Tag Archives: China

     â€‹The Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene has ordered a food factory in Sham Shui Po to suspend business for 14 days, as the licensee repeatedly breached the Food Business Regulation (FBR) by extending the business area illegally.

     The premises, located at Shop C1 on the ground floor of Kwun Wing Building of 353 – 357 Un Chau Street, was ordered to suspend business from today (July 17) to July 30.

     “Two convictions for the above-mentioned breach were recorded against the shop licensee in March and May of this year. A total fine of $6,800 was levied by the court and 30 demerit points were registered against the licensee under the department’s demerit points system. The contraventions resulted in the 14-day licence suspension,” a spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said.

     The licensee concerned had a record of two convictions for the same offence in August and October of last year. A total fine of $4,700 was levied and 30 demerit points were also registered, leading to a seven-day licence suspension this February.

     The spokesman reminded licensees of food premises to comply with the FBR and other relevant regulations or their licences could be suspended or cancelled.

     Licensed food premises are required to exhibit their licence and a sign at a conspicuous place of the premises, indicating that the premises have been licensed. A list of licensed food premises is available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/licence-foodPremises-search.html). read more

     The Government announced today (July 17) that a sum of $6 million under the Financial Assistance Scheme for Family Members of Those Who Sacrifice Their Lives to Save Others will be granted to the family members of the late Mr Vinson So Yuet-leung, a brave citizen who gave his life to save another.
 
     On April 11, 2024, the late Mr So sacrificed his life while saving a girl who had committed suicide by jumping into the sea at Aberdeen Harbour near South Horizons.
     
     The Chairman of the grant-approving Committee on Financial Assistance for Family Members of those who Sacrifice their Lives to Save Others and Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, paid tribute to the late Mr So for his gallant act.
 
     “Despite the fact that Mr So was not acquainted with the girl, it did not stop him from trying his best to save her life. His act demonstrated the most admirable courage and selflessness, which commands our greatest respect,” Mr Sun said.
 
     “The grant represents the Government’s recognition of the late Mr So’s exceptional courage. We sincerely hope that the financial assistance can provide some relief to his family members.”
 
     The Scheme was set up in January 2002 to provide financial assistance to family members of those who lost their lives when attempting to save or protect others.  read more

     Police today (July 17) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Kwai Chung.      Lam Wai-lok, aged 25, went missing after he left his residence on Wo Yi Hop Road in June. His fa… read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, in the Legislative Council today (July 17):

Question:

     The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link (SZL) was officially opened on the 30th of last month. There are views that SZL, which straddles the eastern and western sides of the Pearl River Estuary and connects three places, namely Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhongshan, is a strong boost to the economic ties, flow of people and exchanges in such aspects as culture and tourism among cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and of great significance in driving the regional integration process. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it will consider extending the Quota-free Scheme for Hong Kong Private Cars Travelling to Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to the Shenzhen Bay Port, which is close to SZL, and at the same time, discuss proactively with the Mainland authorities the expeditious implementation of 24-hour clearance at the Shenzhen Bay Port to facilitate members of the public and visitors to make better use of SZL to travel between Hong Kong and various Mainland cities in GBA;

(2) whether it has studied ways to make good use of SZL to promote the development of the logistics industry in Hong Kong, such as introducing measures to attract companies from regions such as the western part of Guangdong Province and Guangxi Province to use the airport and container terminals in Hong Kong, so as to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international aviation hub, international maritime centre and international logistics hub; and

(3) of the measures in place to encourage the tourism sector on the Mainland and in Hong Kong to make good use of SZL to jointly develop multi-destination tourism products of GBA cities, thereby promoting tourism development in GBA?

Reply:

President,

     The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link (SZL) is one of the major transport infrastructure projects proposed under the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. With a total length of 24 km, the SZL is currently the fifth corridor across the Pearl River Estuary, mainly connecting Shenzhen and Zhongshan which are located on the two sides of the central waters of the Pearl River Estuary. The completion of the SZL will shorten the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhongshan via Shenzhen and help promote the flow of passengers and freight, as well as economic connections between Hong Kong and Zhongshan and its neighbouring regions.

