Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong 36th Anniversary Dinner and Community Awards today (June 7):
 
Josephine (Chair of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Ms Josephine Orgill), Mr Gareth Williams Consul-General (Consul-General of Australia to Hong Kong and Macao), Chamber members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to join you, tonight, for the Australian Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner. 

     And congratulations on turning 36 years old. It is, I can assure you, a very good year as I have earlier explained to Josephine. 

     The Australian Chamber of Commerce, over the years, has played a vital role in strengthening the deep and multifaceted ties, between Hong Kong and Australia.

     Through thick and thin, it has championed the interests of its 900 members and 240 companies, fostered invaluable commercial and cultural ties, and cemented Australia's reputation as a trusted partner in the region.

     Your annual awards, to be presented later this evening, is clear testimony to that. The awards honour excellency among Australian and Hong Kong businesses and individuals with ties to Australia – and in a diverse range of leadership areas.

     The Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, if I may add, is the largest Australian chamber outside of Australia. And, of course, the Chamber is an essential element, in one of the largest Australian communities abroad, with some 100,000 Australians living, studying and doing business here in Hong Kong.

     Each and every one of you, has been here alongside us, contributing to the success of Hong Kong's economy and community.

     With the free trade and investment agreements signed back in 2019 and came into effect, our services trade has ever been soaring, I'm pleased to tell you.

     In 2022, Australia was Hong Kong's 8th largest services partner, which saw a growth of nearly nine per cent in 2021, year on year, and an additional 10 per cent in 2022. 

     Under the unique "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong maintains unparalleled connectivity with both Mainland China and the rest of the world.

     We are bestowed with a free flow of information, capital, goods and people, and a low and simple tax regime. Our workforce is well-versed with both Chinese and English, as well as the practice of both Chinese and international businesses.

     We make it easier for Australian companies to do business in the Mainland, and we are blessed with opportunities right here in Hong Kong.

     We take a pivotal role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). With some 87 million consumers, the GBA is an integrating, cluster-city development that contributed to one-ninth of the GDP of China last year. It has become an important engine of growth of our country, the second-largest economy in the world, and offers boundless prospects for us all.

     We look forward to connecting Australian enterprises with the immense opportunities in the GBA . After all, connecting East and West through business, finance, trade and, increasingly, innovation and technology, is a long-standing Hong Kong strength, as you well know.

     In this regard, Hong Kong's early accession to RCEP, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, can only enrich opportunities between Hong Kong and Australia. 
 
     I am encouraged by the positive response to our accession bid from RCEP members and their respective business communities, including the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Thank you very much.

     And I count on the continuing support of prominent business leaders, such as your good selves, in enabling Hong Kong's early accession to RCEP.

     Ladies and gentlemen, many hands make light work. We will continue to join hands with Australian Chamber of Commerce, to forge an even stronger, more dynamic partnership in the years to come.

     My congratulations again to the Australian Chamber on its 36th anniversary, and to the winners and finalists of the Chamber's 2024 Community Awards.

     I wish you all a very enjoyable evening and the best of business and health, in a year of far-reaching promise for us all.

     Thank you.

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

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on next Wednesday (June 12) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, Rating (Amendment) Bill 2024 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debate on the Bill will be adjourned.
      
     On Government motion, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury will move a proposed resolution under the Banking Ordinance. The proposed resolution is set out in Appendix 1.
      
     On Members' motions, Mr Benson Luk will move a motion on pursuing the concept of "Tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong" and developing Hong Kong's mega event economy. The motion is set out in Appendix 2. Mr Yang Wing-kit, Mr Kenneth Lau, Mr Yiu Pak-leung, Mr Vincent Cheng, Mr Shiu Ka-fai and Mr Luk Chung-hung will move separate amendments to Mr Benson Luk's motion.
      
     Ms Lam So-wai will move a motion on reviewing Hong Kong's mental health policy. The motion is set out in Appendix 3. Ms Lillian Kwok, Mr Chan Pui-leung and Dr Hoey Simon Lee will move separate amendments to Ms Lam So-wai's motion.
      
     Mr Chan Han-pan will move a proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending subsidiary legislation. The proposed resolution is set out in Appendix 4.
      
     Members will also ask the Government 21 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
      
     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the "Webcast" system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.

     The launching ceremony of the Consular Protection Month co-hosted by the Immigration Department (ImmD) and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (OCMFA) was held today (June 7) at Hong Kong International Airport. As guests of honour, Deputy Commissioner of the OCMFA Mr Pan Yundong; ​the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; and the Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok, jointly officiated at the launching ceremony, marking the start of a series of publicity activities on consular protection.
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Pan said that over the past 27 years or so since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the Central Government has always upheld the notion of "the safety of Hong Kong people is no small matter; the interests of compatriots are extremely important" and has proactively protected the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong people overseas, benefitting them with the country's diplomatic achievements. During the Consular Protection Month, the OCMFA will work closely with the ImmD in organising a series of activities for Hong Kong people to better understand consular protection policies and work involving Hong Kong, and to enhance their awareness and capabilities regarding safety precautions.
 
