Tag Archives: China

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 is 106.4 (same as yesterday’s index). read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, in the Legislative Council today (June 12):
 
Question:
 
     There are views that recently a film about the Kowloon Walled City, which receives critical acclaim and box office success, has once again demonstrated Hong Kong’s strong cultural foundation, and given that Hong Kong enjoys the country’s unequivocal support to develop into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, the HKSAR Government should draw on the experience and proactively develop tourism projects with local characteristics in order to pursue the concept of “tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong”. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as the Government indicated last month that it planned to support exhibitions and promotional activities related to the Kowloon Walled City through the Film Development Fund, how the Government allocates the relevant resources to ensure that they are used effectively and are able to continuously promote the internationalisation of Hong Kong films and the development of local cultural tourism;
 
(2) of the strategies or measures in place to enhance the international image of Hong Kong’s characteristic cultural tourism and capitalise on the diversity of Hong Kong’s culture in order to attract more international tourists to come to Hong Kong to experience its unique history and culture; and
 
(3) under the strategy of promoting “tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong”, whether the Government has plans to introduce “educational tours” to further diversify Hong Kong’s tourism industry and promote the characteristics of the HKSAR under “one country, two systems”, so as to tell the good stories of Hong Kong?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is positioned as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) has been driving cultural tourism based on the principle of “shaping tourism with cultural activities and promoting culture through tourism”. The Government will join hands with the trade to implement the concept of “tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong”, enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s tourism industry and fully explore and make good use of Hong Kong’s rich tourism resources.

     In respect of the question raised by the Hon Tang Fei, the reply is as follows:
 
(1) The movie “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” has been very popular, rendering many visitors eager to know more about the story of Kowloon Walled City and the story behind the production of the movie. As such, the Government is in discussion with the film company to explore the possibility of displaying the film related materials such as stills, video footage and props of the film so as to attract visitors and drive tourism industry.
 
     In fact, the Government has been supporting exhibitions and activities that promote film culture and film-related intellectual property rights through the Film Development Fund (FDF). We have also been actively promoting the internationalisation of Hong Kong films in recent years by participating in Mainland and overseas film festivals and organising and subsidising Hong Kong film programmes. These not only help to increase the exposure of Hong Kong films, but also enrich Hong Kong’s tourism elements. For example, this year we have led delegations from the film industry, bringing their films to the world’s leading film festivals to promote Hong Kong films and tell the good stories of Hong Kong. The Government will continue to strengthen support to Hong Kong film industry through the FDF, increase the exposure of the Hong Kong film industry in the Mainland and global film markets, and leverage the cultural influence of films to strengthen tourism promotion and attract more visitors to Hong Kong. Besides, the Government just launched the new phase of the “City in Time” tourism project, which also incorporates film elements, allowing locals and visitors to enjoy classic Hong Kong film clips at filming locations as well as past appearance of Hong Kong.
 
(2) Hong Kong is a cultural melting pot of East and West. Our traditional and foreign festivals attract tourists from all over the world. Hong Kong also has many rich and vivid resources of the intangible cultural heritage such as the Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade, Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, etc., which all feature very unique characteristics. Riding on different festivals, we will organise various activities to attract visitors such as the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races this weekend (June 15-16), Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival in September, and the International Chinese New Year Night Parade in the Lunar New Year, for visitors to experience the lively atmosphere of traditional festivals. Besides, we have different activities to celebrate foreign festivals, including the “Hallo” Hong Kong Halloween in Halloween, featuring themed decorations at various tourist hotspots; the Hong Kong WinterFest and the Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations at the end of each year, to celebrate the festive seasons with everyone. Through the “Pilot Scheme for Characteristic Local Tourism Events”, we also provide funding support for arts, culture and festive events with local characteristics or unique appeal of Hong Kong such as Yu Lan Cultural Festival, Hong Kong Dragon and Lion Dance Extravaganza, etc., with a view to enriching travel experience in Hong Kong.
 
     Cultural events could help promote the development of tourism. As the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, the Government has been committed to showcasing Hong Kong’s cultural and artistic vibe and vitality to the world by curating distinctive and unique cultural activities that attract visitors. This year for the first time, the CSTB launches Art March as a brand to promote multiple events organised, funded, or supported by the Government, to provide citizens and visitors with an enriched artistic journey. Meanwhile, we strive to curate cultural programmes that highlight the distinctive culture of Hong Kong. For example, we have launched an annual Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival since 2023, to attract the participation of locals and visitors through pop concerts, thematic exhibitions, film screenings, outdoor activities and outreach events etc. Traditional Chinese culture is a great attraction around the world. Starting this year, we organise the annual Chinese Culture Festival between June and September, offering more opportunities for both locals and visitors to appreciate Chinese culture. This year, Hong Kong will serve as the host city for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival for the first time, allowing locals and visitors to experience the unique cultural charm of Hong Kong and different regions. Besides, the inaugural edition of Asia+ Festival was successfully held last year, with a focus on Asia and celebrating the cultural diversity of Asia and the Belt and Road regions.
      
