The Lands Department announced today (March 26) that in respect of the tender for the site Lot No. 738 in Demarcation District No. 332 at South Lantau Road, Cheung Sha, Lantau Island, New Territories, which was awarded on February 25 to the successful tenderer, Huge Choice Group Limited (parent company: Dynamic Triumph Limited), on a 50-year land grant at a premium of $1,130,000,000, the tender amounts submitted by the unsuccessful tenderers in descending order are published on an anonymous basis as follows:

(1) $995,335,290
(2) $839,333,333
(3) $510,000,000
(4) $480,000,000
(5) $468,000,000
(6) $445,000,000
(7) $338,800,000
(8) $266,000,000

     The information disclosed in this press release is for information only.

     One of the best ways to learn about the social changes in Hong Kong during the 1950s to 1980s is to take a walk down the memory lane of the children's pastimes of those decades. Themed ''Pleasure and Leisure: A Glimpse of Children's Pastimes in Hong Kong'', the annual exhibition of the Government Records Service's Public Records Office (PRO) features a series of holdings related to children's toys and games in the past. Visitors can relive their fond memories of childhood.
    
     Apart from displaying valuable items borrowed from the Hong Kong Museum of History within the exhibition period, the PRO for the first time invited members of the public to contribute their own toys popular during the old days as exhibits. The PRO is also proud to present in the exhibition the treasured toy collections contributed by three toy collectors in Hong Kong, namely Mr Chong Hing-fai, Mr Ricky Lau and Mr Eddie Yuen. Their collections, comprising items popular in the period from the 1950s to the 1980s, will be displayed in turns during the exhibition. With an unwavering enthusiasm in collecting vintage toys, the three collectors have written books and run antique toy shops. By keeping old and simple toys, they remind people of the beauty of simplicity in life when "abandoning the old for the new" has remained a popular pursuit.
 
     To express gratitude to Mr Chong, Mr Lau and Mr Yuen for their assistance and generosity extended to this exhibition, the Director of Administration, Ms Kitty Choi, invited them to tour the exhibition today (March 26) at the Hong Kong Public Records Building and presented certificates of appreciation to them.
 
     ''On behalf of the Government, I would like to thank these toy collectors for their time and efforts in sorting and lending their collections for our exhibition. Their toys have greatly enhanced the exhibition content, and they can also enlighten visitors about the childhood pastimes and social changes in the past,'' Ms Choi said.
 
     Two public engagement programmes, namely ''Childlike Innocence on Camera'' and ''Share the Joy'', are both ongoing. The PRO has appealed to members of the public to contribute photographs taken from the 1950s to the 1980s that depict their childhood play times and contribute toys popular during that period. Selected photographs and toys will be uploaded to the exhibition's dedicated webpage (www.grs.gov.hk/ws/online/pal/en/index.html) and displayed in the Exhibition Hall respectively. Photographs contributed for the programme "Childhood Innocence on Camera" by local historian and photograph collector Mr Ko Tim-keung have already been uploaded to the dedicated webpage. 
 
     The 10-month ''Pleasure and Leisure: A Glimpse of Children's Pastimes in Hong Kong'' exhibition is open from today at the Exhibition Hall, 2/F, Hong Kong Public Records Building, 13 Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong. The opening hours are from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.45pm (closed on public holidays). Admission is free. To facilitate visits by members of the public, the content of the exhibition will also be displayed in the Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library from April 2 to 29 as a roving exhibition.
 
     For enquiries, please contact the PRO at 2195 7700 during office hours.

                

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (March 26) announced its approval of the 25th batch of applications for the trials of green innovative transport technologies under the Pilot Green Transport Fund.

