Author Archives: hksar gov

     Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) held a roundtable in Shanghai today (November 6) and will hold another in Wuhan tomorrow (November 7) to update local business leaders about the opportunities Hong Kong has to offer, as part of the department’s ongoing drive to attract more Shanghai and Wuhan enterprises to leverage Hong Kong as the platform to “go global”.
          
     The seminar at Shanghai Hongqiao Central Business District was entitled “Hong Kong and Shanghai cooperation: Seizing the advantages of Hong Kong’s platform” and held in collaboration with the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization. It was also co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Shanghai Software Industry Association, with a particular focus on Hong Kong’s newly enacted tax initiatives for corporate treasury centres as well as various government support measures to attract technology companies to set up in Hong Kong.
     
     The seminar in Wuhan, “Belt and Road, Together We Grow”, is being co-organised with the Department of Commerce of Hubei Province and will offer the latest information about Hong Kong’s opportunities in terms of the Belt and Road Initiative, as part of the department’s drive to step up strategic promotion in Hubei Province.
     
     Addressing the audience in Shanghai, the Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Stephen Phillips, said that the “one country, two systems” arrangement ensures that Hong Kong retains a series of enduring advantages, including a vibrant business environment, a robust legal system, world-class intellectual property protection and deep, world-class financial and professional services.
     
     He added that Hong Kong also appeals to Mainland and foreign companies with a range of new initiatives such as the recently introduced two-tiered profits tax rates regime, plus innovation and technology policy and support measures including a super tax deduction of up to 300 per cent for research and development expenditure and a new listing regime allowing pre-revenue biotechnology companies and innovative companies with weighted voting rights structures to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
     
     In terms of the business opportunities Hong Kong has to offer amid the Belt and Road Initiative, he said, “You can leverage Hong Kong’s world-class financial and professional services to structure and finance projects and mergers and acquisitions deals, and access the very best accounting and tax, legal, construction engineering design, management and project planning, and much more. And, of course, tap into Hong Kong’s deep debt and equity capital markets. All underpinned by Hong Kong’s common law system, which also makes Hong Kong a very suitable location for dispute resolution too.”
     
     Mr Phillips said, “I would strongly urge you to capture these exciting opportunities and make use of Hong Kong to realise your international ambitions.”
     
     He added, “InvestHK will continue to strengthen collaboration with the relevant authorities in Shanghai and actively perform our role as a facilitator and promoter, so as to identify more business and development opportunities for people and enterprises in both Hong Kong and Shanghai.”
     
About InvestHK
     
     InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies enrolled as its clients. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
     
     For an event photo, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72157699843345252.
 

  

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, in Shanghai today (November 6) attended the launch ceremony of the Shanghai Hong Kong University Alliance (SHUA) at Fudan University and joined an exchange session with students. She also visited the Shanghai Symphony Hall and met with Hong Kong people living in Shanghai.

     In the morning, Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, and the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended the launch ceremony of the SHUA at Fudan University and witnessed the establishment of the alliance by 16 higher education institutions from Shanghai and Hong Kong. Speaking at the ceremony, she said that exchanges between the higher education institutions in Shanghai and Hong Kong have continued to be enhanced in recent years and the areas of co-operation have become increasingly diversified, with more than 30 per cent of the Hong Kong students who joined exchange programmes in the Mainland last year choosing Shanghai as the destination. She said that the SHUA will effectively intensify co-operation among the universities from both sides in areas such as teaching, research, transformation of technological achievements and student exchanges, providing high-quality education and technology support in both places as well as contributing to innovation in higher education and the country.
 
     Later, Mrs Lam attended an exchange session with students from the two places. In her speech, she introduced to the students the vision and actions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, including making good use of Hong Kong’s advantages under “one country, two systems” and the city’s traditional strengths to boost its external relations, consolidate the traditional industries, develop the emerging industries and enhance the people’s quality of life.
 
     Mrs Lam and the other officials then visited the Shanghai Symphony Hall and watched a rehearsal. The hall, which came into operation in 2014, was built with unique technology to overcome the noise and vibration caused by nearby railways and is equipped with advanced design and facilities. She said that Hong Kong will hold Festival Hong Kong 2019 – A Cultural Extravaganza@Shanghai next year with the participation of a number of major Hong Kong performing arts groups. The series of exciting activities in the inaugural Festival Hong Kong will commence with a performance by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra at the Shanghai Symphony Hall.
 
