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KEYNOTE ADDRESS Associate Minister for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries & Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa. Aiolupotea Tony Aiolupo

Taitai o le Sauniga, Reverend Letupu Mata’utia

Honourable Delegates and Esteemed Guests from across the Region

Ladies and Gentlemen

Talofa lava and warm greetings to you all, It is with great honour and pleasure that I welcome you all to Samoa for this important Inception Workshop for the Global One Country One Product (OCOP) Project, under the FAO – China South–South Cooperation (SSC) Programme, and the Third (3rd) FAO OCOP Regional Organizing Group Meeting for Asia and the Pacific.

On behalf of the Government and people of Samoa, I extend a very warm welcome to the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of FAO, Mr Alue Dohong; the Directors and colleagues from FAO Headquarters; the FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific, our distinguished delegates from the Pacific Island countries, and our partners from China and other regions.

Your presence here today signifies a strong spirit of collaboration and shared commitment to advancing agricultural transformation and food security across our region. Samoa is honoured to be chosen as the Pacific’s OCOP Demonstration Country, focusing on cocoa-an economic resource and cultural heritage.

This initiative offers a valuable platform to advance sustainable production, processing, and marketing through innovation, knowledge exchange, and international partnerships, benefiting our farmers and communities.

This workshop marks another milestone in strengthening regional cooperation under FAO’s vision of achieving Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life – leaving no one behind. It also reflects the success of the FAO–China South–South Cooperation Programme, which continues to bridge expertise, technology, and solidarity between developing nations.

In the coming days, you will engage in knowledge exchange, explore strategic approaches, and observe firsthand the advancements achieved within Samoa’s cocoa value chain. From pioneering research and innovation at the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS) to the dedicated efforts of our farmers and entrepreneurs in production and processing, this journey reflects our collective commitment to sustainable growth. We are confident that Samoa’s experience will offer valuable insights to inspire and guide other Pacific nations as we advance together under the OCOP framework.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the FAO, the Government of China, and our regional partners for their steadfast support and collaboration. Through this shared commitment, we can strengthen and safeguard agrifood systems across the Pacific-systems that empower our farmers, uplift livelihoods, and drive sustainable development for our communities and future generations.

Once again, welcome to Samoa. I wish you all a productive and enriching workshop.

Soifua ma ia manuia.

November 20, 2025

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Overall consumer prices rose 1.2% year-on-year in October, slightly larger than the 1.1% increase in September, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

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

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

Meanwhile, year-on-year decreases were logged for clothing and footwear; durable goods; and electricity, gas and water.

The Government said consumer price inflation remained low in October. It expects that overall inflation should stay muted in the near term, as domestic cost pressures are mild and external price pressures are subdued.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) made the following appeal today (November 20) regarding a patient who requires an urgent heart transplant:

A male patient currently hospitalised at Queen Elizabeth Hospital is in critical condition, requiring an urgent heart transplant. The transplant team from Hong Kong West Cluster and the clinical team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital are proactively following up on the patient’s emergency situation. The HA appeals to members of the public to proactively support organ donations and consider donating the heart of a deceased relative to rekindle the lives of others.

In view of the critical condition of the patient, in addition to proactively searching for a suitable heart locally, the HA will also initiate procedures to seek assistance from the Mainland as soon as possible. When a patient who is willing to donate an organ is deceased and no suitable patient is identified to receive the organ on the Mainland, the cross-boundary organ donation and matching mechanism will facilitate a transplant in Hong Kong to bring hope to a critically ill patient.

The spokesperson emphasised that when a suitable heart is found, the HA will strictly follow the relevant organ transplant regulations and make an application with the authorities to ensure that all procedures comply with relevant standards and regulatory requirements. The HA will arrange a transplant operation with the aim of saving the patient’s life as soon as possible.

For critically ill patients with an organ failure, an organ transplant is often the only hope to extend their lives. When deceased patients and their families make a selfless decision to donate deceased organs for patients in need of an organ transplant, it not only gives critically ill patients the hope of life but also eases hardship in their families. The HA appeals to the public to pass on great love, blessings and care to those who are still fighting for their well-deserved lives.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today promulgated the Conceptual Outline of the Development Plan for the Innovation & Technology Industry in the San Tin Technopole.

The conceptual outline provides a top-level design for the 210 hectares of new innovation and technology (I&T) land in the technopole in terms of development vision, objectives and positioning, industrial spatial layout and development model.

Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong said the San Tin Technopole development will be anchored on three key strands: providing space for prototyping, pilot production and small-scale manufacturing; developing high-quality local I&T industries; and pooling global I&T resources and talent.

Prof Sun noted that the San Tin Technopole can provide land of a larger scale to support the development of strategic I&T industries such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics, microelectronics and smart devices, new materials, new energy, and green technology, as set out in the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint.

In terms of a layout plan, the new I&T land will be divided into three development hubs and three industry development corridors. They are the Hetao Hub, Chau Tau Hub and Ki Lun Hub from north to south, and the life and health technology corridor, AI and robotics corridor, and microelectronics and advanced industry corridor.

Prof Sun said that such planning can cater for the pace of I&T development and the relevant timetable for land resumption and site formation works undertaken by works departments, with five of development from introduction, industry ecosystem expansion, city-industry hub to consolidation.

Following the principle of a capable government and an efficient market, consideration can be given to forming a dedicated company to take forward the San Tin Technopole development in collaboration with the market, thereby leveraging market resources to accelerate development and optimise development costs, he added.

