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     Led by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, members of the Security Bureau (SB) Youth Uniformed Group Leaders Forum continued their second-day visit to Beijing today (August 20) to learn about the country’s history, culture and development in various fields.
 
     In the early morning, the study tour members watched the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to feel the affection for home and country. As it was the first time for many of the youth members to watch the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square in person, they said they were particularly excited and deeply moved by its solemnity. They were also proud of the country’s remarkable achievements after a long period of struggles.
 
     The study tour members then visited the Palace Museum to appreciate precious artefacts and the unique architecture. In the afternoon, the group toured the Yuanmingyuan Park to view relics including the Dashuifa at Haiyantang as well as its East-meets-West gardening landscape and learnt about the painful history of the invasion of foreign powers and the destruction of the Summer Palace by fire, noting that a country has to give full play to the spirit of self-enhancement and struggle to be strong.
 
     The group also visited Tsinghua University to tour its campus and History Museum in the afternoon and was briefed on the paths to further studies. Mr Tang met with the Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, Professor Qiu Yong, and visited the School of Public Policy and Management. Mr Tang expressed his gratitude to the university for its support to the youth work and disciplined services of the SB, which helps nurture distinguished public administration talent for the disciplinary forces. Mr Tang returned to Hong Kong this evening.
 
     The study tour members yesterday (August 19) visited the headquarters of Weibo Corporation to learn about the development of the social media and public opinion platform that has nearly six hundred million of users, as well as its situation in Hong Kong. The group also visited Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited of the CP Group to understand more about their pharmaceutical research and innovation development.
 
     The study tour members tomorrow (August 21) will conclude their eight-day visit to Xi’an, Yan’an and Beijing after going to the Beijing Police Dog Base to learn about police dog breeding and training work on the Mainland.

                  

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, and the Minister of Trade of Indonesia, Dr Zulkifli Hasan, co-chaired the seventh Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers – Hong Kong, China (HKC) Consultation in Semarang, Indonesia, today (August 20) to discuss issues relating to the implementation of the ASEAN-HKC Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA) and the Investment Agreement (IA), and exchange views on the recent regional and global economic development.
 
     Speaking at the meeting, Mr Yau noted that the theme for ASEAN meeting this year – “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth” cannot be more fitting, as ASEAN is one of the most vibrant and rapidly growing regions in the world, and Hong Kong is also fully committed to further bolstering the already very close relationship between Hong Kong and ASEAN.
 
     Since the signing of the AHKFTA and the IA in 2017, trade in goods between Hong Kong and ASEAN has increased by 38 per cent to reach an all-time high at US$165 billion in 2022. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s outward direct investment in ASEAN has also increased by 38 per cent to reach US$77 billion in end 2021.
 
     Noting that Hong Kong is widely-recognised as an advocate of free and open trade, Mr Yau called on ASEAN member states’ (AMS) continued support for Hong Kong’s early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest and one of the most open and inclusive free trade agreements.
 
     “We hope to see the early adoption of procedures for accession by the RCEP Joint Committee to facilitate the launch and early conclusion of substantive discussions with Hong Kong on our accession,” he added.
 
     Mr Yau also shared with AMS Hong Kong’s experience in supporting small and medium enterprises to navigate the ever-changing regional and global economic development by administering various funding schemes to assist them in obtaining finance, exploring markets and enhancing competitiveness.
 
     “The challenges facing us are imminent, but we can mitigate the effects when we work together. The co-operation between ASEAN and Hong Kong are multi-faceted as evidenced by the successful implementation of the AHKFTA and the IA as well as the 33 memorandums of understanding and agreements signed in the recent ASEAN’s visit led by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,” he said.
 
     “Hong Kong is committed to working with ASEAN to develop creative, feasible and sustainable solutions to address some of the global challenges that we are facing. I firmly believe that we can turn adversity into opportunity and emerge stronger from all the challenges,” Mr Yau stressed.
 
