Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, at the 2019 China Civil Aviation Development Forum hosted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in Beijing today (May 16):

CAAC Administrator Mr Feng (CAAC Administrator Mr Feng Zhenglin), distinguished guests, and friends of the civil aviation community,

     Good afternoon. It is my great pleasure to be here today to share with you our experience and vision in "smart" aviation from the perspective of value creation. 

     At the time when humanity has created reality in the virtual world, the blue planet earth that we live in has started to shrink. Nowadays, people remain connected through mobile devices when they are actually thousands of miles apart. Physically, they can get together in time of need because air travel is affordable and commonplace these days.

     Over the years, many airports have transformed from an infrastructure for transfer of passengers and cargoes into an economic engine for growth and development, be it for a city or for a country.

     Take Hong Kong as an example. The direct, indirect and associated economic contributions of the Hong Kong International Airport have come up to five per cent of Hong Kong's GDP (Gross Domestic Product). And that's why, every major city airport has to work tirelessly to make sure its operation is safe, smart and sustainable.

     The Hong Kong International Airport commenced operation in 1998. Since then, it has won over 70 international awards of all kinds. It was once a city airport and is evolving into an airport city in the years to come.

     As pronounced in February this year, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area comprises nine cities within the Pearl River Delta, plus Hong Kong and Macao. The Hong Kong International Airport is going to be an airport city not just for Hong Kong, but also for the Greater Bay Area and beyond.

     The Greater Bay Area, as I have just mentioned, comprises altogether 11 cities. Yet, compared to Hong Kong where we have a population of only 7.3 million, the Greater Bay Area has a total population of over 70 million which is nearly 10 times that of Hong Kong. In terms of GDP, it has a combined GDP of US$1.5 trillion, which is four times that of Hong Kong.

     The Greater Bay Area initiative gives all the 11 cities, particularly Hong Kong, a wide portfolio of opportunities and challenges for collaboration and mutual benefits. As you might be aware, two mega transport infrastructures have commenced operation late last year. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link that connects Hong Kong to Guangzhou within 48 minutes by high-speed trains and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge that links Zhuhai to Hong Kong by vehicular transport within 45 minutes give us ample opportunities to collaborate with cities in the Mainland.

     If we take a closer look, we would realise how much we have done in the past and how much more we need to do in the years to come.  We have set up check-in counters and waiting lounges to enable passengers from the Mainland to check in at town centres, ferry terminals and even provide limousine services.  This is how we reach out to our customers and passengers at locations where they find convenient, not just convenient for ourselves but also for the others. That's the way we provide services and treat our customers. As of now, we have over a dozen of town check-in centres, including nine at ferry terminals. We are going to have more in the years to come.  With the Intermodal Transfer Terminal in place in 2022, passengers come to Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will not need to clear the immigration when they cross the boundary. Actually, they will be virtually inside the airport because with bonded vehicles and bonded bridge, they would come to the airport directly from the Mainland without repeating clearance with the customs and immigration. And that's how we are enriching our catchment at the far end and the back end. And that's how we are going to make use of the two mega transport infrastructures in future. As you might have noticed that even at the airport, we have the SkyPier that takes care of 2.6 million passengers every year. It is not a small number for a transit facility.  We have two runways but we manage to let go 68 air traffic movements every hour. It's by itself a legend I must say.

     So what are we going to do with such a demand for services?  As of today, Hong Kong is the third busiest international airport, and we take care of 74 million passengers in 2018.

     How about cargo? Hong Kong handles more than five million tonnes of cargoes every year and has been the busiest cargo airport for ninth consecutive years. We have been making progress every year as you can see, from 1.65 to 5.1 million tonnes since 1998. It's not an easy job but I must say that it is even more difficult if we are going to make any incremental improvement without investing for future. So what are we going to do? We are going to build for the future. We are investing some US$20 billion to build the three-runway system. By year 2030, we will be able to handle a hundred million passengers, nine million tonnes of cargoes. By then we will be able to handle 102 air traffic movements every hour, and that comes up to 620 000 aircraft movements every year. As we are, the Hong Kong International Airport will remain one of the busiest international airports in the world.