According to the consultant’s estimates, the technopole will contribute some $250 billion or more to Hong Kong’s GDP annually upon its full operation, and provide over 300,000 work positions.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee will depart for Shenzhen tomorrow to attend the closing ceremony of the 15th National Games.

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung and Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law will join the visit.

Mr Chan will also attend a press conference of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG on the games’ overall operations.

He will return to Hong Kong tomorrow evening.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Department of Health (DH) announced today (November 20) that, starting from January 1, 2026, it will launch a pilot programme to streamline the evaluation and approval process for proprietary Chinese medicines (pCm) registration applications. Along with the existing processing procedures, two new tiers will be introduced, namely “Innovative Drugs” and “Designated Priority Products”, with specified target processing times. The new arrangement aims to expedite processing of registration applications under these new tiers, and allow applicants to plan their business and resources more effectively. This initiative aligns with the policy of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub.

“Enterprises in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland holding a wholesaler or manufacturer licence in pCm, issued by the Chinese Medicines Board (CMB) under the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (CMCHK), may leverage the new mechanism to quickly bring suitable pCm products to the Hong Kong market. The DH will evaluate “Innovative Drugs” within 120 working days and submit them to the Chinese Medicines Committee (the Committee) under the CMB for approval. Furthermore, applicants may designate up to two products annually as “Designated Priority Products”. The DH will complete the evaluations for these products within 150 working days and submit them to the CMB for approval. Compared to the current average processing time, which takes over 250 working days, the new mechanism will significantly accelerate the process and enable the industry to select products to test the market response, establish product positioning and use Hong Kong as a springboard to tap into global markets,” the Assistant Director of Health (Chinese Medicine), Dr Edmund Fong, said.

Applicants may refer to “Frequently Asked Questions 5.B.25” on the CMCHK website for details regarding the definitions of each tier, target processing times, and requirements for supplementary documents during the approval stages.

To help the industry better understand the new mechanism, the DH has notified licensed pCm wholesalers and manufacturers via letters in mid-November. Online seminars detailing the mechanism will be held monthly from now until January next year. Interested parties may visit the CMCHK website for details.

The new mechanism will be piloted for two years. The CMB will continuously review its operation and effectiveness, making timely adjustments for optimisation.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) has organised the “Hong Kong Cultural and Creative Mosaic” event at the Palace Museum Cultural and Creative Products Hong Kong Space inside the Palace Museum in Beijing. The event officially opened to the public today (November 20) to stage four successive events during the year ahead to showcase cultural and creative products with themes of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage, art toys, fashion and accessories, and lifestyle products.

Addressing the event in Beijing on November 12, the Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, Miss Drew Lai, said CCIDA hopes that the event not only makes the creativity and capability of Hong Kong designers visible to Chinese Mainland museums, but also encourages local designers or cultural and creative IP (intellectual property) owners to enhance collaboration with the Chinese Mainland.

The CSTB promulgated last November the Blueprint for Arts and Culture and Creative Industries Development which sets out that Hong Kong will fully capitalise on the distinctive advantages given by the strong support of the motherland to encourage designers from Hong Kong to collaborate with major museums and cultural and creative institutions on the Mainland to cocreate cultural and creative products. Last year, CCIDA signed Memoranda of Understanding with three Mainland cultural and creative brands, including one for collaboration on the Palace Museum Cultural and Creative Products Hong Kong Space, to continuously strengthen support for local original works to enter Chinese Mainland and international markets.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

A spokesperson for the Education Bureau (EDB) today (November 20) said that the EDB had received the 2025 Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) report submitted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). The data shows that the performance of the Primary Three, Primary Six and Secondary Three students participating in the assessment of the three major subjects of Chinese Language, English Language, and Mathematics this year remains generally steady and similar compared to the results of the previous assessments.

The spokesperson said, “The TSA report assists schools in understanding students’ strengths and areas for improvement in Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics. The EDB is pleased to note that schools generally agree that the TSA report can provide practical analysis and information regarding the ability and performance of students and, together with schools’ related internal assessment results, enable schools to devise more suitable curriculum plans and learning and teaching strategies to further enhance students’ learning effectiveness, fully reflecting the culture of ‘Assessment for Learning’. The EDB expresses its gratitude to the school sector for continuously adopting diversified teaching strategies and measures to cater for the different needs of students and raise teaching effectiveness.

“The EDB will continue to work closely with all stakeholders and render full support to schools, including arranging teacher training, organising diversified activities and providing appropriate school-based support services, to strengthen teachers’ professional capacities. Meanwhile, the EDB will continue to develop learning and teaching resources, such as continuing to enhance the Student Assessment Repository as a one-stop platform for learning, teaching, and assessment with the ‘Self-selected Assessments’ feature added and exploring the application of artificial intelligence in the repository, with a view to providing schools and students with a more flexible and diversified platform with instant feedback, catering for the different needs of students, and enhancing their learning interests and abilities.”

The HKEAA will later directly provide primary and secondary schools with school-level data for use as feedback on learning and teaching. With a view to promoting and supporting schools in making effective use of assessment data and information to enhance learning and teaching, the EDB will hold thematic seminars on “Promoting Assessment for Learning” in December with regard to the 2025 TSA report. Teachers can enrol via the EDB training calendar.

Student performance figures of the TSA from 2004 to 2025 are shown in the Annex. Details of the TSA are available on the HKEAA website (www.bca.hkeaa.edu.hk).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region