     The 10 newly approved applications are for the trials of 11 electric light goods vehicles involving a total subsidy of about $2.5 million. The applications were from:
 
Chit Bo Engineering Limited
Darwin Engineering Limited
Hoi Chun Development (HK) Co Limited
Kam Shing Engineering Limited
Kau Kee Development Limited
Laser Cutting Company Limited
Luen Yiu Food Trading Limited
Wah Fat Transportation Co
Wing Chung Roasted Meat Co Limited
Yee Hing Eggs Wholesale Company Limited

     The latest approval brings the total number of trials being pursued under the Fund to 149 for testing 88 electric light goods vehicles, 21 single-deck electric buses, three electric light buses, three electric taxis, one electric medium goods vehicle (tractor), 48 hybrid light goods vehicles, 28 hybrid medium goods vehicles, 11 hybrid public light buses, two single-deck hybrid buses, one solar air-conditioning system for a bus, four electric inverter air conditioning systems for buses, three diesel-electric propulsion systems for ferries and one seawater scrubber for a ferry, amounting to a total subsidy of about $142 million.

     At present, 108 approvals under the Fund are already on trial. Seventy-four of them have completed the trials, involving 44 electric light goods vehicles, eight single-deck electric buses, three electric taxis, two electric light buses, 28 hybrid light goods vehicles, 17 hybrid medium goods vehicles, five hybrid public light buses, one solar air-conditioning system for a bus, four electric inverter air-conditioning systems for buses, one diesel-electric propulsion system for a ferry and one seawater scrubber for a ferry have completed their trials. The EPD will continue to upload the interim and final reports once completed to the Fund's website for public information.

     The Government has put in place the $300 million Fund since March 2011 to subsidise the testing of green innovative transport technologies. The Fund is open for applications from public transport operators, charitable and non-profit making organisations providing services to clients, and goods vehicle operators. The technologies for trial include alternative-fuelled vehicles, conversion of in-use conventional vehicles to alternative-fuelled vehicles, and after-treatment emission reduction devices or fuel saving devices related to transport activities. Transport operators may apply for the Fund to try out different green innovative products subject to a maximum subsidy of $9 million for each application and $12 million in total.

     For more information on the Fund and the approved applications, please visit the EPD website (www.epd.gov.hk) or call the enquiry hotline on 2824 0022.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 is 103.2 (same as yesterday's index).

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (March 26) the external merchandise trade statistics for February 2019. In February 2019, the values of Hong Kong's total exports and imports of goods both recorded year-on-year decreases, at 6.9% and 3.8% respectively.

     As the trade flows in January and February of each year tend to show considerable volatilities due to difference in timing of the Lunar New Year holidays, it is useful to analyse the trade figures for these two months taken together.

     Taking January and February as a whole to neutralise the distortion caused by the difference in timing of the Lunar New Year holidays, the value of total exports of goods decreased by 3.1% over the same period in 2018. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods decreased by 5.0%. A visible trade deficit of $59.4 billion, equivalent to 9.3% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in the first two months of 2019.

     In February 2019, the value of total exports of goods decreased by 6.9% over a year earlier to $228.7 billion, after a year-on-year decrease of 0.4% in January 2019. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods decreased by 3.8% over a year earlier to $277.5 billion in February 2019, after a year-on-year decrease of 6.0% in January 2019. A visible trade deficit of $48.8 billion, equivalent to 17.6% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in February 2019.

     Comparing the three-month period ending February 2019 with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of total exports of goods decreased by 7.8%. Meanwhile, the value of imports of goods decreased by 8.6%.

Analysis by country/territory

     Comparing February 2019 with February 2018, total exports to Asia as a whole went down by 7.8%. In this region, decreases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations, in particular India (-41.2%), Taiwan (-26.5%), Japan (-19.7%) and the mainland of China (the Mainland) (-5.3%). On the other hand, increases were recorded in the values of total exports to Malaysia (+14.3%), Vietnam (+12.2%) and Singapore (+11.1%).

     Apart from destinations in Asia, decreases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations in other regions, in particular the USA (-20.5%) and Germany (-15.0%). Concurrently, an increase was registered in the value of total exports to the United Kingdom (+30.7%).

