Tag Archives: China

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 is 106.4 (down 0.3 against yesterday’s index). read more

     â€‹Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced today (December 10) that the Kho family from the Philippines, who established The Kho Group (TKG), has set up a family office in Hong Kong. This demonstrates Hong Kong’s position as the leading hub for family offices.
      
     The Global Head of Family Office at InvestHK, Mr Jason Fong, warmly welcomed their opening in Hong Kong and said, “The establishment of the Kho’s family office reaffirms Hong Kong’s pivotal role within the global financial ecosystem. We are confident that this initiative will attract increased international capital inflows, further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a leading global hub for asset and wealth management. Additionally, we will continue to welcome families from around the world to establish their family offices in Hong Kong.”
      
     The Executive Vice President of the Kho Group, Mr James Fok, said: “In response to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s supportive measures to promote the development of the family office sector, we are delighted to announce the establishment of the Kho family office in Hong Kong. This move reflects our unwavering confidence in Hong Kong’s status as a leading international financial centre. Through this new platform, we aim to effectively integrate resources, foster closer collaborations with family offices, and drive business growth and innovation. Together, we aspire to create new opportunities and pave the way for a dynamic and prosperous future.”
      
     Since its establishment by the Kho family in 1983, TKG has accumulated more than 40 years of diversified investment experience in Mainland China and Southeast Asia and has become one of the early overseas Chinese companies to make overseas investments. TKG mainly covers five businesses, namely the supply of natural resources, shipping business, land and property development, high-end retail, and investment management. 

  

     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 9 to noon today (December 10), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 170 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 104 422 samples of food imported from Japan (including 67 486 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 23 616 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The Digital Policy Office (DPO) announced today (December 10) that the new version of the “iAM Smart” mobile app (4.0) has been launched. The new version introduces service categorisations from the user’s perspective and provides personalised settings. The user experience is enhanced with a clear and concise interface which categorises information and services closely related to daily life into various themes so that members of the public can search for and use the services in an easier way.
 
     A spokesman for the DPO said, “The new interface of ‘iAM Smart’ introduces thematic pages and a ‘Featured Services’ page. Apart from providing detailed categorisations, a range of commonly used services, such as eTAX, Contactless e-Channel, SmartPLAY, eHealth and applications for an International Driving Permit are also included to facilitate user’s direct access. We have also grouped useful information and services into several topics based on daily needs, such as ‘Travelling’, ‘New Parents’, ‘Kindergarten Admission’ and ‘Info for Elderly’, allowing users to select relevant information and services that meet their needs. A ‘lite’ mode is also introduced in the new version of ‘iAM Smart’, enabling elderly people and users in need to use ‘iAM Smart’ more conveniently.

     “We shall continue to introduce more personalised features to make it easier for users to access the services they need and manage their personal information, achieving ‘people-centric’ user experiences,” the DPO spokesman added.
 
     The details of the new version of “iAM Smart” are available on the “iAM Smart” thematic website at www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/nhp.html.
 
     Since its launch in late 2020, the “iAM Smart” one-stop personalised digital services platform has already accumulated over 3.1 million registrations and provided some 460 government, public and private online services. The DPO will continue upgrading the “iAM Smart” app, with the goal of fully adopting the “iAM Smart” platform to provide one-stop digital government services, making it the “single portal for online government services” by 2025 to provide seamless government services to members of the public. For more information on the online services adopted by “iAM Smart”, please visit www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/e-service.html.
 
     The “iAM Smart” app supports iOS and Android operating systems and mobile phones with biometric authentication activated. Members of the public can download and use the latest version of the app for free from the Apple App Store, Huawei AppGallery, and Google Play, or by visiting the “iAM Smart” thematic website at www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/download.html. read more

     â€‹The Corporate Games 2025, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will be open for enrolment from December 12, 2024, to January 9, 2025. Employees of commercial and industrial organisations and… read more