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     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for a visit to Paris, France, this evening (May 22) to attend the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Europe (France) Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference, jointly organised by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government and the Macao SAR Government to promote the enormous business opportunities brought by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the European business community, and Hong Kong’s unique role and function as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”.
 
     During his stay in France, Mr Chan will meet with members of the local political and business community and financial sectors, to share with them the latest updates of Hong Kong, and the business advantages and development opportunities offered by Hong Kong. He will also visit a number of enterprises to explore the initiation of business ventures and project collaborations in Hong Kong.
 
     After his visit to France, Mr Chan will depart for San Francisco and Berkeley in California, the United States (US), on May 27. He will lead a delegation of the Hong Kong SAR Government, together with the delegations from the Guangdong Province and the Macao SAR, to take part in the Bay to Bay Dialogue between the California Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on May 29, and the US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action on May 29 and 30. Members of the Hong Kong SAR delegation include the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung; the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan; the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ms Maisie Chan; the Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau; and the Commissioner for Climate Change, Mr Wong Chuen-fai, as well as representatives from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Cyberport, the University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
 
     During his stay in the US, Mr Chan will also attend a business luncheon co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco and the Bay Area Council, a business association in San Francisco, the US, to brief the local business community as well as innovation and technology sector the latest developments of and business opportunities in Hong Kong. Moreover, he will meet with representatives of the local political and business circles and visit enterprises.
 
     Mr Chan will depart for Hong Kong from San Francisco on May 31 and arrive in Hong Kong in the morning of June 1. During his absence, the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will be the Acting Financial Secretary. During the absence of Mr Yau, the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, will be the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development. The Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Liu Chun-san, will be the Acting Secretary for Transport and Logistics during Mr Lam’s absence. read more

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

     Result of the tenders of the People’s Bank of China RMB Bills held on May 22, 2024:
     

     Following is the speech (translated from Chinese) by the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, in presenting the Government Minute in response to Report No. 81 of the Public Accounts Committee in the Legislative Council today (May 22):
 
President,
 
     Laid on the table today is the Government Minute (GM) responding to Report No. 81 of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) presented to the Legislative Council on February 21, 2024.
 
     I welcome the Report of the PAC and am grateful for the time and efforts devoted by the Chairman of the PAC, Hon Shiu Ka-fai, and members of the PAC. The Government accepts the PAC’s various recommendations and sets out in detail in the GM the specific responses of the relevant bureau and departments (B/Ds). The PAC conducted public hearings on the chapters on “Licensing of food premises” and “Maintenance and modernisation of lifts and escalators in public rental housing estates”. I would like to highlight the key measures taken and progress made by the Government and relevant organisations in response to the recommendations.

Licensing of food premises
 
     Regarding the work on licensing for food premises, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has taken various measures to actively implement the recommendations raised by the PAC and the Audit Commission, with a view to enhancing the licensing procedures, improving work efficiency, and facilitating compliance with relevant requirements by all parties. 

     Regarding the processing of applications for new food business licences, the FEHD has set up a working group with relevant departments to expedite the implementation of an electronic referral system, to enhance the efficiency of departmental consultation. The departments are expected to enhance their communications and start referring applications electronically from the second quarter of this year. The FEHD has also strengthened communication with licence applicants to confirm early whether an Application Vetting Panel meeting is necessary in respect of their licence application so as to make suitable arrangements. Applicants can also check the application progress through the Online Licence Services system of the FEHD. 

     Regarding the information system, the FEHD has enhanced its Licence Management Information System (LMIS) such that it can automatically record the key timestamps of the application process for directly calculating the processing time and issuing email alerts to remind frontline staff when their cases are approaching the deadlines of performance pledges. The LMIS 3 is scheduled to be rolled out in 2025 to improve work efficiency by making use of the business process management system to monitor the processing of existing licences and permits, including renewal and transfer cases. Starting from the second quarter of 2024, the FEHD will issue all food business licences or permits through electronic means for further convenience and benefits to the trade and society.
 
     In terms of performance reporting, the FEHD has reviewed the calculation method of processing time for food business licence applications since this year, including using the time of approval as the calculation basis, to include cases which straddled over different years in the calculation, etc in order to reflect the situation more comprehensively and accurately. The FEHD will continue to enhance internal operational guidelines and strengthen staff training, by requesting frontline staff to follow departmental guidelines in processing licence or permit applications and to provide timely reports on case progress to their supervisors.

