The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, led a delegation from Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution sector, which comprised more than 100 representatives from the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong and enterprises as well as other representatives, to attend the sixth Hong Kong Legal Services Forum today (August 24) in Chengdu. Organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Forum aims to promote Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services, and further consolidate Hong Kong's strategic positioning as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region under the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

     Entitled "Sichuan, Chongqing and Hong Kong Join Hands for a Brighter Future", the Hong Kong Legal Services Forum this year explored various legal matters concerning Sichuan and Chongqing enterprises on international trade and foreign investment, and also introduced to the audience Hong Kong's international legal and dispute resolution services. Supported by the People's Government of Sichuan Province, the Chongqing Municipal People's Government, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Offices of the Sichuan Province and of the Chongqing Municipal People's Government, the legal, commercial and intellectual properties departments and local lawyers associations, as well as a number of chambers of commerce, the Forum attracted more than 1 000 local legal practitioners and trade representatives.

     In his opening address, Mr Lam said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the People's Government of Sichuan Province signed the "Co-operation Memorandum of the High-Level Meeting cum the Second Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Sichuan Co-operation Conference" in September 2021 to promote co-operation between the two places in the area of legal professional services, encourage greater business collaboration between law firms in Hong Kong and Sichuan, and support the mutual training and exchange of legal professionals of the two places. The memorandum also stated that the Department of Justice and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council shall co-organise the Hong Kong Legal Services Forum in Sichuan at an appropriate time. Today's event was the implementation of the commitment made between the two places back then.

     It was followed by the two plenary sessions and the breakout sessions on demonstrating effective dispute resolution by mediation and arbitration through the staging of mock mediation and arbitration, where more than 30 leaders of Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution sector shared their insights.

     The Hong Kong Legal Services Forum has been held by the DoJ on a biennial basis in different Mainland cities since 2010. The Forum, resumed for the first time after the pandemic, has been held in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Qingdao and Nanjing to promote Hong Kong's international legal and dispute resolution services to enterprises and other service users on the Mainland.

     In addition, Mr Lam and his delegation visited Tianfu Central Legal Services District (CLD) after arriving in Chengdu yesterday (August 23). Tianfu CLD is the first modern central legal services district promoted at a provincial level in the country. The regulation on Sichuan Tianfu New Area promulgated in July this year has expressed clear support for the CLD to develop commercial arbitration, mediation, and foreign related legal services and explore the establishment of a multi-mechanism for commercial dispute resolution, as well as full support for China and foreign legal service bodies, including those from Hong Kong, to commence relevant businesses in Tianfu New Area.

     Mr Lam will depart for Beijing tonight to attend the seminar on the legal challenges and coping strategies under the Belt and Road Initiative tomorrow (August 25).

                    

     Mr Frederick Yu will assume the post of District Officer (Sha Tin) tomorrow (August 25), succeeding Miss Carol Or.

     Mr Yu joined the Administrative Service in 2004. He has served in various bureaux, including the Security Bureau, the then Transport and Housing Bureau, the then Home Affairs Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Development Bureau and the Civil Service Bureau. 

     His last post was Principal Assistant Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism (Culture) before taking up the new post.

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Hang Seng Bank, Limited relating to a fraudulent website and phishing emails, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website or emails concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (August 24) the external merchandise trade statistics for July 2023. In July 2023, the values of Hong Kong's total exports and imports of goods both recorded year-on-year decreases, at 9.1% and 7.9% respectively.

     In July 2023, the value of total exports of goods decreased by 9.1% over a year earlier to $345.2 billion, after a year-on-year decrease of 11.4% in June 2023. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods decreased by 7.9% over a year earlier to $375.1 billion in July 2023, after a year-on-year decrease of 12.3% in June 2023. A visible trade deficit of $30.0 billion, equivalent to 8.0% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in July 2023.

     For the first seven months of 2023 as a whole, the value of total exports of goods decreased by 14.6% over the same period in 2022. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods decreased by 12.5%. A visible trade deficit of $261.6 billion, equivalent to 10.3% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in the first seven months of 2023.

     Comparing the three-month period ending July 2023 with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of total exports of goods decreased by 6.3%. Meanwhile, the value of imports of goods decreased by 5.1%.

Analysis by country/territory

     Comparing July 2023 with July 2022, total exports to Asia as a whole dropped by 11.6%. In this region, decreases were registered in the values of total exports to most major destinations, in particular the Philippines (-29.6%), Malaysia (-24.6%), Korea (-17.4%), the mainland of China (the Mainland) (-15.2%) and Japan (-13.2%). On the other hand, an increase was recorded in the value of total exports to Thailand (+11.5%).

     Apart from destinations in Asia, decreases were registered in the values of total exports to most major destinations in other regions, in particular Germany (-22.5%) and the USA (-5.8%). On the other hand, an increase was recorded in the value of total exports to the United Kingdom (+34.6%).

     Over the same period of comparison, decreases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Korea (-30.3%), Vietnam (-20.7%), Malaysia (-20.2%), Taiwan (-19.4%), Japan (-10.4%) and the Mainland (-4.5%). On the other hand, an increase was recorded in the value of imports from Thailand (+11.0%).

     For the first seven months of 2023 as a whole, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of total exports to most major destinations, in particular Japan (-22.5%), Singapore (-21.2%), the Mainland (-18.6%), Taiwan (-17.9%) and India (-15.2%). On the other hand, increases were recorded in the values of total exports to the United Arab Emirates (+11.0%) and Netherlands (+8.5%).

     Over the same period of comparison, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Korea (-34.6%), Singapore (-28.3%), Vietnam (-20.7%), Thailand (-19.0%), Taiwan (-17.8%) and the Mainland (-8.9%).