     Having consulted the Security Bureau, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) and the Transport Department, our reply to the Hon Kenneth Lau’s question is as follows:

(1) “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” (the Scheme) allows eligible Hong Kong private cars to travel between Hong Kong and Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) without the need to obtain regular quotas. It facilitates Hong Kong residents’ self-driving to Guangdong for business, visiting families or sightseeing on a short-term basis, thereby further making good use of the HZMB and promoting the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Since the implementation of the Scheme in July 2023, it has been well received by Hong Kong citizens. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has all along been maintaining close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities to implement enhancement measures in a timely manner, with a view to providing citizens with greater convenience and travel experience. Regarding the extension of the Scheme to other land-based boundary control points, the governments of Guangdong and the HKSAR have agreed to draw on the implementation experience of the Scheme at the HZMB and proactively study the extension of the Scheme to a Shenzhen/Hong Kong land-based boundary control point in due course, such that Hong Kong private cars can travel to and from both the eastern and western parts of Guangdong.

     In addition, in view of the resumption of normal travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong since early February last year, the HKSAR and Shenzhen Government have been closely monitoring the demand for clearance services at various land-based boundary control points. On the basis of the 24-hour passenger clearance services currently provided at Lok Ma Chau Control Point and HZMB Hong Kong Port, the HKSAR Government will liaise with the Mainland authorities on extending the operating hours of the passenger clearance service at respective boundary control points as and when necessary to further facilitate the flow of people between the two sides.

(2) Western Guangdong and Guangxi have always had close economic ties with Hong Kong. Among other things, as the regional logistics hub of the GBA, Hong Kong has all along been one of the major gateways for air and sea cargoes to and from Western Guangdong and Guangxi. In particular, with the commissioning of the HZMB, the driving distance between Hong Kong and Western Guangdong and Guangxi has been greatly shortened, thereby further unleashing the enormous potential for logistics co-operation between Hong Kong and the two places.

     For this reason, the Government has proposed in the Action Plan on Modern Logistics Development to further explore the logistics development opportunities in the western part of Guangdong by enhancing multimodal transport measures and making good use of the HZMB, as well as encouraging the industry to collaborate with other cities in the GBA in formulating management standards for logistics services in relation to high-value goods, thereby strengthening the synergistic development of Hong Kong and other cities in the GBA. The Transport and Logistics Bureau also signed the “Framework Agreement on Deepening Strategic Co-operation for the Guangxi-Hong Kong Task Force on Transport and Logistics” with the Department of Transport of Guangxi in May this year, with a view to strengthening logistics co-operation with Guangxi.

     We believe that the SZL can further enhance the transport connectivity between the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary and is conducive to strengthening the transport and logistics links between Hong Kong and the western part of Guangdong and Guangxi. It will also have a positive effect on attracting enterprises therein to utilise Hong Kong’s comprehensive sea, land and air transportation network for cargo import or export, thereby consolidating Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub, international shipping centre and international logistics hub. The transport and logistics sectors can make good use of the existing quotas for cross-boundary goods vehicles and select appropriate border control points allowed under the quotas to travel to and from Western Guangdong and Guangxi via the SZL to capture the business opportunities arising therefrom.

(3) The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Culture and Tourism Development Plan for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area respectively promulgated in February 2019 and December 2020 expressly support Hong Kong in developing into an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism. The HKSAR Government has been striving to complement the content of the national planning documents, maintaining close communication with the Mainland authorities and encouraging Hong Kong and Mainland tourism trade to utilise the well-developed cross-boundary transport infrastructure and rich tourism resources in Hong Kong in jointly developing multi-destination travel itineraries.

     The CSTB provided funding support for the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to organise visits to the GBA in October and November 2023 to promote business co-operation between the travel trade of Hong Kong and the GBA. The visit in October 2023 focused on the development of tourism resources in western Guangdong through travelling on the High Speed Rail and the HZMB, while the visit in November 2023 focused on the development of new tourism resources related to professional fields such as technology in eastern Guangdong, with a view to attracting more high value-added visitors to embark on GBA multi-destination journeys via Hong Kong. More than 200 representatives from the trade participated in the two visits.

     With the opening of the SZL, nearly a hundred representatives from the travel and related trades in Hong Kong organised a visit to Zhongshan via the SZL on June 21, 2024 together with the representative from the CSTB to meet with the Zhongshan Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau and the local travel trade to explore the development of more multi-destination tourism products connecting different GBA cities through the SZL.

