The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:

     The counting of votes in 452 constituencies of the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election was completed smoothly at 12.25pm today (November 25).

     The counting of about 2,940,000 ballot papers was completed in about 13 hours after polling ended last night (November 24).

     "In general, the poll and the count were completed smoothly thanks to the tolerance and patience of Hong Kong citizens," the Chairman of the Commission, Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah, said after the announcement of all election results.

     The Commission will review various electoral arrangements. A report will be submitted to the Chief Executive within the next three months.

     The District Council election was completed smoothly under very difficult situations. Unprecedented challenges have been met. The EAC is very thankful to the Hong Kong Government, especially the Crisis Management Committee which includes the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Fire Services Department, the Civil Aid Service, the Transport Department, the Home Affairs Department, the Information Services Department and the Department of Justice, for its support. Also, the Correctional Services Department and other law enforcement agencies made arrangements needed for the holding of the election.

     The Commission also thanked the Registration and Electoral Office and polling and counting staff. There were many polling stations and counting stations, which involved a large amount of resources and manpower. Training for colleagues with little election-related work experience had to be enhanced to cope with the great workload. The Commission also thanked all the electors for voting, and the candidates and their agents for their co-operation, so that the voting and counting could be conducted in an open, fair and honest manner.

     The Government's latest Yearbook, "Hong Kong 2018", went on sale today (November 25).

     The book presents a thorough review of the calendar year just past and gives extensive accounts of government policy, activities and developments in the city, with detailed statistics supplying the facts of Hong Kong life over the year.

     The cover of this edition is adorned with a panoramic photograph of the 55-kilometre Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. This significant infrastructure strategically linking the three places opened in October 2018 and is set to boost the flow of people, goods and capital.

     The 22 chapters cover Hong Kong's constitution, legal system, economy and financial affairs, housing, innovation and technology, health and transport, along with many other topics.

     There are also 12 photo sections containing more than 120 pictures of events, people and places in Hong Kong. On the inside back cover is a map of major transport infrastructure in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, showing how Hong Kong is connected to other cities in the Bay Area.

     The standard price of "Hong Kong 2018" is $270. Early buyers can enjoy a 25 per cent discount, with the price reduced to $202.50 from now until December 24, 2019.

     The Yearbook is available at the Information Services Department's Publications Sales Unit at Room 626, 6/F, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point. It can also be bought through the Online Government Bookstore (www.bookstore.gov.hk) and by:
 

• calling the Publications Sales Unit on 2537 1910;
• downloading an order form from the department's website at www.isd.gov.hk and submitting the form online or by fax to 2523 7195; or
• emailing puborder@isd.gov.hk.

     â€‹The early-buyer discount applies to all sales channels.

  

     Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, at the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) Technovation Summit 2019 today (November 25):
 
Sunny (Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Sunny Lee), Dr Lam (Chairman of the Elderly Commission, Dr Lam Ching-choi), Hugh (Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, Mr Hugh Chow), distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning. Welcome to Hong Kong Science Park. Welcome to ASTRI. I would like to first congratulate Sunny Lee for succeeding M Y Wong as the new Chairman of ASTRI. Sunny has served on the ASTRI Board for seven years. He will be taking over leadership with great experience. Another note is that we have two Sunnys now at Science Park, one is Sunny Chai who is the Chairman of HKSTPC and then of course Sunny Lee. Hopefully there will be lots of sunshine here.
      
     It is a great pleasure to join you all today at the ASTRI Technovation Summit. ASTRI has selected "Smart Future for All" as the theme of this year's event. Indeed, Hong Kong people do embrace the changes brought by digital transformation, which is the key to shape our future, make our lives smarter and also better.
      
     Two years ago, the Government published the first-ever Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong, putting forth more than 70 concrete and specific initiatives to improve Hong Kong people's quality of living while promoting economic growth. We have seen many major developments since then. For instance, the launch of the Faster Payment System in September 2018, and the adoption of various smart solutions at the Hong Kong International Airport. I am happy to share with you today that we are in the process of preparing the Smart City Blueprint 2.0, which will include many new initiatives, and shall be ready for release in the first half of coming year.
      
