The Government Property Agency is inviting tenders for the purchase of five former government quarters properties, each consisting of one flat with one or two car parking space(s), in Pokfulam and Tai Hang, Hong Kong Island.

     Three of these properties are located at Blocks 41-44 of Baguio Villa, 550 Victoria Road, Pokfulam. Each flat has a saleable area of about 193.1 square metres. One other flat with a saleable area of about 158.6 square metres is located at Block A of Cape Mansion, 60 and 62 Mount Davis Road, Pokfulam. The last flat with a saleable area of about 145.9 square metres is located at Block A of Elm Tree Towers, 8 Chun Fai Road, Tai Hang. Three of these properties will be sold with vacant possession and the remaining two properties will be sold with existing tenancies. Tenderers may purchase one or more or all of them.

     The three properties to be sold with vacant possession will be open from 2pm to 6pm for inspection by interested parties during the following periods:

(i) February 23(Saturday)
(ii) February 24 (Sunday)
(iii) March 2 (Saturday)
(iv) March 9 (Saturday)
(v) March 10 (Sunday)
(vi) March 16 (Saturday)
(vii) March 17 (Sunday)

     Interested parties are required to register at the reception counter on 25/F of Block 43 of Baguio Villa, and 3/F of Block A of Cape Mansion respectively prior to inspection.

     Tender documents are available for collection at the Government Property Agency, 31/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, during office hours (9am to 5.30pm from Mondays to Fridays), and can be downloaded from the Agency's website: www.gpa.gov.hk.

     Tenderers must submit their tenders by placing them in the Government Secretariat Tender Box, Lobby of the Public Entrance on the G/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong, before noon on March 22 (Friday). In case a black rainstorm warning or a tropical cyclone warning signal No. 8 or above is effective between 9am and noon on the said date, the tender closing time will be extended to noon on the next working day. Late tenders will not be accepted.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (February 21) reminded the public that the 132nd auction of personalised vehicle registration marks (PVRMs) will be held this Saturday (February 23) at Meeting Room S421, L4, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     A list of 247 approved PVRMs put up for auction can be downloaded from the department's website, www.td.gov.hk. The reserve price for all these marks is $5,000. Applicants who have paid a deposit of $5,000 are required to participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price). Otherwise, the PVRM concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.

     Bidders are also reminded to bring the following documents with them for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:

(i) The identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) The identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) A copy of the certificate of incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) A crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". (For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed.) Successful bidders can also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS). Payment by post-dated cheques, cash or other methods will not be accepted.

     People who want to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following important points:

(i) The display of a PVRM on a motor vehicle should be in compliance with the requirements stipulated in Schedule 4 to the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations;
(ii) Any change to the arrangement of letters, numerals and blank spaces of a PVRM, i.e. single and two rows as auctioned, will not be allowed;
(iii) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM immediately after the bidding for the PVRM concerned. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the memorandum will not be permitted; and
(iv) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the PVRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the PVRM within 12 months, allocation of the PVRM will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.

     "Upon completion of the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM, the purchaser will be issued a receipt and a Certificate of Allocation of Personalised Registration Mark. The Certificate of Allocation will serve to prove the holdership of the PVRM. Potential buyers of vehicles bearing a PVRM should check the Certificate of Allocation with the sellers and pay attention to the details therein. For transfer of vehicle ownership, this certificate together with other required documents should be produced to the TD for processing," the spokesman said.

     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of PVRM, which is available at the department's licensing offices or can be downloaded from its website, www.td.gov.hk.

     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the South China Morning Post (SCMP) China Conference today (February 21):
 
Elsie (Chief Operating Officer of SCMP Group, Ms Elsie Cheung), Tammy (Editor-in-Chief of SCMP, Ms Tammy Tam), distinguished speakers, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning. It's a pleasure to be here once again for the South China Morning Post's annual China Conference.

     I spoke last January at the Conference's third edition, organised under the theme of "Globalisation: the China Perspective and the US Factor." That spotlight has proved to be far-sighted – as we all know, trade friction between the United States and China, the world's two largest economies, has dominated political and economic developments since then. And because of globalisation, the impacts of such bilateral tension are affecting many economies, and Hong Kong is no exception. Our GDP growth last year considerably moderated as the year passed by – from 4.6 per cent in the first quarter to 2.9 per cent in the third quarter, and likely to go below 1.5 per cent as forewarned by the Financial Secretary in his weekly blog a few days ago.

     While impacts of the trade war will be addressed in one of the sessions in today's Conference, I suggest we seize this opportunity to discuss the bigger, and longer term prospects. After all, as one saying goes, "development is a journey with no end, but with one new departure point after another." China has proudly gone through a good 40 years of that journey under the reform and opening up policy, bringing significant benefits to her people, including lifting an estimated 700 million people out of poverty. So, let's focus our mind on the next 40 years of China's development, which is a well-chosen theme for today's Conference.
 
