Tag Archives: China

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) welcomed friends and partners of Hong Kong to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a reception held in Berlin, Germany, on February 13 (Berlin time). Key contacts from government, political, business and cultural sectors came together and learned about Hong Kong’s achievements in attracting international talent and enterprises, as well as the city’s growing allure as an international arts and culture exchange hub. Avan Yu, a renowned Hong Kong pianist based in Berlin, was invited to perform on the occasion.

     In her opening speech at the reception, the Director of the HKETO Berlin, Ms Jenny Szeto, shared that Hong Kong’s economy is back on course with nearly full employment in the third quarter of 2023 and a Gross Domestic Product growth forecast of 4.1 per cent in 2024. “We are also continuing our endeavour to attract enterprises and talent to Hong Kong to further drive our economic growth. Since its establishment about one year ago, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises has approached nearly 300 enterprises, with 30 of them already planning to set up businesses or increase their business scale in Hong Kong. This will involve an investment of a total of more than HK$30 billion and the creation of about 10 000 jobs in the coming few years,” Ms Szeto further explained Hong Kong’s latest economic developments. 

     Meanwhile, Hong Kong has restored its connectivity to the rest of the world, with passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport recovering to 80 per cent of the pre-pandemic level. In light of these positive developments, Ms Szeto invited the audience to explore Hong Kong’s new cultural additions, including M+, Hong Kong’s flagship museum of visual arts, as well as the more traditional Hong Kong Palace Museum, both of which are situated in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

     Ahead of the celebration in Berlin, the first Chinese New Year reception was held in Warsaw. There will be more receptions in Ljubljana, Bratislava, Prague, Zurich, Budapest and Vienna in the coming weeks. A harmonica and piano duo formed by CY Leo and Joyce Cheung as well as different groups of Europe-based musicians from Hong Kong will be performing beautiful classical and contemporary pieces at the receptions to showcase the diversity of Hong Kong’s music landscape.

About HKETO Berlin

     HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.

    

     ​The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) greeted the Year of the Dragon in the United Kingdom (UK) by hosting a festive reception in London on February 13 (London time) and supporting a large-scale London Chinatown celebration at Trafalgar Square, Chinatown and Charing Cross Road on February 11.
 
     The Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law, welcomed over 500 guests at the Year of the Dragon reception on February 13 at Banqueting House, Whitehall, in London. Amongst the guests were UK government officials, parliamentarians, the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Ms Patricia McAllister, mayors from London boroughs, senior diplomats, leading figures in the business sector, academics, media representatives and members of the Chinese community.
 
     Speaking at the reception, Mr Law introduced the latest developments of Hong Kong on its economic and cultural fronts. Quoting promising trade figures, he highlighted the close economic ties between Hong Kong and the UK, and highlighted that Hong Kong not only is the second largest trading partner of the UK in Asia, but is also home to over 640 British companies.
 
     Mr Law elaborated that, “With Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages under ‘one country, two systems,’ Hong Kong will surely, like the dragon soaring to new heights, continue to prosper and thrive as a global business hub. On attracting enterprises, the measures launched by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government have generated positive results. Last year, over 380 companies set up or expanded their businesses in Hong Kong, including 48 from the UK as our second most significant contributor, just after Mainland China.
 
     “Over the past year, Hong Kong welcomed over 34 million visitors. While anticipating the full recovery of its flight connection capacity this year, we will stage over 80 mega events in the city in the first half of the year alone, including Art Basel in March and the Hong Kong Sevens in April,” he added, while inviting the guests to visit Hong Kong.
 
     The reception featured a contemporary lion dance performance by Hong Kong performance art group TS Crew; an acapella performance by The Mockingbird, formed by a group of Hong Kong students studying in the UK; and a traditional dragon dance.
 
     On February 11, the London ETO supported the grand annual Chinese New Year celebration in London’s Chinatown, drawing audiences of hundreds in places and thousands in other locations along the streets of Central London. Mr Law, alongside esteemed guests such as Ms Patricia McAllister; the Chairman of the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA), Mr Tang Chu-ting; and the President of the LCCA, Mr Peter Lam, joined the festive parade. The guests greeted the crowds in London from an open-air double decker bus. Additionally, a variety of cultural and music performances were staged at Trafalgar Square.
 
     The London ETO will organise further events to celebrate the Year of the Dragon in the countries under its purview in the coming weeks.

            

     â€‹Visitor arrival to Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year holidays (February 10 to 13) continues to recover, with various arrangements for receiving visitors rolling out smoothly, a Government spokesman said today (February 14).
      
     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, said, “In the past few days over the Lunar New Year, the inbound visitor number reached the level in the same period in 2018, matching earlier estimates. The night parade on the first day of Lunar New Year, the fireworks display on the second day, the horse race on the third day and the soccer match on the fourth day yesterday were all well received and further boosted the festive vibes.”
      
