Author Archives: hksar gov

     A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) stated today (May 7) that the new measure of the Cooperation Agreement on the Supervision of Safety and Facilitation of Customs Clearance of Food Products Manufactured in Hong Kong Exported to the Mainland will commence on May 21. Upon meeting specific requirements, Hong Kong-manufactured food products with satisfactory on-site inspection of the Mainland Customs that are still required to go through sampling and testing can be released upon completion of sampling without waiting for the results.

     The Environment and Ecology Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) signed the Cooperation Agreement on November 27 last year. This agreement provides a facilitating arrangement for customs clearance for food products that meet relevant requirements, with the aim of shortening the time required for customs clearance, further enhancing the safety of local food products exported to the Mainland, facilitating trade, and promoting the development of the local food manufacturing industry. The CFS and the GACC have formulated the operational details of the Cooperation Agreement, such as the food testing requirements. The CFS will conduct special supervision on Hong Kong-manufactured food products exported to the Mainland to ensure compliance with relevant Mainland laws, regulations, and standards in food safety.

     “The Cooperation Agreement will aid the monitoring of food safety from the source for Hong Kong-manufactured food products exported to the Mainland, thus achieving the goal of customs clearance facilitation. Not only will this promote food trade between the Mainland and Hong Kong, particularly in the Greater Bay Area, but it will also deepen exchanges and co-operation in food safety monitoring between the Mainland and Hong Kong, fully implementing the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The smooth implementation of the new measure, the Advance Release Arrangement, is the result of joint efforts between the Government and the trade. The CFS has arranged briefings on details of the new measure for the local food trade,” the spokesman said.

     The Advance Release Arrangement will initially cover three major categories of food, namely (1) beverages and frozen drinks (excluding alcoholic and dairy beverages); (2) biscuits, pastries and bread; and (3) candies and chocolates (including chocolate, cocoa butter substitute chocolate and their products). The arrangement will be available at the ports under Shenzhen Customs and Gongbei Customs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, the export volume to the Mainland of relevant categories of domestic food products in 2023 was over 51.7 million kilograms with the value of approximately $2.84 billion, which accounted for approximately 56 per cent of the total value of all Hong Kong-manufactured food exports to the Mainland in the same year and about 11 per cent of the total value of all domestic goods exported to the Mainland.

     Under the new measure, a local food manufacturer who wishes to participate needs to apply with the CFS for the Advance Release Permission. After assessing the eligibility of the manufacturer, the CFS will grant an Advance Release Permission to the eligible food manufacturers. Relevant requirements include: the food manufacturer holds a valid food factory licence issued by the FEHD; food products must be manufactured in the food factory specified in the licence; a food safety management system with relevant certification (that is ISO 22000 or HACCP certification) is in place in the food factory concerned; the national standards and laws of Mainland China must be complied with. The food manufacturer should then apply with the CFS for a Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin or a Food Inspection Certificate for each consignment of food products exported to the Mainland. Furthermore, each consignment of food products must be accompanied by a Certificate of Hong Kong Origin – CEPA.

     Details of the new measure, including the application form and relevant guidelines, have been uploaded to the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk). The CFS will continue to maintain close communication with the trade and provide appropriate support.

    

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited relating to a fraudulent website and a social media page, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.

     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
 
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website or social media page concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012. read more

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, at a media session after attending the opening of the Global Talent Summit · Hong Kong organised by Hong Kong Talent Engage this morning (May 7):

Reporter: What kind of specialties or industries are the 120 000 people under the various talent admission schemes from? How many of them are from the Mainland? How would the Government further improve Hong Kong’s competitiveness to attract talent?

Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Over the past one and a half years, various talent admission schemes have attracted around 120 000 talents who have already arrived here in Hong Kong. In terms of visas approved, it is 180 000. Of these, 120 000 talents have already arrived. More than 50 000 came to Hong Kong under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS). We have just conducted a first-round survey, asking questions and getting information from people coming to Hong Kong under the TTPS. Around one-third are engaged in the finance industry, around 18 per cent in innovation and the information technology industry. Again, around 17 per cent are engaged in commerce. Their average salaries for those coming to Hong Kong under the TTPS is around $50,000. That’s a lot more than the median pay of Hong Kong wage earners. About a quarter are earning more than $100,000 a month and about 10 per cent are earning more than $200,000 a month.

     We have achieved quite a lot in the past one and a half years. We will keep on our good effort. We want to make use of this very good start to project Hong Kong and make sure that Hong Kong remains the talent hub in this part of the world. We are going to make good use of the various schemes to attract talent to Hong Kong to help grow our economy and drive the very growth of Hong Kong in various areas.

Reporter: How would the Government attract talent from, as you said, Southeast Asia and Europe other than from the Mainland?

Secretary for Labour and Welfare: The first thing we have to do is to increase their awareness. We have a lot of information available online, but we also believe it is important for us to go there to conduct a lot of face-to-face meetings and also sessions, so that we can disseminate all the information about Hong Kong to them. We are very sure that once we have let them know all the growth prospects and all the very exciting opportunities here in Hong Kong, a lot of talent in Southeast Asia as well as Europe will be thinking about Hong Kong and they will really give Hong Kong a good shot. Thank you very much.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

            

     The inaugural Chinese Culture Festival (CCF), organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will stage the award-winning dance drama “Five Stars Rising in the East” by the Beijing Dance Drama and Opera as the opening programme in early June. Centering on a cultural relic, the dance drama ingeniously merges Chinese aesthetics and the flavour of Western regions through innovative dance languages. The troupe takes the profound cultural connotation of the precious relic – an ancient brocade armguard – and 1 000 years of exchanges and integration of Chinese culture that shine on stage, demonstrating a deeper sense of cultural confidence.

