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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Chan Tsz-tat, yesterday (September 17) met with the Director General in Guangzhou Customs District, Mr Li Quan, in the Customs Headquarters Building to exchange views on deepening collaboration between the two Customs administrations.

Mr Chan welcomed Mr Li’s visit to Hong Kong Customs with his delegation and held a meeting with the Guangzhou Customs delegation. During the meeting, both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on multiple issues, including facilitating control and enforcement work on cargo and passenger clearance, as well as improving the prevention and control of risks, with an aim to further promote co-operation between the two Customs administrations.

The delegation also visited the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Passenger Terminal Building at Hong Kong International Airport to learn about the operations of passenger clearance of Hong Kong Customs.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (September 18) the preliminary figures of chain volume measures of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by economic activity for the second quarter of 2026.

     GDP figures by economic activity show the value of production in respect of individual economic activities. The value of production is measured by value added or net output, which is calculated by deducting intermediate input consumed in the process of production from the gross value of output. Volume measures of GDP by economic activity, expressed in terms of chain volume measures net of the effect of price changes, enable analysis of the output growth profiles of individual economic sectors in real terms.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     According to the statistics on persons engaged and vacancies released today (September 18) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), total number of persons engaged in the private sector surveyed decreased by 0.1% or 2 100 persons in June 2026 compared with a year earlier. The total number of vacancies was 45 380, representing a decrease of 8% or 4 150 over the preceding year.

Persons engaged statistics     
Vacancies statistics(www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1050003&scode=452″Quarterly Report of Manual Workers and Vacancies at Construction Sites, June 2026″
(www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1050004&scode=452

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​In accordance with the Railways Ordinance (Cap. 519), the Government published a notice in the Gazette today (September 18) on the authorisation of the railway scheme for the Hong Kong Section of the Northern Link (NOL) Spur Line by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics.
 
The NOL Project (comprising the NOL Main Line and Spur Line) is an important transport infrastructure driving the development of the Northern Metropolis and facilitating Hong Kong’s better integration into national development, aligning with the National 15th Five-Year Plan Outline that calls for accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis and promoting the co-ordinated development of rail transport. The NOL Spur Line comprises an underground railway of about 6 kilometres in length starting from San Tin Station on the Main Line, comprising the Hong Kong section of about 5km in length and the Shenzhen section of about 1km in length. The NOL Spur Line will establish three new railway stations, with two new stations at Chau Tau of the San Tin Technopole and the Loop for the Hong Kong section, as well as one new station at the new Huanggang Port for the Shenzhen section.
 
As the cross-boundary bifurcation of the NOL Project, apart from serving the San Tin Technopole and the Loop, the NOL Spur Line will also connect to the new Huanggang Port, linking the metro networks of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and facilitating the flow of people between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Offering both local commuting functions within Hong Kong and cross-boundary railway services, the NOL Spur Line will promote the “hard connectivity” of infrastructure in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 
No objection to the railway scheme for the Hong Kong Section of the Northern Link Spur Line was received during the gazettal period, which fully reflects the community’s continued support for the project. Following the authorisation of the railway scheme, the construction works for the Hong Kong Section of the NOL Spur Line will commence as soon as practicable, with the aim of commissioning the NOL Spur Line together with the NOL Main Line by 2034 or earlier, upon which the travelling time between San Tin and the new Huanggang Port is estimated to be only about 11 minutes.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Police today (September 18) laid a holding charge against a 51-year-old man with one count of murder.

     The man was arrested on September 16 in suspected connection with a murder case happened in Chai Wan on the same day, in which a 53-year-old woman died.

     The case will be mentioned at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts this morning.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Lightshadow”, “Twilight”, “Contribute”, “Silverwing”, a joint operation with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department codenamed “Flabbergast”, a joint operation with the Labour Department (LD) codenamed “Rainbow”, a joint operation with the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) codenamed “Windsand” and a joint operation with the HKPF and the LD codenamed “Champion”, etc, from September 11 to yesterday (September 17). During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD officers raided multiple target locations including restaurants, retail stores and flats under renovation, etc. Twenty-two suspected illegal workers, six suspected employers, one suspected aider and abettor and six overstayers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised 11 men and 11 women, aged 26 to 55. Among them, two men and one woman were holding recognisance forms which prohibit them from taking any employment, and the woman was also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Three men and three women, aged 30 to 57, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested. The suspected aider and abettor arrested was a woman aged 44. Furthermore, the arrested overstayers were two men and four women, aged 33 to 52. An investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.
 