     The preliminary inbound visitor number from Lunar New Year’s Day to the fourth day of Lunar New Year (February 10 to 13) stood at around 750 000, among which 650 000 visitors were from the Mainland and this figure was higher than that in the same period in 2018 when 640 000 Mainland visitors came to Hong Kong. A total of around 1 200 Mainland inbound tour groups involving around 40 500 visitors came to Hong Kong during the four days. Both the numbers of Mainland inbound tour groups and tour group visitors exceeded those during the same periods of the Chinese New Year Golden Weeks of the Mainland before the pandemic.
      
     The Hong Kong Tourism Board organised the 2024 International Chinese New Year Night Parade on Lunar New Year’s Day, with floats and performing groups from around the world creating a wonderful parade. After a four-year hiatus, the fireworks display was held on the second day of Lunar New Year to celebrate the festive season with the public and visitors. The Chinese New Year Raceday on the third day of Lunar New Year attracted a large number of members of the public and visitors to Sha Tin Racecourse. The Chinese New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium yesterday (February 13), the fourth day of Lunar New Year, enabled members of the public to enjoy a dynamic sports atmosphere during Lunar New Year. These events were very popular among the public as well as visitors, with the number of participants of individual events exceeding the level before the pandemic. They showcased Hong Kong’s diverse characteristics with convergence of Chinese and Western cultures, and successfully attracted visitors to come to Hong Kong and experience the unparalleled Chinese New Year festive atmosphere.
      
     Visitors went to different parts of Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year holidays. Major tourist attractions, including Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, the Peak Tram, Ngong Ping 360 and the West Kowloon Cultural District, were with high volumes of visitor flow. Visitor figures of individual tourist attractions even approached or exceeded the level before the pandemic. In addition, according to the trade, the overall hotel occupancy rate reached 90 per cent.
      
     There are a few days left till the Chinese New Year Golden Week of Mainland ends. Various government departments, relevant organisations and the trade will continue to attract and receive visitors coming to Hong Kong, and create wonderful travel experiences for them. read more

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (February 14) announced that the monthly gravidtrap index for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in January dropped further to 0.3 per cent from 0.8 per cent in December last year. The index in January remained at the lowest Level 1, indicating that the distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in the areas surveyed was not extensive.

     All the 64 survey areas were recorded with a gravidtrap index lower than the alert level of 20 per cent. Moreover, the monthly density index for Aedes albopictus in January was 1.1, which represented that an average of 1.1 Aedes albopictus adults were found in the Aedes-positive gravidtraps, indicating that the number of adult Aedes albopictus was not abundant in the survey areas. The gravidtrap and density indices for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures are available on the department’s website at www.fehd.gov.hk.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, “The Government is very concerned about mosquito infestation. The FEHD has continued to intensify mosquito prevention and control work with relevant government departments in areas under their purview, including eliminating mosquito breeding places, applying larvicides, conducting fogging operations to eradicate adult mosquitoes, and placing mosquito trapping devices at suitable locations. The FEHD has also conducted site inspections with relevant departments, and provided them with professional advice and technical support to assist them in formulating and implementing effective anti-mosquito measures swiftly. At the same time, the FEHD has strengthened publicity and education. Under the concerted efforts and collaboration of various parties, the index in January dropped further. Although the index remains at a low level, the warm and humid weather of spring is favourable for mosquito breeding. The FEHD will continue to monitor the mosquito infestation in all districts, and will conduct prompt and effective mosquito prevention and control work. At the same time, members of the public are advised to continue the routine mosquito prevention and control work, especially the repair and maintenance of structures. Cracks and dents which may accumulate water and become potential breeding grounds should be filled and leveled so as to reduce the chance of mosquito breeding when the rainy season approaches.”

     The FEHD will conduct a three-phase Anti-mosquito Campaign this year. The first phase of the territory-wide campaign will be launched on February 19 and will run until March 17. During the period, the district offices of the FEHD will target areas that have drawn particular concern, such as public markets, cooked food centres and hawker bazaars, single-block buildings, streets and back lanes, common parts of buildings, village houses, construction sites, vacant sites and road works sites, to remove accumulated water and carry out mosquito prevention and control work.

     â€‹The FEHD appeals to members of the public to work together to carry out mosquito prevention and control measures early, including inspecting their homes and surroundings to remove potential breeding grounds, changing water in vases and scrubbing their inner surfaces, removing water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week, properly disposing of containers such as soft drink cans and lunch boxes, and drilling large holes in unused tyres. The FEHD also advises members of the public and estate management bodies to keep drains free of blockage and level all defective ground surfaces to prevent the accumulation of water. They should also scrub all drains and surface sewers with an alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.

     Aedes albopictus is a kind of mosquito that can transmit dengue fever (DF). DF is commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and has become endemic in many countries in Southeast Asia. The dengue activity in neighbouring areas has remained high and Hong Kong has recorded eight imported DF cases so far this year. Members of the public should stay vigilant and continue to carry out effective mosquito prevention and control measures. read more

     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 9 to noon today (February 14), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 238 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category, in the past five days (including last Saturday and Sunday and this Monday and Tuesday). 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 30 493 samples of food imported from Japan (including 20 421 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 8 572 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more