MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) hosted the Award Presentation Ceremony of the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards today (October 19) to recognise 15 winning families and promote good family values and traditional virtues to the community and the younger generations. The Deputy Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, and the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, officiated at the ceremony.
 
In his speech, Mr Cheuk noted that China’s long-standing culture and society have always emphasised family harmony and valued good family values and virtues. As President Xi Jinping said, “The family is the basic cell of society. Family harmony leads to social stability. Family happiness creates social harmony.” The National 14th Five-Year Plan clearly states the need to strengthen family building. The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Family Education Promotion, implemented by the State in 2022, elevates family education from a “family matter” to a “national matter,” fully reflecting our country’s focus on family education and the promotion of the fine Chinese traditions. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been actively responding to national policies, and strives to promote the building of a family-friendly society and the healthy development of families in Hong Kong.
 
Miss Mak expressed her gratitude to the general public for their active participation and support by sharing their family life and insights on nurturing family relationships. She noted that each participant’s story is unique, which allows the others to deeply appreciate the family values and virtues of excellent families. She hoped that the event would facilitate the passing down of genuine bonds of family to the next generation, highlighting the significance of family.
 
She said, “Hong Kong is our big family. Harmony in the family will bring prosperity for all. Family harmony is not only the source of personal happiness, but also a vital foundation for social prosperity and steady progress. I look forward to continuing to work hand in hand with everyone to enhance society’s recognition of family values and promote positive family values and virtues.”
 
Also officiating at the ceremony were the members of the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards adjudication panel, including the President of Legislative Council, Mr Andrew Leung; the Vice-Chairperson of the Connecting Hearts, Professor Annie Tam; the Chairperson of the Family Council, Ms Melissa Pang; the Convenor of the Family Council Sub-committee on Promotion of Family Core Values and Family Education, Mr Felix Law; and the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung.
 
The HYAB and Family Council co-organised the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards in April this year. The event is open to all Hong Kong citizens. With the focus on “Fostering Stable Family Relationships for Building Good Family Values and Virtues”, the event promotes the importance of good family values and passing down good family traditions and virtues to the community and the younger generations by recognising families that show mutual respect, care, love and support for one another. The event received an enthusiastic response, attracting approximately 1 200 families to participate. The adjudication panel, comprising community representatives as well as representatives from the HYAB and the Family Council, have selected 15 winning families after careful assessment and deliberation. These included 10 recipients of the “Excellent Families Award” and five recipients of the “Passage of Good Family Values and Virtues Award”. At the Award Presentation Ceremony, the winning families shared their experiences and insights on fostering strong family relationships, promoting positive family culture and values, as well as fine family traditions and virtues to the public.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The fourth edition of “Making Waves – Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema” (Making Waves) touring film programme, sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, was launched in Seoul, Korea, yesterday (October 17) and will run until October 20. As part of Hong Kong Week 2025@Seoul, the programme features screenings of productions by emerging Hong Kong filmmakers, restored versions of Hong Kong classics and a series of industry exchange activities to reflect the city’s diverse cinematic representations to Korean filmmakers and audiences, thereby fostering cultural exchanges between the two places.

Speaking at the opening reception on October 17, the Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, Miss Drew Lai, expressed her gratitude to the Korean film industry and audiences for their support of Hong Kong film. She said, “Film is a universal language that plays a vital role in strengthening cultural exchanges. In the past few years, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has supported the screening of Hong Kong films in Korea for several times. “Montages of a Modern Motherhood” and “Measure in Love” (funded by the Film Development Fund (FDF)) were selected for the Busan International Film Festival last year and this year respectively. We are delighted to see that Hong Kong films are gaining increasing recognition at film festivals in Korea and beyond.” Miss Lai added that the films selected for Making Waves combine the old and new with multiple themes from Hong Kong cinema, showcasing the captivating cityscapes and rich and nuanced culture of Hong Kong. She hoped that the film choices will resonate deeply with audiences.

The film list for Making Waves includes “Last Song For You”, as well as “My First of May”, “The Last Dance”, “Papa”, “Stuntman”, “Peg O’ My Heart”, “Four Trails”, “Mad Fate”, and restored classics “A Moment of Romance” and “Shanghai Blues”. Over half of the 10 titles were directed by emerging filmmakers. Four of the 10 were supported by the FDF, namely, “Last Song for You”, “Papa”, “Stuntman” and “Peg O’ My Heart”. With support from the FDF, the CCIDA works hand in hand with the industry to nurture local film talent and drive innovation in Hong Kong’s filmmaking.

