Upon notification by the Police at about 6.30pm on July 19 that some concrete had fallen from Lai Wan Building on 33-35 Shau Kei Wan Road, staff of the Buildings Department (BD) were immediately deployed to carry out a site inspection. Using an elevated working platform set up by the Fire Services Department, the BD staff inspected the bottom of the second floor of the building above the pavement of Sau Kei Wan Road and found that a piece of concrete/rendering measuring about 600mm by 600mm had fallen off. No obvious danger to the overall building structure was noted. As directed by the BD staff, the owners' corporation (OC) of the building has immediately arranged for a contractor to erect temporary protective measures and will remove within these few days the remaining parts that may come loose to ensure public safety.

     The subject building is about 58 years old. The BD has issued earlier a statutory notice under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS) to the OC in respect of the common parts of the building. Although the concerned building has been inspected, the statutory notice under the MBIS will not be considered as complied with until the repair works have been completed. It is noted that the building belongs to the Category 1 buildings under the Operation Building Bright 2.0, and the OC is making its own arrangements for the repair works. The BD will continue to follow up the matter, and will request the OC to submit a programme of works to comply with the statutory notice by carrying out the repair works as soon as possible.

     The BD emphasised that it is the responsibility of owners to ensure the safety of their buildings. Timely repair and maintenance of private buildings is the basic responsibility of owners. Pursuant to section 40(1BC) of the Buildings Ordinance, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a statutory notice served on him or her, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 5 ($50,000 at present) and to imprisonment for one year, as well as a further fine of $5,000 for each day that the offence has continued.

     The Minister of Justice, Ms He Rong, led a delegation to visit Hong Kong on July 17 and met respectively with the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, and the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, a Government spokesman said today (July 19).

     Mr Lee welcomed Ms He's visit to Hong Kong, and thanked the Ministry of Justice for its continuous support to the work of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as well as its promotion of co-operation of the legal profession from the Mainland and Hong Kong. Mr Lee said that the efforts could facilitate the local legal sector's further integration into national development, contributing to the country's high-quality development. The two sides also exchanged views on such areas as deepening co-operation on legal services among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and cultivating legal talent.

     During the meeting, Mr Lam and Ms He signed a record of meeting for further deepening exchanges and co-operation on talent nurturing and legal and dispute resolution services between the Mainland and Hong Kong.

     The key features of the record of meeting include:

(1) Establishing and enhancing the two-way mechanism on nurturing legal talent in the Mainland and Hong Kong, to continue and deepen the implementation of the Framework Arrangement on Legal Talent Exchanges and Training Cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and to jointly explore different forms of co-operation on nurturing legal talent;

(2) Enhancing the support for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) lawyers and Hong Kong resident lawyers practising in the Mainland, and exploring the expansion of the scope of practice of GBA lawyers and Hong Kong resident lawyers who have obtained Mainland practice qualifications; and

(3) Promoting exchanges and co-operation on international commercial arbitration and mediation, as well as supporting the establishment of the co-operation mechanism for dispute resolution institutions in the GBA.

     Mr Lam expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Justice for its continuous support for the Hong Kong legal profession's development. He said that the signing of the record of meeting would further strengthen the depth and breadth of co-operation between the two sides, and 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. Ms He said that the Ministry of Justice would support Hong Kong's legal sector, in a pragmatic way, to provide quality legal services and rule of law safeguards for the GBA development and the steadfast and successful implementation of "one country, two systems".

     Ms He also met with different sectors for exchanges during her visit to Hong Kong.

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) delegation, led by the President of LegCo, Mr Andrew Leung, concluded the five-day study visit to Fujian province today (July 19) and returned to Hong Kong in the evening.

     In the morning, the delegation continued the itinerary in Xiamen and first visited Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Fujian FTZ) to understand how Xiamen Area of Fujian FTZ facilitates cross‑Strait economic and trade co-operation.  The Xiamen Area of Fujian FTZ comprises the southeast region international shipping centre (Haicang port area) and the cross‑Strait trade centre core zone. It is focused on developing industries such as shipping and logistics, new‑ and high‑tech research and development, and international trade related services.

     The delegation later met with Standing Committee Member of CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and Secretary of CPC Xiamen Municipal Committee, Mr Cui Yonghui, and exchanged views on how to expand and deepen the connection and co-operation between Xiamen and Hong Kong in various areas.

     In the afternoon, the delegation visited Xiamen Planning Exhibition Hall to understand the history and changes of Xiamen. The delegation then visited the Tan Kah Kee Memorial Museum to learn about the contribution of renowned patriotic overseas Chinese leader Mr Tan Kah-kee to education in China.

     Before returning to Hong Kong, the delegation had a work meeting with the United Front Work Department of the Xiamen Municipal Committee.