     In terms of cargo handling, we focus on high value-added cargoes and transshipment, because transshipment accounts for about 25 per cent of our air cargoes. We also look for growth in the area of e-commerce. E-commerce has been a very strong contender in business, because it cuts short the logistics chain, brings the products and produce directly from manufacturers and producers to the consumers.  So what we are going to do?  We have developed our airport into centres of excellence, as accredited by IATA (International Air Transport Association), for handling pharmaceutical products as well as perishable produce because these two categories of products command a very high premium. We are planning our infrastructure to bring in more e-commerce. Alibaba is committed to building a high-end logistics centre next to the airport, and that will bring in another 1.7 million tonnes of cargo by the time it's completed.

     Aviation is of course about connectivity. I must say that the Hong Kong International Airport is situated very strategically not by intent but by geography. Within five hours' flight time, we will reach over half of the world's population; and within four hours' time, we will reach most of the Asian business centres around the region. As of today, we have over 220 flight destinations, of which about 50 are within the Mainland. By the time when we have 102 air traffic movements per hour, we might either increase the number of frequencies to existing destinations or expand the coverage to have more destinations, and these give us another level to grow.

     In terms of technology, we have to make it smart like many speakers have shared with us today. On the particular case of Hong Kong, we have made use of smart technology to overcome our constraints in land mass.

     With the exciting development in 5G and internet of things, we try to link things up. We use analytic tools to predict the behaviour of customers and their activities at the airport.

     When we talk about airport city, what does it mean? It means a lot to us because airport is no longer a place for transfer of passengers and cargoes. It has another meaning apart from the economic engine. It's going to be a destination by itself where you can spend a day or two, or three, to go shopping, dining, enjoying entertainment and relaxing because we have a few tourist attractions around the airport like the Hong Kong Disneyland.

     As you can see here, we are also having the AsiaWorld Expo next to the airport that enabled 300 major conferences and exhibitions to be held over there in the past year. The patronage has come up to 4 million a year. We are going to build the SkyCity where we have got a cluster of hotels, retail outlets, dining areas, and infotainment activities. We are going to develop the top side of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Then, we are going to put in more facilities over there. Together with the airport, the tourist attractions nearby and the new facilities that we are going to put in, the Hong Kong International Airport would become a destination on its own. People would just go there to spend a few hours or a few days, and that's the vision we have in mind.

     Let's illustrate how our vision of airport city is about – it's about experience; it's about convenience; it's about customer satisfaction; it's about a place where you can do most of the things when you are away from home, and maybe a home away from home too, because we are going to treat you really well. There is a saying that a picture worth's more than a thousand words and a video is probably much better.  Now, I am going to show you a video that illustrates what an airport city is all about.

     In closing, I would like to leave a note that, no matter what we are going to do with airport planning, development, operation and maintenance, and no matter how smart an airport is, it is important to think and act from the perspective of value creation for all the stakeholders concerned, including our partners across the globe.

     Thank you.

  

     The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, today (May 16) convened an inter-departmental meeting to listen to the reports by the Department of Health (DH) and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) on the follow-up actions on the three cases of human infection of rat Hepatitis E virus (HEV) and progress of the rodent control work respectively. 
 
     Apart from the representatives from the DH, the FEHD and the Hospital Authority, the Chair of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, also attended the meeting and provided expert advice.
 
     Professor Chan said, "We are very concerned about the situation. Epidemiological investigations by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the DH are underway. The FEHD has been adopting multi-pronged strategies including improving environmental hygiene, rodent disinfestation and enforcement actions to combat rodent problem.
 
     "At the meeting, we have formulated corresponding strategy to conduct the cleansing and anti-rodent work in all the 18 districts in Hong Kong as soon as possible and enhance inter-departmental collaboration.
 
     "In the meantime, members of the public should stay vigilant as rodents can spread a variety of infectious diseases. To effectively improve environmental hygiene, people should start from cleaning. They should maintain good personal, food and household environmental hygiene," she added.  
 
     Professor Chan noted that cross-sector co-operation is essential to effective rodent prevention and control. She called on members of the public to support and participate in the anti-rodent work as well as to maintain personal and environmental hygiene. Relevant government departments will continue to work closely with property management companies and different stakeholders, and take concerted and effective anti-rodent actions so as to improve environmental hygiene in the districts.

