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 (December 12) that due to bi… read more
Police yesterday (December 11) held the Regional Traffic Day on the Hong Kong Island to raise public awareness of road safety through stringent enforcement actions. A total of 376 officers … read more
The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (December 11) officiated at the opening ceremony of the “HKSARG’s Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Reform and Opening up of the Country: ‘Joint Development·Shared Prosperity’ Exhibition”. Organised by the Information Services Department, the exhibition continues through January 28, 2019 at the Hong Kong Museum of History.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mrs Lam said: “This exhibition traces the remarkable journey of our country and our city, a journey of exploration and collaboration not just in business and finance but also in culture, sports and much more.”
Since implementing reform and opening up policies in 1978, social and economic development of the Mainland of China has reached new milestones. Today, the Mainland’s economy is the second-largest in the world and the country is a global leader in various industries.
“Forty years ago, Hong Kong’s pioneering business community of local and international entrepreneurs were among the first to invest their capital, expertise and ideas in the Mainland, and in the process successfully grew their own business and contributed to Hong Kong’s transition to a service economy,” Mrs Lam said.
“As a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China under the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, we continue to strengthen the advantages as our country’s premier hub for international business and finance, with new opportunities including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative emerging.”
Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Wang Zhimin; the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR, Mr Xie Feng; the Deputy Political Commissar of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, Mr Chen Yading; and the Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR, Mr Matthew Cheung.
The guests toured the exhibition, which features interesting artefacts, multimedia displays and interactive games that depict different elements of the unique relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland over the past four decades. A giant 10-metre-long video wall simultaneously showcases four key milestones in the reform and opening up of the country.
Some 60 significant artefacts are displayed in six categories at the venue. Cross-boundary cultural exchanges are illustrated at the film/TV corner of the exhibition featuring highlights from 10 Mainland-Hong Kong film co-productions and 12 Hong Kong TV dramas, which were well-received by Mainland audiences. The music display area includes tunes from the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award and musicians whose works have resonated with listeners during different periods over the past 40 years.
Visitors can also enjoy a naked-eye 3D video showcasing Hong Kong’s strengths, advantages and opportunities under the “one country, two systems” principle as well as the city’s development and international connections in various areas, including finance, innovation, technology, infrastructure and logistics. Looking ahead, the Belt and Road Initiative and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will bring immense business opportunities to Hong Kong. A hologram display illustrates five completed or to-be-completed major infrastructure projects.
Exhibition visitors can participate in an interactive equestrian game and also have fun at the photo corner, where they can add their images to mocked-up newspapers or magazines published over the past 40 years. They can then receive a copy of the photo by email and share it on social media with family and friends.
The exhibition, at the first floor Main Lobby of the Hong Kong Museum of History, is open to the public from December 12, 2018 to January 28, 2019. Admission is free. For details of opening hours, visit the Hong Kong Museum of History website: https://hk.history.museum/. read more
Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the 2018 Hong Kong Awards for Industries Awards Presentation Ceremony today (December 11):
Award winners, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to join you today here at Science Park to honour excellence in our industries, to celebrate the innovators who lead our industries and, in so doing, help power Hong Kong’s continuing prosperity.
I am a supporter of the Awards, having attended the awards presentation ceremony last year and in 2013. And, I must say, you never fail to impress me with your smart and creative developments.
As you’re well aware by now, I have a strong passion for design and in this term of the HKSAR Government we encourage innovation and promote the application of design thinking in our work. I am therefore pleased that the Trade and Industry Department, the Secretariat of the Hong Kong Awards for Industries, has invited the Hong Kong Design Institute as the Awards’ Design Partner this year. The Institute’s students created the compelling backdrop for this ceremony. The backdrop’s outline represents Lion Rock, a proud symbol of Hong Kong and the “can-do spirit” that the Institute’s students, as well as this year’s winners and finalists, clearly possess.
Given the recent rise of protectionism and the continuing trade issues between China and the United States, we certainly need all the resilience, adaptability and “Lion Rock spirit” we can mobilise. While we are encouraged by the positive outcomes of the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in Argentina recently, there is no room for comfort and certainty yet. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development will continue to liaise with our major trade and industrial associations, and, rest assured, my Government will respond in a timely manner.
Indeed, the Trade and Industry Department moved up the launch of the ASEAN Programme under the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales, commonly known as the BUD Fund, to August to provide funding support. Up to HK$1 million will be provided on a matching basis to individual non-listed Hong Kong companies to undertake projects that enhance their competitiveness and further their business development in the ASEAN market. The Mainland Programme under the BUD Fund has also doubled its maximum grant per company to HK$1 million, as has the SME Export Marketing Fund to HK$400,000 per company, both on a matching basis.
In addition, the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation has launched special measures to strengthen protection for Hong Kong exporters affected by US tariffs. We have also expanded the special concessionary measures under the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Insurance’s SME Financing Guarantee Scheme. It includes reducing the existing annual guarantee fee rates by 50 per cent, increasing the maximum loan amount to HK$15 million and lengthening the maximum loan guarantee period from five to seven years.
Those initiatives will surely help in the short-term. But looking further ahead, Hong Kong’s future will be powered by innovation and technology (I&T) and the high value-added economy it will give us.
My Government is committed to innovation and technology (I&T). That’s why we are investing HK$10 billion to establish two research clusters at Science Park, one on healthcare technology, the other on AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics. It’s also why we’re setting up a HK$2 billion “Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme.” It will subsidise Hong Kong manufacturers, again on a matching basis, to set up smart production lines.
And the tax incentive proposal raised last year for R&D became a reality in October. It means that the first HK$2 million in eligible R&D expenditure will enjoy a 300 per cent tax deduction, with the remainder at 200 per cent.
To host today’s ceremony here at Science Park reflects our commitment to I&T development. I am delighted to see the expanded application of I&T among this year’s Grand Award Winners, including robotics and the Internet of Things, 3D display, wireless consumer technology, industrial upgrading and app-driven customer service. I am also delighted to note the increasingly active participation of technology-related enterprises in these Awards. I for sure hope this trend will continue in the future.
My congratulations once again to the winners of the 2018 Hong Kong Awards for Industries. And my thanks to the Organising Committee, the seven organisers and the judging panels for their continuing support of the Awards, the only Government-supported awards promoting excellence in Hong Kong’s manufacturing and service industries.
I wish you all a happy holiday season and an innovative and rewarding New Year. Thank you very much.
The Private Columbaria Affairs Office (PCAO) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) cracked down on a suspected illegal private columbarium in Hung Hom this afternoon (December 11). &… read more