Tag Archives: China

     A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (November 14) that with the relevant electronic payment systems updated, members of the public who received fixed penalty notices under the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance (Cap. 570) (Fixed Penalty Ordinance) can settle the penalties by various electronic means prescribed in the notices.

     The spokesman said, “Members of the public can choose to settle the penalties using electronic means including bank Automated Teller Machines affixed with ‘Bill Payment’ signage, PPS, phone-banking services, etc, or by posting cheques, drafts or cashier’s orders or in person at any post office. For Internet banking payment services, updates of the respective banks’ systems are being completed progressively and enquiries can be made to the FEHD.”

     During the earlier updating of electronic payment systems, the FEHD had reminded members of the public affected to pay attention to the payment arrangements. Those who have yet to settle the payment will receive a Notice Demanding Payment of Fixed Penalty (Form 2), with the currently available payment methods stated.

     Upon commencement of the amended Fixed Penalty Ordinance on October 22 this year, the level of fixed penalty for depositing of litter or waste, spitting, displaying bills or posters without permission in public places, and fouling of street by dog faeces has been raised to $3,000, while the fixed penalty level for shopfront extension and illegal disposal of construction waste or a large amount of other wastes has been raised to $6,000.

     Details of the fixed penalty notices issued by the FEHD between October 22 and November 12 for certain offences relating to public cleansing or obstruction 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 November 13 to noon today (November 14), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 126 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 14 050 samples of food imported from Japan (including 9 254 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 4 060 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Film Development Council:
 
    The 8th First Feature Film Initiative (FFFI) has received an overwhelming response with a total of 71 eligible applications, comprising 13 for the Higher Education Institution Group (HEIG) and 58 for the Professional Group (PG), which is an increase of over 40 per cent in the number of eligible applications compared with the number of the last edition (49 applications).
 
     The Chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council, Dr Wilfred Wong, said, “The FFFI has received an overwhelming response and attracted the participation of many young people who are interested in the Hong Kong film industry. This shows the passion and support of Hong Kong’s new generation of film practitioners for the local film industry, which is encouraging. I look forward to seeing the winning film proposals be produced into high-quality films.”
   
     Since its inception, the FFFI has sponsored 24 winning teams to make their films and incubated 26 new directors.
      
     The FFFI identifies new talent through a competition on screenplay and production proposals. The competition is divided into the HEIG and the PG, with each group being awarded a maximum of three prizes. The maximum sponsorship for each winning production team of the HEIG and the PG are $5 million and $8 million respectively. The Film Development Fund provides funding for the winning teams to implement their film proposals and make their first commercial feature films. The winning teams are required to complete the whole film production and sales process, which involve planning, shooting and distribution, and more, in order to acquire knowledge from creation to practical applications in making a feature film. read more

     Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the DHL Central Asia Hub Phase 3 Grand Opening today (November 14):

Dr Tobias Meyer (Chief Executive Officer of the DHL Group), Mr John Pearson (Chief Executive Officer of the DHL Express), Mr Ken Lee (Chief Executive Officer of the DHL Express Asia Pacific), Fred (Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr Fred Lam), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon. I am happy to join you all today for the grand opening of the expanded Central Asia Hub of DHL Express.
 
     First of all, a warm welcome to our friends from overseas. And congratulations to DHL on delivering this major expansion project.
 
     Christmas is just a month away. While families look forward to receiving gifts, companies depend on reliable delivery of orders and signed contracts in your iconic red and yellow packaging. 
 
     After the challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic, business is back on track. DHL continues to be “part and parcel” of Hong Kong’s positioning as an international hub for aviation and logistics.
 
     Over the years, DHL’s Central Asia Hub has been growing from strength to strength. I am pleased to note that your expansion project will increase the hub’s handling capacity by 50 per cent to over one million tonnes per year. 
 
     Your growth also goes hand in hand with that of the Hong Kong International Airport, the world’s busiest cargo airport. 
 
     For one thing, we have the full support of the Central Government to develop eight specific sectors as international hubs. Most of them are directly relevant to your industry, namely aviation, transportation, trade, finance, and innovation and technology. These sectors have helped turn our city into an ideal place for business, people and ideas to get together.
 
     The Hong Kong Government will continue to work closely with the aviation and logistics industries.
 
