Tag Archives: China

     Hong Kong PHAB Association has been issued a Public Subscription Permit to hold a territory-wide flag sale from 7am to 12.30pm today (January 27), a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said. 

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added. read more

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, concluded his visit to Switzerland today (January 26, Geneva time). In addition to attending meetings of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), he has called on representatives of several international and local organisations these days to foster mutual understanding and keep them abreast of the latest developments of Hong Kong.  

     Mr Chan, as Deputy Head of China’s delegation, attended meetings of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the UNHRC on January 23 and today (Geneva time) with regard to China’s fourth report, which includes a part concerning the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), submitted under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism. He actively responded to comments and suggestions about the HKSAR’s human rights situation from meeting participants, and sternly refuted the unfounded and untrue remarks from a small number of countries, during the review.

     The review report on China adopted by the Working Group will be presented to the plenary session of the UNHRC in due course. Mr Chan said that the HKSAR Government will continue to steadfastly join the motherland in the work under the review mechanism, and tell the international community good stories of the HKSAR’s human rights situation in a reasoned and robust manner.

     Yesterday (January 25, Geneva time), Mr Chan visited the International Social Security Association to meet with the Secretary General, Mr Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano. They exchanged views on establishing a sustainable social security system, tackling challenges brought about by an ageing population, etc.

     Mr Chan pointed out that apart from steadfastly enhancing the prevailing non-contributory social security system to provide suitable cash assistance for people with different needs, the HKSAR Government has recently been implementing the strategy of targeted poverty alleviation to further direct resources to the grassroots groups most in need and help them improve their living quality.

     Afterwards, Mr Chan visited the International Labour Organization to meet with the Director-General, Mr Gilbert F Houngbo. Mr Chan briefed him on the latest social situation and labour market of Hong Kong.

     Mr Chan said that the HKSAR Government is committed to safeguarding workers’ rights and benefits and promoting harmonious employer-employee relations. He stressed that imported workers enjoy the same protection as local workers under Hong Kong’s labour laws do. The HKSAR Government has introduced various measures to improve workers’ rights and benefits in recent years, including progressively increasing the number of statutory holidays, extending the statutory maternity leave, and abolishing the “offsetting” arrangement under the Mandatory Provident Fund System.

     Then, Mr Chan visited the World Health Organization (WHO) to meet with the Assistant Director-General, External Relations and Governance, Dr Catharina Boehme. They shared that the HKSAR Government and the WHO have been fostering exchanges and co-operation on public health-related issues, which include combating the COVID-19 epidemic.

     He said that the HKSAR Government is determined to maintain high-quality medical care services and an efficient healthcare system in Hong Kong. It will continue to steadfastly build a “Healthy Hong Kong” by spearheading primary healthcare development, enhancing public healthcare services, and turning the city into a health and medical innovation hub, with a view to catering for the mounting service demand of society.  

     On January 24 (Geneva time), Mr Chan visited the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and briefed the Director of IMD World Competitiveness Center, Professor Arturo Bris, on the latest situation of Hong Kong, highlighting its resumption of full normality following the epidemic. That includes the HKSAR Government’s introduction of new policy initiatives of attracting enterprises and talent from around the world to Hong Kong proactively to enhance the city’s international competitiveness.  

     The IMD publishes the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) every year. In the latest WCY published last year, Hong Kong continued to be one of the most competitive economies in the world. Mr Chan said that the HKSAR Government will continue to give full play to the unique advantages of Hong Kong under “one country, two systems”, which include a solid foundation of the rule of law, a favourable business environment, an efficient and clean government, and a simple and low tax system. At the same time, it will continue to resolutely safeguard national security while developing the city’s economy and improving people’s livelihood.   

     On January 23 (Geneva time), Mr Chan met with the Vice President of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Romandie Chapter, Mr Vincent Subilia, and other members of the Chamber to learn about the Chamber’s work on promoting exchanges and co-operation in business and trade between Switzerland and China. Mr Chan also introduced to them the latest social and economic developments of Hong Kong, as well as the HKSAR Government’s new initiatives to attract enterprises, investment and talent to the city and develop a mega-event economy. He welcomed the Swiss business sector to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages and professional services to further tap into the Mainland market.

