Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Awards Presentation Ceremony and Dinner of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 today (November 22):

Professor Qin (Chairman of the Grand Judging Panel of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 and the President of Lingnan University, Professor Joe Qin), �寧副部長 (the Deputy Director-General of the Youth Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Wan Ning), Dong (Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong), ladies and gentlemen,

     Good evening. I am pleased to join you tonight, for the annual, and much anticipated, Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology Awards Presentation Ceremony. Let me first congratulate the winners, and finalists of this prestigious award. Your dedication and achievements are an inspiration to practitioners, entrepreneurs and students, to the innovation and technology industries, and to us all. 
      
     For 18 years now, the HKICT Awards has celebrated the exceptional achievements of individuals and organisations in a diversity of sectors and businesses. They put a deserved spotlight on the remarkable talent, creativity and dedication of people seeking to harness technology to reinvent products and services, to improve efficiency, to offer better care to the needy, and ultimately to make our lives and the world better.
      
     In just a few minutes, we'll know all about those elite achievers – and their innovative applications and solutions. 
      
     This year's award, I'm pleased to note, introduces a new "Best Use of AI Award" in all eight categories, to recognise and honour the efforts of those harnessing the power of AI (artificial intelligence) to transform our businesses and ways of living.
      
     The HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government, too, believes in the vast potential of AI. It is a sweeping force in boosting productivity and enhancing the competitiveness of the economy. We believe AI can become a strategic pillar of our innovation and technology sector. And we have been working on multiple fronts to make it thrive. That includes supporting R&D (research and development), nurturing start-ups, fostering cross-boundary and cross-industry collaboration, attracting strategic enterprises, and building the related infrastructure, including a supercomputing centre. 
      
     But above all, it is people and talent that matter, if we are to realise this vision. We must raise the AI literacy and preparedness of our community. That has to take a whole-of-society approach, starting with children’s education, integrating AI into school and university curricula, and supporting the training of professionals and continuous learning.
      
     My thanks to the organisers of the Hong Kong ICT Awards, and to the high-profile judges of the eight award categories. Your expertise and commitment to excellence can only inspire the continuing growth and success of our innovation and technology industry – and the economy, and community, of Hong Kong. 
      
     Ladies and gentlemen, I know you will enjoy this very special evening and the good company all about you. 
      
     Thank you.

      

     â€‹A delegation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and senior representatives of business sectors will visit five Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), namely Foshan, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Huizhou and Shenzhen, from next Monday to Wednesday (November 25 to 27) to further promote the HKSAR's co-operation with the Guangdong Province and GBA cities on business, trade and various industries.
      
     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, will lead the delegation to Guangzhou on November 25 to attend the Guangdong-Hong Kong Deepening Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation Conference co-organised by the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the HKSAR Government, exchanging views on how to enhance economic and trade investment and co-operation, and promote high-quality development in the GBA. He will then visit Foshan to meet with leaders of Foshan and return to Hong Kong on November 26.
      
     Afterwards, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will lead the delegation to visit five cities in the GBA to learn more about the successful experiences in the development and industrial planning of the Guangdong areas.
      
     Mr Lee said that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasised the need to deepen co-operation in the GBA, promoting closer alignment of rules and mechanisms, and better leveraging the GBA as a source of energy for high-quality development. The HKSAR will continue to deepen connections with Guangdong Province and various cities in the GBA, seizing the latest developments and opportunities in the GBA to further promote high-level economic and trade investment, and co-operation.
      
     The delegation will comprise about 50 members, including over 30 senior representatives from large enterprises, financial institutions, and chambers of commerce in Hong Kong. The government official members of the delegation include the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip.
      
     During Mr Lee's absence, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will be the Acting Chief Executive. During the absence of Mr Chan Kwok-ki, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, will be the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration.

     The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the Civil Aviation Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (CAD) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Macao Special Administrative Region (AACM) today (November 22) signed a Co-operation Arrangement on Joint Operation Management (Co-operation Arrangement) and an Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding on Closer Co-operation on Airworthiness Certification (Amendment to MOU) in Macao with the aim of expanding co-operation in the areas of operational and airworthiness certification among the three parties, and further promoting aviation safety and operational efficiency in the three places. The Co-operation Arrangement and the Amendment to MOU were signed by the Deputy Administrator of the CAAC, Ms Liang Nan; the Director-General of the CAD, Mr Victor Liu; and the President of the AACM, Mr Stanley Pun.

     Seizing the opportunities of the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the civil aviation authorities of the three places have been working closely over the years and have signed a number of co-operative agreements covering airworthiness certification and maintenance management. Building on this solid foundation, the three parties further enhanced the collaboration by establishing a platform for operational management co-operation through the Co-operation Arrangement, to facilitate safety information exchanges and optimise the operational certification process.

     As for the Amendment to MOU, the MOU was signed in 2018 to enhance co-operation following the Co-operation Arrangements on Mutual Acceptance of Certificates of Airworthiness, Approvals of Design Change and Repair Design, and Parts Manufacturer Approvals signed by the three authorities since 2009. This Amendment to MOU will further extend the scope of co-operation to cover mutual acceptance of Type Certificates, unmanned aircraft airworthiness management, and aviation fuel and chemical management, which in turn enhances aviation safety and environmental protection.

     The Director-General of the CAD, Mr Victor Liu, said, "The signing of the Co-operation Arrangement and Amendment to MOU can deepen the level of co-operation among the three authorities and promote the development of the aviation industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It can also facilitate Hong Kong to seize the important opportunities brought by the National 14th Five-Year Plan and consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international aviation hub."
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     The above-mentioned Co-operation Arrangement and Amendment to MOU are instrumental in optimising management procedures and safety oversight, thereby supporting the sustainable development of the aviation industry across the three places. It also marks another significant milestone in the ongoing comprehensive co-operation between the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in the aviation sector.

  

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (November 22) urged the public not to consume a kind of cheese imported from France due to possible contamination with Yersinia enterocolitica. The trade should stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess it.

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: Mont d'Or Fruitiere des Jarrons Cheese
Brand: Fruitiere des Jarrons
Place of origin: France 
Importer: Noja Fine Trade Limited
Pack size: 500 grams
Best before date: December 16, 2024

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS noted a notification from the French authorities that the above-mentioned product might have been contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica and is being recalled. A preliminary investigation found that the above-mentioned importer had imported into Hong Kong the product concerned." 

     The importer concerned has stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected product and has initiated a recall. Members of the public may call the hotline of the importer at 2178 2229 during office hours for enquiries.

     "Yersinia enterocolitica can cause Yersiniosis, which is characterised by common symptoms of gastroenteritis such as fever, diarrhoea (often bloody in young children) and abdominal pain. The bacterium is usually acquired by eating or drinking contaminated food, including undercooked meat, unpasteurised milk products or contaminated water. Anyone can get Yersiniosis, but young children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are at a higher risk," the spokesman said.

     The CFS will alert the trade to the incident and will continue to follow up and take appropriate action.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Candida auris carrier cases, the spokesperson for Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital (HKBH) gave the following update today (November 22):
 
     One more female patient, aged 92, in a medical ward of HKBH, was confirmed to carry Candida auris without signs of infection. The patient is now under isolation care and is in stable condition.
 
     The hospital will continue the contact tracing investigation of close contacts of the patient in accordance with the prevailing guidelines. A series of enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted to prevent the spread of Candida auris:
 

1. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the ward concerned;
2. Enhanced admission screening for patients and environmental screening procedures; and
3. Application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients. 
    

     The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation of the patient. The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow up.