Making Waves also sponsors the in-person participation of emerging Hong Kong directors and actors. The Director of the opening film, “Last Song for You”, Jill Leung, and actor Natalie Hsu attended a sharing session after the screening to engage with some 300 Korean filmmakers and audiences. The Director of “My First of May”, James Hung; actor of “Papa” Dylan So; Co-directors of “Stuntman” Albert Leung and Herbert Leung; and the Director of “Four Trails”, Robin Lee, will all have interaction sessions with audiences that will take place after screenings of their respective films.

Making Waves is sponsored by the CCIDA and presented by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society. Since its launch in 2022, the programme has visited 24 cities worldwide, bringing Hong Kong’s unique cinematic representations to film practitioners and audiences in those places. By showcasing productions of new-generation Hong Kong filmmakers, the programme enhances their exposure to the international market, forging more business opportunities for Hong Kong’s film industry.

The CCIDA also held discussions in Korea with several Korean cultural and creative industry organisations, including the Korea Creative Content Agency, the Busan International Film Festival, the Producers Guild of Korea, and the Korean Film Archive, to explore future collaboration opportunities.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), InnoCarnival 2025 (IC 2025) is being held from today (October 18) to October 26 at the Hong Kong Science Park in Sha Tin. Under the theme “I&T Unlocks Your Dream”, this year’s Carnival features a number of exhibits of local innovation and technology (I&T) achievements.
 
     The Acting Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, officiated at the opening ceremony of IC 2025. He said that the Government will continue to leverage Hong Kong’s strengths to promote I&T development through policy guidance, financial support and talent cultivation, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as an international I&T centre. He expressed hope that the public will be encouraged to explore and experience the many benefits that I&T brings to society through the InnoCarnival, and offer greater support for Hong Kong’s I&T development.
   
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation are campaign partners of IC 2025. The event is receiving support from about 50 programme partners, including local universities, R&D centres and platforms, government departments and other organisations, which have set up booths at the Hong Kong Science Park, showcasing a series of I&T achievements and interactive games. Also, a diverse lineup of about 150 workshops and more than 10 webinars across various popular subjects including artificial intelligence and ecological environment will be available during the Carnival, with the aim of showing the public the close interface between I&T and people’s daily lives.

In addition, the second City I&T Grand Challenge: The Showcase will also be staged during IC 2025. Prototypes of the winning solutions will be showcased to the public for trial through real-life scenarios. The second City I&T Grand Challenge was launched under the theme “Hong Kong’s Got I&T” to promote an I&T culture and enhance the application of I&T in the community. It invited submissions from different sectors of the community to develop I&T solutions focusing on two subjects, namely “I&T for Nature (Yama)” (improving the operation and management of country parks and campsites, and enhancing hikers’ experiences in nature) and “I&T for Community (Community Wellness)” (enhancing support for carers). Twenty winners from the University/Tertiary Institute and Open Groups received support from the ITC. Upon training and refinement of I&T solutions for over half a year, teams have transformed their ideas from the competition into prototypes for trials at over 50 designated venues, including government departments and social communities, involving nearly 5 000 end users.
 
All IC 2025 activities are free of charge. Some of the activities require pre-registration. Details are available on the thematic webpage (innocarnival.hk). Members of the public are most welcome to join.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, attended the Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference 2025 held in Beijing today (October 18) to share Hong Kong’s experiences in green innovation and directions of promoting environmental protection co-operation with the Belt and Road (B&R) counterparts.
 
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Mr Tse said that the world is facing severe challenges such as climate change in recent years. All parties must adhere to the green development concept, ramp up green transition of the society, and collaboratively reduce carbon emissions and pollution, as well as restore and expand ecology. Green innovation has hence become an important driving force for sustainable development in Hong Kong. It not only promotes new areas of economic growth but also creates job opportunities, fostering social prosperity and development.
 
“Under the ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the Motherland and being closely connected to the world, fully leveraging our role as a ‘super-connector’ and promoting green development for our country and B&R countries,” Mr Tse said.
 
Mr Tse highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will set up a B&R sustainable green development training centre next year to cultivate international environmental protection talent. The centre will serve as a base to connect the HKSAR with the international sustainable green development co-operation network, creating an environment that promotes technological exchange and outcome transfer for B&R counterparts.
 