     In addition to the above measures, the FEHD will continue to optimise the food business licensing regime. The FEHD introduced the Professional Certification System with a “licence first, inspection later” approach earlier to shorten the licence processing time, and has further expanded its scope to cover general restaurants since February 2024, in addition to light refreshment restaurants and food factories. Furthermore, the FEHD extensively relaxed the restrictions on food items sold by light refreshment restaurants in 2023. These measures are welcomed by the trade. The FEHD will maintain close communication with the trade and roll out new measures in a timely manner to keep the licensing regime abreast of the times. 

Maintenance and modernisation of lifts and escalators in public rental housing estates
 
     In response to the recommendations made by the PAC, the Housing Department (HD) has reviewed the existing three-tier monitoring mechanism adopted for the maintenance of lifts and escalators (L/E) in Public Rental Housing estates and arranged different teams of staff to carry out lift surprise checks and half-yearly inspections in parallel, so as to minimise the frequency of suspension of lift services. In addition, in order to facilitate early identification of areas requiring attention or rectification in lift maintenance, the Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2023 to jointly explore the application of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Predictive Maintenance System for lifts, which would leverage Internet of Things data to predict the lift breakdown patterns for carrying out preventive maintenance. ASTRI commenced the study of the said AI application in March 2024. The HD will work closely with ASTRI and assess the effectiveness of the AI system.
 
     Apart from the monitoring of lift performance, the HD has stepped up efforts in monitoring maintenance records and reports prepared by the L/E contractors. The HD has provided clear guidelines on checking of the maintenance frequency of all main items against those stated in the maintenance schedule. With the HD’s close monitoring, the contractors have submitted all the quarterly inspection reports duly signed by Registered L/E Engineers since the third quarter of 2023. Besides, the HD will enhance the existing information technology (IT) system to facilitate the monitoring of submission of quarterly inspection reports by the contractors. 

     The Lift Modernisation (LM) Programme calls for a complete replacement of the lift installation. The HD has reviewed the scope of LM works and will further discuss with the Lift and Escalator Contractors Association to review the LM project management, work procedures, affordability of the industry, etc with a view to expediting the implementation of LM works without compromising safety. The HD will also strive to shorten the shut down period of lifts by exploring other measures like partial LM and to require contractors to resume lift services within two weeks after obtaining the use permits. 

     Regarding the assessment of lifts aged 25 years or above for inclusion to the LM Programme, the HD has implemented an automated reminder system for project staff to conduct assessment and submit the evaluation reports in a timely manner.  With a view to speeding up the workflow of the assessment exercise, the HD has digitalised the assessment form and recorded the lift evaluation in an IT system. Starting from the first quarter of 2024, staff can directly input the data and generate scores in the system. In addition, the HD has recorded all justifications clearly for determining the priority of lift replacement works under the LM Programme to better demonstrate that the decision of the relevant Technical Assessment Committee has proper basis.

     With regard to other safety enhancement measures for L/E, the enhancement works for all prioritised lifts have been proceeded as scheduled. The HD will ensure that such works could be completed by 2031-32 as planned. The HD has also reviewed the project management of lift safety enhancement works and taken measures to shorten the shut down period of lifts. As for the overhaul of escalators, the HD had already revised its instructions in 2018 and all escalators, except newly handed-over escalators which are not yet required to undergo overhaul, have been overhauled in accordance with the HD’s instructions. 

     President, I would like to thank the PAC again for its efforts and suggestions. The B/Ds concerned will strictly adhere to their responses and implement improvement measures as set out in the GM. 

     Thank you, President. read more

     â€‹Following is a question by the Hon Kingsley Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, in the Legislative Council today (May 22):

Question:

     Many members of the public consider that the “Canton-Hong Kong Strike”, which broke out in 1925, is a world’s astonishing patriotic movement against imperialism. During the 16 months of the movement, over 200 000 people in Hong Kong joined the strike, representing about a quarter of the population at that time. As the movement not only aroused the sense of national identity and patriotic love of Chinese people, but also forced the British Hong Kong Government to adjust its governing policy with reduced discrimination and oppression against Chinese people in Hong Kong, it is an important teaching resource for promoting the spirit of patriotism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that next year marks the 100th anniversary of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike, whether the Working Group on Patriotic Education under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee will launch patriotic education activities for commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike in order to stimulate patriotic love and cohesiveness in society; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) given that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has established the Chinese Culture Promotion Office (CCPO) to coordinate, plan and implement programmes to promote Chinese culture and history, whether the CCPO will organize an exhibition or a special exhibition for commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as it is learnt that many members of the public consider that the Government has not attached importance to major historical events in Hong Kong’s patriotic labour movement, such as the “Seamen’s Strike” and “Uprising of the Two Airlines”, whether the Government will strengthen the promotion of the spirit of patriotism as enshrined in the relevant events and step up its publicity and education efforts in the future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Kingsley Wong is as follows:

     The Chief Executive announced in the Policy Address last year that patriotic education would be rolled out and be integrated into our education system, and a Working Group on Patriotic Education (Working Group) would be established under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee led by the Chief Secretary for Administration.

     The Working Group was established on April 8 this year. Its membership comprised the relevant Director of Bureaux and Heads of Departments, as well as representatives from relevant sectors of society. Four sub-groups were set up under the Working Group, namely School Education Sub-group, Local Community Sub-group, History, Politics, Economy and Culture Sub-group, and Media Publicity Sub-group to research on, recommend and coordinate for the introduction of different policy measures relating to patriotic education.

     The Working Group held its first meeting on April 29, setting down a clear objective: to make patriotism with affection to our country and Hong Kong a mainstream core value in Hong Kong, with a view to enabling the spirit of patriotism to take root in society and people’s heart, such that members of the public would proactively and consciously safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. The Working Group has also set a clear direction, that is on one hand to dovetail with the Patriotic Education Law of the People’s Republic of China, while at the same time adjust suitably having regard to the actual circumstances in Hong Kong. The Working Group will tender advice on policy measures for effectively promoting patriotic education.

     Patriotic education is rich in content, covering various aspects including history, culture, traditions, and symbols and signs of our country. In examining the overall strategy and specific initiatives for rolling out patriotic education, the Working Group will holistically consider all relevant factors including the historical and cultural connotations and values of each of the projects as well as their symbolic meaning, rally efforts of the HKSAR Government and the community, and adopt suitable approaches and channels for taking forward related work, so as to deepen the understanding of the public on the history, culture, development and remarkable achievements of our country, thereby strengthening their awareness and sense of patriotism.

     The Working Group is inviting all sectors of the community to offer their valuable suggestions on how to promote patriotic education. We also note the suggestion of promoting the history of patriotic labour movement in Hong Kong. The Working Group will, in due course, consolidate the views and suggestions collected, to give comprehensive consideration and make specific recommendations.

     Regarding the suggestion to organise an exhibition for commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is exploring the feasibility of the suggestion, which includes collaborating with cultural institutions and museums on the Mainland to enrich the related exhibits and historical information. Besides, the LCSD is also planning to organise public and education programmes, such as talks, next year to enhance public understanding of the history of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike. read more

     Following is a question by Professor the Hon William Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (May 22):

Question:

     The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) puts forward developing an education and talents hub, and supporting higher education institutions from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in jointly operating education institutions as well as the development of GBA into an international demonstration zone for education. On the other hand, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Hong Kong Baptist University have established campuses in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai respectively. It is learnt that given the diversified collaboration between the Hong Kong and Mainland campuses of these universities, there is a need for teaching and research staff as well as students of the Mainland campuses to visit the Hong Kong campuses frequently. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as it is learnt that while the aforesaid students of the Mainland campuses may take programmes co-organised by the Mainland and Hong Kong campuses, which generally require them to attend classes in Hong Kong for two or more days a week, those students can hardly attend all classes in Hong Kong as they are ineligible for applying student visas, coupled with the fact that students not taking co-‍organised programmes may also need to come to Hong Kong to participate in academic activities such as talks or seminars, whether the authorities will issue the students in need with special student visas; and

(2) given that while professors as well as research and development personnel of the Mainland campuses can apply for “exit endorsement for talents” and stay in Hong Kong for a maximum duration of 30 ‍days for each visit, foreign teaching and research staff are ineligible for applying the exit endorsement, whether the authorities can discuss with the relevant Mainland authorities the expansion of application of the exit endorsement to cover foreign teaching and research staff or issue them with special work visas, so as to facilitate their teaching, research and academic exchange work in Hong Kong?

