The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (May 30) chaired the 21st meeting of the Commission on Children.
 
     At the meeting, members were updated by government representatives on the latest developments and the skeleton document of the Mandated Reporter Guide under the mandatory reporting regime for suspected child abuse cases. The Guide is being formulated by the professional consultative panels formed by representatives of the social welfare, education and healthcare sectors based on the case scenarios, questions and views collected from the relevant sectors. It aims to facilitate early identification, reporting and intervention of child abuse cases by mandated reporters to achieve the policy objective of child protection.
 
     In addition, members were briefed by the Child Fatality Review Panel on its sixth report. The report covers child death cases that took place within the period between 2019 and 2021 and reported to the Coroner's Court. It has been uploaded to the website of the Social Welfare Department (www.swd.gov.hk). Members offered views on the recommendations regarding preventive strategies, etc in the report in the hope of preventing avoidable child fatalities.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
 
     Please broadcast the following message as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:
 
     As the Standby Signal No.1 has been issued, the Marine Department reminds vessel owners, masters and persons-in-charge of vessels that they should take precautionary measures immediately and properly secure their vessels at safe locations.
 
     In case of an accident, a report should be made immediately to the Vessel Traffic Centre at 2233 7801.

     In two separate prosecution cases, two public rental housing (PRH) tenants were each sentenced to a 160-hour community service order and were fined $12,000 for refusing or neglecting to declare their domestic property ownership in Hong Kong. A spokesman for the Housing Department (HD) reminded residents of PRH estates to declare truthfully their income and assets today (May 30).

     The two PRH residents, living at Hing Wah (2) Estate and Chai Wan Estate respectively, both declared in their 2022 Income and Assets Declaration Forms that they did not have any domestic property ownership in Hong Kong. Subsequent investigations revealed that the resident living at Hing Wah (2) Estate was a joint owner of a domestic property in Cheung Sha Wan at the material time, while the resident living at Chai Wan Estate solely owned a domestic property in Chai Wan at the material time. Both of them were prosecuted for neglecting to furnish information specified in the declaration form, contrary to Section 27(a) of the Housing Ordinance. They were convicted in the Eastern Magistrates' Courts on May 28. Given the gravity of the offence and making reference to the community service orders suitability report, the two defendants were sentenced to 160 hours' community service order and were fined $12,000. The HD has already recovered the subject PRH flat in Chai Wan Estate and has issued a notice-to-quit to the PRH tenant living at Hing Wah (2) Estate to recover the subject PRH flat.
 
     The spokesman said that households living in PRH should complete their Income and Assets Declaration Forms accurately, as doing so provides the foundation for the assessment of rent and their eligibilities for continuing residence. Before furnishing particulars specified in the requisition required by the Hong Kong Housing Authority, households should read the content and completion guidelines of the Income and Assets Declaration Forms carefully and compute their income and assets in accordance with the methods specified. Otherwise, they may be prosecuted for making a false statement knowingly, contrary to Section 26(1)(a) of the Housing Ordinance (if convicted, the maximum penalty is a $50,000 fine and imprisonment for six months), or be prosecuted for neglecting to furnish information as specified in a declaration form, contrary to Section 27(a) of the Housing Ordinance (if convicted, the maximum penalty is a $25,000 fine and imprisonment for three months). The HD will take action to recover the undercharged rent incurred due to the inaccurate information furnished by the households or even recover their PRH units.

     The spokesman reiterated that the public in general recognises the HD's efforts in combating the abuse of PRH resources. The HD will continue to adopt multi-pronged and risk-based measures to combat tenancy abuse comprehensively. The HD will take decisive tenancy management and law enforcement actions against tenants who are found to have abused PRH and breached the tenancy agreement or relevant policies so as to ensure that the precious PRH resources are allocated to those most in need.

     The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) launched today (May 30) the Labelling Scheme for Buildings with 5G Indoor Coverage to encourage mobile network operators (MNOs) to enhance the network coverage of fifth generation (5G) mobile services in indoor areas of buildings, providing the public with more stable and high-speed mobile communications services.
 
     The Labelling Scheme aims to encourage collaboration between MNOs and building managers to install 5G communications facilities and enhance indoor mobile network coverage in the indoor common areas of buildings such as lobbies, lifts, carparks, shopping centres and basements. If a building has already installed 5G indoor base stations, a designated label (see Annex) can be posted at relevant locations as a certification of 5G network coverage, indicating that users can enjoy the advantages of high speed, low latency and massive capacity of 5G services in these indoor areas. At present, the four MNOs have registered over 600 buildings including residential, commercial and industrial buildings with OFCA. OFCA will regularly update the Databases for Broadcasting & Telecommunications Infrastructures to allow the public to check the list of registered buildings with indoor 5G equipment installed.
 
     "As 5G services continue to evolve, comprehensive 5G network coverage will not only satisfy the public's demand for high-speed and reliable mobile services, but also facilitate the development of various innovative and smart city applications in Hong Kong. We encourage more buildings to participate in the Labelling Scheme and collaborate with MNOs to enhance indoor mobile network coverage and capacity through installation of 5G base stations inside buildings, which will also enhance the overall image of the participating buildings," the OFCA spokesman said.
 
