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Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung stressed today that the Constitution is the most important component of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s constitutional order and of paramount importance to “one country, two systems”, following a court’s guilty verdict in an incitement to subversion case. 

Meeting the media this afternoon, Mr Tang said the court’s ruling enabled justice to be done in the case against the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance as well as Lee Cheuk-yan, Ho Chun-yan and Chow Hang-tung, who were charged with “incitement to subversion”.

He highlighted that the alliance, since its establishment, had adopted so-called fundamental agendas and objectives to end the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and overthrow the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) established by the Constitution.

“We must all acknowledge that the Constitution is the fundamental law of the State,” Mr Tang said.

He noted that Article 22 of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) explicitly prohibits the overthrowing or undermining of the PRC’s fundamental system or overthrowing the PRC’s central power.

“In this case, even after the Hong Kong NSL took effect, the defendants continued with various acts, including attempting to hold unauthorised assemblies, inciting the public through slogans to endanger and so-called resistance, publishing content, media interviews, and speaking publicly, to attempt to incite others to subvert state power, as well as overthrow or undermine the CPC’s leadership status by unlawful means constitute the offence stipulated under the Hong Kong NSL.

“Finally, I would like to reiterate that any attempt to endanger national security, we will act in strict accordance with the principle of the rule of law and never show leniency,” he added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (August 20) detected a suspected cased of importing unmanifested cargo involving a goods vehicle at the Man Kam To Control Point, seizing a total of about 118 kilograms of suspected smuggled live plant pests and frozen pet food with an estimated market value of about $35,000.
 
Customs officers on that day intercepted an incoming goods vehicle at the said control Point. Upon inspection, the batch of suspected unmanifested cargo, including suspected illegally imported mealworms, moth larvae, fruit flies, cockroaches and frozen domestic rats, was found mix-loaded with other declared goods. A 40-year-old local male driver was arrested. An investigation is ongoing.
 
Customs has passed the suspected illegally imported live plant pests and frozen domestic rats to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for follow-up investigation. 

Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action against cross-boundary smuggling activities through risk assessment and intelligence analysis.
 
Customs reminds members of the public that smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
 
Customs also reminds members of the public that under the Rabies Regulation, any person found guilty of illegally importing animals, carcasses or animal products is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for one year, and under the Plant (Importation and Pest Control) Ordinance, any person found guilty of illegally importing a plant pest without authorisation is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for six months.
 
Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Committee on Taxi Service Quality (CTSQ) and the Transport Department (TD) today (August 21) jointly held the Taxi Service Commendation Scheme Prize Presentation Ceremony 2025 to commend outstanding taxi drivers and taxi service management teams.

     Speaking at the Prize Presentation Ceremony, the Commissioner for Transport and Chairman of the CTSQ, Miss Winnie Tse, said that she was pleased to note the increasing participation of taxi drivers, the trade and the public in the Commendation Scheme in recent years. This demonstrated the public’s support and encouragement for practitioners who delivered quality riding experiences.

     Miss Tse highlighted that the Government has incorporated “continuing to enhance taxi service quality” into the Transport Strategy Blueprint as one of the key areas of work in the long run, and has promoted the long-term healthy development of the industry through various measures, including the introduction of the taxi fleet regime to establish more professional and systematic fleets. With a view to leveraging technology to improve driving and passenger safety, all fleet taxis are installed with three devices, namely a Global Navigation Satellite System, a dash camera and CCTV. All taxis will also be equipped with these devices in future.

     In addition, the Government has enhanced the Taxi Written Test and introduced the Taxi-Driver-Offence Points system along with a two-tier penalty system, aiming to attract new blood to the industry and foster a virtuous cycle. Furthermore, the new taxi e-payment requirement has been smoothly implemented, with the number of e-payment transactions growing exponentially and being well received by passengers. The TD will continue to work closely with the trade, including implementing the installation of Journey Recording Systems inside the compartments of all taxis to safeguard the rights and interests of both passengers and drivers.

     Miss Tse said, “We would like to thank the trade for the concerted effort, putting the enhancement of travel experience first and ensuring the smooth implementation of these measures. Such measures represent ‘one small step’ for an individual, which together form ‘one giant leap’ in reforming the taxi industry, where ‘reform is an ongoing journey’. Looking ahead, we rely on your support to jointly deepen the reform to provide more quality choices for personalised point-to-point public transport services to benefit passengers and tourists.”

     An assessment panel comprising non-trade members of the CTSQ and representatives of relevant government departments selected 20 Quality Taxi Drivers this year from 627 nominated taxi drivers. The driver receiving the highest number of votes in the public voting was presented with the Most Popular Taxi Driver award, while two taxi drivers who delivered exceptional service during rides were awarded the Good Driver, Good Service awards. The assessment panel also selected one Quality Taxi Service Management Team based on performance in management, technological applications and social responsibility. A list of awardees is provided in the Annex.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Outline of the National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly calls for empowering economic and social development through artificial intelligence (AI). The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has also incorporated the proactive advancement of the “AI+” strategy into the consultation document for Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan, ensuring that AI development is “running fast” and “running steadily”. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region