     HEV is a curable disease. To prevent HEV infection, members of the public should pay special attention to maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene. For example, they should wash hands thoroughly before eating, store food properly or in the refrigerator, not leave food at room temperature for a long time, and use 1 in 99 diluted household bleach for general cleaning purpose. They should adopt pest control measures to prevent rodent infestation. High-risk individuals, such as elderly with major underlying illness (especially those who have undergone organ transplantation), pregnant women, patients with chronic liver disease and patients with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency (also known as G6PD Deficiency), who are infected with rat HEV may develop serious illness.
 
     As regards the districts where the three patients reside, FEHD officers, together with the staff of the Housing Department and the property management company of the private housing estate, as well as other parties concerned, conducted inspections yesterday (May 15) at the concerned public housing estate, private housing estate and private residential building to observe the rodent infestation situation and provide professional advice and technical guidance on prevention and control of rodent infestation, including stepping up refuse clearing work, proper ways of placing baits and traps, methods of destroying rat holes and improving rodent proofing measures in buildings, so as to strengthen the anti-rodent work.
 
     The FEHD conducts the anti-rodent campaign throughout the territory in two phases annually, during which the department, together with other relevant government departments, will enhance targeted rodent prevention and control work at problematic spots and strengthen education and publicity. The eight-week anti-rodent operation in designated target areas has been commenced on May 6. 
 
     The FEHD staff has also enhanced street cleansing services and cleansing of public markets and hawker bazaars in the target areas, including sweeping and washing of streets and rear lanes, emptying and cleaning of litter containers, and clearing miscellaneous articles and refuse on the streets, in public markets and at hawker bazaars, so as to keep the environment clean. In addition, the FEHD officers have also stepped up inspections of food premises, markets, hawker bazaars and cooked food markets and taken enforcement actions.
 
     Since improper handling of food waste by food premises can give rise to rodent problems, the FEHD will start a five-week special operation from May 20, to target irregularities of food premises such as food preparation, scullery, improper storage of articles and illegal dumping of refuse at rear lanes (including dumping of bagged refuse in small hours), with a view to further enhancing the awareness of rodent prevention and control among the operators of food premises, by educating them to adopt measures to combat rodent problems and upkeep the hygiene condition of rear lanes as well as taking stringent enforcement action.
 
     The CHP of the DH will issue letters to local doctors as well as hospitals to remind them to take heed of the latest situation of HEV. Frequency of testing will also be increased with a view to enhancing surveillance.
 
     The usual HEV causing human infection is transmitted mainly through the faecal-oral route, for example, due to faecal contamination of drinking water. Besides, foodborne transmission can result from ingestion of undercooked meat or meat products produced from infected animals (HEV has been detected in pig livers). Other rare transmission routes identified include transfusion of infected blood products, organ transplant and vertical transmission from a pregnant woman to her foetus.
 
     Five Keys should be adopted to Food Safety in handling food, i.e. Choose (Choose safe raw materials); Clean (Keep hands and utensils clean); Separate (Separate raw and cooked food); Cook (Cook thoroughly); and Safe Temperature (Keep food at safe temperature) to prevent foodborne diseases.
 
     The public are advised to adopt the following measures:
 

• Eliminate sources of food and nesting places for rodents in living environment. Store food in covered containers and handle pet food properly to avoid it becoming food for rodents;
• Store all refuse and food remnants in dustbins with well-fitted cover. Dustbins must be emptied at least once a day;
• Keep premises, especially refuse rooms and stairways clean. Avoid accumulation of articles;
• Inspect all flowerbeds and pavements for rodent infestation regularly; and
• Avoid high risk activities below to reduce rodent contact:

– Avoid rodent contact and places dirtied with rodent excreta;
– Avoid handling rodents with bare hands;
– Wash hands with liquid soap and water immediately after handling animals, and disinfect contaminated areas; and
– If wound appears, clean broken skin immediately and cover it properly with waterproof adhesive dressings.

  

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, arrived in Guangzhou this morning (May 16) to attend the 21st Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference. Also, Mrs Lam and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui, signed the 2019 Work Plan of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation and presented plaques in recognition of the entrepreneurial bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area at a presentation ceremony. At noon, she attended a lunch hosted by the Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Li Xi and Mr Ma. After attending the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference, Mrs Lam and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, departed for Foshan where they commenced their visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities in the afternoon.
      