Reply:

President,

     Hong Kong’s post-secondary education sector has been fully leveraging the institutional advantages of enjoying strong support of the Motherland and being closely connected to the world under “one country, two systems”, and actively serving the country’s needs by contributing Hong Kong’s strengths. To fully seize the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the Government supports Hong Kong’s higher education institutions capitalising on the characteristics and strengths of Hong Kong through the establishment of multilateral and cross-disciplinary partnerships in the Mainland cities of the GBA, so as to create favourable conditions for research development, knowledge transfer and industrialisation, thereby promoting research activities of a high academic standard in the GBA. Meanwhile, the Government will continue to actively participate in and promote higher education co-operation in the GBA. We will assist Hong Kong’s higher education institutions in exploring more flexible and innovative operation models to promote closer collaboration with their campuses in the Mainland cities of the GBA and facilitate the flow of faculty members and students, with a view to nurturing outstanding talent for the country’s development through close collaboration between the Hong Kong and Mainland campuses in teaching and research. Apart from Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), which have established their presence in the GBA, the establishment of City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) was also approved in April this year for an official opening in September this year.

     After our consultation with the Security Bureau and the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, our consolidated reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon William Wong is as follows:

(1) With the full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland, Hong Kong’s higher education institutions have actively strengthened the exchanges and interactions among the faculty members and students of the Hong Kong and Mainland campuses, and launched various joint programmes to enrich the learning experience of students from both campuses.

     Under the prevailing requirements, a person who takes up studies in a full-time locally-accredited post-secondary programme (including eligible short-term courses) or part-time locally-accredited taught postgraduate local programme may apply to the Immigration Department (ImmD) for a visa/entry permit to enter the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for study, while locally-accredited post-secondary programmes refer to programmes leading to degrees awarded by local degree-awarding institutions. Moreover, a student who is admitted on exchange in full-time locally-accredited local programmes at sub-degree level for not more than six months or exchange in full-time locally-accredited local or non-local programmes at undergraduate or above level for not more than one year may also make an application. If any joint programmes offered by an institution meet the above requirements, students concerned may submit an application under the mechanism.

     The HKSAR Government will continue to liaise closely with the relevant higher education institutions and assist them in maintaining communication with the relevant departments and the Mainland authorities on the immigration arrangements for the relevant students.

(2) The HKSAR Government has been actively attracting and retaining talent, and will continue to assist Hong Kong’s higher education institutions in discussing with the relevant Mainland authorities the arrangements for facilitating the travel of relevant expatriates between the Hong Kong and Mainland campuses under the education collaboration framework, with a view to further promoting the interactions and exchanges of talent in the GBA, and building a high-level talent cluster in the GBA.

     In order to promote the development of relevant sectors and raise Hong Kong’s international profile, the HKSAR Government launched the Pilot Scheme on Immigration Facilitation for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors in June 2022 (the Pilot Scheme), providing immigration facilitation for visitors participating in short-term activities in designated sectors in Hong Kong. Organisations authorised by the relevant bureaux or departments of the HKSAR Government can issue invitation letters to relevant non-local talents in their sectors. Invited persons may come to Hong Kong to participate in specified short-term activities as visitors and receive remuneration without the need to apply for employment visas from the ImmD. The duration of participation in specified short-term activities is up to 14 consecutive calendar days (counting from the day when the eligible visitors start to participate in such activities). The authorised organisations in the Higher Education sector under the Pilot Scheme include the University Grants Committee-funded universities named in the question, and the short-term activities covered include attending conferences, seminars, academic workshops, guest lectures, educational activities, as well as conducting surveys and research. If invited by authorised organisations to participate in designated short-term activities under the Pilot Scheme, foreign teaching and research staff working on the Mainland can also enjoy the facilitation of not having to apply for employment visas. Relevant institutions can continue to make good use of the Pilot Scheme to provide facilitation for foreign teaching and research staff to engage in specified short-term activities in Hong Kong. For details, please refer to the ImmD’s website: www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/stv.html.

     The HKSAR Government will continue to facilitate the pooling of various types of talent, including teaching and research personnel, for exchanges in Hong Kong, especially the two-way flow of talent between Hong Kong and the Mainland, and review the relevant polices in a timely manner. read more