that Occupational Safety Officers (OSOs) of the Labour Department will carry out enforcement work in relation to all smoking offences at construction sites under the Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) Ordinance.

Any person smoking in a construction site commits an offence. OSOs can issue a fixed penalty notice to offenders with a fixed fine of $3,000.

The Amendment Order is applicable to all types of construction sites, including building maintenance sites. Domestic premises and private quarters occupied by residents are not included.

Meanwhile, the Amendment Regulation requires that contractors and subcontractors must take all reasonable steps to ensure that no person smokes or carries a lighted smoking product, or uses a naked light to light a smoking product, at a construction site.

Those violating the Amendment Regulation are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $400,000.

The Amendment Order and the Amendment Notice will be subject to the negative vetting procedure, while the Amendment Regulation will be subject to the positive vetting procedure.

The Government will strive to facilitate LegCo’s scrutiny work and looks forward to having the chamber’s support for early passage of the three amendments, enabling the smoking ban at all construction sites to be implemented as soon as possible. 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive John Lee said today the Government will consider views from all parties and strike a balance among different factors when it comes to enacting subsidiary legislation on ride-hailing.

The Government put in place a legal framework for the regulation of ride-hailing services, and enacted principal legislation, last October. This stipulated that it is necessary for the Government to impose control on the total number of ride-hailing vehicle permits issued.

Ahead of this morning’s Executive Council meeting this morning, Mr Lee said a balance will be struck among three factors at the first stage of implementing overall control.

He remarked: “First, address the public’s travel needs so that their riding experience remains more or less the same.

“Second, take into account Hong Kong’s unique circumstances, including road capacity and the fact that nearly 90% of daily passenger trips are made using public transport services.

“Third, establish a mechanism to monitor actual market operations and data. Conduct dynamic assessments and reviews.”

Mr Lee reaffirmed that the Government’s objective in setting up the regulatory regime for ride-hailing services is to ensure that they operate within a lawful, appropriate and safe framework, while also fostering healthy competition and complementarity between taxi and ride-hailing services, thereby enhancing the overall quality of point-to-point transport services and providing the public with more convenience and options.

The Chief Executive added that while putting a regulatory regime in place, the Government will introduce enhanced penalties and tighten vehicle empowerment arrangements to combat unlicensed vehicle operations, so as to protect lawful and compliant operators, as well as passengers.

The Government will consider views from all parties, as well as relevant data, and aim to submit subsidiary legislation to the Legislative Council within the first half of this year.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Hong Kong has been increasingly connecting with Central Asia through financial and trade ties. In this regard, Chief Executive John Lee will lead a delegation on a visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to explore more business opportunities.

The two countries are both Hong Kong’s key trading partners in Central Asia, taking up 59.7% and 13.2% of Hong Kong’s total exports to the area respectively.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council stated that the ongoing economic reform and diversification in Central Asia present new opportunities for bilateral collaborations.

The council’s Director of Research Bruce Pang noted that almost every Central Asia country has ambitious plans to upgrade their logistic facilities and to uplift their logistic capacity.

“Like in Kazakhstan, they are looking at how to upgrade their airport, air freight, logistics sectors, etc.

“And so we think that Hong Kong logistics firms, they actually have the potential to co-operate with all these countries to provide our solutions from warehouse automation as well as supply chain management.”

Kazakhstan is also leveraging Hong Kong’s financial advantages to develop fintech and digital assets.

The council also pointed out that the youthful demographic of Uzbekistan implies a large consumption market, and local enterprises see Hong Kong as a hub for fundraising and financing.

The council’s Principal Economist Alice Tsang highlighted that Central Asia countries are working towards developing light industries.

“So, I think Hong Kong companies can get the first-mover advantage by establishing or actually collaborating with the factories or companies in Uzbekistan to develop their products over there.”

Ms Tsang added that it is striving to establish the brand “Made in Uzbekistan” and that Hong Kong enterprises can serve as a “super connector” to help Uzbekistan companies tap into different markets.