     Accompanied by the Mayor of the Foshan Municipal Government, Mr Zhu Wei, Mrs Lam first viewed the planning of the neighbouring areas on the Haiyi Bridge and then visited the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Technology Exhibition and Exchange Center where she was briefed on the history and latest developments of Foshan. She also viewed the centre's co-working space to learn more about Foshan's policy measures to attract start-ups and ancillary facilities in the vicinity and chatted with young Hong Kong entrepreneurs at the centre. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Technology Exhibition and Exchange Center is a platform providing incubation space and entrepreneurial services jointly set up by the local government and a Hong Kong enterprise, and is one of the first such entrepreneurial bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
      
     Mrs Lam and the other officials then visited the Xiqiao National Arts Studio to learn about Foshan's policy measures to support the development of the film and television industry. The Xiqiao National Arts Studio, an investment project of a listed Hong Kong company, provides large-scale film and television programme shooting venues based on old Hong Kong street scenes and scenes from various other places. Some overseas films and television drama series are also shot there every year. In addition, the studio includes a sightseeing and recreational facility featuring a film shooting theme park, hotels and performance venues. Mrs Lam said that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced a series of measures in the Policy Address last year to support the development of Hong Kong's film industry. Given the relaxation measures agreed by the relevant Central authorities last month to further assist the entry of Hong Kong's film industry into the Mainland market, and hardware facilities such as the studio, Hong Kong's film industry has plenty of scope for development, she said.
      
     Mrs Lam and the other officials then visited the Tingyin Lake to learn about Foshan's cultural tourism development, as well as attending a dinner hosted by Mr Zhu.
      
     Mrs Lam departed for Zhaoqing in the evening and will continue her visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities tomorrow (May 17).

                                  

     The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui, leading the delegations of the HKSAR and Guangdong Province respectively, co-chaired the 21st Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou today (May 16).

     The Chief Executive said, "This being the first plenary meeting held after the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Outline Development Plan), Governor Ma and I have set out clear directions and goals on the implementation of the Outline Development Plan and further collaboration between Hong Kong and Guangdong. I am delighted to see there are nine fruitful outcomes brought about by the joint efforts of both sides to strive for policy innovation and breakthrough under principles of complementarity and mutual benefits."

These outcomes include:

• the signing of 2019 Work Plan of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation;
• the supply of part of the marine sand by Guangdong for the reclamation works of the Three-Runway System (3RS) of Hong Kong International Airport;
• presenting a plaque in recognition of the first batch of 10 entrepreneurial bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) at a presentation ceremony;
• Guangdong Province will announce, in the near future, details to implement the policy of allowing tertiary institutions and scientific research institutions in Hong Kong and Macao to apply for research funding granted by the Guangdong Province;
• the extension of the Single E-Lock Scheme (SELS) to Zhongshan, so that clearance points under the SELS would cover all nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area;
• further relaxing the accessibility policy of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), with organisations such as business associations, universities and scientific research institutions being the priority group of study for granting of quota;
• Guangdong Province is studying and formulating the details on allowing the open recruitment of Hong Kong and Macao residents by public institutions, which is expected to be issued in the second half of this year;
• jointly organising the first Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival; and
• jointly organising events on innovation and technology (I&T).

     At the meeting, both sides reached consensus on a range of areas of co-operation, and signed the 2019 Work Plan of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation, content of which is at annex. The Work Plan covers nine areas, namely cross-boundary infrastructure development and clearance facilitation; jointly developing an international innovation and technology hub; fostering co-operation in modern service industries; taking forward exchanges and co-operation in education, talents and youth; developing an internationalised business environment; jointly developing a quality living circle; jointly participating in the Belt and Road Initiative; taking forward the development of key co-operation platforms; and arrangement of a mechanism. Regarding the respective key areas of co-operation, the progress made and the directions for future co-operation are set out below:

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

     The HKSAR Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government have been taking forward the development of the Greater Bay Area proactively. Concerning the eight policy measures facilitating people to develop in the Greater Bay Area promulgated after the second plenary meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on March 1, the HKSAR Government was glad to note that the following have been implemented: encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship in the nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area by the youth of Hong Kong and Macao; announcing details about the policy allowing tertiary institutions and scientific research institutions in Hong Kong and Macao to apply for research funding granted by Guangdong Province in the near future; expanding the implementation scope of the connection with the Speedy Customs Clearance between Customs administrations (also known as the SELS); and formulating the detailed measure to enable the open recruitment of Hong Kong and Macao residents by public institutions in the Guangdong Province. As for the remaining policies, including promulgating the definition of high-end talents and talents in short supply in the provision of tax relief by municipal governments to non-Mainland (including Hong Kong) talents by offsetting the tax differential between the two places, introducing immigration facilitation reform pilots schemes in the Greater Bay Area, and facilitating vehicles from Hong Kong and Macao entering and exiting Mainland ports, it was agreed that the implementation be expedited.

     The heads of governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao paid joint visits to Paris and Tokyo in June 2018 and April this year respectively, with a view to promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area to overseas countries. Very positive responses were received. In future, Hong Kong and Guangdong will continue to utilise Hong Kong's international connections and networks, organise similar symposiums, conduct overseas promotion on the enormous opportunities and advantages brought about by the Greater Bay Area, and attract capital and talents to the Greater Bay Area.

Innovation and Technology

     To develop the Greater Bay Area into an international innovation and technology hub, both sides have launched measures in support of I&T co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland. The Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Finance of Guangdong Province have announced a new policy allowing tertiary institutions and scientific research institutions in Hong Kong and Macao to apply for research funding granted by Guangdong Province and to use them across the boundary in Hong Kong. This new policy, coupled with the Guangdong-Hong Kong Technology Co-operation Funding Scheme which has been in effective operation, will enable research institutions of both places to have access to more resources to carry out research and development work and develop closer co-operation.

     Moreover, the HKSAR Government will organise InnoFest 2019 in October and November this year. A series of events will be launched to deepen the understanding of our country and Hong Kong's development and achievements in I&T in society. The HKSAR Government will invite relevant parties in Guangdong to participate in InnoFest 2019 and consider organising I&T events in Guangdong during the same period, with a view to strengthening the synergy of I&T co-operation in the Greater Bay Area. The Guangdong Government will proactively support this initiative.  

Youth Development

     Both sides agreed that youth development, including youth entrepreneurship, exchange and internship, would be a focus of collaboration. On youth entrepreneurship, the HKSAR Government introduced in March this year two new funding schemes under the Youth Development Fund, namely the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area and the Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Greater Bay Area. After the meeting, a ceremony was organised by both sides to present a plaque to the first batch of 10 entrepreneurial bases to further promote youth innovation and entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area. Both sides hope that this batch of entrepreneurial bases will take the lead in providing incubation services and quality support that suit the need of the youth of Hong Kong in starting up their business.

     The HKSAR Government also expects that, with the support of both governments of Guangdong and HKSAR, an Alliance for Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases will be established in the Greater Bay Area within 2020. The Alliance will be premised on non-governmental organisations and youth entrepreneurial bases in the Greater Bay Area to serve as a one-stop information, publicity and exchange platform in order to better support innovation and entrepreneurship by the youth of Hong Kong in the Greater Bay Area.

     On youth internship, in 2019-20, the Home Affairs Bureau will provide funding of around $120 million through the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland (the Funding Scheme) to support 149 youth internship projects in the Mainland. It is expected that about 3 800 young people will benefit from the scheme. In particular, the Guangdong-Hong Kong Internship Programme under the Funding Scheme has been extended to cover all nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area this year, benefiting around 1 000 Hong Kong young people.

Clearance Facilitation

     In respect of the expansion of the SELS to the nine Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area, the HKSAR Government welcomes the setting up of a clearance point at Zhongshan Bonded Logistics Centre by the Guangdong Customs. The new clearance point has achieved readiness for SELS operation with Hong Kong Customs and for use by the industry.  Accordingly, the number of clearance points in the Guangdong Province has been increased to 52, covering all nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.

