MOFA welcomes statement by Lithuanian Foreign Ministry expressing concern over China’s recent military activities around Taiwan
Date：2026-01-01
Data Source：Department of European Affairs
January 1, 2026No. 002The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania issued a statement on December 31, 2025, voicing concern over China’s recent military exercises around Taiwan that escalated cross-strait tensions. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung expresses sincere gratitude for statements by Lithuania and other like-minded countries, which once again have staunchly supported cross-strait peace and stability.The statement by Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry pointed out that China’s recent military exercises not only had raised cross-strait tensions but also had threatened international peace and security. It further stressed that the Taiwan Strait remained strategically important for regional and global security. Lithuania also urged restraint from displays of force and unilateral actions that could alter the status quo and emphasized that all differences must be addressed through peaceful dialogue in accordance with international law. Minister Lin welcomes and appreciates the Lithuanian government’s expression of concern over China’s actions that have heightened cross-strait tensions. This highlights Taiwan and Lithuania’s shared values of freedom and democracy and underscores Lithuania’s staunch backing of the cross-strait status quo of peace and stability. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) reiterates that Taiwan will continue to work with Lithuania and other like-minded countries to defend the rules-based international order and advance global and regional peace, stability, and prosperity. (E)
MOFA welcomes statement by Philippine Department of National Defense expressing concern over China’s military exercises near Taiwan
Date：2025-12-31
Data Source：Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
December 31, 2025
No. 552
In a statement issued on December 31 regarding China’s military exercises around Taiwan, the Department of National Defense of the Philippines said that the Philippines was deeply concerned by China’s increasingly intensive coercive actions targeting Taiwan and that such actions undermined regional peace and stability, further exacerbating tensions in an already fragile geopolitical environment. It also said that China’s heightened scale of coercion had implications that extended beyond cross-strait relations and into the broader Indo-Pacific community.
In the statement, the Philippines also called on China to observe basic principles of self-restraint, uphold international law and regional norms, and resolve differences through peaceful means without deception, coercion, or intimidation. It also reaffirmed its support for a free, open, stable, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
Following public reaffirmations in August by Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs of their position attaching great importance to Taiwan Strait peace and stability, the statement marked another instance of the government of the Philippines publicly expressing concern over peace and stability around the waterway.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung sincerely thanks the Philippines, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and other like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region and around the globe for once again clearly demonstrating their support and high regard for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and for articulating a clear position on maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan appreciates all countries continuing to pay attention to the Taiwan Strait situation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that upholding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the international consensus and that China’s unilateral military intimidation of Taiwan lacks any legitimacy or legality. As a force for good in the international community, Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded countries to jointly promote global and Indo-Pacific peace, stability, and prosperity. (E)
The Government announced today that Eric Lee will assume the post of District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong) on January 8, succeeding Edward Yu.
Mr Lee joined the Administrative Service in 2009, having served in various bureaus and departments, including the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau, the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Private Office, the Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Singapore and the Civil Service Bureau.
Prior to taking up the new post, Mr Lee was Principal Assistant Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury (Financial Services).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
CHP investigates cluster of food poisoning after consumption of porcini mushrooms The cluster involves a 59-year-old male and a 28-year-old female. Approximately two hours after cooking and consuming porcini mushrooms at home on December 21 last year, they presented with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and fever. They sought medical attention at the Accident and Emergency Department of Prince of Wales Hospital on the same day and were subsequently discharged after treatment.
Based on their clinical symptoms, the CHP believed that the patients’ food poisoning was caused by consuming porcini mushrooms. Samples of uncooked porcini mushroom from the same batch provided by a patient was confirmed to be a poisonous mushroom species containing certain gastrointestinal irritants that can remain even after being cooked. The CHP has reported the case to the relevant authority of the Chinese Mainland, and will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard public health.
Mushroom poisoning is generally acute. Common presentations include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain appearing shortly after ingestion. Depending on the mushroom species, patients may also have other symptoms such as profuse sweating, hallucinations, other neurological symptoms, as well as liver failure. The patient could go into a coma. Death may result in severe cases. If mushroom poisoning is suspected, the patient should seek immediate medical attention and bring along any available remnant for identification. Issued at HKT 19:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Immigration Department arrested 20 persons during operations targeting foreign domestic helpers who breached conditions of stay During the operations, ImmD investigators raided 42 target locations, including restaurants, retail shops, food factories, guesthouses, and commercial building and residential building units. The arrested suspected illegal workers or overstayers comprised three men and nine women, aged 24 to 60. Among them, one person was a current helper, two persons were overstaying ex-helpers, three persons were holders of recognizance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment in Hong Kong, one person was visitor, and five persons were overstaying visitors. ImmD investigators found most of the suspected illegal workers in restaurants, a guesthouse and a food factory performing dishwashing, cleaning, kitchen duties, food production and processing duties, etc. Meanwhile, eight suspected employers or persons involved, comprising seven men and one woman aged 30 to 68, included persons who were in charge of the companies or restaurants involved and were suspected of employing the suspected illegal workers.
“A helper should only perform domestic duties for the employer as listed in the ‘Schedule of Accommodation and Domestic Duties’ attached to the Contract. The helper should not take up any other employment, including part-time domestic duties, with any other person. The employer should not require or allow the helper to carry out any work for any other person,” an ImmD spokesman said.
The spokesman also said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him/her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”
The spokesman warned that, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years.”
The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Statistics on Code on Access to Information for second quarter of 2025 announced The total number of requests received since the introduction of the Code in March 1995 and up to the end of June 2025 amounted to 262 689. This includes the applications for Notice of Application for Access to Information in relation to the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens) received by the Immigration Department. Of these, 14 333 requests were subsequently withdrawn by the requestors and 6 871 requests covered cases in which the bureaux/departments concerned did not hold the requested information or cannot confirm or deny the existence of information. As at June 30, 2025, 1 117 requests were still being processed by bureaux/departments.