     With the continuous enhancement of the transport network covering GBA cities, it is believed that the travel trade will develop more multi-destination tourism products to satisfy market demand. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Frankie Yick and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, in the Legislative Council today (July 17):

Question:

     â€‹The Government has introduced the Taxi Fleet Regime, with no more than five Taxi Fleet Licences (Licences) intended to be issued. There are views that with a total of 15 applications for the Licences received by the Transport Department, it is clearly an indication of the industry’s eagerness to enhance the quality of taxi services through a fleet-based operating model. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council, as some members of the industry have pointed out that even with the issuance of all five Licences by the Government, the number of taxis participating in taxi fleets would merely account for 20 per cent of the total number of taxis in Hong Kong at most, whether the Government will consider increasing the number of Licences in view of the industry’s overwhelming response to the Licences; if so, of the details; if not, whether the Government will consider relaxing the cap on the fleet size to enable more taxis to join the fleets and facilitate the scalable operation of the fleets; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Government has earlier reviewed the overall operation and management of taxis, and introduced a series of measures to enhance the quality of taxi service and promote the healthy development of the trade in the long run. Such measures include the introduction of a taxi fleet regime.

     The taxi fleet regime is a new regulatory regime, under which operators may assemble existing taxis to form fleets and apply to the Transport Department (TD) for a taxi fleet licence. The TD will regulate the operation and management of taxi fleets, and specify the devices that are required to be installed on the fleet taxis through licence conditions. These include specifying the requirements in relation to fleet size, age of vehicles and services to be provided by fleet licensees, such as the provision of online booking channels and e-payment means as well as the installation of CCTV systems and technological devices that enhance driving safety in the compartments of the fleet taxis. In addition, the taxis must not be more than three years old when they join the fleets, nor more than 10 years old throughout the license period. We believe that the said requirements will be conducive to ensuring the service quality of taxi fleets, thereby providing passengers with better booking and travelling experiences.

     Following the passage of the legislative amendments in relation to the introduction of taxi fleet regime by the Legislative Council last December, the TD commenced the preparatory work immediately and invited applications for taxi fleet licence in mid-April this year. The TD received a total of 15 applications when the application period ended in late May, reflecting a positive response from the trade. The applicants come from a diverse background with members of other transport sectors in addition to the taxi trade.

     An assessment panel formed by representatives from the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the TD is assessing the applications received in accordance with the marking scheme. The application results are expected to be announced within this month.

     With regard to the question raised by the Hon Frankie Yick, I hereby reply as follows:

     As I have just mentioned, the taxi fleet regime a new regime, and it is an important step to foster the improvement of the taxi trade. The Government aims at setting a good example of taxi fleet management through the introduction of this new regulatory regime. By playing an exemplary and leading role in the trade, the taxi fleets will help enhance the overall taxi service quality and image as well as boost passengers’ confidence in the taxi services, thereby gradually improving the development prospect for the trade.

     To achieve this vision, we believe that a more prudent strategy should be adopted in the initial stage of introducing the taxi fleet regime. Licences shall only be granted to those excellent operators showing a high level of commitment and competence in fleet operations so as to ensure the operation quality of the first batch of taxi fleets, with which the taxi fleet regime will get off to a good start. Therefore, when inviting the trade to apply for taxi fleet licences, we have stated that no more than five licences will be issued under this exercise.

     Upon commencement of the taxi fleet services, the TD will closely monitor the operations and service quality of the taxi fleets, and conduct mid-term appraisal of the performance of the fleet licensees. As regards whether more taxi fleet licences are required to be issued in the future, the TD will consider the market situation at the time, taking into account factors such as the demand for fleet taxi services from the public, the services provided by each taxi fleet and the total number of fleet taxis.

     As for the fleet size, a mixed or urban taxi fleet is currently required to have 300 to 1 000 taxis, while a New Territories taxi fleet shall have 100 to 350 taxis. The number of taxis under each taxi fleet will be prescribed in the licence issued. If a fleet licensee wants to increase the number of taxis under its fleet, including expanding its fleet size beyond the current limit (i.e. 1 000 taxis for a mixed or urban fleet and 350 taxis for a New Territories fleet), after being granted a taxi fleet licence, it may apply to the TD for licence amendments. When processing the application, the TD will consider such relevant factors as the market demand for fleet taxi services, the standard of the services provided by the taxi fleet, whether the fleet licensee will be able to give assurance of engaging enough taxi owners to join its fleet, and the licensee’s plan of recruiting more fleet taxi drivers, before deciding whether to grant an approval.

     Thank you, President. read more