Co-operation in Professional Services

     For legal services, 11 partnership associations between Hong Kong and Mainland law firms have been set up in Guangdong Province, with 33 Hong Kong lawyers being seconded to the partnership associations. Hong Kong barristers and solicitors have also been retained as legal consultants by Guangdong law firms. The Ministry of Justice and the Department of Justice (DoJ) signed a record of meeting this January, agreeing in principle to further the liberalisation measures relevant to partnership associations. Starting from this March, the geographical scope of setting up partnership associations by Hong Kong and Mainland law firms has been extended from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai to the entire Mainland. The DoJ will continue to liaise with the legal sector and discuss with the relevant Mainland authorities to implement and further enhance the liberalisation measures under the framework of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), as well as to continue to explore the opportunities for the sector to provide legal services in Guangdong Province. The DoJ will also continue to liaise with the Central Government, relevant authorities of Guangdong Province and concerned stakeholders in Hong Kong to explore the introduction of pilot based initiatives by making use of the Greater Bay Area competitiveness, including allowing parties to civil and commercial cases in Guangdong Province to choose Hong Kong law as governing law and Hong Kong as a place of arbitration outside the Mainland, expanding the scope of practice of Hong Kong legal practitioners in the Greater Bay Area, study the setting up of the Greater Bay Area Mediation Centre, and more.

     On construction and related engineering services, the Development Bureau will continue to collaborate with Mainland authorities for the arrangements on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and the deepening of co-operation between Hong Kong and Qianhai, Nansha and Hengqin in accordance with the Agreement on Economic and Technical Co-operation under CEPA.

Environmental Protection

     Guangdong and Hong Kong will continue with their exchange on the management of marine refuse and formulate a co-operation plan for the coming year, which will include reviewing the operation of the Notification and Alert System on Marine Refuse and the Hong Kong-Guangdong Cross Boundary Notification Mechanism on Marine Refuse; enriching and consummating the co-operation mechanism for handling cross-boundary marine environmental incidents; and exchanging and sharing experience in different aspects.

     To improve regional air quality, both sides will continue to implement various measures to reduce emissions. On January 1, the HKSAR Government implemented a new regulation which requires vessels to use low sulphur fuel within the waters of Hong Kong to reduce emissions and dovetail with the implementation of marine emission control areas in the Mainland. In recent years, both sides have also stepped up efforts to promote cleaner production, thereby contributing to improving the quality of the regional environment.

     To enhance the regional ecological environment, both sides will continue to explore the proposed development of a linked ecological corridor and collaborated conservation areas, promote the protection of coastal wetlands including mangroves in the Pearl River Estuary, as well as strengthen the management of and exchanges on conservation areas in the two places.

Cross-boundary Infrastructure

     The Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) has been operating smoothly since its commissioning. The MTR Corporation Limited continues to make improvements to the operating arrangements. Passengers are also getting used to using the XRL as a cross-boundary transport mode. By the end of April this year, the average daily patronage for the XRL was over 54 000.

     Since the commissioning of the HZMB in October 2018, the operation has generally been smooth and the vehicular flow has been gradually increasing. The HKSAR Government has been discussing with the governments of Guangdong and Macao to gradually increase in an orderly manner the quota for cross-boundary vehicles to use the HZMB, to tie in with the development of the Greater Bay Area and to further utilise the HZMB. At present, the quota for Hong Kong/Guangdong cross-boundary private cars (for Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars) using the HZMB has reached 14 500. Separately, a quota of 33 000 Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars using the other four land boundary control points connecting to Shenzhen is allowed, on a trial basis for two years, to use the HZMB for travelling between Hong Kong and Zhuhai without additional procedures. The three governments will continue to increase the quotas gradually.

     The Hong Kong International Airport has an important strategic function in the development of a world-class airport cluster in the Greater Bay Area.  The Outline Development Plan gave clear support to the construction of the 3RS. The construction of the 3RS has been smooth and received the Gaungdong Government's support. The Guangdong Government has been supportive of the 3RS project and will supply part of the marine sand for the reclamation works to facilitate the smooth implementation of this large-scale infrastructural project which will benefit Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area as well as the entire country. After the full operation of the 3RS, the capacity of Hong Kong in handling passenger and cargo throughput by air will be enhanced, further strengthening connections between our country's and the world's flight destinations.