     Mr Chan will leave Geneva, Switzerland, today (Geneva time) and arrive in Hong Kong on January 27 (Hong Kong time).

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     The Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted the review report of the fourth round of the Universal Periodic Review on China at the meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, today (January 26, Geneva time).

     A spokesman for the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said, “In the current review, China’s delegation has engaged in constructive interactions and dialogues with representatives of various countries in an open and transparent manner. Many countries have spoken highly of China’s human rights progress and fully acknowledged China’s efforts and historic achievements in advancing and protecting human rights. The HKSAR Government has been steadfastly joining the country in the review. It has actively responded to the views and suggestions about the human rights situation of the HKSAR from meeting participants, and sternly rebutted the unfounded and untrue remarks from a small number of countries.

     “With the strong support from the motherland, and as the city where the global advantage and the China advantage converge under ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong will continue to protect and promote human rights through security, development and co-operation, as well as to tell the international community good stories of the HKSAR’s human rights situation in a reasoned and robust manner.”

     The spokesman reiterated, “The HKSAR steadfastly safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests, and fully and faithfully lives up to this top priority of ‘one country, two systems’. The HKSAR Government shall resolutely, fully and faithfully implement the Hong Kong National Security Law and further strengthen the HKSAR’s legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security to effectively prevent, suppress and punish in accordance with the law acts and activities that endanger national security. At the same time, it shall safeguard in accordance with the law the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong people. The overarching goal is to ensure the steadfast and successful implementation of ‘one country, two systems’.”

     Earlier on, the Working Group met on January 23 (Geneva time) to examine China’s fourth report, which includes a part concerning the HKSAR, submitted under the UNHRC Universal Periodic Review mechanism. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, Mr Chen Xu, as the Head of China’s delegation, led the delegation to participate in the review. The Chief Secretary for Administration (CS), Mr Chan Kwok-ki, as Deputy Head of China’s delegation, took part together with officials of the HKSAR Government as members of China’s delegation.

     The spokesman for the HKSAR Government pointed out, “During the review, the CS expounded on the work of the HKSAR in steadfastly promoting and protecting the freedoms and rights of Hong Kong residents. He stressed that Hong Kong people can continue to enjoy the legitimate rights and freedoms, which are guaranteed by our country’s Constitution, the Basic Law, as well as the relevant provisions of international covenants that apply to Hong Kong.

     “In response to the smears during the review from a small number of countries about Hong Kong’s safeguarding of national security, the CS sternly rebutted that no country will watch with folded arms in the face of acts and activities that endanger national security, and that it is the legitimate right and duty of every state to safeguard its national security, and to do so by enacting laws is in line with international practice. He stressed that it is Hong Kong’s constitutional responsibility to enact local legislation to safeguard national security; and that the enactment and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law has brought back stability, security, as well as the rights and freedoms that people in Hong Kong have been deprived of during the period of serious violence in 2019.

     “As regards the ongoing legal proceedings in Hong Kong that were mentioned during the review, the CS solemnly pointed out that judges of the HKSAR decide cases independently in accordance with the law, and that no one should comment on or interfere with the proceedings. The suggestion that certain individuals or groups should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts is no different from advocating a special pass to break the law, and this totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law. The CS stressed that Hong Kong resolutely safeguards the rule of law. The common law system and independent exercise of judicial power in Hong Kong are protected by the Basic Law. The Judiciary in Hong Kong is well regarded internationally.”

     The Working Group’s review report on China will be presented to the plenary session of the UNHRC in due course. The HKSAR Government will continue to steadfastly join the motherland in the work under the review mechanism.

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     The Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, today (January 26) held a press conference to announce details of the mega events to be held in the first half of 2024 and the work of the Government in promoting the mega-event economy. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Dr Pang Yiu-kai; the Executive Director of the HKTB, Mr Dane Cheng; and the Chairman of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee, Dr Adrian Cheng, also attended. Following is the transcript of remarks:

Reporter: Mr Wong, you mentioned that the Government will be more proactive in trying to attract mega events to Hong Kong and that the HKTB will be like the first window. Can you explain how this will work better, and how this is different from efforts in the past? How is the Board’s role going to enhance the whole situation? Another question is for Dr Adrian Cheng. You mentioned about the Chubby Hearts and also the Jin Yong events coming up. Can you give more details about it, and how successful do you think they can be in terms of attracting tourists and helping the vibes of local Hong Kong people? Thank you.

