Tag Archives: China

     Hong Kong Customs and the Marine Police yesterday (February 20) mounted a joint operation and detected a suspected smuggling case involving a speedboat in Sai Kung. A total of 15 carton boxes of suspected smuggled goods, including tablet computers and skin care products with an estimated value of around $1.6 million, were seized.

     Customs and police officers conducted an anti-smuggling operation in Sai Kung and spotted several suspicious men moving a number of carton boxes from a private vehicle to a speedboat at a seashore last night. The men were suspected of participating in smuggling activities. Law enforcement officers swiftly took action and the men concerned jumped onto the speedboat and fled immediately.

     During the operation, Customs officers detained the private vehicle involved with the case. The batch of suspected smuggled goods was seized from the vehicle and at the seashore.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities 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).

  

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on February 20 to noon today (February 21), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 176 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 31 662 samples of food imported from Japan (including 21 244 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 8 922 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xia Baolong, will visit Hong Kong for inspection from February 22 to 28, to gain a better understanding of Hong Kong’s latest situations, including economic developments and district governance.
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     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, extended his warmest welcome to Mr Xia for visiting Hong Kong again for inspection. Mr Lee also expressed gratitude to the Central Government for its care and concern for Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is pressing ahead with various preparatory work to ensure the smooth conduct of the visit. read more

     Three Indonesian illegal workers were jailed by the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (February 20).
 
     During an anti-illegal worker operation conducted on February 18, Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided a restaurant in Chai Wan. Three Indonesian women, aged 34 to 41, were arrested while working as dishwashing workers. Upon identity checking, one Indonesian woman produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits her from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that she was a non-refoulement claimant.
 
     The illegal workers were charged at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts on February 20 with taking employment while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force or being a person who, having been given permission to land in Hong Kong, had remained in Hong Kong in breach of their limit of stay imposed in relation to the permission. They pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment. Meanwhile, two of them were also charged with one count of overstaying in Hong Kong and were sentenced to 12 and 16 days’ imprisonment respectively. All sentences are to run concurrently, making for a total of 15 months’ imprisonment.
     
     The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
 
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
 
     According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Martin Liao and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (February 21):
 
Question:
 
     The 2023 Policy Address has stated that the Government will establish the inter-departmental E-commerce Development Task Force to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing electronic commerce (e-‍commerce) business in the Mainland, including the organisation of Hong Kong Shopping Festivals on e-commerce platforms. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as some Hong Kong SMEs have relayed that it is difficult to enter the Mainland e-commerce platforms, whether the authorities will strive to facilitate the commencement of exchanges and co-operation between e-commerce industry associations in the Mainland and Hong Kong enterprises and the E-Commerce Association of Hong Kong, as well as promote business negotiations and resource connections between the two parties; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as it is reported that the Government will organise Hong Kong Shopping Festivals on the Mainland e-commerce platforms, apart from products such as food, jewellery, fashion and accessories in which Hong Kong has traditional advantages, whether the Government will consider promoting emerging brands with innovative product offerings and of a smaller size, as well as organising dedicated events for them, in a bid to inject new content and vitality into Hong Kong brands; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) as there are views pointing out that with the continued development of e-commerce in the Mainland, it is inevitable that product quality will vary and inferior products can hardly justify the premium pricing of e-commerce, and Hong Kong brands, with a long-standing good reputation for premier product quality, can provide Mainland consumers with better and higher quality alternatives, whether the Government will consider promoting the marks under various brand evaluation certification schemes of Hong Kong through the e-‍commerce platforms, with a view to enhancing the recognition of Hong Kong brands among Mainland consumers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) as there are views pointing out that credit assessment is a major difficulty faced by cross-border e-commerce sellers in obtaining financing, whether the authorities will consider broadening the spectrum of data available on the Commercial Data Interchange, and encouraging the development of big data-supported financial technology, so as to facilitate such sellers’ access to credit assessment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     It was announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau would establish the E-commerce Development Task Force. The Task Force has been established in January 2024 to explore the areas related to the development of electronic commerce (e-commerce), the impact of e-commerce on the economy as well as the development trends in the Mainland and other overseas e-commerce markets; and to co-ordinate and implement policies and measures on the development of e-commerce, with a view to assisting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in conducting e-commerce business to expand their markets.
 
     In consultation with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), the reply to the different parts of the question is as follows:
 
(1) The Government has liaised with local chambers of commerce and individual enterprises specifically on the issues of developing cross-border e-commerce business to understand the trade’s interests in, as well as the opportunities and pain points of, developing cross-border e-commerce business. An expert group has also been established under the Task Force, comprising Legislative Council Members from different sectors and representatives in the industry, to offer advice to the Task Force and to assist the Government in keeping abreast of the market situation of e-commerce development and feedback from the trade more comprehensively.
 