     Next, Mrs Lam and the other officials met with more than 50 representatives of Hong Kong organisations and students living in Shanghai. She updated them on the latest developments in Hong Kong and learned about their everyday lives, work and study.
 
     Mrs Lam and the other officials concluded the trip today and returned to Hong Kong in the evening.

              

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (November 6) announced that a European lettuce sample was detected with cadmium, a metallic contaminant, exceeding the legal limit. Th… read more

     The Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES) 2018 will be held from November 22 to 25 this year to showcase new technology products developed in various places worldwide. The event will continue to foster Hong Kong’s development of innovative technology with a view to tackling population ageing, addressing the needs of persons with disabilities, and enhancing the quality of life of elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
      
     The GIES will be held at Halls 1A and 1B of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is co-hosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, and co-organised by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.
      
     Speaking at a press conference today (November 6), the Assistant Director of Social Welfare (Rehabilitation and Medical Services), Mr Kok Che-leung, said that the Government attaches great importance to the development and application of innovation and technology. The success of the first GIES last year, which attracted over 43 000 visitors and won a positive response from various sectors of society, showed great local interest in gerontechnology and innovative advancements.
      
     Mr Kok noted that the Innovation and Technology Commission has approved funding of about $7.5 million under the Innovation and Technology Fund to support this year’s GIES. He said he believed that the event would enhance public knowledge on the application of innovative technology and allow stakeholders from different parts of the world and sectors, including the Government, elderly and rehabilitation service operators, academics, businesses and the general public, to gather for cross-sectoral exchange and collaboration, so as to embrace the opportunities brought about by population ageing in Hong Kong as well as helping persons with disabilities integrate into the community.
      
     Mr Kok said that the $1 billion Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care will be launched in December this year to subsidise elderly and rehabilitation service units to procure, rent or trial use technology products, equipment and tools, as well as smart applications and systems, so as to improve the efficiency and quality of caregiving. It was estimated that over 1 260 service units might apply for the subsidy and details of the fund will be announced later.
      
     The GIES will consist of two parts, the Summit and the Expo. The Summit will feature a keynote session and three plenary sessions on November 22 and 24. International, Mainland and local experts and stakeholders will exchange views on issues related to population ageing and gerontechnology. Guest speakers will deliver keynote speeches on policies supporting the application of innovation and technology in elderly and rehabilitation care and the role of different stakeholders in the development of gerontechnology. Plenary sessions will focus on topics including the future of elderly care, promoting ageing in place through adoption of technologies and the use of technologies to enhance the quality of living of persons with disabilities. The Age-Friendly Hong Kong Summit, to be held on November 25, will explore how to promote employment of elderly persons in the technology era.
      
     As regards the Expo, the over 8 000-square-metre exhibition floor will be divided into three thematic pavilions and two interactive zones to showcase around 380 inventions and products from some 130 local and international exhibitors. Some products to be shown at the Expo will be exhibited for the first time in Hong Kong. The Expo, the plenary sessions of the Summit and the workshops will be open to the public for free.
      
     The public may visit the GIES website (gies.hk) for more details.

  

     Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley tomorrow (November 7). The arrangements will come into effect one and a half hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race

1. Road closure
     
     Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen’s Road East and the up-ramp outside Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be closed except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel.

2. Traffic diversions

– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the up-ramp outside HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Vehicles from eastbound Queen’s Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along Queen’s Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road except for vehicles heading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen’s Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen’s Road East; and
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.

B. Traffic arrangements before the conclusion of race meeting

1. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside HKJC leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen’s Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of HKJC;
– Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
– Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen’s Road East.

     In addition, southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel and the Public Stands of HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.

2. Traffic diversions

     The following traffic arrangements will be implemented from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– Eastbound Queen’s Road East at its junction with Morrison Hill Road will be reduced to one-lane traffic heading for northbound Canal Road flyover;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic on southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.

C. Learner drivers prohibition

     Learner drivers will be prohibited to turn left from Caroline Hill Road to Leighton Road between one and a half hours before the start of the first race and one hour after the last race. In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads within the above period of time:

– Shan Kwong Road between Yik Yam Street and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
– Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
– Canal Road East; and
– The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.

D. Suspension of parking spaces

     Parking spaces on southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Sports Road and Blue Pool Road will be suspended from 11am to 7pm during day racing, from 4.30pm to 11.59pm during evening racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm during night racing.

     Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts of the above affected areas will be towed away without prior notice.

     Actual implementation of road closure and traffic diversion will be made by the Police at the time depending on traffic conditions in the areas. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of Police on site. read more