Analysis by major commodity

     Comparing July 2023 with July 2022, decreases were registered in the values of total exports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $27.5 billion or -14.6%) and "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $7.7 billion or -19.0%).

     Over the same period of comparison, decreases were registered in the values of imports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $20.8 billion or -11.2%) and "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $11.7 billion or -31.3%).

     For the first seven months of 2023 as a whole, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of total exports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $237.0 billion or -17.9%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $77.8 billion or -26.2%) and "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $26.2 billion or -8.6%).

     Over the same period of comparison, year-on-year decreases were registered in the values of imports of some principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $236.0 billion or -17.5%), "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $79.9 billion or -31.2%) and "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $29.5 billion or -9.4%).

Commentary

     A Government spokesman said that the value of merchandise exports continued to fall in July 2023 from a year earlier. Exports to the Mainland, the United States and the European Union all shrank. Exports to most other major Asian markets recorded decreases of varying degree.

     Looking ahead, the difficult external environment will continue to weigh on Hong Kong's exports performance in the near term. The Government will monitor the situation closely.

Further information

     Table 1 presents the analysis of external merchandise trade statistics for July 2023. Table 2 presents the original monthly trade statistics from January 2020 to July 2023, and Table 3 gives the seasonally adjusted series for the same period.

     The values of total exports of goods to 10 main destinations for July 2023 are shown in Table 4, whereas the values of imports of goods from 10 main suppliers are given in Table 5.

     Tables 6 and 7 show the values of total exports and imports of 10 principal commodity divisions for July 2023.

     All the merchandise trade statistics described here are measured at current prices and no account has been taken of changes in prices between the periods of comparison. A separate analysis of the volume and price movements of external merchandise trade for July 2023 will be released in mid-September 2023.

     The July 2023 issue of "Hong Kong External Merchandise Trade" contains detailed analysis on the performance of Hong Kong's external merchandise trade in July 2023 and will be available in early September 2023. Users can browse and download the report at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020005&scode=230).

     Enquiries on merchandise trade statistics may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4691). 

     The Transport Department (TD) reminded the public today (August 24) that the HKeToll will be implemented in the Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC) from 5am this Sunday (August 27). Motorists can drive through the toll plaza and pay tunnel tolls using the HKeToll without having to stop or queue at toll booths for payments. All manual toll booths and Autotoll lanes will be cancelled.
      
     To tie in with the implementation of the HKeToll, temporary traffic arrangements will be implemented in phases in the vicinity of the EHC starting from 0.00am on August 27. Both directions of the EHC and its connecting roads will be closed from 4am to 5am on August 27. During the closure of the EHC, three overnight franchised bus routes (Route Nos. N619 (Shun Lee – Central (Macau Ferry)), N680 (Kam Ying Court – Central (Macau Ferry)) and N691 (Tiu Keng Leng – Central (Macau Ferry)) will be diverted via the Cross-Harbour Tunnel (CHT). In connection with the route diversion, the bus stops of these three bus routes (in both directions) at the EHC Toll Plaza will be temporarily suspended and at the same time, temporary bus stops will be added at the CHT Toll Plaza. In addition, a temporary bus stop for Route No. N680 (in both directions) will be added on Lei Yue Mun Road (westbound) near Lam Tin Station. The remaining bus stops of the three bus routes will not be affected. The departure time for the affected trips of Hong Kong Island overnight green minibus route No. 61 (Siu Sai Wan (Island Resort) – Mong Kok (Fife Street)) will be adjusted. Please refer to Annex 1 for the temporary traffic and public transport arrangements.
      
     At present, 98 per cent of vehicles have been issued vehicle tags. Of about 380 000 average daily vehicles which pass through the five tunnels implemented with the HKeToll, about 90 per cent of the vehicles were detected to have vehicle tags installed and about 70 per cent of the vehicles use automatic payment means. With the progressive implementation of the HKeToll in government tolled tunnels this year, the TD once again appealed to vehicle owners to complete the three steps for HKeToll service as soon as possible: (1) install a vehicle tag, (2) open an HKeToll account and (3) set up an automatic payment means, so as to fully enjoy the convenience of the HKeToll.
      
     Vehicle owners are reminded again that they must pay the toll within 14 business days after passing through the tunnel. He/she can log on the HKeToll website (hketoll.gov.hk) or mobile app to check the outstanding toll and pay, either by credit card or by following the instructions to generate a QR code to either pay via the Faster Payment System or at 7-Eleven convenience stores by cash. The HKeToll website provides a video to guide vehicle owners on how to pay outstanding tolls online. Payments of outstanding tolls can also be made at the four customer service centres and four service outlets. If vehicle owners need assistance, they can browse the HKeToll website, call the 24-hour customer service hotline at 3853 7333, or visit the four customer service centres, four service outlets, government car park service counters, and consultation counters located at designated MTR stations and Home Affairs Enquiry Centres in the District Offices. The locations and service hours of the facilities are shown in Annex 2.
      
     In addition, holders of Government Tunnel Toll Tickets (toll tickets) can still use toll tickets at Tate's Cairn Tunnel and Aberdeen Tunnel where the HKeToll has yet to be implemented, and apply for a refund from August 27, 2023, to June 30, 2024, at the eight refund centres located at car parks in Central, Shau Kei Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Kwai Fong, Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin. The locations and service hours of the refund centres are shown in Annex 3. Applicants should fill in the application form in advance and bring along the toll tickets for refund. Those applying for a refund for a large quantity of toll tickets are advised to contact the contractor by email (info@wilsonparking.com.hk) or call 2830 3814 in advance for providing assistance to applicants with individual circumstances.
      
     Following the three road harbour crossings, the HKeToll will be implemented at the Tate's Cairn Tunnel and Aberdeen Tunnel by end 2023. Details and the exact dates will be announced later.