The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met Vice Minister of General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) Ms Lv Weihong today (November 28). The two parties also signed the Co-operation Arrangement for Entry-exit Health Inspection and Quarantine between the GACC and the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (Co-operation Arrangement).
 
     Professor Lo said, "I would like to express my gratitude to the GACC for its support to the signing of the Co-operation Arrangement. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has all along been maintaining close co-operation with the entry-exit health inspection and quarantine authorities of the Mainland to safeguard the wellbeing and safety of residents and travellers of the two places. People of the Mainland and the HKSAR have been engaging in more frequent exchanges ever since the full resumption of normal travel between the two places after the COVID-19 epidemic. Having consolidated experiences in the prevention and control of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, the GACC and the Health Bureau will further strengthen the joint efforts in disease prevention and control in terms of entry-exit health inspection and quarantine between the Mainland and Hong Kong through the Co-operation Arrangement, with a view to facilitating the smooth operation of the communication and collaboration mechanisms between the two parties."
 
     At the meeting, Professor Lo and Ms Lv also exchanged views on issues of mutual concern including entry-exit health inspection and quarantine as well as the Policy Address initiative regarding the discussion with other Greater Bay Area cities on the provision of direct cross-boundary ambulance service.
 
     Today's meeting was another occasion where Professor Lo met with leaders of the GACC within a short period of time after his last visit to the GACC in Beijing in early November. The Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan; the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; Deputy Secretary for Health Mr Sam Hui; the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui; and the Director of Cluster Services of the Hospital Authority, Dr Simon Tang, also attended the meeting today.

  

     The StartmeupHK Festival 2023 concluded on November 17 after an exhilarating week-long series of events, networking activities and pitching competitions. Organised by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Festival drew over 12 000 participants and 16 000 online viewers from 85 countries and territories, consisting of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, tech enthusiasts and government officials. The Festival’s theme, "A Future Unlimited", set the stage for more than 600 visionary speakers from across the globe. Over 800 one-to-one business matching meetings were also conducted between start-ups and investors and potential partners to explore business opportunities.
 
     The Festival was honored by the attendance of senior government officials who emphasised the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's dedication to creating a dynamic ecosystem through proactive initiatives and established funding schemes.
 
     At the opening ceremony of Game On! 2023, the Acting Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, Mr Michael Wong, expressed his delight in Hong Kong's fast-growing start-up community. He said, "According to InvestHK's 2022 startup survey, we have around 4,000 start-ups employing 15,000 people, which is a new record high. We know that these numbers are continuously growing in 2023, demonstrating that Hong Kong has all the necessary elements to nurture and support start-ups."
 
    The HKSAR Government Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, further emphasised the Government's commitment to maintaining Hong Kong's long-term competitiveness in attracting global talent and supporting start-ups at the Startup World Cup (SWC) Asia Finale 2023. He stated, "Hong Kong has long been recognised as a world-class international financial centre, and we are striving to become an international innovation and technology hub, making our city an ideal destination for startups to thrive."
 
    The Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Ms Alpha Lau, echoed this sentiment at the Real Estate Beyond 2023. She stated, "Despite the ongoing challenges posed by macroeconomic uncertainties, Hong Kong's startup ecosystem has shown remarkable resilience and growth. Furthermore, the HKSAR Government has proactively implemented a series of strategies and policies, with an aim to attract large companies, startups, international talent, and capital to Hong Kong."
 
     While the StartmeupHK Festival covered a diverse range of topics, including web3, healthtech, proptech, greentech, and AI, sustainability emerged as a prominent theme across all sectors.
 
     During his keynote speech at the St. Gallen Symposium Hong Kong – GBA Forum 2023, the Chairman of Our Hong Kong Foundation, Mr Bernard Chan, emphasised the importance of companies incorporating sustainable business practices into their business models and expressed Hong Kong's openness to collaboration within the region to achieve this common goal. In a panel discussion at the same event, the Chief Development Strategist at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Professor Christine Loh, pointed out the importance of understanding how family offices identify potential investments in driving capital towards sustainable businesses.
 