     Over the same period of comparison, decreases were registered in the values of imports from some major suppliers, in particular Korea (-23.4%), Thailand (-15.4%), Malaysia (-12.1%), Switzerland (-11.3%) and the Mainland (-10.2%). Concurrently, increases were recorded in the values of imports from Singapore (+16.8%) and the USA (+14.9%).
 
     For the first two months of 2019 as a whole, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations, in particular India (-37.4%), Taiwan (-21.9%), the USA (-12.4%), Germany (-7.6%), Japan (-6.9%) and the Mainland (-4.5%). However, a year-on-year increase was registered in the value of total exports to Singapore (+14.7%).

     Over the same period of comparison, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Korea (-30.4%), India (-14.8%), Switzerland (-14.5%), Taiwan (-10.0%), Thailand (-9.3%), Malaysia (-6.5%) and the Mainland (-4.9%). On the other hand, a year-on-year increase was registered in the value of imports from Singapore (+7.0%).

Analysis by major commodity
 
     Comparing February 2019 with February 2018, decreases were registered in the values of total exports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $7.2 billion or -8.0%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $3.7 billion or -13.7%) and "miscellaneous manufactured articles (mainly jewellery, goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares)" (by $1.9 billion or -13.0%). However, an increase was registered in the value of total exports of "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $1.7 billion or 3.8%).

     Over the same period of comparison, decreases were registered in the values of imports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $7.9 billion or -7.5%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $3.1 billion or -12.7%) and "articles of apparel and clothing accessories" (by $1.3 billion or -21.6%). However, an increase was registered in the value of imports of "non-metallic mineral manufactures" (by $1.6 billion or 8.3%).
 
     For the first two months of 2019 as a whole, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of total exports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $6.8 billion or -10.3%), "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $5.4 billion or -2.5%) and "non-metallic mineral manufactures" (by $5.0 billion or -18.3%). However, a year-on-year increase was registered in the value of total exports of "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $3.4 billion or 3.3%).

     Over the same period of comparison, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of imports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $22.7 billion or -9.4%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $3.0 billion or -5.4%) and "non-metallic mineral manufactures" (by $2.0 billion or -5.6%). However, a year-on-year increase was registered in the value of imports of "power generating machinery and equipment" (by $1.8 billion or 15.8%).

Commentary

     A Government spokesman said that, similar to the situations in many other Asian economies, Hong Kong's merchandise exports remained weak in early 2019, dampened by easing global economic growth and the US-Mainland trade tensions. Taking the first two months of 2019 together to remove the effect from the difference in timing of the Lunar New Year holidays, the value of merchandise exports decreased by 3.1% over a year earlier.
 
     In the near term, the external trading environment is likely to remain challenging. While the US-Mainland trade negotiations have reportedly entered the final stage, there are still uncertainties about whether and when the two sides will reach a final agreement. Other external developments, including global growth moderation and Brexit, also warrant attention. The Government will remain vigilant.

Further information

     Table 1 at the annex presents the analysis of external merchandise trade statistics for February 2019. Table 2 presents the original monthly trade statistics from January 2016 to February 2019, and Table 3 gives the seasonally adjusted series for the same period.

     The values of total exports of goods to 10 main destinations for February 2019 are shown in Table 4, whereas the values of imports of goods from 10 main suppliers are given in Table 5.

     Tables 6 and 7 show the values of total exports and imports of 10 principal commodity divisions for February 2019.

     All the merchandise trade statistics described here are measured at current prices and no account has been taken of changes in prices between the periods of comparison. A separate analysis of the volume and price movements of external merchandise trade for February 2019 will be released in mid-April 2019.

     The February 2019 issue of "Hong Kong External Merchandise Trade" contains detailed analysis on the performance of Hong Kong's external merchandise trade in February 2019 and will be available in mid-April 2019. Users can download the publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp230.jsp).
 
     Enquiries on merchandise trade statistics may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section (2) of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 5042).