Deputy Financial Secretary: Thank you for the question. If you recall, one of the slides in my presentation deck is we will reach out more proactively. I will emphasise the word “more”. It is not that we are not proactive at this stage, but it is just that the efforts could be better organised. For example, when I talked about reaching out, we will co-ordinate the efforts of HKTB, the HKTDC (Hong Kong Trade Development Council) and the ETOs (Economic and Trade Offices) of the Hong Kong Government in approaching different event organisers and intermediaries. When we have identified events with potential, we will talk to them to see if they are interested in organising and having their events in Hong Kong. Once this is done, and let’s say a case is shown to have potential, it will then be referred back to the HKTB team. The HKTB team will then work on the project, do the necessary evaluation, and let’s say a project requires broad interdepartmental co-ordination, then the group chaired by me with Kevin (Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung) as Vice-Chairman will come in. At this stage, various departments will also be helpful and facilitating as much as possible, but we do think that there is room for the culture to be improved. We believe that the increased co-ordination will be a big help. I think that is my short answer to your questions.

Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board: I think it is also about strengthening not only the co-ordination, but also the speed of response. Because (for) these mega events and performances, they often approach several cities at the same time. If we are able to co-ordinate our efforts better, speedier and respond more efficiently, then they will come to us rather than go to somebody else. So the co-ordination, response and friendliness of Hong Kong to them would make a difference in them selecting Hong Kong as their preferred location.

Chairman of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee: For Chubby Hearts and also for Jin Yong’s event, what we are focusing on is to incubate the cultural landscape in Hong Kong. You can see that, for Jin Yong’s event, we have an interdisciplinary collaboration on lots of Hong Kong creatives. For example, we have Chang Suk-ping, a very famous fashion designer. We have Lee Chi-ching, a very famous comic illustrator, and also musician Chen Jie. These are all creatives that we are collaborating and helping Hong Kong in the creative industry. All the three events we just mentioned, hopefully, we can attract around 600 000 visitors to come. And the nine events that are coming to Hong Kong this year, we are expecting more than 1.5 million visitors coming to Hong Kong.

Reporter: Could you talk a bit about the Chubby Hearts event?

Chairman of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee: For the Chubby Hearts event, we are working with Hong Kong Design Centre, as I said, we are going to cover more than 10 locations around Hong Kong. The biggest heart will be at Central for 11 days. The rest will be “pop-ups” across 10 different locations in Hong Kong.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
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     The Department of Health (DH) today (January 26) has instructed a licensed drug manufacturer, Meyer Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Meyer), to recall the following six products (see Annex) from the market as a precautionary measure due to a quality issue.
 

Name of product	Hong Kong registration number	Batch number/Pack size	Main use
Lyhexine Cap	HK-37207	082208/10’s	relief of cold and cough symptoms
Mecotuss Cap	HK-35597	052104-3/1000’s 052105-3/1000’s 052104-2/24’s 052105-2/24’s 052104-1/12’s 052105-1/12’s 052106-1/12’s	relief of cold and cough symptoms
Betamin Tab*	HK-32501	102206-1/100s 102206-2/1000s	relief of allergy symptoms
Sensoderm-S Cream*	HK-36365	012203/18g 112109-3/450g	treating skin infections
Xanaderm Cream*	HK-41063	112108/20g	treating skin infections
Mobeta Cream*	HK-37738	012207/20g	treating skin infections

*Prescription drugs

     Upon receiving a public complaint, the DH has conducted an investigation against Meyer. The investigation revealed that the content of the active ingredients in the products failed to meet the product specifications during a long-term stability study.

     While the problem identified will affect the stability of the products, it would not be harmful to user. As a precautionary measure, the DH has instructed Meyer to recall the products from the market. The DH’s investigation is continuing.

     According to Meyer, the products have been supplied to local private doctors, pharmacies and medicine companies. Meyer has set up a hotline (2601 2670) to answer related enquiries. The DH will closely monitor the recall.

     So far, the DH has not received any adverse reaction reports in connection with the above products.

     Members of the public taking the above products should consult their healthcare professionals if in doubt for appropriate arrangements. read more