The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Stephen Phillips, today (May 13) embarked on a visit to Israel and northern Europe to promote the latest business advantages Hong Kong has to offer.

     The visit covers Tel Aviv, Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen, where Mr Phillips will meet with business chambers and government leaders and speak at various business seminars. He will also meet heads of leading companies from a wide range of cutting-edge FinTech and technology sectors as well as start-up communities.

     Mr Phillips said, "At this juncture, Hong Kong is turning a new page in its economic development in light of the opportunities brought by the national Belt and Road Initiative and the growth engine in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area. The business opportunities arising from the increased flows of people, goods and capital within the Bay Area will be immense, while Hong Kong as a strategic, international city will have a key role to play to help propel the growth of the Bay Area."

     He continued, "Hong Kong under the 'one country, two systems' principle offers an unrivalled edge including its geographical location, a vibrant business environment, a robust legal system, intellectual property protection, and deep, world-class financial and professional services, amongst others.

     "In recent years, the city has also offered new business opportunities in areas such as innovation and technology, creative industries, smart city and financial technology as well as biological technology. These advantages will provide companies and entrepreneurs looking to expand in Asia a solid platform to grow their business globally."

     During his first stop in Tel Aviv, Mr Phillips will meet with leaders in hi-tech sectors and speak at a seminar entitled "Asia at Your Fingertips" about opportunities resulting from the Bay Area development and other updates from the Hong Kong business scene. He will also meet with the Head of Invest in Israel, Mr Eyal Eliezer.
      
     In Stockholm, Mr Phillips will speak at a Stockholm FinTech Hub seminar, as well as meet with officials of the Sweden China Trade Council and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. Mr Phillips will also meet some of the leading tech companies, notably in the augmented reality and cloud businesses. In Helsinki, he will speak at a seminar hosted by the Finland-Hong Kong Trade Association, and meet with heads of various companies. In Copenhagen, he will speak at a seminar hosted by the Copenhagen FinTech Lab and meet with heads of various FinTech companies.

About Invest Hong Kong

     Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to attract foreign direct investment and support 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.

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will visit two cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, namely Huizhou and Guangzhou, on May 16 and 17.

     Mrs Lam will meet with leaders of the Huizhou and Guangzhou Municipal Governments and the Guangdong Provincial Government to discuss the preparatory work for the future development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area. She will also conduct visits to industries in relation to innovation and technology, scientific research, education and medical services, as well as communities where Hong Kong people live.

     Mrs Lam will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on May 17. During her absence, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, will be Acting Chief Executive.

     Hong Kong Customs smashed a suspected methamphetamine manufacturing and storage centre in Yuen Long on May 11. A total of about 32 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine was seized with an estimated market value of about $16.5 million.

     Customs officers intercepted a 44-year-old man in Yuen Long during an anti-narcotics operation in that evening. About 32 kg of suspected methamphetamine, as well as a batch of methamphetamine manufacturing equipment and raw materials were found in his residence in the same district. The man was then arrested.

     After follow-up investigation, Customs officers further seized about 60 grams of suspected methamphetamine from another residential unit of the arrested man in Sheung Shui. A 35-year-old woman in the unit was arrested.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182, or dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

    

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 13) that since the water off Silverstrand Beach in Sai Kung District is now suitable for swimming, the red flag has been lowered.

     The red flag was hoisted at the beach earlier on after a red tide was found.

     The Labour Department (LD) will hold the Youth Recruitment Day@Youth Employment and Training Programme on May 16 for young school leavers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below. The recruitment day is a large-scale activity under the LD's special programme "Career Let's go" this year.

     A total of 26 organisations from various industries including hotel, banking, aviation services, tourism, retail, catering, film, public utilities, telecommunications and facility management will participate in the recruitment day, offering about 800 on-the-job training vacancies for young job seekers. Participating organisations will set up booths and conduct recruitment on the spot.

     The job vacancies cover a wide variety of positions such as airline ground crew, operations trainee, engineer trainee, customer services officer, personal banking officer, makeup artist and barista, most of which offer monthly salaries from $9,000 to $15,000. The vacancies do not require relevant academic qualifications or work experience from applicants. Job seekers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree or below are welcome to submit applications on the spot. They may be invited for on-site interviews.

     The LD will set up a booth at the venue to provide information on the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) and its one-month workplace attachment training, for which young people can enrol on the spot. Meanwhile, various training bodies will also introduce their pre-employment training courses and "Tailor-made Training-cum-employment Projects" under the YETP, including the e-Learning Support Scheme, which provides job opportunities for youngsters interested in information technology, education or multimedia creative industries. They will also provide career consultation and offer advice on resume preparation for job seekers.

     The recruitment day also features career talks on the characteristics and career prospects of different industries. Pop singer Hubert Wu will give a talk to share his experience of achieving his career goals, so as to encourage young people to seize every opportunity. The sharing session will be conducted in Cantonese, with seats available on a first come, first served basis.

     The recruitment day will be held from 11am to 6pm at Southorn Stadium, 111 Johnston Road, Wan Chai. Admission is free. Last admission will be at 5.30pm.

     Job seekers can find more information about the recruitment day on the LD's YETP website www.yes.labour.gov.hk.