Among the 240 368 requests which covered information held by bureaux/departments and which the bureaux/departments had responded to, 236 894 requests (98.6 per cent) were met, either in full (233 684 requests) or in part (3 210 requests), and 3 474 requests (1.4 per cent) were refused.Issued at HKT 18:53
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The three-month Pilot Run for the Duty Stamp System launched by Hong Kong Customs concluded on January 4. The Pilot Run simulated the operational procedures of the Duty Stamp System in a real setting for testing operational procedures and related technologies, monitored the delivery of cigarettes affixed with trial duty stamps throughout the entire supply chain from the manufacturing premises to their sale at retail outlets, and collected views and feedback from various stakeholders.
During the Pilot Run, under the supervision of Customs officers and a technical consultant, local cigarette manufacturers conducted several operations of affixing trial duty stamps. Overall, the affixing operations achieved a successful rate of 99 per cent. Those cigarettes affixed with trial duty stamps have been delivered to various retail outlets for sale after duty payment, including chain convenience stores, newspaper stalls and stores. Customs also arranged distribution of promotional posters, leaflets and questionnaires to all related retail outlets for facilitating a better understanding of the tobacco retail industry and the public on key features of the Pilot Run.
As well, Customs officers affixed trial duty stamps to packets of cigarettes brought into Hong Kong by travellers or imported via small shipments after duty payment at Duty Collection Offices of six border control points and Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) cargo terminals.
As of January 3, Customs collected a total of 504 questionnaire responses from the public. The consolidated views showed that the public expressed positive feedback towards the publicity information of the Pilot Run, the design of the trial duty stamps, and the condition of cigarette retail packets after affixation.
To enhance public awareness of the Duty Stamp System, Customs conducted a series of promotional activities during the Pilot Run, including disseminating relevant information through the Customs website, social media and press releases. Customs also displayed promotional posters, distributed information leaflets at all border control points, HKIA and public housing estates, as well as set up mobile promotional booths in selected districts. In addition, Customs also arranged multiple briefing sessions for stakeholders with the aim of delivering details about the Duty Stamp System and the Pilot Run to different sectors in society.
Customs has been actively maintaining a close communication with the tobacco industry and relevant stakeholders. Following the introduction of the Pilot Run in meetings with representatives from the tobacco industry and chain convenience stores held in mid-October 2025, Customs organised two briefing sessions in early December 2025 and called on members of Customs’ Dutiable Commodities Customer Liaison Group, tobacco affairs concern groups and an association of newspaper stalls industry to participate. The two briefing sessions were joined by a total of 42 representatives from local tobacco manufacturers and importers, overseas cigarette manufacturers and the newspaper stalls industry. Apart from providing participants with information on the content and objectives of the Pilot Run, the procedure of stamp application and data flow tested in the Pilot Run, Customs also answered enquires from participants on-site. The tobacco industry held positive views towards the information disseminated by Customs. After the briefing sessions, Customs distributed questionnaires to collect the industry’s views, and distributed samples of the trial duty stamp to participants for their reference or testing purposes.
Industry views are still being gathered, Customs will, upon concluding the experience gained in the Pilot Run and examining the feedback collected from the industry, work with the technical consultant to optimise the design of the Duty Stamp System, including the procedures for applying duty stamps, the affixation requirements, and the details regarding installation and design of dedicated devices. Customs will continue to disseminate information to the tobacco retail industry through various channels. Customs takes this opportunity to encourage industry members to participate in briefing sessions organised by Customs and to contact Customs directly with inquiries.
Customs plans to implement the first phase of the Duty Stamp System in the fourth quarter this year, with full implementation in the second quarter of 2027, thus achieving the ultimate goal of effective distinguishment of duty-paid cigarettes from duty-not-paid ones, and to combat “cheap whites”.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
FEHD releases sixth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in December
District Among the sixth batch of Area Gravidtrap Indexes covering nine survey areas in December, all were below 10 per cent, and most of the areas recorded zero per cent, indicating that the distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes was not extensive.
The FEHD has so far released six batches of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in December 2025, covering 64 survey areas. Among these 64 survey areas, 60 recorded a decrease or remained unchanged in the individual gravidtrap index compared to the Area Gravidtrap Index last month, i.e. November 2025, representing that the areas’ mosquito infestation improved or maintained a low level. Four other areas recorded a slight increase, but the indexes were lower than 10 per cent. Starting in August this year, 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 64 survey areas of the community. During the two weeks of surveillance, 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 17:00
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Temporary suspension of LCSD’s Mobile Library 1, 5 and 10 services Mobile Library 1 will suspend services from January 19 to 24. The affected service points are Whampoa Garden in Hung Hom, Riviera Gardens in Tsuen Wan, Shek Lei (I) Estate in Kwai Chung, Ko Yee Estate in Yau Tong, Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon City, and Tsui Chuk Garden in Wong Tai Sin. For enquiries about Mobile Library 1 services, please call 2414 3157.
Mobile Library 10 will suspend services from January 19 to 24. The affected service points are Tsing Tin Playground in Tuen Mun, Ching Ho Estate in Sheung Shui, Cheung Wang Estate in Tsing Yi, Tin Yuet Estate in Tin Shui Wai, Hung Shui Kiu in Yuen Long, and Hoi Lai Estate in Sham Shui Po. For enquiries about Mobile Library 10 services, please call 2450 1857.
Readers are welcome to use other public libraries during the service suspension periods. They may also renew library materials by telephoning 2698 0002 or 2827 2833, or via www.hkpl.gov.hkIssued at HKT 15:00