     Mr Yau and the economic ministers of the AMS also announced the finalisation of the First Protocol to Amend the AHKFTA (Protocol). The Protocol serves to incorporate the new product specific rules of origin into the AHKFTA. Looking forward to the signing of the Protocol as soon as possible, the meeting agreed to work towards the goal of bringing about its early implementation to further facilitate seamless trade between ASEAN and HKC.
 
     On the sidelines of the meeting, Mr Yau held bilateral meetings with Dr Zulkifli Hasan; the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Laos, Mr Malaithong Kommasith; and the ASEAN Secretary-General, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, to discuss various trade and economic issues, and update them on Hong Kong’s preparatory work in seeking early accession to RCEP. He also met with the Secretary of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, Mr Alfredo E. Pascual, to exchange views on issues of mutual interest.
 
     Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong tomorrow evening (August 21).

              

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (August 19) detected two drug trafficking cases involving internal concealment and baggage concealment respectively at Hong Kong International Airport. About 1.3 kilograms of suspected cocaine and 16.5 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds were seized with an estimated market value of about $5 million.
      
     The first case involved a 34-year-old female passenger who arrived in Hong Kong yesterday from Freetown, Sierra Leone via Accra, Ghana and Doha, Qatar. During customs clearance, customs officers found suspected cocaine in her possession, which was suspected to have been discharged earlier. The woman was arrested immediately by Customs officers and was then escorted to a hospital for examination. While she was waiting for medical examination, the woman discharged additional suspected cocaine in the washroom. As at 3pm today (August 20), the arrested woman has excreted 88 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 1.3 kilograms in total.

     The second case involved a 27-year-old female passenger and a 30-year-old male passenger. They arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. During customs clearance of their checked-in luggage, a total of 53 packages of suspected cannabis buds concealed in food packaging were found. Both passengers were subsequently arrested.
      
     The arrested woman of the first case will be charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (August 21). For the second case, an investigation is ongoing.
      
      Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has also been increasing steadily. Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
      
     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 Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

    

     The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) today (August 20) conducted a trial flight inspection by small unmanned aircraft (SUA) at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).       According to the standards of the Int… read more

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (August 20) led his team of Principal Officials to attend the 2023 Policy Address District Forum to directly listen to views and suggestions of members of local communities on the second Policy Address of the current term Government. The District Forum was held at Aldrich Bay Government Primary School and attended by about 120 people from all walks of life.
      
     Twenty one Principal Officials participated in the District Forum, including the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong; the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan; the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui; the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung; the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn; the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho; the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung; the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun; the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan; the Acting Secretary for Security, Mr Michael Cheuk; the Acting Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung; and the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong.
      
     The two-hour District Forum consisted of two sessions. In the first session, the Chief Executive and the Principal Officials listened to the views of members of the public. The matters of concern covered various topics including land and housing, transport, innovation and technology, finance, culture and sports, education, youth, poverty alleviation, healthcare and social welfare and so on. In the second session, participants were divided into four groups with the themes of “Boosting Economy” and “People’s Livelihood” to engage in extensive discussions with the Principal Officials. Mr Lee interacted with members of the public of each group in turn and listened to their views.
      
     Mr Lee said, “My team and I have fruitful and fulfilling interactions with the members of the public in today’s District Forum and listened to a number of valuable views. I truly feel everyone’s deep affection for Hong Kong and the aspirations to make it a better home together. Solving problems encountered by the public in their daily lives and doing our utmost for people’s livelihood are the responsibilities and goal of my team and myself. 
      
     “I firmly believe that in formulating policies, it is necessary to have a holistic view, strategic and innovative mindset, and at the same time, we must also look at the different needs of the public in their daily lives, and understand the living conditions of different sectors of the community, so that we can achieve the goal of proactively responding to the people’s aspirations. My team and I will actively consider the views from the participants with the aim of responding to the trust and expectations from the members of the public on the Government.”
      
     The public consultation exercise for the Policy Address was launched in late July. The Government will continue to tap the views of organisations and individuals from different sectors in the coming month or so by taking part in activities including consultation sessions and district visits. Members of the public can also give their views through various channels, including the Policy Address website, social media platforms, hotlines, or through email, fax and post. read more