Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival today (October 26):

YK (Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dr Pang Yiu-kai), Allan (President of the Bordeaux Wine Council, Mr Allan Sichel), ladies and gentlemen, lovers of the good life all,
 
     Welcome to the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival. As YK noted, it's been too long – five years – since we last came together in celebration of food and wine, family, friends and festive fun.
 
     For this speaker, that makes one thing abundantly clear: not only is Hong Kong back in business, we're back in the business of pleasure. Of serving up the good life for the Hong Kong community and a world of visitors. Obviously, we have a lot of catching up to do.
      
     And here, a special welcome to Mr Sichel from the Bordeaux Wine Council. I can't wait to tell you that Hong Kong people are true French wine lovers – last year, despite the pandemic, Hong Kong still imported 13 to 14 million bottles of French wine. But I am not too sure whether they like Bordeaux or Burgundy more. Perhaps you can tell me more.
      
     Starting tonight and right through this glorious autumn weekend, booths and pavilions on this beautiful waterfront will be corking and pouring.
      
     Alongside internationally celebrated wines from France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Australia, there will be a wide selection of wines from eight Mainland wineries, as well as from Moldova, Hungary and other Eastern European countries. They also include new-latitude wine from Thailand and, from Singapore, the world's first soy wine.
      
     And plenty of whisky and beer to choose from, too.
      
     With fine dishes plating sweet, sour, spicy and more – I'm sure we'll all be back for seconds and thirds. Whether it's Australian Wagyu ribeye or Chinese goose liver sausage, Jeju tangerine jelly or Parmesan cheese gelato, I am sure our stomachs will be delightfully filled.
      
     But there is much more to just eating and drinking here. A "Tasting Theatre" debuts this year at the Festival, spotlighting star chefs, professional sommeliers, baristas and more. They'll feature master cooking classes, food and wine-pairing tips and family fun, too, including cartoon cookie-baking sessions.
      
     Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy. Enjoy it all, the wining and dining and culinary discoveries from all over the world, the live music and entertainment, the night-time ambience, getting together with family and friends, making new friends, and the many pleasures of life in Hong Kong, Asia's world city. Asia's good-times city, too.
      
     Once you're all happily wined and dined, you'll want to check out the rest of Hong Kong – our arts, culture and heritage, magnificent country parks, world-class theme parks, and so much more.
      
     This is all very much of Hong Kong: energetic and welcoming, happily merging the best of East and West. A place that awaits you to explore. Time and again.
      
     My thanks to the Hong Kong Tourism Board and each and every one of Wine & Dine Festival's fabulous sponsors, for this year's festive showcase, for making memories for all of us.
      
     I know you will enjoy this very special evening and the Festival days and nights to come. Cheers.

       The 18th Eco Expo Asia opened today (October 26). Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, and co-organised by the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB), the Expo enables global entrepreneurs, professionals from the green industry and government officials to showcase cutting-edge green solutions, exchange views and share experiences. This Expo is conducted in a hybrid format with a physical exhibition held alongside an online platform, with the physical exhibition being held at AsiaWorld-Expo from today to October 29.
 
        Speaking at the Expo's opening ceremony, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said, "This year, the theme of the Expo is 'Taking the Leap towards Carbon Neutrality'. We are honoured to have about 200 officials from over 50 official delegations from various cities and provinces in Mainland China, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Belt and Road countries joining this signature annual environmental event.
 
        "Hong Kong is striving to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent before 2035 as compared to the 2005 level. Earlier this year, we have established the Office of Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality to help achieve the carbon neutrality targets of our country and Hong Kong, and tackle the carbon emission problem at source. As mentioned by our Chief Executive in the 2023 Policy Address announced yesterday, the Hong Kong Government will make every effort to promote the use and supply of new energy for sea, land and air transport purposes, so as to spearhead the green transformation of relevant trades. We will also explore the development of new energy industrial chains to promote the green economy."
      
       Mr Tse stressed that as the climate crisis knows no boundaries, the world must take urgent action to achieve deep decarbonisation. Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. Mr Tse looked forward to joining hands with all sectors to identify more environmental technologies and products so as to support the shift towards a low-carbon economy.
 
       Vice Minister, member of the Leading Party Members Group of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Ms Guo Fang was invited to give a keynote speech at the opening ceremony and to witness a "Building a Zero Waste Bay Area" launch ceremony.

        The Expo's feature event, the Eco Asia Conference, is being held from today to October 28. In the Government Session, the Director-General of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Liu Dechun, and the Director-General of the Department of Energy Conservation and Resources Comprehensive Utilization of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Huang Libin, will introduce the latest environmental policies of the Mainland. The Director-General of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province, Ms Xu Xiaoxia, has been invited to speak on the policies and latest developments for achieving zero waste in Guangdong Province. In addition, the Vice Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Phouvong Luangxaysana; the Deputy Union Minister of Myanmar's Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Mr Min Thu; and the Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department at Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Vu Duc Dam Quang, will share their countries' latest environmental and conservation policies and progress.  
 