     Mr Tang pointed out that consular protection has always been the strongest safeguard for Hong Kong people travelling abroad. With the full support of the OCMFA and the Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Missions, the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the ImmD strives to provide practicable assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong. He thanked the OCMFA and the Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Missions for sparing no effort in providing Hong Kong people with various support services, which fully demonstrates the country's care and concern for Hong Kong people.
 
     The Consular Protection Month starts in June, during which a series of publicity activities will be held to enhance public awareness of the consular protection provided by the country and outbound travel safety. The activities include the arrangements for roving exhibitions on consular protection; the launch of an online virtual exhibition as well as the release of a new edition of an animated video on consular protection and outbound travel safety; the participation in the travel expo, and the conduct of seminars on consular protection.
 
     For more information about the Consular Protection Month, please stay tuned to updates on the ImmD's Instagram account (www.instagram.com/hongkongimmigrationdept/) and Weibo account (weibo.com/u/7800183480). For information on consular protection and outbound travel safety, please browse the online virtual exhibition on consular protection and outbound travel safety at consularprotection-travelsafety-exhibition.hk, or scan the QR code in the Annex, or watch the animated video jointly produced by the ImmD and the OCMFA on the ImmD's official YouTube channel.

          

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (June 7) that open auctions for a total of 214 stalls in 28 public markets will be held in June.

     The retail commodities allowed for sale in these stalls cover cooked food, frozen meat, fresh meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, ready-to-eat food, food-related dry goods and wet goods, non-food related dry goods and wet goods, service trades (including manicures, beauty and Chinese medicine practitioners), siu mei and lo mei, etc. The tenancy agreement is a three-year fixed term from August 1, with no right of renewal upon expiry of the tenancy agreement. The upset prices of the monthly rent of the stalls vary depending on the sizes, locations and vacancy periods of the individual stalls. The upset prices for the stalls in an open auction will be initially fixed at 80 per cent of the open market rent (OMR) if the stalls have been vacant for over six months, and at 60 per cent of the OMR if the vacant period has been over eight months. Relevant information is available on the FEHD website.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "Bidders for the market stalls must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. To allow more people to bid for the stalls and increase customer choices by enhancing the diversity in terms of the variety of stalls, there will be a restriction on the number of stalls to be rented in the same market by a single tenant. Any person who is currently a stall tenant is not allowed to bid in the first round of auction for any stall in the same market, and will only be allowed to bid for one stall in the second round of auction. The existing tenants under the new three-year fixed term tenancy scheme (i.e. those persons who became stall tenants through the market open auctions after August 2022) are allowed to bid for a stall in the same market in the auction, but shall deliver vacant possession of the current stall to the FEHD before the effective date of commencement of the tenancy agreement. The terms and conditions of the auctions have been uploaded to the FEHD website, with details of qualifications of the bidders listed."

     The date of the auctions and the number of stalls are as follows:

Kowloon
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Auction date: June 17 (Monday) (am)
Number of stalls: 27

Hong Kong Island (except Aberdeen Market)
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Auction date: June 19 (Wednesday) (am)
Number of stalls: 77

Aberdeen Market
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Auction date: June 19 (Wednesday) (pm)
Number of stalls: 15

New Territories
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Auction date: June 21 (Friday)
Number of stalls: 95

     The New Territories auction will be held at Tung Cheong Street Community Hall, 1/F, Tai Po Tung Cheong Street Leisure Building, 25 Tung Cheong Street, Tai Po, New Territories. The remaining auctions will be held at Room 410, 4/F, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Nam Cheong Offices and Vehicle Depot, 87 Yen Chow Street West, Kowloon. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The admission tickets will be issued 30 minutes prior to the commencement of each auction. Persons who want to attend the auctions must wait at the waiting area of the auction venue and produce their Hong Kong identity card or passport for registration. The registered person will then be provided with an admission ticket for the auctions. In addition, eligible bidders after verification will be issued with a bidding paddle for the auction. The FEHD has also invited representatives of the Police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Competition Commission to monitor the auctions at the auction venue in order to ensure that the open auctions are conducted in an orderly and fair manner.

     Details of the open auctions and the public market stalls concerned (including stalls for open auction at reduced upset prices) have been uploaded to the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pleasant_environment/tidy_market/open_auction_coming.html). Bidders interested in the auctions may visit the department website or contact the respective District Environmental Hygiene Office.

     Hong Kong Customs arrested a person-in-charge of an electronic and computer products supplier yesterday (June 6), who was suspected of supplying external power banks with a false trade description, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     During a follow-up investigation of another case involving suspected violation of the Ordinance, Customs alleged that the actual electric capacity of three models of external power banks was inconsistent with what was claimed. 

     Afterwards, Customs officers sent three samples to an accredited laboratory for testing. The results revealed that the electric capacity of the three samples are 5250.4mAh, 5311.6mAh and 7599.2mAh, which is about 20 per cent to 30 per cent less than the claimed electric capacity.

     Customs officers then took enforcement action yesterday and arrested a man-in-charge, aged 35, of the supplier involved in the case.

     No potential safety risks have been detected in the three samples. The case is still under investigation. The arrested person has been released on bail pending further investigation, and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO. Also, consumers are reminded to purchase products from reputable shops and to have a clear knowledge of the product details before purchase.

     Under the TDO, any person who supplies goods with a false trade description in the course of trade or business, or is in possession of any goods for sale with a false trade description, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the TDO 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).