Mr Tse added that the HKSAR Government is proactively preparing for the setup of a B&R Green Development Co-operation Platform in Hong Kong with the B&R Initiative International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC). The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will establish a regular communication and collaboration mechanism with the BRIGC to facilitate exchanges and discussions with environmental authorities, related organisations and enterprises of the B&R countries, strengthening the international environmental protection co-operation network.
 
The HKSAR Government holds the Eco Expo Asia at the end of October every year and utilises it as a platform to arrange environmental technology forums and site visits to Chinese Mainland, as well as to strengthen exchange and co-operation. Mr Tse introduced that the 20th Eco Expo Asia to be held in October this year will arrange for representatives from B&R countries to visit outstanding environmental enterprises and facilities in Changsha of Hunan Province. The aim is to more effectively promote green international exchanges and to seek opportunities for high-quality green enterprises from Chinese Mainland to “go global”.
 
The Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, also attended the conference. He delivered a keynote speech at a sub-forum titled “Jointly Building Beautiful Cities, Empowering Green Infrastructure with a New Future” in the afternoon. He introduced the Hong Kong Environmental Database developed by the EPD, showcasing how to enhance environmental assessment and improve efficiency through digital empowerment.
 
The Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference 2025 was hosted by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and organised by the BRIGC and the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The theme for this year is “Driving Green Development Together”, aligning with the core agenda of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference focuses on the achievements of the Green Silk Road building, building of platforms for exchange and co-operation in green finance, green and low-carbon development, as well as green technology and innovation, which aims to facilitate the integration of green industries with technologies.
 
Mr Tse will return to Hong Kong this evening.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the 13th Hong Kong Allergy Convention Opening Ceremony today (October 18):
 
Dr Philip Li (President of Hong Kong Institute of Allergy), Professor Gary Wong (President-Elect of World Allergy Organization), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to join the opening ceremony of the 13th Hong Kong Allergy Convention.
 
This biennial medical gathering has become a highly anticipated event, locally, regionally and internationally. Since it began over two decades ago, the Convention has brought together world experts in allergy. It helps advance knowledge, share best practices and inspire innovation in allergy and immunology. 
 
For that, my thanks to the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy, and its invaluable work over these past 29 years, promoting allergy as a specialty, supporting research and organising events like this two-day international gathering.
 
This year’s Convention theme, “Allergy Beyond Borders”, reminds us of our shared mission – to cross geographical and institutional barriers for better allergy care worldwide.
 
Allergic diseases have become among the most common health problems in the world. In Hong Kong, some 400 000 patients are being treated for food allergies alone. 
 
And, as you are well aware, allergies know no borders. But allow me to touch on a few of the research areas we’re working on in Hong Kong.
 
In 2021, we established the Hong Kong Genome Institute. Its first major project, the Hong Kong Genome Project, has recruited more than 47 000 participants to build a genomic database focused on the South China population, establishing a collaborative platform for researchers, academics and businesses, accelerating clinical trials and drug developments.
 
We are also speeding up clinical trials and new drug approvals.
 
The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, supporting the coordinated I&T development of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, promotes biomedical technology.
 
It accelerates the evaluation, inspection and clinical trials of drugs and medical devices in alignment with international standards.
 
We’ve also established the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute, providing one-stop clinical trial support. 
 
Before year’s end, we will establish a new collaboration platform with Shenzhen to provide consultation, matching and referral services for medical research organisations conducting clinical trials in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. 
 
We’re reforming drug approvals, too. Through the “1+” mechanism, drug companies only need approval from one reference drug authority to apply for registration in Hong Kong. That is, of course, if they are supported by local clinical data and their scope of application is recognised by relevant local experts.
 
Last month’s Policy Address pledged to speed up the “1+” mechanism, piloting priority evaluation of innovative drugs recommended by the Hospital Authority for severe or rare diseases.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, there’s much to look forward to over these next two days. And my thanks, once again, to the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy for organising this year’s Allergy Convention. I’m also grateful to various organisations supporting the Convention.
 
I wish you a rewarding Convention and the best of medical research and health in the coming year. And for those joining us from abroad, enjoy a memorable stay in Hong Kong, Asia’s world city.
 