     An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or 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, “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. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged identity card or an identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”
 
     The spokesman stressed 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 ImmD 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 or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
 
     For reporting illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 185 185, fax at 2824 1166, email anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit the “Online Reporting of Immigration Offences” form at www.immd.gov.hk.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published today (September 18) statistics on Stored Value Facilities (SVF) schemes issued by SVF licensees for the second quarter of 2026.
 
The SVF scheme statistics (see Annex) include quarterly data on SVF schemes issued by the SVF licensees of the relevant periods. 
 
According to the quarterly statistics, the total number of SVF accounts in use (Note 1) was 90.38 million at the end of Q2/2026, representing a 1.8 per cent increase from the previous quarter. The total number of SVF transactions was around 2.2 billion in Q2/2026, or 0.3 per cent higher than the previous quarter. The total value of SVF transactions was HK$264.7 billion in Q2/2026, representing a 0.1 per cent increase from the previous quarter. Of the total transaction value, HK$47.7 billion was related to point-of-sale spending payment, HK$33.8 billion in online spending payment, HK$16.4 billion in P2P fund transfer, HK$59.6 billion in withdrawal and HK$107.2 billion in adding value. The total value of SVF deposit and float (Note 2) was HK$21.8 billion at the end of Q2/2026, 0.6 per cent higher than the previous quarter.
 
As compared with the end of Q2/2025, the total number of SVF accounts in use at the end of Q2/2026 was up by 9.2 per cent, and the total value of SVF deposit and float was up by 7.3 per cent. The total number of SVF transactions during Q2/2026 was up by 3.6 per cent year-on-year but the total value during the period was down by 7.4 per cent year-on-year.

Note 1: “Total number of SVF accounts in use” refers to the total number of SVF accounts that can be used as at the end of the reporting period. 

Note 2: The terms “SVF deposit” and “float” follow their definitions in the Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee took questions today from members of the public regarding Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and his 2026 Policy Address during a Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) radio phone-in.

After announcing the Five-Year Plan and Policy Address on Wednesday, Mr Lee answered questions this morning on various aspects of the two blueprints, including the development of the Northern Metropolis, the city’s vision for leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), and its growing role as a centre for renminbi (RMB) internationalisation.

Highlighting that significant resources are being allocated to the Northern Metropolis, the Chief Executive said it creates new opportunities for the city as a whole.

“The Northern Metropolis represents about one-third of our geographical area, so it is a big piece of land that gives us new opportunities.

“We have to ensure that we can also upgrade ourselves by diversifying our industries, because there will be more development opportunities when you have more industries of different kinds.

“It is actually mentioned in our country’s 15th Five-Year Plan. That means the Northern Metropolis is not just a Hong Kong development. It has been elevated as a state-driven project.”

Turning to Hong Kong’s vision for artificial intelligence (AI), the Chief Executive emphasised the importance of embracing its use while being alert to its risks.

“So far, my policy is to encourage knowledge and application of AI as much as possible, but tell everybody the risks.”

The Government will appoint a Commissioner for AI, under the Digital Policy Office, who will assist bureaus and departments in combatting the use of AI in criminal activities, and in adopting the technology in daily work.

Explaining the commissioner’s role, he said: “It means setting the policy. It means co-ordinating resources, identifying problems, setting best practices, issuing guidelines; and also, very importantly, it means developing AI for the whole of the Government.”

Asked about Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and its vital role as a super-connector between the Mainland and global markets, Mr Lee remarked that the city is the world’s largest offshore RMB market and will seek to support the currency’s growing internationalisation.

“The Government wants to take the lead. For some contracts we have with our Mainland counterparts, can we use renminbi instead of Hong Kong dollars? We are buying water from the Mainland; that also can be a start.

“We do not have to be just rushing for it, but this is something we can, first of all, try out and see how we could encourage more use of renminbi.”

The Chief Executive added that the Government will continue to explore ways to expand cross-boundary financial co-operation overall.