     The Conference will once again feature the Hydrogen Economy Forum and discuss "Evolving ESG Landscape and the Future of Sustainable Finance", with a new session, C40 Climate Action Seminar (Asian and Oceania Regions), being held.

       The EEB continued to participate in both the physical and virtual exhibitions of the Expo this year. The exhibition comprises four zones, namely "GreenTech", "Conserve Energy", "Green Transport" and "Waste Reduction", highlighting the Government's efforts and achievements in decarbonisation. The "GreenTech" zone showcases how high technology can be applied in daily environmental protection tasks, for example, an unmanned ground penetrating radar robot dog, a remote 5G auto-pilot sampling boat, an acoustic camera, an unmanned sampling submarine and a multi-terrain robot. The "Conserve Energy" zone introduces fluid-cooled heatsink LED lighting and the Lai Chi Wo Eco-Smart Public Toilet. The "Green Transport" zone presents the latest developments of the trial of hydrogen fuel cell double-deckers. The "Waste Reduction" zone introduces the Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme and expansion of GREEN@COMMUNITY. Visitors can also view smart recycling bins and the newly introduced smart food waste recycling bin.

       In addition, 12 government bureaux/departments, namely the Architectural Services Department, the Buildings Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Energizing Kowloon East Office of the Development Bureau, the Drainage Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Fire Services Department, the Highways Department, the Hong Kong Observatory, the Housing Department, the Transport Department and the Water Supplies Department are also participating in the physical and/or virtual exhibitions to introduce their initiatives in environmental protection and achieving carbon neutrality for Hong Kong.

       The Eco Expo Asia will open to the public for free on the last day of the event (October 29) to encourage citizens to participate in environmental protection and promote green living. Members of the public are welcome to take the EEB's virtual tour via virtualbooth.hktdc.com/ecoexpoasia/2324/300006383715/en/.

     A total of 15 nomination forms for the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election were received by the Returning Officers for the 18 District Committees constituencies (DCCs) and 44 District Council geographical constituencies (DCGCs) today (October 26).
 
     This brings to 389 the total number of nomination forms received since the start of the nomination period on October 17. The nomination period will continue until October 30.
 
     The number of nomination forms received for each District Council is as follows:
 

 
     The Registration and Electoral Office reminds nominees that due to limited space in the Returning Officer's office, each nominee shall be accompanied by only one companion during submission of the nomination form. Please refer to the "Points to Note for Submission of Nomination Forms" on the election website (www.eac.hk/pdf/distco/2023dce/Points_to_Note_for_Submission_of_Nomination_Forms(Eng).pdf).
 
     Particulars of the nominees received today will be available on the election website (www.elections.gov.hk/dc2023/eng/nomination2.html).

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) carrier cases, the spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) gave the following update today (October 26):
 
     In accordance with the prevailing infection control guidelines, the hospital commenced contact tracing. Three more female patients (aged 68 to 85) in the same surgical ward were confirmed as VRE carriers while not having signs of infection. One patient had been discharged earlier and the other two patients are currently hospitalised in QEH for treatment in isolation with stable condition.
 
     The ward concerned has adopted the following enhanced infection control measures:
 

1. Enhanced patient and environmental screening procedures;
2. Application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene for staff and patients; and
3. Enhanced cleaning and disinfection of the wards concerned.

 
     The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation of the ward and the patients. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.

     Hong Kong Customs today (October 26) held an award presentation ceremony of the Elite Enterprise Partnership Award 2023 at the Customs Headquarters Building to commend 13 stakeholders of the logistics industry for their proactive co-operation and contribution to Customs.

     At the ceremony, the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, stated that Hong Kong Customs has all along been dedicated to combatting illegal activities and enhancing its capabilities in risk management and Customs clearance to best guard the southern gateway to the country. Customs has also implemented various trade facilitation measures to foster economic development of Hong Kong. The close co-operation between Customs and the logistics industry is of prime importance to achieving high efficacy of such measures and collaboration, thereby strengthening the role of Hong Kong as an international transport and logistics hub.
      
     The awardees this year came from different sectors of the logistics industry, including express couriers, logistics companies, container and terminal companies, logistics associations, etc. This showcases the close co-operation and connection between Customs and different sectors of the industry.
      
     Looking ahead, the logistics industry of Hong Kong will thrive under the support and motivation of the country and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Hong Kong Customs will continue to strengthen its connection and co-operation with the logistics industry, so as to uphold the department's mission of safeguarding the gate of Hong Kong and facilitating legitimate trade.