     In addition, the Government has also stepped up its efforts to promote characteristic tourism so that visitors can experience the unique local culture. We have launched the “Hong Kong Neighbourhoods” campaign in Old Town Central, Sham Shui Po and West Kowloon, and introduced quite some thematic walking routes to visitors. We also launched the Temple Street promotion last year to attract visitors to travel around local communities in Yau Ma Tei and Jordan to experience the most authentic side of Hong Kong. The Government has also been encouraging the trade to design more itineraries with different themes, covering cultural heritage, and has provided subsidies to the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong in 2023 to organise the “Deeper into Hong Kong: Creative Itinerary Design Competition”. We will continue to stage signature creative arts and cultural tourism projects with local elements such as the “Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival”, “Design District Hong Kong” (#ddHK).
      
     Meanwhile, the Government will continue to organise “Hong Kong Week” in the Mainland and overseas to showcase the unique East-meets-West arts and cultural ambience of Hong Kong. Our Economic and Trade Offices in the Mainland and overseas will also strengthen their promotion work on arts and culture, deepening cultural exchanges and promoting people-to-people bonds.
 
(3) The tourism industry of Hong Kong is mature. There are travel agents in the market providing different inbound tourism products in the serve of study tours.
 
     In the above-mentioned “Deeper into Hong Kong: Creative Itinerary Design Competition”, some winning itineraries included study tour such as the Hong Kong Manufacturing Study Tour, the Archaeology‧Tour in Cheung Chau. We will continue to promote the winning itineraries and encourage the trade to develop more unique tourism products covering study themes.
      
     The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has also consolidated study-related information to provide inbound study tours with references on different learning experiences and activities. The HKTB is also planning to invite travel trade partners to visit Hong Kong in the second half of the year to learn more about the relevant tourism resources to help the trade develop more study tour products with Hong Kong characteristics.
      
     We will continue to make best use of Hong Kong’s characteristics as a cultural melting pot of East and West and proactively develop tourism projects with local characteristics so as to provide visitors with diversified travel experiences, and reinforce and strengthen Hong Kong’s position as “the best tourism destination”. 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 June 11 to noon today (June 12), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 193 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 58 388 samples of food imported from Japan (including 37 729 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 14 540 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     Following is a question by Professor the Hon Chan Wing-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (June 12):

Question:

     The new “1+” mechanism for approval of new drugs (“1+” mechanism) announced in the 2023 Policy Address formally came into effect on November 1 2023. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective numbers of applications for registration of new drugs under the “1+” mechanism that have been received, approved and rejected since the mechanism came into effect, and the main reasons for the applications being rejected;

(2) whether it has compiled statistics on the total number of patients who have benefited from the new drugs approved for registration and use in Hong Kong under the “1+” mechanism; and

(3) how the authorities will further promote the “1+” mechanism in the future?

Reply:

President,

     “The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address” (Policy Address) announced that the Government will leverage the medical strengths of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) with the long-term objective of establishing an authority that registers drugs and medical devices (medical products) under the “primary evaluation” approach, i.e. to directly approve applications for registration of drugs in Hong Kong based on clinical trial data without relying on registration approval from other drug regulatory authorities, and start approving applications for registration of medical devices. All these aim at accelerating the clinical use of new medical products so as to enhance healthcare standards, and foster the development of industries relating to the research and development (R&D) and clinical trials of medical products, developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub. 

     In the past six months or so following the announcement of the Policy Address, the HKSAR Government has implemented measures in all respects and achieved results.

     Firstly, with the support and guidance of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), Hong Kong, China has become an observer of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) on October 31, 2023. This allows Hong Kong to familiarise itself with the latest developments in the drug regulation and take forward the development of the drug regulatory regime in Hong Kong, to further align Hong Kong with the World Health Organization (WHO)-Listed Authority.

     Secondly, the HKSAR Government implemented a new mechanism for the approval of new drugs (the “1+” mechanism) on November 1, 2023. Under the “1+” mechanism, holders of registration from one of the reference drug regulatory authorities (instead of two) for new drugs could apply for registration in Hong Kong, on the condition that they could provide local clinical data that complies with the requirements and information recognised by local experts.

     Thirdly, the HKSAR Government has established the Preparatory Office for the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR) under the Department of Health (DH) on June 5 this year. The Preparatory Office for the CMPR will comprehensively study and plan a regulatory and approval regime for medical products suitable for Hong Kong; and put forward proposals and steps for the establishment of the CMPR.