     The President of LegCo, Mr Andrew Leung, said, "The result of the five-day study visit to Fujian province is fruitful and inspiring to Members. It has helped Members to understand and grasp the latest development of the high-quality industries in Fujian. Members also had the opportunity to meet with various provincial and cities leaders to exchange views on strengthening the collaboration between Hong Kong and Fujian in various areas."

     Mr Leung added that Members have learnt more about the development potential of Mainland cities following visits to various enterprises and key facilities relating to the areas of digital economy, finance, logistics, cultural development, conservation, and tourism industries, etc. He said Fujian and Hong Kong enjoys different advantages and both places can learn from and complement each other to drive their co-development.

     Mr Leung expressed his gratitude to the arrangements made by the Fujian Provincial Government as well as various government departments in Fuzhou and Xiamen, which led to the successful conclusion of the study visit.

     The delegation, led by the President of LegCo, Mr Andrew Leung, visited Fuzhou and Xiamen of Fujian province between July 15 and 19.

        

     Five Mainland fishermen deckhands engaged in fishing using snake cages (a type of cage traps that has been banned in Hong Kong waters) earlier in waters near Shek Pik in southern Hong Kong, and a local coxswain on board were charged with breaching the Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171) and convicted today (July 19).
      
     A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) noted that AFCD officers intercepted a local fishing vessel at around 11am on March 9 for inspection. The vessel was found to be engaged in fishing using snake cages in the abovementioned waters. Some fishing gear (including snake cages and winches) on board was seized. Charges were laid against the six men involved.
      
     The six men, who were charged for breaching the Ordinance, pleaded guilty at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today and were fined $4,000 each, with the fishing gear confiscated.
      
     The spokesman said, "The Government is committed to combatting illegal fishing activities in Hong Kong waters. The AFCD will continue to step up patrols and take stringent enforcement action."
      
     Only a vessel registered under the Ordinance can be used for fishing in Hong Kong waters and only the fishing methods listed on its Certificate of Local Fishing Vessel Registration can be employed for fishing by the vessel. The conditions of Certificate of Registration of Local Fishing Vessel regarding cage traps indicates that any collapsible cage traps should not be connected in any way to another; or should not exceed five metres in any of its extended dimensions. Hence, fishing using snake cages is in breach of the registration conditions. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 and six months' imprisonment upon conviction.

    

     The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, embarked on a two-day visit to Shenzhen today (July 19) to better understand the latest developments in traffic and transport management, and the autonomous vehicles (AVs) there.
      
     In the morning, he called on member of the Party members group of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government Mr Zhang Liwei. They exchanged views on how to accelerate the interconnection of the transport networks of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), strengthen co-operation in promoting smart transport, and co-ordinate the regulations and benchmarks of AVs in the two cities.
      
     Mr Lam then called on the Chief of the Office of Port of Entry and Exit of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Mr Wang Gang. Mr Lam was updated on the planning and construction of the new Huanggang Port and exchanged views on further facilitating and enhancing cross-boundary traffic and transport at various boundary control points between Hong Kong and Shenzhen with Mr Wang.
      
     In the afternoon, Mr Lam visited the Shenzhen Transportation Operation Command Center, where he was briefed by Deputy Director General of the Transport Bureau of the Shenzhen Municipality (Ports Administration of Shenzhen Municipality) Mr Xu Wei. Mr Lam learned about the city's innovative traffic and transport management model and integrated traffic monitoring platform which have greatly enhanced the effectiveness of traffic operation and management, and reduced the workload of manual inspections through intelligent traffic management, thereby improving both road safety and alleviating the traffic congestion situation. 
      
     He then visited the headquarters of Huawei, a provider of information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices, in Shenzhen. Mr Lam toured an exhibition hall which showcased the company's digital transformation and was briefed by a Huawei representative on the functionalities and technological development of its integrated smart traffic control platform.
      
     "To meet the growing cross-boundary transport and mobility needs, facilitate deep integration within the GBA and promote coordinated regional economic development, it is necessary to further enhance the interconnection and interoperability of the transport network in the region. Shenzhen has valuable experience in smart mobility which Hong Kong should learn from and leverage on," Mr Lam said.
      
     The Transport Department (TD) commenced the Traffic and Transport Strategy Study (TTSS) in December 2021 to formulate a forward-looking long-term transport strategy. The TTSS includes exploring the promotion of development of AVs and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies in Hong Kong, with a view to paving the way for more flexible and intelligent traffic management in the future.
      
     "The TD has recently put forward four transport strategy concepts of the TTSS, including 'Promoting the Development of AVs', and will progressively take forward various pilot schemes next year, with a view to promulgating a Transport Strategy Blueprint in 2025, which aims to build a transport system that is reliable, safe, smart, environmentally friendly and highly efficient. We will suitably apply Shenzhen's experience in smart mobility in the light of the actual situation in Hong Kong to enhance our  Transport Strategy Blueprint," Mr Lam added.
      
     He will continue his visit to Shenzhen tomorrow (July 20) to learn more about the operation of AVs and the supporting facilities in various parts of Shenzhen.