     Following the passage of the Telecommunications (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 in the Legislative Council after the third reading on February 21 this year, which implements the proposed initiative in the 2022 Policy Address to promote 5G development, specified new and redeveloped buildings (including commercial, industrial, residential and hotel buildings) will reserve appropriate space for MNOs to install and maintain mobile communications facilities. New government buildings and public housing estates will also follow the same arrangements to install mobile communications facilities. The relevant Code of Practice will require MNOs to install 5G communications facilities in indoor common areas as far as practicable. These arrangements will facilitate further expansion of mobile network coverage and capacity in Hong Kong.
 
     OFCA has set up a dedicated thematic webpage (www.ofca.gov.hk/Indoor5G/en) for the Labelling Scheme. Building managers interested in participating in the scheme may contact the MNOs or call OFCA's hotline (2961 6333) for enquiries.

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, led a delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, together with the delegation from the Guangdong Province led by the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Weizhong, and the Macao SAR delegation led by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR, Ms Ao Ieong U, participated in the Bay to Bay Dialogue between the California Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action in Berkeley, California, the United States (US), on May 29 (California time).

     The President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr Yang Wanming, the Governor of California, Mr Gavin Newsom, and a number of senior officials of California also participated in the two events. Representatives from the National Development and Reform Commission of China and representatives from various states in the US also attended the US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action.

     The Bay to Bay Dialogue between the California Bay Area and the GBA focuses on the co-operation between the GBA and the San Francisco Bay Area in various aspects. Mr Chan spoke at the first panel discussion session with the theme "Building Green and Low Carbon Bay Areas: Policy and Action" in the morning. He shared Hong Kong's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and the relevant low-carbon transformation policy measures adopted to achieve the goal, which includes using cleaner energy for electricity generation, using mass transportation, especially the railway system as the backbone for transport and urban development, energy savings and emission reduction in buildings, green buildings, and waste reduction. He also elaborated on the work and progress on how Hong Kong utilised its advantage as a financial centre to promote the matching of funds with green projects.

     Speaking at another session afterwards, Mr Chan said that the two bay areas are among the most affluent, technologically advanced and influential areas in the world. With the co-operation between the two bay areas, they will achieve growing influence and will be able to make proactive contribution to green development around the globe. He hoped that this dialogue event will mark the beginning of more extensive and deeper co-operation between the two places. Mr Chan also pointed out that apart from green development, Hong Kong, playing its unique role, can become an ideal location for the two bay areas to connect in terms of investment and businesses. 

     Mr Chan further added that leveraging the opportunities arising from this Bay to Bay Dialogue, three Letters of Intent and Memorandum of Understanding were signed between Hong Kong and partners in the San Francisco Bay Area, namely (1) a Letter of Intent on Collaboration signed between the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau with the California-China Climate Institute to strengthen collaboration on areas including carbon market development and sustainable finance; (2) the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Invest Hong Kong and the Bay Area Council of San Francisco of the US, which aims to facilitate exchanges in investment promotion, and green and sustainable development of the two places; and (3) a Letter of Intent on Collaboration signed between the Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality of the University of Hong Kong with the California-China Climate Institute to promote the nurturing of talent and youth exchanges and training.

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, also participated in a discussion session themed "Sharing Development Opportunities of the Bay Areas – Business and Investment" of the Bay to Bay Dialogue. He introduced the advantages and characteristics of the GBA in business and investment, as well as the huge opportunities therein. He emphasised that Hong Kong can play the unique role of "super connector" and "super value-adder", attracting enterprises from all around the world and assisting Mainland enterprises to go global. 

     In addition, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong Professor Gong Peng, participated in a discussion session themed "People to people Exchange for Mutual Understanding and Friendship" and expressed his views on promoting youth and educational exchanges between the two Bay Areas.

     In the afternoon, Mr Chan and members of the delegation attended the US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action. During the first round-table discussion session themed "Sustainable and Green Transition", he elaborated on Hong Kong's strategies and processes towards carbon neutrality, including the popularisation of electric vehicles and works carried out in the areas of green finance and green technology.

     The Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, also attended the session. He said that Hong Kong, as an international financial centre and the largest green and sustainable bond issuance centre in Asia, can lead international green capital to invest in green projects, green products and green technologies in both bay areas, thereby contributing to the green transformation of the economies of China, the United States and the world, and the work in combating climate change.

     The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, attended the round-table discussion session entitled "Clean Energy and Low Carbon Innovation" and "Local Climate Resilient Development". Mr Lam elaborated on the direction and measures taken by Hong Kong in promoting green shipping. Mr Lam noted that the country firmly supports Hong Kong's status as an international maritime centre as stated in the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline Development Plan for the GBA, and Hong Kong is one of the busiest ports in the world. Hong Kong focuses on green port, green fleet and green expertise, striving to promote green shipping. Promoting clean energy and low carbon solutions not only contribute to combating climate change, but also enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's maritime industry.

     During the roundtable discussion session on "Local Climate Resilient Development", the Commissioner for Climate Change, Mr Wong Chuen-fai, discussed the responses towards the increasingly frequent extreme weather events. 
 
     In the evening, the Hong Kong delegation had a dinner with representatives from the two bay areas and the business community who participated in the Bay to Bay Dialogue and the High-Level Event. Mr Chan pointed out that sincere co-operation between China and the US on climate change could generate significant synergies and bring about important positive impacts globally. He hopes to continue promoting communication and co-operation between the two bay areas in the future and consolidating mutual friendship.

     On May 30 (California time), Mr Chan will conduct the last day of his visit to California.