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 (January 24) that due to big… read more
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, met with trade ministers and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland today (January 23, Davos time) to promote Hong Kong’s strength as an international trading hub and to forge closer economic ties with Hong Kong’s trading partners.
“It is of paramount importance that Hong Kong maintains our presence at major international fora like the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Trade Organization meetings. They provide very good opportunities for us to establish and renew close contacts with our trade counterparts and to keep our finger on the pulse of the global trade scene, which is conducive to maintaining Hong Kong’s status as an international trade and financial centre,” Mr Yau said.
Mr Yau said the current-term Government is striving to strengthen bilateral ties with like-minded trading partners and deepen Hong Kong’s economic integration with different part of the world.
In this regard, in the afternoon, Mr Yau held a bilateral meeting with the Federal Minister of International Trade Diversification of Canada, Mr James Carr, to discuss the prospect of further strengthening trade co-operation between the two places. He also met with the Minister for Trade of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea, Mr Kim Hyun-chong, to exchange views on trade issues and discuss the progress of the setting up of an Economic and Trade Office in Seoul.
Hong Kong signed Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements with Korea and Canada in 1997 and 2016 respectively.
Mr Yau also joined the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, to meet with the Secretary of State for International Trade of the United Kingdom, Dr Liam Fox, to discuss issues relating to forging closer bilateral economic ties between the two places, including exploring the possibility of a free trade agreement in future. Mr Yau told Dr Fox that Hong Kong welcomes more British companies setting up offices in Hong Kong and making use of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement to enter into the Mainland market and tap the vast business opportunities therein.
Mr Yau took part in the “Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders: The End of Global Trade as We Know it?” under the WEF where participating ministers and policy makers exchanged views on the outlook for free trade and the multilateral trading system in the present era. He spoke on the challenges facing the current global economic and trade environment in the meeting.
In the morning, Mr Yau attended one of the sessions of the WEF Annual Meeting entitled “Emerging Markets Outlook”. He will join the WEF China Night this evening.
Mr Yau will speak at a panel discussion of a Belt and Road Forum and a lunch hosted by the Washington Post, Slate and Foreign Policy tomorrow (January 24, Davos time). read more
The Government announced today (January 23) a series of measures under the Caring and Sharing Scheme (the Scheme) to make it more convenient for eligible persons to submit applications. In view of th… read more
Following is the translated speech by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, at the Legislative Council (LegCo) today (January 23) for moving the Second Reading of the National Anthem Bill:
Mr President,
I move the Second Reading of the National Anthem Bill (the Bill).
The Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPCSC) adopted the decision to add the National Anthem Law to Annex III to the Basic Law on November 4, 2017. According to Article 18 of the Basic Law, the national laws listed in Annex III to the Basic Law shall be applied locally by way of promulgation or legislation by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). It is thus the constitutional duty of the HKSAR Government to implement the National Anthem Law locally.
Having regard to the common law system practised in Hong Kong, as well as the actual circumstances in Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government decides to implement the National Anthem Law in the HKSAR by local legislation, fully embodying the “one country, two systems” principle. We consulted the Panel on Constitutional Affairs of the Legislative Council (CA Panel) on the outline of the proposed content of the Bill in March last year, and attended two special meetings of the CA Panel in April and May respectively to listen to the views of the public and deputations. In the past year, we have also met with political parties, professional bodies and scholars, etc. with a view to listening to and incorporating their views. After vigilant deliberation and careful drafting, we formally submit the Bill to the Legislative Council today for First Reading and Second Reading, and for scrutiny by Members.
The legislative principle of the National Anthem Bill is very clear: to fully reflect the legislative purpose and intent of the National Anthem Law, which is to preserve the dignity of the national anthem and promote respect for the national anthem; and at the same time to give due regard to the common law system practised in Hong Kong, as well as the actual circumstances in Hong Kong.
The National Anthem Law consists of 16 clauses. Apart from Articles 9, 14 and 16, all of the remaining 13 clauses have been suitably adapted in the Bill.
The focus of the Bill is two-pronged: firstly, to state that the national anthem is the symbol and sign of the People’s Republic of China, and to promote respect for the national anthem by means of directional provisions; secondly, to impose penalties on people who publicly and intentionally insult the national anthem or misuse the national anthem. The directional provisions are in Part 2 of the Bill whereas the provisions on penalties are in Part 3.
Part 2 of the Bill is “Playing and Singing of National Anthem”, which provides the standard, etiquette and occasions for the playing and singing of the national anthem. All of these provisions are “directional” and do not carry any penalty. This part clarifies that the etiquette to be followed regarding the playing and singing of the national anthem only applies to persons who “take part in or attend” an occasion where the national anthem is played and sung. This should be able to dispel public concerns about “whether one should stand solemnly when the national anthem is broadcast on television” and other similar questions. This part also specifies that on each occasion set out in Schedule 3 of the Bill, the national anthem must be played and sung. These occasions include official occasions of the HKSAR Government, the oath-taking ceremonies of principal members of the executive authorities, legislature and judiciary when they assume office, national flag raising ceremonies, major sporting events held by the Government, and the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year.
