Tag Archives: China

     The Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Ports) of Customs and Excise, Ms Wong Wai-chuen, today (December 12) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Cross-boundary Express Cargo Clearance Facilitation Arrangement (CEFA) with the Federal Express (Hong Kong) Limited to further deepen collaboration at the Customs Headquarters Building.

     Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ms Wong said that to dovetail with the rapid development of the global electronic commerce industry, Customs has started the trial of the CEFA since the first half of this year by introducing an innovative customs clearance model of “free flow through the first line and efficient control at the second line”. Through pre-assessing the risk of goods based on the declared cargo information from logistics providers and utilising technology monitoring to ensure uninterrupted transportation of parcels, the time spent on loading, unloading and locating parcels inspected at Hong Kong ports will be reduced. Upon the arrival of parcels at a designated clearance area, a designated mobile examination team from Customs will conduct customs clearance on the spot to accelerate cargo shipment procedures. The implementation of the CEFA has demonstrated a balanced approach between trade facilitation and enforcement, thereby strengthening Hong Kong’s competitive advantage as a major international trade centre and regional logistics hub.

     Customs attaches great importance to maintaining close co-operation with logistics providers and welcomes enterprises to participate in the CEFA to improve the overall efficiency of customs clearance and create a favourable business environment in Hong Kong. To participate in the CEFA, logistics providers must fulfil the following requirements:

     (a) Obtain Authorized Economic Operator accreditation in Hong Kong;
     (b) Become users of the Road Cargo System or other systems designated by Customs, with accurate cargo information submitted in formats specified by Customs;
     (c) Become users of Customs electronic locks; and
     (d) Bear a high level of credibility and a secured supply chain policy that meets the safety requirements of Customs.

     Customs will continue to expand the scope of co-operation with the logistics industry to promote swift and reliable cargo clearance services, achieving a win-win situation for both sides. The department is also committed to being the gatekeeper and shoulder the responsibilities of the facilitator of economic development of the country and Hong Kong to intercept illegal articles entering and exiting Hong Kong, expedite cargo flow, and facilitate trading activities. 

    

     The 38th Shenzhen-Hong Kong Environmental Co-operation Forum was held in Hong Kong today (December 12). It was co-chaired by the Director of Environmental Protection of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Dr Samuel Chui, and the Director of the Ecology Environment Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Mr Li Shuisheng, to review this year’s work progress and pass the work plan for the year ahead. They also exchanged views on the work of Shenzhen and Hong Kong in solid waste management and resource recovery, as well as co-operation in water quality management.

     Dr Chui said, “On solid waste management and resource recovery, waste reduction and circular economy are part of the Greater Bay Area (GBA)’s significant development. Hong Kong will keep boosting waste reduction and recycling, including introducing a producer responsibility scheme for more products. We will also continue to promote jointly with Shenzhen and other Mainland cities of the GBA the circular economy and green transformation by strengthening collaboration in environmental technology and industries, with a view to supporting the high-quality development of the GBA.”

     He added that Hong Kong and Shenzhen will also strengthen studies in areas including collaboration on improving regional ozone pollution, as well as analysis of formation mechanisms and the uniqueness of regional and cross-regional ozone transportation in the GBA. Both sides will further improve the water quality management of the Deep Bay (Shenzhen Bay) to enhance the sewerage collection and treatment facilities in the area, as well as improve assessment standards suitable for the unique ecological environment quality of the Deep Bay, in order to ensure the water quality of the Deep Bay and build picturesque bays together.

     Following the forum, representatives from the Shenzhen Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau visited the Environmental Protection Department’s sludge treatment facility, T·PARK, to learn about how this modern waste management facility applies waste-to-energy technology in sludge treatment and provides leisure and environmental education for the public.

     The HKSAR Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government have been in close contact, exchanging information and sharing knowledge on different environmental protection aspects such as regional air quality, water quality management and waste management, in order to align with national planning and developments. The Forum has been held twice a year since 2006 to deepen environmental co-operation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

      

     According to the provisional results of a survey released today (December 12) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the index of industrial production for manufacturing industries as a whole decreased slightly by 0.1% … 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 December 11 to noon today (December 12), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 132 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).

     In parallel, 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, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 104 906 samples of food imported from Japan (including 67 864 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 23 716 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, December 12, 2024 is 106.7 (up 0.2 against yesterday’s index). read more