​With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels), talented young Hong Kong double bass player Grace Chan took part in the 21st season of the Rome Chamber Music Festival (RCMF), w… read more
​The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (June 20) welcomed over 400 senior representatives from Mainland and foreign companies at an Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) reception, thanking them for their lasting confidence in Hong Kong’s business environment and calling upon them to continue using the city’s global advantages to expand their business worldwide.
Speaking at the reception, Mr Lee said that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has the distinctive advantage of enjoying strong support of the country and being closely connected to the world. The city is one of the most liberal and easiest places to do business in the world. In the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024, Hong Kong’s ranking jumped two places to fifth globally, and topped the world in “international trade” and “business legislation”. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong plays important roles as a “super-connector” and a “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world, serving as a two-way springboard for attracting overseas enterprises and for Mainland enterprises to “go global”. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong warmly welcomes enterprises, talent, and investment to seize the unlimited opportunities offered by this vibrant international city.
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, also attended and joined Mr Lee to offer a toast to the guests.
The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau, thanked the guests for their confidence in Hong Kong by setting up businesses in the city. She said that InvestHK and the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) will offer the best support for helping Mainland and foreign companies tap business opportunities and thrive in Hong Kong.
The guests who attended the reception are company representatives from various sectors around the world and had been assisted by InvestHK and the OASES over the past year in setting up or expanding their business in Hong Kong.
InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to attract foreign direct investment and support Mainland and overseas businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It has nine sector teams catering to the needs of different companies, and in recent years has expanded with new pillars, namely, the fintech and family office units to attract companies in these areas to set up in Hong Kong and develop a comprehensive ecosystem.
For photos of the reception, please visit: www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72177720318075925.
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, visited the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) today (June 20) to learn more about the department’s work in respect of maritime enforcement and import and export clearance. She also toured the Customs Marine Base (CMB) on Stonecutters Island and the Kwai Chung Customhouse (KCCH), and exchanged views with the department’s management and frontline staff to learn about the latest developments of the department and the work of its staff.
Mrs Yeung and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, first arrived at the CMB and met with the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, and directorate staff, and received a briefing from them on the department’s latest developments, law enforcement work and measures to facilitate trade and clearance. Mrs Yeung was pleased to learn that the C&ED would introduce to colleagues the content of the updated Civil Service Code which was promulgated not long ago to explain the core values of civil servants.
Mrs Yeung then toured the CMB and boarded a high-speed pursuit craft and a sector patrol launch, where she was briefed by staff of the Marine Enforcement Group on their marine patrol and law enforcement work, as well as on the facilities on board. She also chatted with the frontline staff to learn about the challenges they encounter in their patrol and anti-smuggling operations. She thanked them for remaining steadfast in carrying out their duties for long hours amidst rough seas during inclement weather, and for doing their utmost to combat smuggling activities around the clock and enforcing the law with dedication.
She then paid a site visit to the Cargo Examination Compound of the KCCH to learn more about the clearance and examination work for sea cargoes. She viewed a demonstration of a cargo inspection by staff members of the Ports and Maritime Command using the latest examination equipment to help ensure that no prohibited and controlled items enter Hong Kong.
Mrs Yeung said, “With their concerted efforts, the C&ED colleagues have repeatedly shut down various forms of drug trafficking and smuggling activities. In the face of the ever-changing smuggling trends, every colleague should keep abreast of the times, take a step forward to guard for the public good, and continue to serve the public with dedication and professionalism.”
Before concluding her visit, Mrs Yeung met with staff representatives from various grades in the department to exchange views on matters that concern them.
The Civil Service College (CSC) has launched the Executive Series on “Connecting with the World – ASEAN”. The fourth seminar in the series, on the topic of “Different Paths to Prosperity in ASEAN Economies”, was delivered by Professor Krislert Samphantharak of the School of Global Policy and Strategy of the University of California San Diego at the CSC today (June 20).
Addressing the seminar, the Head of the CSC, Mr Oscar Kwok, said that Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have distinct cultural identities shaped by their histories, ethnic compositions, and religions, leading to significant differences in societal norms, values and practices. They also vary widely in terms of development levels, industrialisation and economic structures. ASEAN’s diversity across cultural, economic, political, and social dimensions underscores the importance of a nuanced understanding and tailored approaches in regional co-operation.
More than 140 civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks from 45 bureaux/departments attended the seminar today, including officers from Hong Kong, and from Mainland Offices and overseas Economic and Trade Offices of the Government in Beijing, Bangkok, Berlin, Brussels, Dubai, Geneva, Singapore, and Washington, DC, who joined the seminar via video conferencing.
The Executive Series on “Connecting with the World – ASEAN” is designed to further broaden the international perspective of directorate and senior civil servants. It covers subjects pertaining to the changing international dynamics and the development of ASEAN countries, including economies of emerging markets, opportunities and challenges from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the role and positioning of ASEAN, and diversity of ASEAN economies. Prominent experts are invited to speak and engage in in-depth discussions with participants.
The Deputy Director-General of the Flight Standards Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Mr Xue Shijun; the Director-General of Civil Aviation of Hong Kong, Mr Victor Liu; and the President of t… read more