Tag Archives: China

     The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) of Hong Kong and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Singapore today (June 11) to further strengthen co-operation in combating scam calls and messages as well as managing spam communications.
      
     Signed by the Director-General of Communications, Mr Chaucer Leung, and the Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms and Post) of the IMDA, Ms Aileen Chia, at a bilateral meeting, the MOU seeks to strengthen strategic collaboration, support and exchange of information between Hong Kong and Singapore in areas including regulatory practices, public education and development of technical solutions to address and mitigate issues relating to scam and spam communications (including calls and Short Message Service (SMS) messages).
      
     “Through the timely exchange of information and co-operation, the MOU enables the two regulatory agencies to share insights about the latest market trends and developments, and to more effectively address the growing threats and nuisance brought by cross-border communications faced by the people of the two places. The even closer partnership and collaboration between OFCA and the IMDA that has ensued will help develop a more robust telecommunications regulatory regime for both jurisdictions,” Mr Leung said.
 
     OFCA and the IMDA have a fine tradition of conducting annual bilateral meetings since 2004. Over the 20-year close relationship, areas of discussion and experience sharing have included the landscape and development of telecommunications markets, regulatory and enforcement issues, and initiatives in stepping up public education and publicity on communications and anti-scam/spam matters.

     To protect telecommunications users against frauds and maintain the integrity of Hong Kong’s communications infrastructure, OFCA has been collaborating with various government departments in implementing a range of measures to tackle scam and spam communications from the perspective of telecommunications services, including:​

(a) launching the SMS Sender Registration Scheme in December 2023 to help identify genuine SMS messages and fully implementing the Real-name Registration Programme for Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Cards (the RNR Programme) since February 2023 to enhance the integrity of the mobile communications regime;
(b) providing designated telephone numbers to government departments and public organisations for communication with the general public;
(c) directing telecommunications service providers to block and suspend services of suspected fraudulent numbers and suspicious websites as referred by the Police, and monitor calls originating from their networks to detect any irregular/suspicious activities;
(d) working closely with various call-filtering apps developers and major telecommunications service providers to encourage wider use of call-filtering services to manage and safeguard incoming calls; and
(e) stepping up public education and publicity efforts to raise public awareness against phone scams, including collaboration with Legislative Council Members and district councillors on series of promotional campaigns.

     Through the above joint efforts, by the end of April this year, telecommunications service providers had rejected 2.21 million registration requests and cancelled 1.67 million non-compliant pre-paid SIM cards’ registrations under the RNR Programme. Following referrals by the Police, over 9 700 website links were blocked and more than 3 800 phone numbers were suspended or blocked due to suspected involvement in fraudulent activities. In addition, around 690 000 local phone numbers with suspicious calling patterns were also suspended by telecommunications service providers.

  

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 11) announced that a sample of bottled preserved bean curd was found to contain an excessive amount of Bacillus cereus. Members of the public should not consume the affected batch of the product. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it.

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: PRESERVED BEANCURD
Brand: YUET WO
Place of origin: China
Net weight: 12 ounces
Best-before date: May 30, 2025
Distributor: Yuet Wo Sauce And Preserved Fruits Limited

     “The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a retail outlet in Tsuen Wan for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained Bacillus cereus at a level of 130 000 per gram. According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, if ready-to-eat food contains Bacillus cereus at a level of more than 100 000 per gram, it is considered unsatisfactory,” a spokesman for the CFS said.

     The spokesman said that the CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and has instructed the vendor to stop sales and to remove from shelves the affected batch of the product. The distributor concerned has initiated a recall of the affected batch of the product according to the CFS’s instructions. Members of the public may call the distributor’s hotline at 2492 3354 during office hours for enquiries about the product recall. 

     “Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea,” the spokesman said.

     The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to follow up and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing. read more

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak; the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam, and representatives of participating corporates today (June 11) officiated at the kick off ceremony of the Scheme on Corporate Summer Internship on the Mainland and Overseas 2024.

     Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Chan said that the Scheme has been well regarded since its launch in 2018, and has benefitted over 700 Hong Kong youth so far. He described the Scheme as highlighting Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. It has provided local youth with opportunities to widen their horizons outside Hong Kong and gain first-hand understanding of the history, culture and social developments of different places. Mr Chan expressed sincere gratitude to the participating corporates for providing internship placements and comprehensive training and support for the interns. He also encouraged the interns to proactively learn, exchange ideas, and equip themselves during the internship, and at the same time unleash their full potential and talent.

     Mr Chan added that the Government would continue to rally the support of the business sector as well as other sectors in society to open up more development opportunities for young people, nurture more young talent for Hong Kong, promote high-quality socioeconomic development and attain more achievements.

     A record high of 25 corporates are participating in the Scheme this year (refer to the Annex for the list of participating corporates). They provide internship placements covering multiple industries, including financial services, innovation and technology, logistics, property development, construction, retail, hospitality, public utilities, etc, spanning different Mainland provinces and cities, and seven overseas countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia). The recruited interns will depart from June onwards to undertake internship placements of no less than six weeks.

 

    

     The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, will depart for Beijing tomorrow (June 12) for a three-day visit.

     During his visit to Beijing, Mr Cheung will call on the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) and the Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the NPCSC, the Supreme People’s Court, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Justice and the General Administration of Sport of China, to meet with the respective leaders and exchange views on issues including promoting Hong Kong as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, taking forward the construction of rule of law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and contributing to the high-quality development of the country.

     He will also visit the Commercial Legal Service Center of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Peking University Law School to strengthen co-operation with relevant organisations.

     Mr Cheung will conclude his visit on June 14 and return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on the same day. read more

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to Wuhan today (June 11) to attend the Chinese Organ Donation Day cum the 8th Chinese Transplant Games organised by the China Organ Transplantation Development Foundation, and to meet with the Health Commission of Hubei Province for an exchange of views. 

     Professor Lo said, “Organ donation is a selfless and generous act of benevolence to save lives. Over the years, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been committed to cultivating support for organ donation in society, with a view to nurturing a culture that embraces organ donation, thereby rekindling hope for patients awaiting organ transplants to live a new life.

     “I joined this meaningful occasion today with great pleasure and cheered in person for Hong Kong athletes. Eight Hong Kong athletes who have received organ transplants are participating in the badminton and table tennis events. Apart from the competitions, we also stand together to promote the noble cause of organ donation and pay tribute to organ donors. I am hopeful that more citizens will support organ donation, thus giving patients awaiting organ transplants a chance to have a new lease of life.”

     Professor Lo and his delegation earlier met with officials of the Health Commission of Hubei Province to exchange views on the healthcare developments of the two places and discuss further promotion of co-operation between Hubei and Hong Kong in the healthcare realm. Professor Lo and his delegation also visited the Wuhan Asia General Hospital to learn about the hospital’s air rescue services and its facilities in the cardiovascular disease wards. The hospital, a Hong Kong enterprise, is a large-scale clinical healthcare centre established in accordance with the standards of a Tier III Class A hospital. At the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the hospital was the very first non-public hospital in Wuhan designated to offer treatment to COVID-19 patients. The hospital also pledged to accord priority to admitting infected Hong Kong residents in Wuhan at the height of the epidemic, and subsequently supported Hong Kong’s anti-epidemic work through the provision of test kits.  

     The delegation members include the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Tony Ko, as well as officials of the Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the HA. Professor Lo and his delegation will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (June 12). During his absence, the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, is the Acting Secretary for Health.