     In realising our vision to build a Smart Hong Kong, applied research plays an important role in transferring the latest technologies to practical use. Over the years, ASTRI has made significant contributions in our smart city development, bringing innovation and technology closer to our daily living, and benefitting Hong Kong as a whole.
      
     Let me cite a few examples of ASTRI's achievements. On Smart Mobility, ASTRI has been developing its proprietary C-V2X technology, through which vehicles can communicate with each other and with pedestrians and roadside infrastructure to enhance road safety. ASTRI has also been actively engaging in the research and development of 5G technologies. Apart from developing 5G application platforms to enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness, ASTRI is the first and the only Hong Kong institution participating in the international 5G standardisation meetings, demonstrating its leadership position in 5G development.
      
     On Smart Economy, ASTRI's Fintech initiatives have been well-received by Hong Kong's banking sector. Its AI-enabled Chinese handwriting recognition and optical character recognition automatic form processing system, together with its Cantonese-supporting mixed languages chatbot, have helped financial services providers improve their services. In addition, ASTRI has created Hong Kong's first property-purchase blockchain platform, which helps save time and resources in real estate property transactions.
      
     On Smart Living, ASTRI has developed a smart analytics platform for utilities applications such as smart water management, which helps to reduce water wastage.
      
     On a separate front, Hong Kong is moving full speed ahead with the establishment of two world-class research clusters, one focusing on healthcare technologies and the other on AI and robotics technologies, right here at Science Park. Over 60 proposals have been received from the best of the best in the global research community. The two research clusters are expected to be set up progressively in the coming months, and we will also examine the setting up of a third research cluster to further enhance global research collaboration in Hong Kong. I am sure ASTRI will actively participate in these world-class research clusters.
      
     Today, Hong Kong is facing big challenges from the global trade war and internal social unrest. Yet, the Government remains fully committed to developing innovation and technology here in Hong Kong, using I&T as a key economic and social driver to help improve our citizens' daily lives and diversify our economy. We should never lose faith and I am confident that we will overcome our current challenges.
      
     In closing, I wish today's Summit every success, and all the guests and participants a most rewarding and enjoyable day.  Thank you very much!

     Following are the latest results of the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election as at 12.40pm today (November 25):

District: Kwun Tong
———————-
                                                                           No. of
                                                                           votes
Constituency             Candidates                            obtained
—————            ————-                           ———

Lam Tin                     Kan Ming Tung                       4,080*

                                Fung Tak Sum                        4,030

* elected

     In response to the sixth District Council election held yesterday (November 24), the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (November 25) issued the following statement:

     A total of about 2.94 million registered electors cast their votes in the 2019 District Council election yesterday, representing a record high cumulative turnout rate of about 71.2 per cent. It shows that voters hoped to express their views through this election. I sincerely thank the public for their active participation in the District Council election.
 
     This District Council election was conducted in very difficult circumstances due to the social incidents of recent months. I thank all candidates for their participation despite the challenges. The District Councils are an important component of our political system. Apart from reflecting views from the districts to the Government and contributing to the development of the communities, they also play a positive role in monitoring the provision of public services in the districts. With the sixth-term District Councils assuming office on January 1, 2020, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will strengthen co-operation with the District Councils to solve district problems which are of concern to the public. I would also like to thank the outgoing District Council members, many of whom have served in the relevant districts for many years and made tremendous contributions to the improvement of residents' lives.

     In general, the election yesterday was held in a peaceful, safe and orderly manner. After the social unrest in the past five months, I firmly believe that the vast majority of the public would share my wish for the peaceful, safe and orderly situation to continue.
 
     The HKSAR Government respects the election results. There are various analyses and interpretations in the community in relation to the results, and quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people's dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society. The HKSAR Government will listen to the opinions of members of the public humbly and seriously reflect.

     I express my gratitude to the Electoral Affairs Commission and more than 30 000 civil servants for their hard work, enabling the smooth operation of the election.