     The HKSAR Government will continue to actively follow up on the relevant work, to attract more medical products enterprises, both locally and from around the world, to conduct R&D and clinical trials in Hong Kong, and build the capacity, recognition and status for ensuring that the eventual approval mechanism of medical products in Hong Kong would be widely recognised internationally and by the Mainland, and develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub. 

     In consultation with the DH and the Hospital Authority (HA), the reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon Chan Wing-kwong in relation to the “1+” mechanism is as follows:

(1) Under the “1+” mechanism, applications for registration of new drugs in the HKSAR that are beneficial for treatment of life-threatening or severely debilitating diseases, and are supported with local clinical data and scope of application recognised by local experts, are only required to submit approval from one reference drug regulatory authority (instead of the two).

     The requirements for local clinical data and recognition by experts for application for registration (i.e. the “+” under the “1+” mechanism) will continue to ensure all drugs approved for registration fulfil the stringent requirements of safety, efficacy and quality. It will also strengthen the local capacity of drug evaluation and enhance the development of relevant software, hardware and expertise.

     Since the commencement of the “1+” mechanism from November 1, 2023, till May 31, 2024, two new drugs for treating cancer have been approved under that mechanism. They are oral targeted drugs in different dosages for treating metastatic colorectal cancer, for treatment of patients for whom conventional chemotherapy has been ineffective or inapplicable. Besides, the DH has received over 210 enquiries involving around 70 pharmaceutical companies. Several of these companies have expressed interest in applying for registration under the “1+” mechanism. Applications would be submitted once the necessary information is ready. At present, no new drug applications under the “1+” mechanism have been rejected. 

(2) As at May 31, 2024, 19 patients in the HA are already using abovementioned new drugs for treating metastatic colorectal cancer registered under the “1+” mechanism. The HA will encourage drug manufacturers or suppliers to apply for local registration of unregistered drugs with ongoing needs and continue to liaise closely with the DH in the light of the “1+” mechanism. Through the “1+” mechanism, the number of drugs successfully registered would increase, thus enabling clinicians to enjoy a wider choice of drugs to support their service needs. Clinicians may initiate application for new drug listing on the HA Drug Formulary to the HA Drug Advisory Committee according to the clinical service needs. In addition, when a new drug can be registered in HKSAR under the “1+” mechanism and listed on the HA Drug Formulary and is proven to have significant clinical benefits, it may be considered to be covered by the Samaritan Fund or the Community Care Fund.

(3) After the announcement of the Policy Address, the HKSAR Government has been actively seizing various opportunities to publicise the initiatives related to the development of Hong Kong as an international health and medical innovation hub (including the “1+” mechanism) to counterparts locally and in other places.

     Last year, the HKSAR Government attended the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Medical Products Administration Conference held in Zhuhai and the GBA Health Cooperation Conference held in Nansha, Guangzhou, respectively, and organised the 18th Joint Meeting of the Senior Health Officials of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in Hong Kong, as well as led a delegation to visit various ministries and commissions in the Mainland, including the National Health Commission and the NMPA.

     On international exchanges, the Secretary for Health led a Hong Kong team as members of the Chinese delegation to attend the 77th World Health Assembly held by the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, at the end of May this year. During the visit, the Secretary for Health visited two multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare enterprises, as well as met with the Director for Regulation and Prequalification of the WHO and representatives from the Clinical Trials Centre of the University Hospital Zurich, to promote Hong Kong’s unique advantages and the latest development of health and medical innovation. The multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare enterprises welcomed the HKSAR Government’s initiatives to develop into an international health and medical innovation hub.

     At the same time, the DH has been actively promoting the “1+” mechanism through various channels and handling enquiries and expression of interest by the trade. In the past few months, the DH has issued letters to notify stakeholders (including relevant pharmaceutical associations and holders of registration of pharmaceutical products) and organised briefings (seven online sessions and one session in on-site and online mixed mode have been conducted so far, with more than 500 participants from relevant pharmaceutical associations and stakeholders) for introducing the requirements and details of the new “1+” mechanism. The DH will proactively follow up on each and every enquiry and facilitate the trade in submitting applicants under the new mechanism. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (June 12):

Question:

     According to the data of the Hospital Authority (HA) in 2021, liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Hong Kong and the mortality rate is the third highest. Regarding the prevention and treatment of liver cancer, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as it is learnt that liver cancer patients are currently required to undergo oesophagogastroduodenoscopy before receiving drug treatment with Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab and the current annual demand for such screening service for liver cancer patients is approximately 600 to 800 attendances, accounting for only about 0.67 per cent to 0.89 per cent of the total number of such screening service provided by public hospitals in 2022-2023 based on the estimation of patient groups, but the existing waiting time for screening in public hospitals is very long, whether the authorities will consider setting up a waiting list for liver cancer patients or adopting a public-private partnership approach to help them get screened within three months, so that they can take medication as early as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) as it has been reported that as pointed out by doctors, hepatitis B can develop into cirrhosis or liver cancer if left untreated, and according to the survey results of the Department of Health last year, about 410 000 people in Hong Kong are infected with the hepatitis B virus, with over 40 per cent of them being unaware that they are carriers, and based on the information provided by patient groups, the cost of blood tests for hepatitis B is about $30 each, whether the authorities will consider allocating additional resources to conduct at least one hepatitis B screening test for citizens born before 1986 in order to identify the carriers so that they can receive treatment as early as possible to prevent their conditions from deteriorating further and save public expenditure on liver cancer treatment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) given that in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025, the Secretary for Health indicated that HA would explore new diagnostic and treatment options for liver cancer, including the introduction of technology for detecting the biomarkers of abnormal coagulation in a timely manner to provide patients with optimal treatment, whether the Government knows the timetable for the introduction of the relevant new detection technology by HA, and whether HA will arrange time this year to meet with stakeholders, including relevant experts, service providers and representatives of patient groups, etc., on such matters; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Michael Tien is as follows:

     The Government has been attaching great importance to the prevention and treatment of liver cancer. On the prevention of liver cancer, the Government set up the Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis (SCVH) in 2018 to advise on overall policy, targeted strategies and resource allocation for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis. Having examined the local situation and international experience, the SCVH recommended focused risk-based testing to start scaling up hepatitis B screening in Hong Kong. The six priority populations for testing who are at higher risk of hepatitis B infection include people who inject drugs, people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, people in custody, and family members and sexual partners of people with chronic hepatitis B infection. According to the SCVH’s recommendation, hepatitis C testing should be offered to relevant persons where appropriate.

     Baseline and targeted regular hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing and management for people with HIV attending the designated HIV clinics of the DH and the HA have been in place for years. Babies attending Maternal and Child Health Centres of the DH who are born to mothers infected with hepatitis B have been offered post-vaccination serologic testing since January 2022. With effect from April 2022, all MSM and sex workers attending Social Hygiene Clinics of the DH are offered hepatitis B and hepatitis C screenings as part of the comprehensive screening for sexually transmitted infections. With effect from July 2023, the DH has launched risk-based viral hepatitis screenings at its Elderly Health Service, Woman Health Service, Families Clinics and Methadone Clinics. Members of the public may also consult their family doctors for arranging testing.

     To enhance the overall management capacity of hepatitis B in Hong Kong, the HA and the DH formulated the Management of Adult Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B in Primary Care in September 2023, and a collaborative approach between primary healthcare and specialty for the management of hepatitis B was piloted in the HA. The Primary Healthcare Office under the Health Bureau (being progressively transformed into the Primary Healthcare Commission) will also make reference to the strategies put forward by the SCVH, and continuously review the relevant services provided by the District Health Centres, so as to provide evidence-based, effective and efficient primary healthcare services to the community under the principle of district-based medical-social collaboration.

     The SCVH will continue to keep in view local and international situations and advise the Government on feasible, sustainable and effective strategies related to the prevention and control of chronic hepatitis.

     As for the treatment of liver cancer, the HA currently provides laboratory testing services to support clinical specialties on clinical diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases including liver cancer. The HA also provides oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (OGD) (commonly referred to as gastroscopy) services and treatment to liver cancer patients with clinical needs as necessary and appropriate. For liver cancer patients who need to receive drug treatment with Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab, the HA will generally arrange them to undergo the OGD to reduce the risk of complications when receiving the relevant drug treatment. At present, the HA will arrange relevant investigation as soon as possible according to the patient’s treatment need and schedule, and will, subject to the patient’s condition, start treatment early during the waiting period for the investigation to avoid delay. Patients may also choose to undergo relevant investigation in the private sector. 

     When introducing new laboratory testing services, the HA will take into account relevant factors such as clinical benefits, safety and efficacy of the new technology, availability of manpower and expertise, capacity and technical adaptability of the laboratory. The HA will explore new diagnostic and treatment options, including the feasibility and suitable timing of introducing technology for detecting the biomarkers of abnormal coagulation (PIVKA-II) in order to provide patients with optimal treatment. When new diagnostic or treatment option is launched, the healthcare team will liaise with suitable patients in a timely manner for relevant follow-up.

     When exploring new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programmes, the HA will, based on its service demand and in line with the Government’s direction of healthcare development, explore the need and feasibility of introducing other PPP programmes according to the principle of strategic purchasing of healthcare services, so as to meet the public’s demand for healthcare services. In the process, the HA will communicate with the public and patient groups, work closely with the stakeholders, and consider various factors such as evolving service demand, potential complexity of the PPP programmes, capacity and readiness of the private sector, and the impact on public healthcare manpower and private healthcare charges. read more