The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, arrived in Guangzhou today (January 8) to begin his visit to Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
      
     In the morning, Mr Chan visited the Guangzhou National Laboratory to learn about its breakthroughs in the field of respiratory diseases and relevant prevention and control. He also visited the Innovation Center of High-performance Medical Device Industry in the GBA to learn about its good progress to strengthen independent research and development (R&D) capability and industrialisation of high-tech, high-precision and cutting-edge medical devices. During the visits, he exchanged views with academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Professor Zhong Nanshan and other local innovation and technology (I&T) personnel on medical I&T co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
      
     Mr Chan said that according to the Global Innovation Index 2023, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster has ranked second globally for four consecutive years, which shows that the three places embrace great potential for I&T development. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will continue to promote basic life and health technology research. Further to the announcement of the Policy Address last year, it will also develop Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub and foster collaboration in the GBA. Among other things, it will establish a GBA International Clinical Trial Institute in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone to support innovative applications of advanced biomedical technologies, and attract more pharmaceutical and medical device enterprises, both locally and from around the world, to conduct R&D and clinical trials in Hong Kong.
      
     In the afternoon, Mr Chan and Standing Committee member, the Director of the Organization Department, and the Director of the Talent Work Leading Group Office of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Cheng Fubo, attended the signing ceremony of a framework agreement on promoting Guangdong-Hong Kong talent co-operation. They witnessed the signing of the agreement by the Director General of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, Ms Li Huanchun, and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, on behalf of the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the HKSAR Government respectively to set up a co-ordination mechanism on Guangdong-Hong Kong talent co-operation.  
      
     Mr Chan and Mr Cheng then co-chaired the inaugural meeting, with the theme “building a talent hub and promoting integrated development”, under the mechanism. Other attending officials of the HKSAR Government included Mr Sun; the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lilian Cheong; and representatives of the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB); Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) under the LWB; the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB); the Innovation and Technology Commission under the ITIB; and the Education Bureau. During the meeting, government officials of Guangdong and Hong Kong reported on their respective work progress of building a high-calibre talent hub in the GBA, and exchanged views on deepening integration of talent development in the GBA.
      
     Mr Chan pointed out that Hong Kong, as the country's leading cutting-edge and highly open international city, is well positioned with competitive advantages to serve as an international talent hub and talent gateway for the GBA and attract top-notch talent from around the world to underpin the GBA development. Over the past year, the HKSAR Government steadfastly implemented the policy initiatives of attracting and retaining talent, and achieved remarkable results. Among other things, through the newly established Top Talent Pass Scheme coupled with the various existing talent admission schemes with enhancements made, over 220 000 applications were received. Over 130 000 related applications have been approved, with about 90 000 talents having come to Hong Kong, thus far.  
      
     Mr Chan said that the HKSAR Government established the physical office of HKTE in October 2023. One of the office’s key tasks is to foster talent exchanges, training, deliberations, project matching, etc in the GBA. HKTE will organise the Global Talent Summit and GBA High-quality Talent Development Conference in May 2024, so as to showcase to the world Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the "one country, two systems” principle, and drive regional exchanges and co-operation in talent attraction. He welcomed government units, manpower-related organisations and enterprises from Guangdong and the GBA cities to join this important event.  
      
     Afterwards, Mr Chan met with the Vice-Governor of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Xin, and then the Acting Mayor of the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality, Mr Sun Zhiyang. Also attending the meetings were Mr Chris Sun; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; and the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung. Issues of mutual concern to Guangdong/Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and the strengthening of exchanges and co-operation on various fronts, were discussed.
      
     Mr Chan said that Guangdong and Hong Kong have been pursuing high-level co-operation and high-quality development at full steam since the full resumption of normal travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong last year. Among other things, the 23rd Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference was successfully held in Hong Kong in March 2023. Guangdong and Hong Kong have been fostering the flow of people, goods, information and capital within the GBA, with a view to developing the GBA into a vibrant and internationally competitive first-class bay area and world-class city cluster. In recent years, Guangzhou and Hong Kong have been actively taking forward a series of co-operation initiatives, including the high-quality development of Nansha, equine industry development, investment by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited in the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, and opening of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). 
      
     Upon the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA this year, Mr Chan said he looked forward to Guangdong, Guangzhou and Hong Kong continuing to pursue deeper and higher-level exchanges and co-operation in more areas under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits, with a view to strengthening the new positioning of the GBA as a strategic fulcrum of the new development pattern, a demonstration zone of high-quality development, and a pioneer of Chinese modernisation. 
      
     Mr Chan will continue his visit to Guangzhou, and then head to Huizhou, tomorrow (January 9). The accompanying Secretaries and Under Secretary will return to Hong Kong today.

                    

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

     The Green and Sustainable Finance Cross-Agency Steering Group (Steering Group) met today (January 8) to consider its work plan for this year and agreed on three key initiatives to capture financing and investment opportunities from the Mainland and the Asia-Pacific Region's low carbon transition. The Steering Group also welcomed the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (AFRC) as a new member.
 

1. Adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Disclosure Standards locally as appropriate. A new working group, co-led by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), reported to the Steering Group on the progress in developing a roadmap on the appropriate adoption of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (Note 1). The roadmap will comprise four key areas — sustainability reporting, assurance, data and technology, and capacity building. The working group will start engaging with stakeholders to identify Hong Kong-specific circumstances that should be considered when implementing international reporting standards.
2. Leveraging technology to support sustainability reporting and data analysis. The Steering Group decided to organise an event in the first quarter of 2024 to showcase potential green fintech use cases to scale the sustainable finance market. In the coming months, it will launch enhancements to its website (Note 2), including the Climate and Environmental Risk Questionnaire for Non-listed companies (Questionnaire) in digital format (Note 3), and new greenhouse gas emissions calculation and estimation tools jointly developed with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Note 4). It will also explore new features that would enable broader consent-based sharing of the data collected through the Questionnaire.
3. Supporting the development of transition finance to consolidate Hong Kong's role as a leading sustainable finance hub. The Steering Group identified transition finance as a priority for 2024. Its members have continued to make progress in integrating transition considerations into their policy work to support sustainable finance development. The Steering Group will broaden the development of its local taxonomy to cover transition activities, work with regional and international partners on capacity building and elevate Hong Kong's thought leadership in the net-zero transition.

 
     Co-Chair of the Steering Group and the Chief Executive Officer of the SFC, Ms Julia Leung, said, "As an international financial centre, Hong Kong's development of a roadmap for the local sustainability disclosures ecosystem is a key priority. Adopting the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards locally requires collective action by both the public and private sectors. We have been actively engaging with regional stakeholders and promoting technological solutions to support interoperability with global markets and alignment of common metrics, thereby bolstering Hong Kong's position as a leading sustainable finance hub."
      
     Co-Chair of the Steering Group and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Mr Eddie Yue, said, "Disclosure remains a key focus of the Steering Group. We are working on the local adoption of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards while taking steps to ensure the availability of the data, talents, capability and technologies needed for their implementation. At the same time, we continue to work with local and international stakeholders in promoting the development of transition finance, which is particularly relevant to Asia where there is a pressing need to balance sustainability with economic development."
      
     For details on the initiatives of the Steering Group and its members, please visit sustainablefinance.org.hk/en/.
 
About the Steering Group
     Established in May 2020, the Steering Group is co-chaired by the HKMA and the SFC. Members include the AFRC, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, FSTB, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Insurance Authority and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority. The Steering Group aims to coordinate the management of climate and environmental risks to the financial sector, accelerate the growth of green and sustainable finance in Hong Kong and support the Government's climate strategies.
 
Note 1: In the Policy Measures of the 2023 Policy Address, the Government committed to work with relevant fi­nancial regulators and stakeholders to develop a roadmap on the appropriate local adoption of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards to align with international standards.
Note 2: Launched in March 2023, the Steering Group's website serves as a one-stop shop for useful information, resources and data conducive to the development of green and sustainable finance in Hong Kong. Existing repositories under the Centre for Green and Sustainable Finance will be migrated to the Steering Group's website, with enhanced functionalities to facilitate better access to information and data.
Note 3: The Questionnaire was jointly developed by the Steering Group and CDP, an international non-profit organisation that runs the global environmental disclosure system for companies, to aid corporates' sustainability reporting processes and raise their sustainability profiles to lenders, investors and supply chain clients with a view to facilitating better access of sustainability financing. It will also facilitate financial institutions' collection and assessment of company-level data for risk assessment and relevant business decisions. 
Note 4: The Steering Group announced in June 2022 its plan to create free and publicly accessible greenhouse gas emissions calculation and estimation tools, and has subsequently been engaging with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to develop the tool. 

  

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 8) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.

     From December 31, 2023, to January 6, 2024, one LD case was reported, involving a male patient, aged 54 with underlying illnesses, who had been admitted to a correctional institution in Sham Shui Po District since December 2022.

     "Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection and high-risk exposure, if any. Tracing of contacts is ongoing and those identified will be put under medical surveillance," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     As of January 6, one LD case had been reported this year. In 2023 and 2022, there were 121 and 80 cases respectively.

     "Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels," the spokesman said.

     Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus that support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.

     Immunocompromised persons should:
 

• Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
• Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices. A shower may also generate small aerosols; and
• If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily. 

     The public should observe the health advice below:
 

• Observe personal hygiene;
• Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
• Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
• If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
• Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
• Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
• Seek and follow doctors' professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
• When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes: 

1. Wear gloves and a face mask;
2. Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
3. Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
4. Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
5. Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.

     â€‹The public may visit the CHP's LD page, the Code of Practice for Prevention of LD and the Housekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Management of the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP's risk-based strategy for prevention and control of LD.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (January 8) instructed the trade to suspend the import of raw oysters harvested in area 50-07 Saint Vaast La Hougue in France. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately should they possess it.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS received notifications from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission that ready-to-eat raw oysters harvested in area 50-07 Saint Vaast La Hougue in France were detected with norovirus and the area concerned was closed. A preliminary investigation by the CFS found that a local importer, Alliance Gourmet Limited, had imported the affected raw oysters. For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately suspended the import into and sale within Hong Kong of raw oysters harvested in the area concerned, and instructed the importer to stop sales and remove from shelves the affected oysters."

     The spokesman said that preliminary investigation by the CFS found that five kilograms of the affected oysters had been imported by the importer concerned. All were distributed to a restaurant and were consumed. The trade should also stop selling other products from the affected area if they possess them.

     The spokesman pointed out that as oysters feed by filtering a large volume of seawater, pathogens can accumulate in them if they are grown in or harvested from contaminated water. Raw or partially cooked oysters are high-risk foods. Susceptible groups, such as pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems or liver diseases, should avoid eating raw oysters.

     The CFS will inform the French authorities and will also notify the local trade. It will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. An investigation is ongoing.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Candida auris carrier cases, the spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital gave the following update today (January 8):
 
     Following a contact tracing investigation, one more female patient, aged 64 in the neurosurgical ward, was identified as a carrier of Candida auris while not having signs of infection. She is in stable condition and is now being treated in isolation.
 
     The hospital will continue the contact tracing investigation of close contacts of the patient in accordance with the prevailing guidelines. A series of enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted to prevent the spread of Candida auris:
 
1.    Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the ward concerned;
2.    Enhanced admission screening for patients and environmental screening procedures; and
3.    Application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients.
 
     The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation of the patient. The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.