Part 3 of the Bill is “Protection of National Anthem”, which prohibits misuse of the national anthem or its lyrics or score, as well as public and intentional insulting behaviours in relation to the national anthem. It also provides penalties for such behaviours. I understand that some may demand the Government to assess each and every scenario and comment if any of them will contravene the law. In reality, the enforcement agency would, according to the actual circumstances and evidence collected in each case, make an assessment in accordance with the law, and the court will hand down judgment in accordance with the usual standard of handling criminal cases in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, our legislative intent is very clear, i.e. to prohibit public and intentional behaviours with an intent to insult the national anthem. We will use the above principles, which are commonly used in the common law system, as the basis of assessing whether a case contravenes the law. Therefore, there is absolutely no need for members of the public to worry about “inadvertently contravening the law” if they have no intention to insult the national anthem. It is worth mentioning that the Bill contains a provision (clause 7(5) of the Bill) to protect the publishing of materials to insult the national anthem with reasonable grounds (e.g. fair reporting by media, educational purposes by teachers, etc.), making it clear for the public that such acts of publishing with no intent to insult the national anthem will not constitute a criminal offence.
Part 4 of the Bill is “Promotion of National Anthem”, which requires the Secretary for Education to give directions for the inclusion of the national anthem in primary education and secondary education, which cover all primary and secondary schools. The Bill also requires domestic television programme service licensees and sound broadcasting service licensees to broadcast the national anthem as announcements in the public interest (APIs) or material in the public interest pursuant to the existing terms and conditions in their respective licences. These two requirements have reflected the legislative intent of the National Anthem Law, and at the same time taken into account the actual circumstances of Hong Kong. They are actually similar to what is currently being done.
The above is the main content of the Bill. Overall speaking, the main spirit of the Bill is “respect”, which I believe is easy to understand and not hard to follow by the general public. For those with an intent to insult the national anthem, and publicly and intentionally perform acts to insult the national anthem, there is a need to introduce punitive provisions in the Bill to deter such behaviours. We believe that the majority of the public would respect the national anthem. Hence, the Bill will not have any impact on the daily lives of the general public.
Mr President, with these remarks, I call on Members to support the early passage of the Bill to fulfill the responsibility of Hong Kong to implement the National Anthem Law.
Thank you, Mr President. read more
The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, today (January 23, Davos time). On the sidelines of the meeting, she has also met with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Mr Xavier Bettel, as well as leaders of different organisations and enterprises to explore collaboration in various aspects between Hong Kong and different places and organisations.
Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, met with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Mr Xavier Bettel, yesterday afternoon (January 22, Davos time). She said that both Hong Kong and Luxembourg are externally oriented economies and pointed out that Hong Kong is the gateway to the markets of the Mainland and Asia for enterprises around the world while Luxembourg is the gateway to the European Union. As Hong Kong and Luxembourg have been maintaining exchanges in investment, technology and talents all along, she expressed the hope that both places would enhance co-operation in other areas. She also invited Mr Bettel to attend the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong next year to share his insights with participants from around the world.
This morning, Mrs Lam attended a WEF speaking session on the emerging markets outlook. Mrs Lam said at the session that Hong Kong, given its open and externally oriented economy, is inevitably affected by external factors, yet Hong Kong, a founding member of the World Trade Organisation, has been supporting and benefitted from free trade over the years. She said in particular that Hong Kong is proactively participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and willing to strengthen ties with emerging economies, including sharing with them Hong Kong’s experience to help them develop. She also stressed the importance of sustainable and inclusive economic development to emerging economies.
Mrs Lam, together with Mr Chan and Mr Yau, also attended a breakfast panel held by Standard Chartered to discuss topics including the global economic situation, China-US trade relations, innovation and technology, and women empowerment. Participating in the discussion included the Independent Non-Executive Director of Standard Chartered and former Foreign Minister and Minister of Finance of Nigeria, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Mrs Lam pointed out that Hong Kong’s financial system is sound and resilient, and capable of tiding over any external economic shocks. She said with its strong competitive edge, the city will develop new industries and nurture talents. Coupled with the opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong will develop steadily. Mrs Lam also met with the Chairman of Standard Chartered, Mr José Viñals before the breakfast panel to discuss the global and Hong Kong economic situation.
Mrs Lam also met with leaders of different organisations and enterprises yesterday and today.
On financial services, Mrs Lam, accompanied by Mr Chan and Mr Yau, met with the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC), Mr Peter Beshar, yesterday afternoon. MMC, a multinational professional services firm providing risk and insurance services and consulting, has been leveraging Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre and the gateway to Mainland China to develop its business. Mrs Lam encouraged MMC to continue to use Hong Kong as the platform to explore the Mainland and global markets. Mrs Lam also attended a reception held by the Credit Suisse Group yesterday evening to hear from the Group’s Chairman, Mr Urs Rohner, on the company’s latest developments in Hong Kong. This morning, Mrs Lam and Mr Chan met with the Chairman of Prudential, Mr Paul Manduca. Given that Hong Kong is actively enhancing the city’s role as a regional insurance hub through tax policy and legislation, Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong will also help the insurance industry to seize the opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to explore more business.
On innovation and technology, Mrs Lam and Mr Chan met with the President of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Professor Martin Vetterli, yesterday afternoon. As EPFL is a globally renowned institution and particularly strong in the field of engineering and technology, she welcomed EPFL to explore collaboration with universities in Hong Kong and set up a presence in the research clusters being developed at the Hong Kong Science Park. Mrs Lam then met with the President of the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, Dr James Bradner. She said that Hong Kong attaches great importance to the development of biomedical technology and encourages multinational pharmaceutical and biomedical companies to set up biomedical research centres and expand their operations in research and development in Hong Kong.
Mrs Lam met with the Founder and Director of the Crossroads Foundation, Mrs Sally Begbie, yesterday afternoon. Mrs Lam expressed her appreciation to the Crossroads Foundation for its charity work around the world over the years, especially its participation in the annual event at Davos to raise the international community’s concern about refugees.
Mrs Lam also attended a dinner for heads of states and leaders of regional governments and organisations hosted by the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Professor Klaus Schwab.
Mrs Lam is continuing her visit to Davos this afternoon.