     At a panel discussion during the 1.5°C Summit – The Defining Decade for Impact with Tech, speakers unanimously agreed that sustainability is not just an option but a necessity. Co-Founder/Managing Partner of Undivided Ventures Mr Alexander Bent stated that organisations must invest in socially responsible companies and address these problems to sustain themselves in the next decade.
 
     During the Real Estate Beyond 2023 event, the Founder of Negawatt, Mr Arthur Lam, highlighted the importance of monitoring ESG impact progress and shifting focus towards sustainability for business success. On the same occasion, Associate Director (Innovation) at Sino Group Andrew Young noted that property developers in Hong Kong are under pressure to meet decarbonisation goals and are open to collaborating with proptech startups.
 
     During a panel discussion at the Asia Health Innovation Summit, the Head of the Hong Kong Office at Insilico Medicine, Dr Frank Pun, highlighted the potential of generative AI in generating experimental data to aid patients, particularly in cases where the disease is unknown or new.
 
     The Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer at Bitkub Capital Group Holdings, Mr Jirayut (Topp) Srupsrisopa, shed light at Game On! 2023 that web3 will be a major force in the future of Hong Kong, and the digital economy will be enormous. On the same occasion, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Animoca Brands Mr Yat Siu expressed that Hong Kong has made significant progress in nurturing innovation and technology in the past years and that he saw that the city has the potential to take on a leadership role as a global web3 hub.
 
     The Chairman of Alibaba Group, Mr Joe Tsai, also shared his insights on the future of work and leadership in the era of AI and new technology at JUMPSTARTER 2023 Tech by The Harbour. He stated, "We have entered the 'post-GPT' era, where computers process knowledge, not just data. However, I believe that humans will excel in emotional areas. As business leaders, it is important to hire smart individuals to avoid limiting a company's potential."
 
     In addition to the main events, the Festival also hosted various community events that sparked insightful discussions. At the LOUDER Connect, the Head of StartmeupHK at InvestHK, Ms Jayne Chan, spoke on the need to support female founders and investors, but highlighted Hong Kong's strong position for its number of female-founders. Other female startup leaders echoed that Hong Kong boasts an abundance of talent, resources, and investors from both the public and private sectors, which enable the independent nurturing and growth of female-led startups.
 
     At another event, Shaping Legacies: Impact Investing Unveiled for Family Offices, a representative from a family office highlighted one of Hong Kong's greatest advantages: there is no expiration date for establishing family trusts in Hong Kong. The panelists also discussed the trend of impact investing, where family offices are increasingly focused on recycling their capital with a positive impact on society.
 
     A number of scalable pitching competitions were held throughout the Festival, offering startups the opportunity to showcase their ideas and connect with like-minded individuals and potential investors. Notably, the "Shark Tank" style of pitch competition held at "Shark Mystique" during the Explore the Innovation Ocean, empowered the younger generation to showcase their innovative ideas.
 
     Other highlights included the Startup World Cup Asia Finale, where i2cool, a green and energy-efficient service provider with passive radiative cooling technology from Hong Kong, emerged as the champion. Moreover, Allegrow Biotech, a Hong Kong-based biotechnology startup was crowned grand finale winner of JUMPSTARTER 2023 for its mission to revolutionise the healthcare landscape by bringing high-quality and cost-effective cell therapeutic products to patients.
 
     This year's Festival went beyond traditional networking events in connecting startups and investors. Some highlights included an investor-matching on the Ferris Wheel at Explore the Innovation Ocean, as well as the "StartMeetUp" session at the JUMPSTARTER 2023 Tech by The Harbour, which offered exclusive and prearranged business matching sessions.
 
    The StartmeupHK Festival 2023 left a lasting impact on the global startup community. This sustained momentum is expected to foster a healthy startup ecosystem in the city where groundbreaking ideas can flourish, ensuring that the spirit of entrepreneurship remains vibrant.

