With effect from June 1, the Government will regularise the Pilot Scheme on Immigration Facilitation for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors and expand the scope of the scheme to cover more authorised host organisations and an additional designated activity. Upon regularisation, the scheme will be named the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors.
      
     The pilot scheme has been welcomed by the industry since its launch and has been operating in an orderly manner. As of the end of March this year, the pilot scheme benefited over 16 600 non-local talents from nearly 120 countries/regions, and facilitated their coming to Hong Kong to participate in various short-term events and activities, such as the International Chinese New Year Night Parade, the InnoEX, the Asian Financial Forum, the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races and more. The scheme is conducive to bringing together talent worldwide for exchanges in Hong Kong, giving full play to Hong Kong's strength as a place of "connect and excel" under "one country, two systems".
      
     To respond more fully to the needs of various sectors, the Government decided, after a review, to regularise the pilot scheme and expand five of the original sectors, including adding 18 new authorised organisations and expanding a designated short-term activity. Details are set out at the Annex. After regularisation, the scheme will continue to cover the existing 12 sectors, and other arrangements will remain unchanged:
 

• Medical and healthcare;
• Higher education;
• Arts and culture;
• Sports;
• Heritage;
• Creative industries;
• Innovation and technology;
• The Hong Kong Laureate Forum;
• Aviation;
• International/mega events;
• Finance; and
• Development and construction.

     The Government launched the two-year pilot scheme in June 2022 to provide immigration facilitation for visitors participating in short-term activities in designated sectors, with a view to facilitating business, promoting development of relevant sectors and raising Hong Kong's international profile. Under the pilot scheme, organisations authorised by relevant government bureaux or departments can issue invitation letters to relevant non-local talents in their sectors. Invited persons may come to Hong Kong and participate in designated short-term activities as visitors without the need to apply for employment visas or entry permits from the Immigration Department (ImmD). Invited non-local talent are talent in shortage or whose participation in designated short-term activities in Hong Kong is conducive to economic development or achieving relevant policy objectives. They may participate in the designated short-term activities for up to 14 consecutive calendar days upon each arrival, and receive remuneration for the designated activities concerned. At present, the scheme covers 12 sectors with a total of some 400 authorised organisations.
      
     For more information on the scheme, please visit the ImmD’s website (www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/stv.html).

     The Transport Department (TD) today (May 30) reminded the public again that holders of toll tickets can visit the TD's designated outlets to apply for a refund on or before June 30, otherwise no refund can be made. The details of the refund locations are as follows:
 

 
     Applicants are advised to fill in the application form (www.td.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_5214/ops_form_182.pdf) in advance and bring along the toll tickets for refund. Applicants who apply for a refund for a large quantity of toll tickets are suggested to contact the contractor by email (info@wilsonparking.com.hk) or call 2830 3814 before visiting the designated refund outlets to ensure that they would be provided with the necessary assistance.

     Jointly organised by the Art Promotion Office and the Science Promotion Unit under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), "teamLab: Continuous" and "Science in Art" will end on June 8 (Saturday). The exhibition has been receiving an overwhelming response from the local public and tourists since its opening in March this year. Members of the public should grasp the final opportunity to visit this not-to-be-missed exhibition. Admission is free and no booking is required.
          
     The LCSD has teamed up with teamLab to curate the "teamLab: Continuous" exhibition, presenting two magnificent large-scale art installations: "Resonating Life which Continues to Stand", which showcases hundreds of colourful luminous ovoids with continuously changing colours and sounds triggered by visitors' interactions, and "Resonating Trees", which makes the light of dozens of trees in the park spread, changing its colours and resonating sound tones in response to the ovoids. The exhibits span the lawns of the Tamar Park and extend to Victoria Harbour, triggering a mesmerising display of kaleidoscopic colours and soothing soundscapes through people's participation. The luminous spectacle serves as a collaborative artwork by people and nature, and conveys the beauty of continuity that exists within the urban landscape, heightening the sense of awareness of the existence of other people in the same space and environment, and harmonising with the bustling night vistas of Victoria Harbour. The exhibition is open from 6.30pm to 11pm, and the last entry time is 10.50pm. Visitors can visit the exhibition during the opening hours without prior registration.
      