     In addition, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) actively assists SMEs in joining the e-commerce business, including organising events to strengthen SMEs’ understanding of e-commerce development on the Mainland. For example, in a business mission organised by the HKTDC in November 2023 to Hangzhou, 20 SME representatives visited organisations related to e-commerce development, including logistics enterprises, e-commerce platforms, live-streaming e-commerce service enterprises, e-commerce branding service companies and e-commerce live-streaming bases.
 
(2) The HKTDC’s “Design Gallery” started its e-commerce business in 2010 with online stores on Taobao and JD International to provide channels for online promotion and sales. Since 2022, “Design Gallery”, in collaboration with JD International, implements a cross-border e-commerce project to assist SMEs selling different products in tapping into the Mainland domestic market in a more convenient way by enabling the delivery of goods and collection of payments in Hong Kong.
 
     Also, it was announced in the 2023 Policy Address that Hong Kong Shopping Festivals would be organised on e-commerce platforms. The HKTDC is liaising with different e-commerce platforms, with a view to organising the Hong Kong Shopping Festival in 2024 to enable SMEs to leverage the advantages of high traffic flow and massive customer base of these platforms to promote awareness of Hong Kong products and brands.
 
(3) The Trade and Industry Department assists SMEs in promoting Hong Kong brands with its various funding schemes. For example, the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) provides funding support for non-listed enterprises to develop their brands and businesses in the Mainland and 37 other economies. It was also announced in the 2023 Policy Address the launch of “E-commerce Easy” under the BUD Fund to strengthen funding support for SMEs to leverage e-commerce to promote their products. Moreover, the SME Export Marketing Fund provides funding support for SMEs to develop their brands and businesses in Hong Kong and external markets through participating in promotion activities.
 
     In addition, the Government notes that the trade has launched quality accreditation schemes for different products and services for the participation of Hong Kong enterprises (including online shops). It is believed that such initiatives should be conducive to consolidating and promoting brand image of Hong Kong products, as well as assisting enterprises in tapping into the Mainland domestic market through, among others, e-commerce.
 
(4) In order to facilitate banks’ assessment of cross-boundary loan applications, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) agreed to formulate an overall framework on cross-boundary credit referencing, enabling banks in the two places to access the credit data of relevant corporate customers across the border after obtaining their consent. The PBoC and the HKMA have established a co-operation arrangement on the pilot project which will first take place between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The HKMA’s Commercial Data Interchange (CDI) enables local corporate customers to share with banks company information, including cross-border business data such as e-payment records and import and export declaration information, thereby streamlining loan application and approval procedures. At present, some SMEs in the market with cross-border e-commerce businesses have successfully applied for loans from local banks via the CDI. The HKMA will actively explore new business use cases and introduce various improvement measures to further promote the wider application of the CDI.
 
     The Government is also committed to driving the Open Data Policy and promoting various government departments, public and private organisations to actively open up their data. At present, over 5 300 datasets encompassing various areas have been opened up on the open data website (data.gov.hk), providing more resources for the application of innovation and technology, including e-commerce, and driving the development of smart city and digital economy. In addition, the ITIB and the Cyberspace Administration of China entered into the Memorandum of Understanding on Facilitating Cross-boundary Data Flow Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (MoU) in 2023, which provides a clear framework for facilitating the secure and orderly data flow from the Mainland to Hong Kong under the national framework on the safe management of cross-border data flow. Subsequently, under the framework set out in the MoU, the two sides jointly announced in December 2023 the facilitation measure of “Standard Contract for the Cross-boundary Flow of Personal Information Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Mainland, Hong Kong)”, to streamline the compliance arrangements for personal information flow from the Mainland to Hong Kong and facilitate the provision of cross-border services in the region, in particular for the banking, credit referencing and healthcare sectors which have a strong demand for cross-border services, with a view to helping Hong Kong better integrate into the development of digital economy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 
     The Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation (HKECIC) provides export credit insurance services to Hong Kong exporters for the latter’s trade with overseas buyers on credit terms, against non-payment risks arising from commercial or political events. In recent years, the HKECIC’s insured business on cross-border e-commerce has risen steadily with the rapid growth of the e-commerce market. The HKECIC will continue to dedicate its efforts to providing protection for exporters, such that relevant enterprises may confidently trade with e-commerce buyers. read more