Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley today (November 13). The arrangements will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race

     The following road closure and traffic diversions will be implemented from 50 minutes before the start of the first race for day racing, or from 6pm onwards for night racing:

1. Road closure

     Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen’s Road East and the up-ramp outside the 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 the HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Traffic along 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 for 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

     The following road closure and traffic diversions will be implemented from about 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

1. Road closure

– The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside the 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 the 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 the HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.

2. Traffic diversions

– 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;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along 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 for day racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm for night racing respectively.

     All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.

     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.

     In response to media enquiries on rumours on social media claiming that an explosion had occurred at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, a spokesman for the Security Bureau today (November 13) clarified that no notification has been received from the relevant Mainland authorities. After verification with the Nuclear Emergency Committee Office of the Guangdong Province, it is confirmed that the nuclear power station is operating normally. Such a rumour is totally groundless and fictitious.
 
     The spokesman appealed to members of the public to pay attention to announcements released through Government official channels and should not believe any rumour lightly.

     The first batch of 207 Hong Kong engineers from the public sector, consultants, and contractors passed the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) engineering "Professional Title" evaluation and obtained corresponding engineering professional qualifications on the Mainland. "Professional Title" is a unique evaluation system for professional qualifications adopted by the Mainland. It is an important benchmark for evaluating the skills and qualification levels of professionals and provides a basis for construction enterprises to recruit and promote talent.

     Speaking at the celebration ceremony organised by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers today (November 12), the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that the Development Bureau (DEVB) has been dovetailing with the National 14th Five-Year Plan on the strategy of high-quality development of the GBA, and is committed to driving Hong Kong's construction and engineering sectors to seize opportunities to pursue development in the Mainland cities of GBA, thereby better integrating into the national development. The successful completion of the first pilot assessment batch of engineering "Professional Title" qualifications creates more opportunities and favourable conditions for the construction industry to expand the territory of professional services. It reflects the country's support and care for Hong Kong professionals, which is a great encouragement. It also allows Hong Kong professionals to better contribute to the country's development.

     Due to differences in systems between Hong Kong and the Mainland, it was not easy for Hong Kong professionals to apply for a Mainland "Professional Title" qualification in the past. With the joint efforts of the Guangdong and Hong Kong governments, a new evaluation mechanism of this qualification for Hong Kong professionals was established last year, and implemented as a pilot scheme in five engineering disciplines, namely civil engineering, geotechnical, highway, electrical and measurement, control and instrumentation. The assessment of the first batch of applications for "Professional Title" qualifications has been completed this year with 207 Hong Kong engineers obtaining Mainland "Professional Title" qualifications that include the ranks of "Professorate Senior Engineer", "Senior Engineer", "Engineer" and "Assistant Engineer".

     The pilot mechanism for evaluation of "Professional Title" qualifications is an innovative mechanism for Hong Kong professionals to acquire such qualifications on the Mainland, and represents a major breakthrough in the convergence of the rules between the two places in the area of professional qualifications. Integrating into the Mainland's evaluation mechanism of "Professional Title" qualifications will help Hong Kong professionals gain recognition of their skill levels and qualifications in the Mainland market, thereby creating favourable conditions for the development of Hong Kong professionals on the Mainland.

     The DEVB will continue to maintain close collaboration with relevant Mainland authorities and co-ordinate the local construction sector to take forward the relevant work, with a view to achieving the indicators for specified tasks of this year's Policy Address, namely regularising the evaluation mechanism of "Professional Title" qualifications in mid-2025, and extending the mechanism to other construction related professions with the right conditions, such as surveying, architecture, etc.

      

     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, and Vice Minister of Science and Technology Ms Lin Xin co-chaired the 18th meeting of the Mainland/Hong Kong Science and Technology Co-operation Committee held in Xi'an today (November 12).
 
     Professor Sun said at the meeting that the National 14th Five-Year Plan indicates clear support for Hong Kong to develop into an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre, providing Hong Kong with a clear position and mission. With the country's staunch support, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government was taking forward various important measures in accordance with the directions and strategies set out in the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint to promote the synergistic development among the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem, with a view to supporting Hong Kong's high-quality development, and serving the country's needs with Hong Kong's own strengths.
 
     Professor Sun also expressed his gratitude to the Central Government and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) for their staunch support for Hong Kong's I&T development over the years. He said that in the past year, many important measures have been implemented in the two places, including the continuous expansion of the National Key Research and Development Programme and the National Science and Technology Major Project open to Hong Kong, and the opening up of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China under the National Natural Science Foundation of China to Hong Kong's young scholars, allowing Hong Kong researchers to participate rigorously in the national science and technology programmes. The assessment exercise of State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong has also been preliminarily completed. In addition, the HKSAR Government and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology signed the Co-operation Agreement on the Development of New Quality Productive Forces and the Promotion of New Industrialisation in September this year, to support Hong Kong's development of new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.
 
