The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, today (December 14) continued his visit to Vietnam. 
 
     The Vice Chairman of the State Securities Commission of Vietnam, Mr Luong Hai Sinh, met Mr Hui in Hanoi on behalf of the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam. They discussed topics that both are interested in, including stock market reforms, Renminbi (RMB) internationalisation, green and sustainable finance, fintech and nurturing of financial talents, as well as the potential for co-operation in these areas. 
 
     When meeting with the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, Ms Phan Thi Thang, in Hanoi, Mr Hui hoped that the two places could enhance their trading partnership, given that Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia with a large and young population as well as a diverse industrial base. Vietnam was Hong Kong's seventh-largest trading partner in trade in goods last year, amounting to US$32.7 billion.
 
     Mr Hui called on the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Xiong Bo, to update him on Hong Kong's latest initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness of the stock market as announced in "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address", including reducing stamp duty on stock transfer, reviewing stock trading spread and reducing market data fees. He also briefed Mr Xiong on other measures for reinforcing Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international financial centre such as strengthening the offshore RMB business and deepening financial co-operation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 
     Mr Hui also met with the chief executive officers of several multinational Vietnam IT companies interested in raising funds in Hong Kong. Mr Hui informed them of the city's vibrant fintech ecosystem with a presence of over 1 000 fintech companies. He introduced to them as well Hong Kong's listing reform in recent years, facilitating new economy companies to list and raise funds.
 
     Before concluding his visit to Vietnam tomorrow (December 15), Mr Hui will meet with the Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Mr Pham Thanh Ha. Mr Hui will return to Hong Kong tomorrow night.

        

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, at a media session after attending the launch event for the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries (December 14):
 
Reporter: About the urban farm, what is the aim or the purpose? Is the Government planning to open more farms in different districts later? And the second question is, what kind of support will the Government give to the agriculture and fisheries sector and what is their response?

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology: The purpose of the urban farm as explained by the Director (of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation) is that Hong Kong is basically a heavily developed city and therefore we are competing lands for different purposes and uses. Hence, we are experimenting a new concept, that is, in the urban area, in the new buildings, whether we can merge farming and development and we believe that is technically possible. If that can be done, it can enhance the agricultural development in the city a lot. Therefore, in Ma On Shan, next year, we will try to have a pilot project there. We believe this is a good concept. After gaining more experience from the Ma On Shan project, we will put up more projects and try to develop an urban farming direction.
 
     As to your second question, you can see in the Blueprint that we are offering the sector a number of support. It covers land, finance, technology, training, etc. As I have explained, the process of developing this Blueprint is through a lot of discussions and working together with the trade. You can see in general, they all welcome the measures in the Blueprint. Of course, the next challenge is the implementation and that is another area. We will join hands with the trade to implement the measures and make sure it will actually benefit and help the long-term development of the agriculture and fisheries sector in Hong Kong.
 
Reporter: How is the Government's plan to attract young people to become farmers?
 
The Secretary for Environment and Ecology: Firstly, we are going to go for technology. When the young people see that agriculture and fisheries is actually high-tech and it is not something of the past generations, they will feel interested. And also, science and technology can improve the working environment for the sector and both will improve the attractiveness. And the last one, of course, is the reward. If we can increase the value of the product, that will increase the reward. That will also attract young people to join the trade. 

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

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

     Organised by the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA), the HA's 50th Anniversary Photo Contest has been successfully concluded. The winning entries are on display at the atrium of Domain shopping mall in Yau Tong from today (December 14) until January 19, 2024. Members of the public are welcome to visit the exhibition.

     The panel of judges for the contest comprised the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho; the Chairman of the HA's Subsidised Housing Committee, Ms Cleresa Wong; and renowned photographer Lau Ching-ping.

     Ms Ho remarked, "The entries are high quality and unique. It was a challenge for me to make the final decisions. The participants showcase the beauty of estates and the intriguing lives of the residents from various perspectives. I am delighted to perceive public housing estates through the viewpoints of the public."

     With the themes of "Public housing vistas" and "Buildings and design aesthetics of public housing", the photo contest received over 2 000 submissions across three categories: "Open Group", "Resident Group" and "Staff Group". For each category, there is a champion, first runner-up, second runner-up and 10 merit awards.

     The champion photo of the "Open Group" is entitled "Joyful Childhood". The photographer captured two little girls playing happily at the open space of Wah Fu Estate. The champion photo of the "Resident Group" is entitled "A Day of Great Happiness" and was taken in Shun Tin Estate, showing bridesmaids and groomsmen taking photos with the newlyweds on different floors along the corridors of an estate block, infused with joy and happiness. The champion photo of the "Staff Group" is entitled "Cultivation" and was taken in Sai Wan Estate, portraying an outdoor staircase rising alongside an estate block, resembling a terraced field. It is as beautiful as a painting under the illumination of the light at the beginning of dusk.
 
     The photo contest is one of the celebratory activities for the HA's 50th anniversary. The results have been announced on the contest's website. After the display at Domain shopping mall, the exhibition of the winning photos will also appear at various housing estate shopping centres from January to April 2024.

     The supporting organisations of the photo contest include local professional organisations and photographic societies, namely the Construction Industry Council, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Hong Kong Institute of Housing, the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institute of Planners, the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects, the Photographic Salon Exhibitors Association, the Hong Kong Cameras Club, Ltd, the Chinese Photographic Association of Hong Kong, Ltd, the Photographic Society of Hong Kong and the United Artist Photographic Association.

     The theme of the HA's 50th anniversary is "Carving for the Future". "Carving" symbolises the HA's persistent efforts over the years to partner with stakeholders from all walks of life to build better homes for Hong Kong residents. "Future" signifies the HA's unswerving commitment to lead the development of subsidised housing for overcoming the challenges ahead.

     Apart from the photo contest and exhibition, various activities and events have also been held this year as part of the 50th anniversary celebration that cater for people of different ages and interests. These include a logo design competition; presenting New Year's couplets to residents; Blueprint x Footprint Treasure Hunt self-guided tour of housing estates; a 3×3 basketball challenge; distributing lucky bags to elderly residents during the Mid-Autumn Festival; a dialogue forum for the new generation on the evolution of public housing in Hong Kong; and production of a TV documentary series on the HA's 50th anniversary. Interested parties can visit the HA's 50th anniversary website to browse the related information.

        

     The National Security Department (NSD) of the Hong Kong Police Force today (December 14) said that Police have put five persons who have absconded overseas and are suspected to have committed offences under the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (National Security Law) on wanted list. The court has, upon application by the NSD, issued arrest warrants against the said five persons at large.

     A total of five persons, namely male Cheng Man-kit, female Hui Wing-ting, female Siu Joey, male Fok Ka-chi and male Choi Ming-da, who have fled overseas, are alleged to have continued to commit offences under the National Security Law, including "incitement to secession", "incitement to subversion" and "collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security". The acts of these five persons seriously endanger national security. Thus, Police applied to the court for the arrest warrants in accordance with the law and put the persons on the wanted list. (See Annex for the legal basis and basic facts for putting the persons on the wanted list)

     Given the great importance which Police attach to the cases concerned, a reward of $1 million in respect of each wanted person is being offered by the Police to any member of the public, who can provide information on the wanted persons or the related cases.

     Besides, the NSD took enforcement actions yesterday (December 13) and arrested two men and two women, aged between 29 and 68, in various districts in Hong Kong who were suspected of committing the offence of "providing pecuniary assistance for the commission of secession by other persons" under the National Security Law.

     Investigations revealed that between December 2020 and November 2023, the four arrested persons were suspected of providing pecuniary assistance via online crowdfunding platform to two wanted persons, who have engaged in secessionist activities and absconded overseas, and the amount involved ranged from some $10,000 to $120,000. The four arrested persons are being detained for further enquiries.

     Police remind the public that it is an offence for any person to incite, assist in, abet or provide pecuniary or other financial assistance or property to another person, by any means whatsoever (including through online platform), for committing offences endangering national security. Police will continue to take strict enforcement actions against such illegal acts and urge members of the public to abide by the law.

     The Hong Kong Science Museum (HKScM) will launch a new special exhibition, "Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination", tomorrow (December 15) to lead members of the public to explore different themes of science fiction. Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the new exhibition is a roving exhibition and developed by the Science Museum, London. Hong Kong is the first stop of this worldwide tour.
      
     Addressing the opening ceremony today (December 14), the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, said science fiction can help nurture curiosity, ignite one's imagination, and inspire future generations to push the boundaries of knowledge and understanding. The growing popularity of science fiction will spark young people's interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) and inspire them to pursue careers in science and technology, thereby contributing to the country's strategic development and the growth of Hong Kong's innovation and technology ecosystem. He added that this exhibition will uncover fascinating connections between significant scientific innovations and celebrated science fiction works. The exhibits will interweave science, arts, movies and literature, appealing not just to science fans but also movie buffs as well as art and literature lovers.　
      
     Other officiating guests today included the Deputy Director of the Science Museum London, Dr Julia Knights; the Chairman of Science Sub-committee, Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Ching Pak-chung; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu; and the Museum Director of the HKScM, Mr Lawrence Lee.
      
     The exhibition is comprised of six immersive zones, namely "Shuttle and Cargo Bay", "Exploration Deck", "Bio Lab", "Planet Mission", "Visualisation Deck" and "Observation Deck". The zones explore respectively significant themes within science fiction, including space exploration, cyborgs, and future habitats through iconic exhibits featuring a variety of science fiction including films, literature and arts. Visitors may feel as if they have entered an interactive science fiction story which takes them beyond classical space travel to different themes of science fiction. The exhibition will inspire visitors to reflect on the societal implications of advancing technology as well as the opportunities and challenges they are facing today and tomorrow.
      
     Highlight exhibits include a screen-used NS-5 robot from "I, Robot", a rare replica (one of the 12 in the world) of Xenomorph from the Alien made from the original casts held by the designer, a replica of U.S.S. Enterprise from "Star Trek" signed by the actors, a replica of Dalek from the long-running science fiction TV series "Doctor Who", a replica of Darth Vader Helmet from "Star Wars: A New Hope" and a replica of Mark III Armour from "Iron Man".
      
     Apart from the collection of the Science Museum, London, the exhibition also includes many interactive elements developed by the HKScM. A mural created by local artist Vivian Ho is on display, showcasing the intersection of science fiction and technological advancement together with animation. Visitors can also join a game by scanning QR codes at the exhibition gallery with their mobile devices and following instructions to collect gemstones for a reward of specially designed mobile wallpapers by the artist.
      
     The HKScM will also launch a series of amazing programmes to tie in with the exhibition. They include the museum's collaboration with the Hong Kong Public Libraries on the selection of various science fiction books at the exhibition, and the collaboration with the Film Programmes Office to offer free screening and post-screening talks under the programme "the !magine Fest" from December 2023 to January 2024. Audiences can revisit the two classic movies, "A Trip to the Moon" (1902) and "Forbidden Planet" (1956). For more information of the event, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=56. Moreover, the Research Grants Council will present four lectures on December 16 and January 20, 2024 to introduce the latest research results of local higher education institutions on artificial intelligence and robotics.
      
     The exhibition will run from December 15 to May 29, 2024 at the special exhibition hall of the HKScM (2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East). For more information of the exhibition, admission fee and details of the programmes, please visit hk.science.museum/en/web/scm/exhibition/scifi2023.html, or call 2732 3232 for enquiries.