     The dance drama was inspired by a piece of a Han dynasty brocade armguard unearthed in 1995 from an archaeological tomb at the Niya cultural relics site in Hotan Prefecture, at the ancient Silk Roads in Xinjiang. It is embroidered with Chinese characters in seal script that literally translate as “five stars rising in the East are auspicious signs for the Central Plain”. The colours of the brocade are still bright after thousands of years, and it is now a National Class One Cultural Relic.

     The dance drama begins with the discovery of the brocade armguard at the archaeological site, as if a door to the past has been opened from the golden sand that tells the story behind the brocade; a Han dynasty general stationed at the Western border, Feng, and the son of the leader of the Northern State, Jiante, get caught in a sandstorm. They are rescued by a monk who brings them into the ancient city of Jingjue, where they meet Chunjun, the daughter of the city leader. Despite an initial animosity that leads to conflicts, the three eventually form a deep friendship. The brocade armguard that Feng left behind serves as a reminder of his duties to his land, and bears witness to his friendship with the people of the Western regions. It represents an ideal that all ethnic groups “cluster together like pomegranate seeds”, forming a sense of community for Chinese nation.

     The innovative approach of the dance choreography in this production has incorporated various types of dances that showcase the colourful ethnic cultures. For example, the lantern dance in Jingjue city is infused with the Western regions’ style. The group dance in the market is a mix of modern and tap dance, while the excerpt “Embroidery” is presented in a Han-Tang style classical dance. With distinctive characters, compact plot lines, as well as humorous styles, the dance drama has been performed nearly 100 times since its premiere in 2021, and has won the 16th Five One Project Award and the 17th Wenhua Grand Award. Excerpts such as “Embroidery”, “Lantern Dance” and “Market Dance” were featured in a number of programmes on the Mainland, including last year’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala, and has received high acclaim.

     Established in 1978, the Beijing Dance Drama and Opera is under the Beijing Performance and Arts Group as one of its nine performing arts companies. It is also the only professional performing group that specialises in song and dance performances under the administration of the Beijing Municipal Government. It has produced many award-winning productions including dance dramas “The Way to the Sky” and “Five Stars Rising in the East”. It has also been invited to participate in various cultural exchange events and other large-scale performing activities at home and abroad, and has performed in more than 30 countries and regions.

     The dance drama “Five Stars Rising in the East” by the Beijing Dance Drama and Opera will be held at 8pm on June 7 and 8 (Friday and Saturday) at the Auditorium of Sha Tin Town Hall. Tickets priced at $200, $280, $380 and $480 are available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) and the Xiqu Centre Ticket Office. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7323 or visit www.ccf.gov.hk/en/programme/opening-programme-dance-drama-five-stars-rising-in-the-east/.

     In conjunction with the grand opening of the CCF, the “Encountering Chinese Culture” carnival will be organised on June 9 (Sunday) at 2pm at the Plaza and Foyer of Sha Tin Town Hall and the Entrance Arena at L1, Phase 1 of the New Town Plaza. Alongside stage performances with Chinese cultural characteristics, a “Library-on-Wheels”, inspiring cultural booths, a concert featuring Chinese music and more will be presented for all to experience the colourful Chinese culture and arts at close range. In addition, “Glowing Beauties – A Photo Exhibition on Ethnic Costumes” will be held from May 29 to June 9 at the Foyer and Exhibition Gallery of Sha Tin Town Hall. The exhibition will feature the photos of the brocade armguard behind the dance drama “Five Stars Rising in the East” and costume photos of China’s 56 ethnic groups. Members of the public can learn more about their distinctive cultural practices, costumes and traditional ways of life. Admission is free for the two above-mentioned special events. Members of the public are welcome to join on the spot. For details, please visit the CCF website www.ccf.gov.hk.
 
     The programme “Five Stars Rising in the East” will also feature a session under the “Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series”. An open rehearsal of the dance drama will be held at 2.15pm on June 7 at the Auditorium of Sha Tin Town Hall with free admission for local primary and secondary school students to encourage them to participate in cultural activities and experience the wonders of Chinese culture and arts. Interested schools can call 2268 7323 for details.

     The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the LCSD’s Chinese Culture Promotion Office, aims to enhance the public’s appreciation of Chinese culture and cultivate citizens’ national identity and cultural confidence. The inaugural CCF will be held from June to September. Through different performing arts programmes in various forms and related extension activities, including selected programmes of the Chinese Opera Festival, exemplary local arts projects recognised by the China National Arts Fund, performing arts programmes from arts and cultural organisations, film screenings, exhibitions, talks and more, the festival allows members of the public and visitors to experience the broad and profound Chinese culture with a view to promoting Chinese culture and patriotic education as well as enhancing national identity amongst the people of Hong Kong, making contributions to the steadfast and successful implementation of “one country, two systems”. Please visit the above-mentioned CCF website for details.

     The LCSD has long promoted Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.

                    

     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, will lead a delegation of Hong Kong higher education institutions to visit Beijing from tomorrow (May 8) to May 10.
 
     Members of the delegation include the Permanent Secretary for Education, Ms Michelle Li; the Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC), Mr Tim Lui; the Chairman of the Research Grants Council, Professor Timothy Tong; the Chairman of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education, Dr Alex Chan; and presidents or representatives of eight UGC-funded universities, 13 degree-awarding self-financing post-secondary institutions and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
 
     The delegation will call on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, visit an institution and an enterprise related to scientific research, and conduct exchange activities at a local university.
 
     Dr Choi will attend the closing ceremony of a Mainland study tour for Hong Kong’s promoted teachers held at the National Academy of Education Administration on May 11, and return to Hong Kong on the afternoon.
 
     During her absence, the Under Secretary for Education, Mr Sze Chun-fai, will be the Acting Secretary for Education. read more