Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Government published in the Gazette today (February 15) the Financial Reporting Council (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 in an effort to enhance the regulatory regime for auditors of listed entities. 
 
     The Amendment Ordinance enables the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to become a comprehensive and independent oversight body regulating auditors of listed entities, and to be responsible for the inspection, investigation and disciplinary functions with regard to these auditors. Under the new regime, the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants will continue to perform the statutory functions of registration, setting requirements for continuing professional development, and also setting standards on professional ethics, auditing and assurance in respect of relevant auditors, subject to oversight by the FRC.    
    
     The Amendment Ordinance ensures that Hong Kong’s regulatory regime for auditors of listed entities is benchmarked against international standards and practice, and will also enable Hong Kong to be eligible for joining the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators, which is an important forum for international co-operation on the regulation of auditors.
 
     A government spokesperson said, “The Amendment Ordinance enhances the existing regulatory regime for auditors of listed entities, allowing it to be independent from the audit profession, thereby providing better protection to investors. This is crucial to strengthening Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and capital market. We are working closely with relevant parties on the preparations for implementing the new regulatory regime as soon as practicable.”
 
     The Amendment Ordinance was enacted by the Legislative Council on January 30, 2019, and will commence operation on a day to be appointed by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury by notice published in the Gazette. read more

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present “A Concert of Hakka and Hailufeng Folk Music – Baizi Opera, Huachao Opera and Hakka Folk Song” in April as part of its Guangdong Music series.
 
     The concert will feature a variety of music from south China, particularly Baizi opera sung in the Hailufeng dialect and Huachao opera in the Hakka dialect. Folk songs from the Guangdong region will be sung by Wu Peijin and Zhong Jingjie, both bearers of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Baizi opera. One of the representative works of Huachao opera, “Selling Groceries”, will be performed by Huang Leihua, a bearer of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guangdong Province. In addition, National Class One Performer Huang Hongying will sing the Hakka folk song “Start to Sing and Start the Party Rolling”, as well as a series of folk songs typical of the Lingnan region along with the Hong Kong Ling Nan Orchestra and veteran musicians from the Mainland.
 
     The programme will include the Huachao opera musical pieces “Rolling up the Beaded Curtain”, “Mama Wang”, “Stay, My Love” and “Joy Forever”; the Huachao operatic song “Selling Groceries”; “I Have a Young Sister at Home” and “You and I Are Separated by Our Missives” from “The Butterfly Lovers”; “Could It Be That News Came from the Frontier” from “The Sad Story of Bingniang”; Jiege’s Hakka folk song “Start to Sing and Start the Party Rolling”; the Baizi opera musical pieces “The Hidden Talent That Came from Other Provinces”, “Shanbo Visiting His Friend” from “Meeting at the Pavilion”, “The Formal Wedding Ceremony” and “As Husband and Wife, We Will Be Reunited One Day” from “Helping Zeng Rong Escape”; the Baizi operatic songs “People and Their Welfare Are Always on My Mind” from “Chrysanthemum”, “The Predicaments of an Official” from “Xiu Jiujing Gets Promoted”, “A Ditty for Grinding Tea” and “Searching for Her Parents in the Snow” from “Five Girls Attending the Birthday Celebration”.
 
     “A Concert of Hakka and Hailufeng Folk Music – Baizi Opera, Huachao Opera and Hakka Folk Song” will be held at 8pm on April 19 (Friday) at the Auditorium of the Ko Shan Theatre New Wing. Tickets are priced at $160 and $260. Tickets are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_706.html.
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     Boonfaysau, an award-winning group of young a cappella singers from Hong Kong, was invited by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco (HKETO SF) to perform at its spring receptions in five cities across three western states in the United States to celebrate the Year of the Pig.

     The series of receptions began on February 4 in San Francisco, where about 300 guests enjoyed the flash mob and stage performances by this eight-member group. The choice of medleys, which included popular hits in the US and Hong Kong, fully displayed the East meets West culture of Hong Kong.

     In welcoming the guests from various cities’ political, business, art and culture communities, the Director of HKETO SF, Mr Ivanhoe Chang, said that the office was glad to invite talents again from Hong Kong to the US.

     “Last year, we had an amazing rope skipping team that wowed our audience with their unique techniques. For a change of scene, we have this wonderful a cappella group, Boonfaysau, performing at our spring receptions this year. Since its inception in 2017, the group has won several competitions in Hong Kong and abroad. We are as excited as they are in showcasing our young, home-grown talents.

     “Hong Kong has a vibrant art and cultural scene, and the city is completing one of the world’s biggest cultural projects. The West Kowloon Cultural District is rising by the waterfront of Hong Kong. The Cultural District’s dedicated Chinese opera house, the Xiqu Centre , just opened in January. The Art Park and the Freespace outdoor performance venue will be opening soon,” Mr Chang said.

     Mr Chang also took the opportunity to update the guests on Hong Kong’s recent developments as an innovation and technology hub. He said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has allocated about US$10 billion for innovation and technology initiatives and encouraged US companies to explore opportunities and partnerships with Hong Kong.

     He made special mentions about the new infrastructure including the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, opened in September and October 2018 respectively. Hong Kong is now well connected to other parts of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a regional development of national strategic importance with a population of some 70 million and a gross domestic product of US$1.5 trillion.

     Also speaking at the receptions in San Francsico, Los Angeles and Seattle was the Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs, USA, Mr Eddie Mak. He said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the country’s Belt and Road Initiative offer enormous trade, investment and commercial potential.

     He pointed out that Hong Kong remains a free trade practitioner and a supporter of the multilateral trading system. “Thanks to our economic resilience and embrace of free market principles, Hong Kong has been ranked the world’s freest economy for 25 consecutive years by the Heritage Foundation.

     “Our economy grew 3.7 per cent in the first three quarters of 2018. Economic growth for 2018 as a whole is forecast at 3.2 per cent,” he said.

     Hong Kong is always open to investors and businesses from the US. “Hong Kong has long enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership with the US, Hong Kong’s second largest trading partner.

     “Wherever I go in the US, I am keen to emphasise that the US enjoys a US$34.5 billion goods and services trade surplus with Hong Kong. This is testimony to the mutual benefit of having a stable and seamless relationship between our economies,” he continued.

     He added that in addition to the commercial relationship, Hong Kong values its partnership with the US in areas such as counter-terrorism, maintaining strict export controls and combating money-laundering and drug-trafficking.

     HKETO SF concluded the Chinese New Year celebrations in Dallas on February 12. Other than San Francisco, other spring receptions were held in Los Angeles on February 6, Seattle on February 7 and Houston on February 11.
 

                        

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      During the winter surge, the Hospital Authority is closely monitoring the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rate in public hos… read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (February 15) that due to bi… read more