Tag Archives: China

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     The Commercial Properties Committee (CPC) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) today (November 20) approved a mild increase in the HA’s car park charges with effect from January 1, 2024. The monthly charges for private car (PC) and light goods vehicle (LGV) open and covered parking spaces will be increased by $120 and $140 respectively. For coach/bus (C/B), the charges for open and covered spaces will be increased by $160 and $180 respectively. For motorcycle (MC) parking spaces, the charges for open and covered spaces will be increased by $30 and $40 respectively.

     “Market surveys conducted by the HA indicate that monthly charges of comparable car parks are generally going up, while the HA’s current monthly charges for various types of parking spaces are generally at the lower end within the range of charges for car parks in comparable sectors. To bring the HA’s car park charges comparable to the market level and to ensure the HA’s financial stability, the CPC endorsed a mild increase in the monthly car park charges for all types of parking spaces in 2024,” a spokesman for the HA said.

     After adjustment, the monthly charges for open and covered parking spaces with effect from January 1, 2024, are as follows:

	Open parking spaces	Covered parking spaces
Private car	$1,570 – $2,610	$1,900 – $3,150
Light goods vehicle	$2,640	$3,400
Coach/bus	$3,280	$4,350
Motorcycle	$480	$630

 
     Moreover, the HA has since April 1, 2020, been granting a 75 per cent rent concession to car park users for the monthly parking of commercial vehicles to help relieve their financial burden. The rent concession has been extended several times up to December 31, 2023, with the concession amount adjusted to 50 per cent starting from July 1, 2023. Up to end-December 2023, the aforesaid rent concession for commercial car park users will have been granted for almost four years. This arrangement should provide certain assistance to commercial vehicle users parking at the HA’s monthly parking spaces.

     The HA’s monthly charges for PC parking spaces are subject to a three-tier charging system with different discounts based on occupancy rates (i.e. Tier 1 for occupancy rates at 90 per cent or above without a discount, Tier 2 for occupancy rates at 50 per cent to below 90 per cent with a 10 per cent discount, and Tier 3 for occupancy rates below 50 per cent with a 15 per cent discount). The tier to be adopted for the charges of individual car parks in 2024 will be based on their respective occupancy rates of PC parking spaces from August to October 2023. Accordingly, the current discounts for the monthly charges for PC parking spaces at individual car parks may be adjusted with effect from January 1, 2024. Subsequently, if the occupancy rate of PC parking spaces in a car park falls to a lower tier for three consecutive months during 2024, the discount for the lower tier will apply.

     On hourly rates, the CPC endorsed increasing the hourly rates by $1 for PC, LGV and MC parking spaces, and to increase the Day Pass and 24-hour Pass charges for PC parking spaces by $5 and $10 respectively, for all regions in 2024.
 
     “In complement with the Government’s initiative to marketise electric vehicle (EV) charging services, we will keep in view the Government’s latest arrangements for imposing an EV charging fee at government carparks and consider the imposition of an EV charging fee at the HA’s hourly parking spaces in due course”, said the spokesman.

     The HA reviews its car park charges annually, and the approved charges will take effect from January 1 of the following year. In reviewing its car park charges, the HA makes reference to the current market level including car park charges of other public bodies and comparable private sector car parks.
 
     As at the end of September 2023, there were about 34 000 parking spaces in 194 car parks of the HA, which mainly serve local residents subject to monthly charges. A total of about 3 700 parking spaces (about 11 per cent) are made available for visitors on hourly charges.  read more

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), as representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR Government), announced today (November 20) that a tender of five-year Government Bonds (Bonds) through the re-opening of existing 10-year Government Bond issue 10GB2706 under the Institutional Bond Issuance Programme will be held on November 29, 2023 (Wednesday), for settlement on November 30, 2023 (Thursday).

     An additional amount of HK$3.0 billion of the outstanding 10-year Bonds (issue no. 10GB2706) will be on offer. The Bonds will mature on June 29, 2027 and will carry interest at the rate of 1.25 per cent per annum payable semi-annually in arrears. The Indicative Pricings of the Bonds on November 20, 2023 are 91.58 with an annualised yield of 3.804 per cent.