Thank you.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (October 20) that the facilities of Yuen Long District in the list below will be temporarily closed to support the organisation of the 15th National Games The China Telecom Trophy Athletics (Marathon) Competition. Details are set out below:
 

Venue	Closure Period	Remarks
Tin Fai Road Sports Centre (TFRSC)	November 14 (5pm – 11pm)	All facilities of the Sports Centre (including the service counter and SmartPLAY Self-service Stations) will be temporarily closed
Fee-charging car park at Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground	November 14 (6pm) – November 15 (5.30am)	All parking spaces will be temporarily closed

     The Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground will open as usual. During the above period, members of the public may use similar facilities of the other sports centres and the car park at Tin Shui Wai Sports Centre in the same district.

     For enquiries, please call the TFRSC at 2473 0229.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (October 20) that Tsuen Wan Sports Centre (TWSC) will be temporarily closed to support the organisation of the 15th National Games The Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy Basketball (Men’s U22) Competition, and to facilitate the organisation of the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games The Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy Para Table Tennis (TT11) Competition as well as Special Olympics table tennis. Details are set out below:
 

Closure Period	Remarks
October 27 – December 19	All facilities of the Sports Centre (including the service counter and SmartPLAY Self-service Stations) will be temporarily closed, except carpark
November 30 – December 15	All parking spaces will be temporarily closed

 
     During the above period, members of the public may use similar facilities of the other sports centres in the same district.
 
     For enquiries, please call the TWSC at 2392 9570.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Youth Development Commission (YDC) launched the 2026-27 HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland today (October 20). Eligible non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are invited to submit applications.
 
The Government attaches great importance to youth development. The HYAB promulgated the Youth Development Blueprint in end-2022, which states that the Government will further strengthen the breadth and depth of the Mainland and international internship and exchange programmes with a view to enhancing young people’s understanding of the country and supporting their integration into the overall development of the country. Through the HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland, the HYAB and the YDC provide funding for NGOs to organise youth internship projects on the Mainland for young people to experience the actual workplace environment there first-hand and deepen their understanding of the Mainland’s employment market, workplace culture and development opportunities. It will help young people set their future career goals, accumulate work experience, build interpersonal networks and boost their employment prospects.
 
Details of the new round of the funding scheme are available on the YDC website (www.ydc.gov.hk/en/programmes/ip/ip_fundingscheme.html). Interested NGOs should submit their applications via the e-application system on or before November 14.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, on quick-win measures proposed by the Task Force on Review of Government Procurement Regime today (October 20):

Reporter: We would like to ask if the Government would consider mobilising the senior civil servants accountability mechanism if human error was identified among such kind of civil servants. And would you elaborate a little bit on the role of the new Procurement Management Audit Section (Procurement and Stores Management Audit Section) of the GLD (Government Logistics Department) compared to its previous roles? Thank you.

Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury: I’ll address the second part of your question first. Basically, if you look at the current setup or the role of the GLD’s audit team, it’s more about the goods, also inspection of goods and services being available, and at the same time to ensure compliance with the relevant government regulations in the procurement process. But as I said at the outset, one of the key elements that we’ve identified in this current exercise is that the importance of due diligence is something we need to pay more attention to. That’s why, in line with this discovery and also in line with this revelation, the scope of work of this audit team was expanded to cover and to ensure that the due diligence work of our colleagues is being well taken care of in the process of their procurement efforts. And that’s why, to couple with that, we also have clear guidelines being set out in such a way that they know what to do. The audit team will, on a random checking basis, identify those high-risk areas and also high-risk items, and look at those items to ensure that proper due diligence is being looked into. This is the response to your second question. 

For the first question about the interface of this investigation with the accountability system set out in the Policy Address: As you may appreciate, the accountability system set out in the Policy Address needs certain legislative amendments to be effective. This is something to be done by our Civil Service Bureau. So this current exercise is undertaken in the context of the current regime with no regard to the future regime because that future regime is yet to be effective.

Reporter: Firstly, what was the issue with the past due diligence checks and what way can the Government rectify the problem, if you could elaborate more. And secondly, on the disciplinary investigation, how many people are subject to this investigation? Why is Ms Lau the right person to be in charge? Did the Government consider having a retired judge to head the probe? Could the internal disciplinary investigation eventually lead to any criminal proceedings? Thank you.

Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury: If you look at how the current procurement is being done, as I said earlier and also responded to some of the questions asked, basically we very much relied on submissions or documents being presented to us. But in this fast-changing world, in light of the fact that fraud can take different forms, I think we need to take a more proactive approach in terms of enhancing our due diligence capabilities. That’s why, throughout these interim measures I just introduced, which are being implemented, one of the key areas that we look into is how we can enhance that area. Like, for example, we already issued guidelines to make sure that our colleagues on the procurement side are here to do due diligence work, including not just the paper exercise, but also checking of information online. And also, at the same time, if there’s a need, they could do on-site inspection to really look into the information being available to them, to see if they are genuine or not. At the same time, there will also be provisions being given to them to allow third-party checking of the information that they’re given, so they don’t really have to rely solely on the source of information to verify the information but rather they can resort to third-party checking to ensure that information that they are given is genuine. So what we are trying to do is to ensure first of all, our colleagues are being empowered with the right tools and means to enhance their due diligence work. At the same time, in terms of mindset, they have the ability and also have the willingness to exercise those rights and powers. That’s exactly one of the key areas that we emphasise.

In terms of your second question about the scope of work of the investigation, as I said and also as Alice (Administrative Officer Staff Grade A1 Ms Alice Lau) just mentioned, taking into account the scope of the current work, it will include around more than 10 of our GLD and also our FSTB (Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau) colleagues. At the same time, regardless of whether they are retired or not, they are also subject to the investigation. For those that involved criminality, these will be taken care of by our law enforcement agencies. This is not something that we are looking into. But rather, as said by Alice, we will look into potential disciplinary and also management issues and deal with them head-on in light of the current regime.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is the speech by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, at the Global Youth Powerhouse Summit 2025 today (October 20):
 
Dr Kevin Lau (Founding Convenor of the Hong Kong Youth Professional Global Advocacy), distinguished guests, young leaders, ladies and gentlemen,

     It is my pleasure to join you all today at the Global Youth Powerhouse Summit 2025. Let me begin by extending my heartfelt congratulations to the Hong Kong Youth Professional Global Advocacy for your unwavering commitment to empowering young talent and building bridges across borders. Bringing together such a vibrant and diverse group from over 30 nationalities is a remarkable achievement and a testament to your vision.

     Standing here in Hong Kong, a city where East meets West, and where tradition meets innovation, I am reminded of our city’s unique role as a global crossroads. Just as Hong Kong has long been connecting people and ideas from across the world, today’s summit brings together bright minds and ambitious spirits, symbolising the energy and promise of Hong Kong and our youth.

     This is a time of both challenges and opportunities for young professionals. The world you are navigating is fast changing. Geopolitical shifts, economic uncertainties, rapid advances in technology, and issues like climate change, gender and public health are reshaping the global landscape. The digital revolution has further hastened the pace and impact of changes. What happens in one corner of the world can quickly ripple across the globe.

     For young people nowadays, these changes may spark unease. But they also create new horizons. For example, in Hong Kong, our city’s unique position under “one country, two systems” gives us unmatched advantages in connecting with both the Mainland and the wider world. With national strategies like the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Greater Bay Area, there are new opportunities in fields such as finance, healthcare, technology, and the creative industries. The future is not just something to wait for. It is something our younger generation is already helping to shape.

     But to seize these opportunities, I encourage you to keep an open and forward-looking mindset. Think beyond your own field and even your own city. Engage with the pressing issues of our times, whether it is the rise of AI, the need for sustainable development, or the need to bridge divides among cultures. By telling your stories, listening to and seeking to understand others, you can help build a global community founded on respect, innovation, and shared purposes.

     Let me share a quick example from my own field, the legal profession, which has undergone profound changes thanks to lawtech and AI. Tasks that once took hours, like document review or drafting contracts, can now be completed in minutes. This has brought significant gains in efficiency, affordability, and access to justice. But it also challenges us to rethink our roles and responsibilities, to safeguard trust, privacy, and fairness even as we embrace innovation. 

     Regardless of your professional fields or interests, the lesson is the same: Technology is a powerful tool, but it cannot replace the human qualities that matter most, such as empathy, judgment, and integrity. As you move forward, keep learning, stay open to new ideas, and remember the value of your own voice.

     Dear friends, the future truly is in your hands. Think big, think boldly. Don’t be afraid to reach beyond what seems possible. Your determination and creativity will be the impetus for the future development of our city and the world.

     I wish you all a rewarding and enjoyable Summit. Thank you very much.