     The two interactive art installations in "Science in Art" are on display around the clock at the Central and Western District Promenade (Central Section). Created by local art group LAAB Architects, the "Harbour Cup" was inspired by table soccer. The setup is similar to the game we all know with one exception – there is no goal on either side. Players need to negotiate and decide how they want to play the game, be it competition or collaboration. An array of photovoltaics-powered LED lights was installed underneath the artwork. At night, when the ball is kicked, the movement triggers the sensors made of copper coils inside the watertight 3D-print containers, leaving a trail of light in its wake across the field. A playful analogy to Schrödinger's Cat, the famous thought experiment in quantum mechanics, the "Schrödinger's Bed" by artist Dylan Kwok encourages the public to think about the nature of physics. The artwork comprises nine cubic frames resembling nine daybeds which provide a resting area for the public. Three inflatable cats are lying flat while another three are phubbing upright in the six cubes. The public are invited to experiment with them with cameras.
      
     For more information, please visit the website of "Art@Harbour 2024" at www.museums.gov.hk/en/web/portal/artatharbour.html.

          

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Ministry of Finance will issue Renminbi Sovereign Bonds through the Central Moneymarkets Unit of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Please find attached the tender notice and the tender information memorandum of the Renminbi Sovereign Bonds to be issued by the Ministry of Finance. Please also find attached the tender-related information provided by the Issuing and Lodging Agent through the HKMA.

     Following is the speech by the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, at the US-China High-level Event on Subnational Climate Action in Berkeley, the United States, on May 29 (California time):
 
Distinguished panellists, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon. It's my great pleasure to join you at this US-China High-level Event on Subnational Climate Action.  
 
     As mentioned in this morning's Bay-to-Bay Dialogue between the California Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the urgency of combating climate change has never been greater, hence demand for green and sustainable finance is enormous. A report estimated that the world's annual climate investments would reach US$9 trillion by 2030, and US$10 trillion by 2050. 
 
     Hong Kong is China's international financial centre, and we lead on various league tables in Asia, including arranging Asian international bond issuance, insurance density, cross-border wealth management, etc. As Asia's leading international financial centre, Hong Kong is well positioned to channel investment to the green transformation of the economy in China, Asia and beyond, playing our part as a member of the global village to combat climate change for our future generations together. 
 
     As our Financial Secretary mentioned earlier, Hong Kong has already become the largest centre for arranging green and sustainable bond issuance in Asia for consecutive years, accounting for 37 per cent of the Asia market last year. The depth of our sustainable finance is not only limited to the sell side. On the buy side, by the end of last year, there were 219 ESG (environmental, social, and governance) funds authorised by the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, with total assets under management (AUM) of US$170 billion. The number of ESG funds and the total AUM of ESG funds grew by 24 per cent and 20 per cent respectively on a year-on-year basis. In addition to our scale and growth in green finance, Hong Kong has also become a pioneer in developing new green financial products. The first Asian Green Bond Exchanged Traded Funds (ETFs) and Asia's first Retail Certificate of Green Deposits were also issued in Hong Kong.
 
     The Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government has led by example by issuing close to US$25 billion equivalent in green bonds since 2019 under our Government Green Bond Programme, with different tenors ranging from one year to thirty years, with different currencies including HKD, RMB, EUR and USD, as well as with different types of offerings including institutional, retail and tokenised tranches. These issuances provide benchmark pricing for potential issuers and enrich our sustainable finance ecosystem. 
 
     Indeed, last year Hong Kong became the first government in the world that issued tokenised Government Green Bond, and we recognise the importance of combining green finance and fintech to further improve the efficiency of channeling green capital to combat climate change. We launched in March this year the "Prototype Hong Kong Green Fintech Map" to provide one-stop information on the current status of green fintech companies in Hong Kong and related services. In addition, next month we will launch the Green and Sustainable Fintech Proof of Concept Subsidy Scheme, which will provide early-stage funding support for green fintech, facilitating commercialisation and fostering the development of new green fintech initiatives. 
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, under "one country, two systems", with free flow of capital, common law system and our simple and low tax regime, Hong Kong will continue to work closely with our friends in both bay areas to facilitate green investment from around the world to support the green projects, green products and green technologies in the two bay areas, contributing to the effort in combating climate change by our two nations, and by the world. Thank you.