     Since taking office as the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), I have had the privilege of listening first hand to speeches made by President Xi Jinping on international occasions. These included two APEC CEO Summits held in Da Nang, Vietnam in 2017 and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in 2018, the 2018 Boao Asian Forum in Hainan and the first China International Import Expo in 2018 in Shanghai. Several key messages delivered by President Xi on those occasions are, in my view, clear and consistent. As I believe they would shed some light on China's future development, I venture to offer the impression I have got.

     The first message is that the global economy is facing some profound changes brought about by a new wave of technological and industrial revolutions. We are experiencing rapid advances in digital economy and shared economy. Governments have to find new development models or new growth drivers to adapt to such changes in order to ensure continued success and prosperity.

     The second message is, as a result of globalisation the economic and social well-being of countries and territories is increasingly interconnected. Governments need to pursue an open policy, defy protectionalism and unilateralism, and strive to enhance the level of opening-up at both bilateral and multilateral levels, so that win-win solutions could be found to jointly promote global economic growth.

     The third message is economic growth should be more inclusive and deliver benefits to all people. Governments should invest more in education, medical care, employment and other areas that are so important to people's livelihood, and address poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. They should reach out to disadvantaged groups, improve the business environment, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, and enable the workforce to better adapt to the industrial and digital transformation so that everyone will have his fair share of opportunity and benefits.

     Based on my observation, China is taking to heart those messages through deeds. President Xi has, on many occasions, emphasised China's continued commitment to reform and opening up. At the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo held in Shanghai in November last year, President Xi told the world emphatically that, "China's door will never be closed. It will only open still wider. China will not stop its effort to pursue higher-quality opening-up! China will not stop its effort to pursue an open world economy! And China will not stop its effort to pursue a community with a shared future for mankind!"

     One would hardly be surprised by the President's strong commitment, given the achievements of China's reform and opening up over the past 40 years. Hong Kong, I'm pleased to say, has played in what President Xi described when meeting the delegation I led to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up initiative last November, an irreplaceable role in the Mainland’s soaring success story over these past 40 years; we are both a contributor and a beneficiary of the Mainland's opening up. With our unique strengths under "One Country, Two Systems", I have every confidence that Hong Kong will continue to benefit and contribute, especially in the context of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative. In this respect, I am sure my respected friends, Victor Fung and Jonathan Choi, will have more pertinent advice to give in a later panel discussion on "Carving out Hong Kong's place in China's future".

     Before I end, I should highlight that the Greater Bay Area, on which an Outline Development Plan has been promulgated earlier this week, has much to offer Hong Kong. Given its significance, the Hong Kong SAR Government together with the Guangdong Government and the Macao SAR Government will jointly host a symposium later this morning to discuss the key aspects of the Plan. While you may not be able to join us at the symposium, rest assured that you will all have many opportunities to express your views and suggestions in the future. We need you and indeed all Hong Kong people to contribute to its success.

     Ladies and gentlemen, to conclude, Hong Kong is proud of our contribution to the country and of our own progress over the past 40 years. As Hong Kong integrates further into the overall development of our country, I am sure our country will continue to make us proud in the next 40 years.

     I wish you a most rewarding conference and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Thank you very much.

    

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department today (February 21) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from March 1 to March 31, 2019, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts of the dedicated LPG filling stations.
 
     A department spokesman said that the adjustment on March 1, 2019, reflects the movement of the LPG international price in February 2019. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations will range from $3.07 to $3.62 per litre, representing an increase of $0.16 to $0.17 per litre.
 
     The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a specified pricing formula. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price is the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on the first day of February every year according to the movement in the Composite Consumer Price Index in the previous year.
 
     The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in March 2019 are as follows:
 

     The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price of each dedicated LPG filling station have been uploaded to the department website www.emsd.gov.hk. They are also posted at dedicated LPG filling stations to enable the trades to monitor the price adjustment.
 
     Details of the pricing adjustment mechanism for dedicated LPG filling stations can also be viewed under the "What's New" section of the department website at www.emsd.gov.hk/en/what_s_new/current/index.html.

     The Transport Department (TD) announced today (February 21) that the application numbers of the 1 500 personalised vehicle registration mark (PVRM) applications selected by lot for the 38th exercise have been published on its website (www.td.gov.hk) and posted on the notice boards of the department's licensing offices.
      
     "The applicants have already been sent an acknowledgement receipt bearing an application number. They may check the list to see whether their applications have been selected. Applicants will also be notified of the ballot results by post in batches," a department spokesman said.
      
     The department will later check the proposed PVRMs selected against the basic combination requirements. If, among the selected applications, more than one applicant proposes the same PVRM, only the one on which the lot falls first out of those applications will be further processed.
      
     If the selected PVRMs meet the basic requirements, the department will send notices by registered mail to the applicants in batches, requiring them to pay a deposit of $5,000 within the period specified in the notice. If an applicant fails to pay the deposit within that period, his or her application will be cancelled automatically and will not be further processed.
      
     Upon receipt of the deposit, the Commissioner for Transport will determine, with the assistance of a vetting committee, whether an application should be approved or rejected. PVRMs approved in the 38th exercise will be put up for auction in batches. Auction details will be published in newspapers and on the department's website in due course.
      
     For enquiries, applicants can call TD Hotline at 2804 2600.