     Under the Institutional Bond Issuance Programme, tender is open only to Recognized Dealers which are appointed as Primary Dealers. Anyone wishing to apply for the Bonds on offer can do so through any of the Primary Dealers on the current published list, which can be obtained from the Hong Kong Government Bonds website at www.hkgb.gov.hk. Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof.

     Tender results will be published on the HKMA’s website, the Hong Kong Government Bonds website, the Refinitiv screen (HKGBINDEX), and Bloomberg (GBHK <GO>) not later than 3pm on the tender day.

HKSAR Government Institutional Bond Issuance Programme Tender Information
—————————————————————————————–
     Tender information of re-opening of 10-year Government Bonds under the Institutional Bond Issuance Programme:
 

Issue Number	:	10GB2706 (Re-open)
Stock Code	:	4235 (HKGB 1.25 2706)
Tender Date and Time	:	November 29, 2023 (Wednesday) 9.30am to 10.30am
Issue and Settlement Date for Tender Amount	:	November 30, 2023 (Thursday)
Amount on Offer	:	HK$3.0 billion
Maturity	:	5 years
Remaining Maturity	:	Approximately 3.58 years
Maturity Date	:	June 29, 2027
Interest Rate	:	1.25 per cent p.a. payable semi-annually in arrears
Interest Payment Dates	:	December 29, 2023 June 28, 2024 December 30, 2024 June 30, 2025 December 29, 2025 June 29, 2026 December 29, 2026 June 29, 2027
Method of Tender	:	Competitive tender
Tender Amount	:	Each competitive tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof. Any tender applications for the Bonds must be submitted through a Primary Dealer on the current published list.   The accrued interest to be paid by successful bidders on the issue date (November 30, 2023) for the tender amount is HK$263.70 per minimum denomination of HK$50,000.   (The accrued interest to be paid for tender amount exceeding HK$50,000 may not be exactly equal to the figures calculated from the accrued interest per minimum denomination of HK$50,000 due to rounding).
Other Details	:	Please see Information Memorandum available on the Hong Kong Government Bonds website at www.hkgb.gov.hk or approach Primary Dealers.
Expected commencement date of dealing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited	:	The tender amount is fully fungible with the existing 10GB2706 (Stock code: 4235) listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

 
     Price/Yield Table of the Government Bonds at tender (for reference only*):
 

Yield-to-Maturity	Price	Yield-to-Maturity	Price
2.804	94.81	3.804	91.64
2.854	94.65	3.854	91.49
2.904	94.48	3.904	91.33
2.954	94.32	3.954	91.18
3.004	94.16	4.004	91.03
3.054	94.00	4.054	90.87
3.104	93.84	4.104	90.72
3.154	93.68	4.154	90.57
3.204	93.52	4.204	90.41
3.254	93.37	4.254	90.26
3.304	93.21	4.304	90.11
3.354	93.05	4.354	89.96
3.404	92.89	4.404	89.81
3.454	92.73	4.454	89.66
3.504	92.58	4.504	89.51
3.554	92.42	4.554	89.36
3.604	92.26	4.604	89.21
3.654	92.11	4.654	89.06
3.704	91.95	4.704	88.91
3.754	91.80	4.754	88.76
3.804	91.64	4.804	88.61

 
* Disclaimer
 
The information provided here is for reference only. Although extreme care has been taken to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date, the HKMA does not warrant that all, or any part of, the information provided is accurate in all respects. You are encouraged to conduct your own enquiries to verify any particular piece of information provided on it. The HKMA shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any use or reliance on any of the information provided here. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:        The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Alipay Financial Services (HK) Limi… 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 November 17 to noon today (November 20), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 270 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category, in the past three days (including last Saturday and Sunday). 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 15 114 samples of food imported from Japan (including 9 991 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 4 360 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.
  read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, November 20, 2023 is 105 (down 0.3 against last Saturday’s index).

     â€‹The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, November 18, 2023 was 105.3 (down 0.4 against last Friday’s index). read more