     Following the Chief Executive’s delivery of his second Policy Address, we rolled out the Action Plan on Modern Logistics Development just two weeks ago. The Plan sets out forward-looking strategies and actions to promote the high-quality and sustainable development of Hong Kong’s logistics industry. 
 
     Specifically, the Plan leads the air cargo sector towards smart, green, sustainable, and high value-added development.
 
     DHL is an important partner for attaining these goals. Your expanded Central Asia Hub will surely support our airport’s transformation from a city airport into an “Airport City”. With our Three-Runway System scheduled for completion next year, your expanded Hub will be well-positioned to tap into the airport’s increased cargo handling capability. 
 
     Upon full commissioning of the Three-Runway System, our airport is expected to reach the target of handling 10 million tonnes of cargo per year by 2035, more than double that of last year. 
 
     Apart from increasing capacity, we are targeting new growth opportunities from high-value and high-growth cargo segments. 
 
     Right here in this part of the Airport Island, you will find state-of-the-art facilities for handling temperature-controlled cargo such as fresh produce, live animals and pharmaceuticals. This is supported by skilled hands and prudent processes that meet, and exceed, international certification requirements.
 
     We are also strengthening our role as an air cargo transshipment hub for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of the world’s largest manufacturing clusters and home to over 86 million potential customers. 
 
     For example, we are piloting a new transshipment mode. Export cargoes pre-screened in Dongguan can be transported by sea to the airside of our airport for direct transshipment to overseas destinations. This saves time and money, making Hong Kong a more efficient channel for trade between Mainland China and the rest of the world.
 
     E-commerce is another area that has seen remarkable growth in recent years. And here again, DHL is helping us “keep up with the clicks”.
 
     The Airport Authority Hong Kong is co-operating with industry partners to enhance infrastructure for handling e-commerce-related cargo. Surely, your expanded Central Asia Hub is a good example of such collaborative efforts.
 
     All in all, I am confident that our city will remain DHL’s best partner to power its logistics business in China – and across Asia.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, my congratulations, once again, on the grand opening of your expanded Central Asia Hub. 
 
     I also hope that our guests from overseas will find time to see more of our dynamic city. 

     Thank you. 

              

     The Housing Bureau (HB) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today (November 14) to jointly explore innovative solutions and applications for enhancing construction efficiency and safety, as well as optimising property management processes.

     The HB and the Housing Department (the executive arm of the Hong Kong Housing Authority) assume the responsibility of constructing a massive amount of public housing and managing nearly 200 public housing estates. In the face of various challenges in monitoring construction progress and safety, as well as property maintenance and management, the HB and ASTRI have established a strategic partnership with a view to exploring solutions and enhancements together by utilising innovative technologies.
     
     Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, said that the HB has been actively adopting advanced technologies and innovative thinking to enhance construction safety and efficiency and to optimise property management. With ASTRI’s rich experience in research and development and application, through joint technical studies with the HB as well as conjoint efforts from various sectors, Ms Ho believes that quality and efficiency in areas such as construction, estate management, customer services will be significantly enhanced.

     Witnessed by Ms Ho; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; the Under Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai; and the Board Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Sunny Lee, the Permanent Secretary for Housing/Director of Housing, Miss Rosanna Law, signed the MOU with the Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, Dr Denis Yip. The first batch of technologies under study includes:
 

• Smart Optical Sensing for High Precision Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) Positioning – Through Smart Optical Sensing, positioning tracking, edge artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, using the data provided by dynamic visual sensors for real-time data analysis to calculate the precise location of the MiC modules for installation, this technology can perform under extreme environments, minimise human physically demanding tasks and enhance site safety.
   
• Enhanced 5G Coverage for Remote Crane Control – Deploying a low-latency and reliable 5G private network solution with advanced Internet of Things (IoT) technology on-site, supporting a massive number of device connections and enabling remote control of cranes, the implementation of real-time safety and progress monitoring will help lower the safety risks of workers and improve the accuracy of crane tasks. 
   
• Universal AI Predictive Maintenance System for Lifts – Leveraging IoT data to analyse and develop an AI system capable of predicting lift breakdown patterns, this AI Predictive Maintenance System is compatible with lifts from various manufacturers. The lift downtime is reduced by enabling more efficient on-site maintenance checks through remote, real-time monitoring and accurate breakdown predictions, enhancing the quality of property management services.