                                

     The following is issued on behalf of the Transport Advisory Committee:

     The Transport Complaints Unit (TCU) of the Transport Advisory Committee received 10 203 complaints and suggestions in the second quarter of 2023, with 285 being pure suggestions. 

     The complaints and suggestions received during the quarter were mostly related to public transport services (88 per cent), enforcement matters (8 per cent) and traffic conditions (2 per cent).

     The number of cases on public transport services increased from 8 680 in the previous quarter to 9 055 this quarter, while that on illegal parking and other enforcement matters increased from 778 to 844. The number of complaints and suggestions on traffic conditions decreased from 254 to 182, while that on road maintenance increased from 53 to 59. 

     All the complaints and suggestions received by the TCU in the quarter were referred to the relevant government departments and public transport operators for follow-up action.

     During the period under review, investigations into 10 884 cases were completed. Of these, 9 247 cases (84 per cent) were found to be substantiated, 44 cases (less than 1 per cent) were unsubstantiated, and the remaining 1 593 cases (15 per cent) could not be pursued due to lack of evidence. 

     For the substantiated cases, the relevant government departments and public transport operators have either taken steps to rectify the situation or are considering possible solutions to the problems identified. Among these cases, 89 drivers were summonsed by the Police.

     During the quarter, the relevant government departments and public transport operators took on board 11 suggestions made by the public to enhance public transport services and improve traffic conditions. A summary of the cases is in the Appendix.

     Members of the public may make their suggestions or complaints to the TCU by dialling the hotline 2889 9999 (voice mail service is available outside office hours), by fax to 2577 1858, by email to info@tcu.gov.hk or by filling in a form on the TCU website (www.tcu.gov.hk).

The following is issued on behalf of the Transport Advisory Committee:

     The Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) was briefed by the Government today (November 28) on the progress of the Smart Traffic Fund (the Fund). 

     The $1 billion Smart Traffic Fund has been open for application since March 2021 to provide funding support to local organisations and enterprises for conducting research and applications of innovation and technology with the objectives of enhancing commuting convenience, enhancing efficiency of the road network or road space, and improving driving safety. 

     As at November 2023, 49 applications have been approved by the Management Committee, involving a total grant of around $328 million. The projects approved cover a wide range of transport-related themes, including autonomous vehicle/vehicle-to-everything, road safety, driving behaviour, traffic forecasting, parking and vehicle safety devices, and seek to introduce cutting-edge technologies into every aspect of a transportation ecosystem and driving experience.

     The TAC Chairman, Professor Stephen Cheung, said, "Members welcome the implementation of the Fund by the Government in encouraging organisations and enterprises to conduct more transport-related research and applications. This will help build Hong Kong into a more liveable and sustainable city, driving our transportation towards a new era of development. Members also support the Fund to provide more funding incentives for the industry to develop autonomous vehicle technologies so as to facilitate the trial and application of autonomous vehicles in Hong Kong for enhancing transportation efficiency and improving driving safety."

     A salesman of a medicine store was earlier convicted of engaging in a commercial practice involving a misleading omission in the sale of a Chinese herbal medicine, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO), at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts on November 14, and was remanded in custody pending sentence. He was sentenced to 200 hours' community service order today (November 28).  

     A Customs officer disguised as customer and conducted a test-buy operation at a medicine shop in Tsim Sha Tsui in March this year. A salesman was suspected to have misled the officer to believe that the unit price of American ginseng was calculated per catty. After the product was sliced, the salesman revealed that American ginseng was priced per tael. The charged price was 16 times different from what was expected. 

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO while consumers should procure products from reputable traders and keep transaction receipts. 

     Under the TDO, any trader who engages in a commercial practice that omits or hides material information or provides material information in a manner that is unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely, and as a result causes, or is likely to cause, an average consumer to make a transactional decision, commits an offence of misleading omissions. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
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     Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the TDO 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).