     Looking ahead, Professor Sun said that the HKSAR Government will continue to adopt a multipronged approach to deepen the co-operation and exchanges in I&T with the Mainland. The HKSAR Government will publish the Development Outline for the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen‑Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co‑operation Zone, setting out innovative policies to facilitate the flow of key elements of scientific research between the two parks of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Capitalising on the strengths of "one country, two systems" with the geographic advantages of "one river, two banks", the HKSAR Government will develop the Hong Kong Park in the Loop into a world-class, industry-academia-research platform, an internationally competitive research and development (R&D) transformation and pilot production base for industries, a hub for pooling global I&T resources, as well as a testing ground for institutional and policy innovation, with a view to becoming the bridgehead for intensive I&T co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong, facilitating the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 
     "The HKSAR Government will continue to go full steam ahead in establishing Hong Kong as an international I&T centre, and accelerate the formation and development of new quality productive forces with Hong Kong's competitive edge. We will also make good use of Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the Motherland and being closely connected to the world, play well our important role as a 'super connector' and 'super value-adder', with a view to becoming a platform for high-level I&T exchange, dialogue and co-operation, as well as an important bridge and two-way platform connecting the country and the world, thereby better serving the country's high-quality development," he added.
 
     Mainland members attended the meeting included representatives from the MOST, the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Beijing-Hong Kong Exchange of Personnel Centre, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Health Commission, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Association for Science and Technology, the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, the Department of Science and Technology of Shaanxi Province, the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, the Science, Technology and Innovation Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, the Xi'an Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, and the Development Authority of Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.
 
     The Hong Kong delegation comprised representatives from the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Digital Policy Office, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Chengdu, the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute, the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute and the Greater Bay Area Association of Academicians.
 
     In addition, Professor Sun called on the Mayor of the Xi'an Municipal Government, Mr Ye Niuping, to exchange views on deepening I&T co-operation between the two places. He pointed out that Shaanxi and Hong Kong will continue to proactively explore specific measures for deepening I&T cooperation, and jointly promote the advancement of Chinese modernisation.
 
     Professor Sun also visited a number of important science and research platforms in Shaanxi, including the State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering and the Collaborative Innovation Center of High-end Manufacturing Equipment of the Xi'an Jiaotong University, the State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics at the Northwest University, and the Qinchuangyuan Innovation Platform, to understand their latest developments and to explore the room for enhancing co-operation between R&D institutes of the two places.
 
     The State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering focuses on research work in additive manufacturing, micro-nano manufacturing and bio-manufacturing; the Collaborative Innovation Center of High-end Manufacturing Equipment supports the R&Ds and transfer of core and innovative technologies in the high-end manufacturing equipment industry, attracts talents, and serves as a window for international exchanges and co-operation. The State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics carries out original research with a focus on such topics as dynamics, resource-energy effects of tectonic processes, and tectonic-environmental-life co-evolution. The Qinchuangyuan is the general platform for innovation-driven development, co-ordinating the promotion of technological and industrial innovation, and fostering the development of new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.
 
     Professor Sun will conclude his visit and return to Hong Kong tomorrow (November 13) afternoon.

                

     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Shaw Prize 2024 Award Presentation Ceremony today (November 12):

Dr Raymond Chan (Chair of the Shaw Prize Foundation), Professor Kenneth Young (Chair of the Shaw Prize Council), Professor Reinhard Genzel (Chair of the Board of Adjudicators of the Shaw Prize Foundation), esteemed laureates, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening. And such a special evening this is, with the Shaw Prize now into its third decade of bestowing annual awards, for internationally distinguished achievement and significant advances in three scientific disciplines: astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences.
 
     This evening, we honour, and celebrate, the far-reaching accomplishments of five Shaw Prize laureates – four of them recipients of this year's Prize and one here with us to accept his award from 2021.
 
     My congratulations to all of you. The outstanding contributions you have made, and continue to make, advance your respective fields of specialisation – and much more. Your remarkable insights and innovation open the doors of scientific possibility – of human possibilities – that much wider. For that, for your commitment both to science, and to civilisation, we are all grateful.
 
     In addition to our laureates, I would also like to pay tribute to the late Sir Run Run Shaw and the Shaw Prize Foundation, for the vision in creating this internationally renowned celebration of science.
 
     Thanks to the Shaw Prize, the youth of Hong Kong can see for themselves the promise, and the possibilities, of science. As a career. As a way of life.
 
     The Hong Kong SAR Government is determined to develop Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology centre, and an international hub for post-secondary education. It helps that Hong Kong is the only Asian city that has as many as five universities in the world's top 100. The people of Hong Kong are energetic, enterprising and perseverant.
 
     In my Policy Address delivered last month, I announced that the preparatory work of our third InnoHK research cluster is underway. It will focus on advanced manufacturing, materials, energy and sustainable development.
 
     The first two InnoHK research clusters target healthcare technology, along with artificial intelligence and robotics. Together, they pool more than 2 500 research personnel from over 30 notable universities and research institutes, and 12 economies.

     I also announced the establishment of the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents. It will co-ordinate the integrated development of education, technology and talent policies, and promote Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talent.
 
     We are putting a priority on science and technology in our education system. By the 2026/27 academic year, students studying STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) disciplines will reach some 35 per cent of all students in our publicly funded universities.
 
     Like the Shaw Prize Foundation, and the laureates they honour, Hong Kong is determined to thrive in this ever-changing world. And making good progress, too.
 
     On that note, I wish you all the best in the world of science. Enjoy this memorable evening. Thank you.