     The Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point project is in progress. The new land port will link eastern Hong Kong with eastern Shenzhen, such as Longgang District. By then, the anticipated average travelling time between Tai Po in Hong Kong and Longgang in Shenzhen would be reduced from over 50 minutes to about 30 minutes, facilitating smooth and efficient people and cargo flows across the boundary and enhancing the "one-hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area, which are of strategic importance to Hong Kong's long-term economic development. The HKSAR Government is striving to complete the construction of this new boundary control point this year for early commissioning.

Talent Development

     The HKSAR Government welcomes the Guangdong Province to actively take forward the promulgation of details of open recruitment of Hong Kong and Macao residents by public institutions. The Guangdong Province is formulating the relevant measure, which is expected to be announced in the second half of this year.

Culture

     Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will co-organise the first Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival (the Festival) in June this year. During the Festival, the three places will present different arts and cultural programmes in the Greater Bay Area.

Education Co-operation

     On education co-operation, the HKSAR Government supports post-secondary institutions of Hong Kong to offer education services in the Greater Bay Area and to give full play to the characteristics of Hong Kong's higher education sector and their strength in terms of internationalisation. This will help develop the Greater Bay Area as an international education base as well as open up collaborative innovation opportunities for students in Hong Kong and Guangdong. Following the establishment of Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College by the Hong Kong Baptist University and Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai in 2005, and the establishment of Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Shenzhen University in 2014, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is also in active preparation for its new campus in Guangzhou. The target is to commence operation in September 2021.

     With the development of the Greater Bay Area, it is expected that more Hong Kong residents will work and stay there. To cater for the increasing educational needs of their children, the Education Bureau is exploring the feasibility of setting up schools offering basic education with Hong Kong curriculum or additionally an international curriculum by Hong Kong school sponsoring bodies in cities in the Greater Bay Area. This will offer additional choices to Hong Kong residents or foreigners living in the Greater Bay Area.

Creative Industries

     The development of the Greater Bay Area offers immense opportunities for creative industries in Hong Kong. Regarding the film sector, relevant Central authorities have agreed to launch five measures to further facilitate entry of the sector into the Mainland market, thereby providing more development opportunities to the industry and furthering the mutual growth of the sector in the two places. Furthermore, the "Zetta Bridge, Qianhai Shenzhen" design innovation hub actively taken forward by the Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations is scheduled for inauguration in 2019-20.  The HKSAR Government will continue to sponsor suitable projects through CreateSmart Initiative to leverage this new platform to foster talent exchange, business matching and trade collaborations, as well as support Hong Kong’s young talent and start-ups to develop their career/business in the Greater Bay Area.

Other Areas

     Apart from the above, Hong Kong and Guangdong have also made steady progress in other areas of co-operation such as CEPA, tourism, intellectual property rights, food safety, medical services, and social welfare.

The 21st Plenary

     The 21st Plenary was co-chaired by Mrs Lam, and Mr Ma. Officials of the HKSAR Government attending the meeting included the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip; the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah; the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin; the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, and other relevant officials. The Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Song Zhe, and the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Mr Yang Jian, also attended the meeting as special guests.

     The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health said today (May 16) that no additional case of measles infection had been recorded as at 4pm today.

     Regarding a confirmed case announced on April 10 that involved a 2-year-old girl, her respiratory specimen subsequently tested positive for vaccine-associated measles and is thus not classified as a confirmed case of measles.

     Regarding measles control measures implemented at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), a total of 31 persons had received measles vaccination at the airport vaccination station as at 6pm today, bringing the cumulative number of vaccinations given to 8 478.

     Measles vaccination will continue to be provided tomorrow (May 17) to airport staff who:

(1) Were born in or after 1967, and have not received two doses of measles vaccination, and have not been infected with measles before; or
(2) Have laboratory evidence of testing not positive against measles antibody (IgG).

     The vaccination quota for the measles vaccination station at the airport remains at 600 doses daily. The venue and operation hours of the airport vaccination station are as follows:
 

     Separately, a blood test station was set up at the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai today to provide a measles serology testing pilot service for a total of about 200 Filipino foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong. A total of 57 of such blood samples have been collected today. Participants will be informed of the results individually. The pilot service will continue tomorrow.

     The venue and operation hours of the blood test station are as follows: