The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (December 7) that the official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong amounted to US$424.6 billion as at the end of November 2023 (end-October 2023: US$416.0 billion) (Annex).
      
     Including unsettled foreign exchange contracts, the foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong at the end of November 2023 amounted to US$424.4 billion (end-October 2023: US$416.0 billion).
      
     The total foreign currency reserve assets of US$424.6 billion represent about six times the currency in circulation or 40 per cent of Hong Kong dollar M3.

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     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of December 2023, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

     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 6 to noon today (December 7), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 95 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 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 18 593 samples of food imported from Japan (including 12 353 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 5 214 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, started his visit to Hangzhou today (December 7) to learn about the smart mobility development in the city.

     In the morning, Mr Lam met with representatives of Hangzhou Transportation Bureau, Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Economy and Informatization as well as Hangzhou Traffic Police to understand their latest transport policies and relevant regulatory work in traffic management. They also exchanged views on the trending autonomous vehicles and its associated challenges.

     Mr Lam then visited Antu Technology Innovation (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd to learn about the development of intelligent connected vehicles rental services. He also took a ride on an autonomous vehicle from Binjiang District to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, the first of its kind in Hangzhou being tested on open roads, to gain first-hand experience of the sensitive performance of autonomous vehicles under different scenarios on open roads.

     "The Smart Mobility Roadmap for Hong Kong and the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong 2.0 provide a vision to realise the trials and use of autonomous vehicles on public roads in Hong Kong. The Transport and Logistics Bureau, together with the Transport Department, will soon propose legislative amendments to the Legislative Council for establishing a flexible regulatory framework to cope with the evolving autonomous driving technology. The successful experience of the Mainland and other overseas cities will be conducive to the long-term development of autonomous vehicles in Hong Kong," Mr Lam said.

     Upon arrival at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Mr Lam received a briefing by representatives of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) on the latest development at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. The AAHK has been proactively sharing experience and co-operating with Mainland airports based on the principle of "what the country needs, and what Hong Kong is good at". The AAHK has participated in the operation and management of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport since 2006, and is now holding 35-per-cent shares of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which is an example of how Hong Kong and Mainland cities can leverage their respective strengths on a complementary principle.

     Mr Lam will return to Hong Kong in the evening after his four-day visit to Shanghai and Hangzhou.

          

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, December 7, 2023 is 104.7 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs yesterday (December 6) conducted a special operation in Sheung Shui to combat the sale of counterfeit goods and seized about 2 300 items of suspected counterfeit goods with an estimated market value of about $500,000. During the operation, one person was arrested.

     Customs earlier received information alleging the sale of suspected counterfeit cosmetic products at a retail shop. After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of the trademark owners, Customs officers yesterday took enforcement action and raided a retail shop in Sheung Shui. The batch of suspected counterfeit goods, including cosmetics, skincare products and perfumes, was seized.

     During the operation a saleswoman, aged 24, was arrested.

     An investigation is ongoing and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out. Samples of the suspected counterfeit goods involved in the case will be sent to the Government Laboratory for safety testing.

     Customs will continue to step up inspection and enforcement to vigorously combat the sale of different kinds of counterfeit goods.

     Customs reminds consumers to procure goods at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt. Traders should also be cautious and prudent in merchandising since the sale of counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).