    Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-raising ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 8am today (May 25) will be cancelled.     If the thunderstorm warning is cancelled and weather conditions permit by then,… read more
Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (May 25). They are, on Hong Kong Island, Apostolic Faith Church of Hong Kong Limited; in Kowloon, the Hong Kong Chinese Church of Christ; and in the New Territories, Society for Abandoned Animals Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.
Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people to distinguish among the three flag-selling activities.
Information on the three flag-selling organisations on May 25 is as follows:
| Region | Name of organisation | Colour of collection bag | Colour of flag |
| Hong Kong Island | Apostolic Faith Church of Hong Kong Limited | Orange | Green |
| Kowloon | The Hong Kong Chinese Church of Christ | Green | Green |
| New Territories | Society for Abandoned Animals Limited | Light orange | Yellow |
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Europe (France) Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference in Paris this afternoon (May 24, Paris time).
The Conference was jointly hosted by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, and the Macao SAR Government. The Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Weizhong; Mr Chan; and the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR, Ms Ao Ieong U, gave keynote presentations to over 400 French and European leaders of the commercial and industrial sectors attending the event, to promote the enormous business opportunities brought by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) for European businesses. The Chinese Ambassador to France, Mr Lu Shaye, and the Vice-President of the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry, Mr Gilles Henry Garault, also delivered speeches.
Mr Chan highlighted at the Conference Hong Kong’s unique advantages of having convenient access to the Mainland market under “one country”, and the practice of common law; the free flow of capital, goods, people and information; the maintenance of a simple and low tax regime and the linked exchange rate; and commercial rules that align with the best international standards, etc. under “two systems”. Hong Kong is an ideal entry point for French enterprises to develop the GBA market, and an optimal springboard and platform for further developing businesses on the Mainland and in Asia.
Mr Chan said that Hong Kong, as an international financial centre, possesses a highly internationalised financial market, and has been deepening and expanding mutual market access with the Mainland’s financial market. With a vibrant ecosystem of venture capital and private equity funds, Hong Kong is able to support the funding needs of French enterprises at different development stages. Apart from access to both Mainland and international capital, French enterprises can also utilise Hong Kong’s vast Renminbi (RMB) liquidity pool to raise RMB funding to support their business expansion in the Mainland. They can also leverage the offshore RMB products and risk management tools available in Hong Kong to manage the RMB funds acquired through trading activities.
Mr Chan also introduced the development of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology centre, including Hong Kong’s advantages in basic research and collaboration with the sister cities in the GBA, in particular the progress of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone. Furthermore, he highlighted Hong Kong’s efforts in the development as an international green tech and green finance centre, facilitation in efficient matching for international green capital and green projects in the region, and active participation in formulating international green standards, certification and nurturing relevant talent.
Hong Kong and France have long had deep exchanges in commerce and trade, culture and people. Hong Kong welcomes French enterprises to initiate businesses, set up research and development centres and regional headquarters. He also opined that the internationalised, safe and dynamic living environment of Hong Kong is highly attractive to French and European talent.
At the Conference, Mr Wang, Mr Chan and Ms Ao Ieong witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Invest Hong Kong and three French enterprises, namely Prophesee, SUEZ and Egis. Invest Hong Kong will provide support to the enterprises on stepping up investments and starting operations in Hong Kong.
The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, attended VivaTech 2024 in Paris, France on May 24 (Paris time). In his keynote speech at a seminar themed “How Global Start-ups Succeed in Asia through Hong Kong’s Innovation Ecosystem” organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Professor Sun gave the attendees an update on Hong Kong’s ever-growing start-up scene, pointing out that Hong Kong values the potential and contributions of start-ups and that the city is one of the best destinations for global start-ups to thrive and flourish.
“The greatest asset of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) development is our strong research capability. We support global startups with readily available source of research and development capabilities, knowledge and talent, as well as a vibrant I&T culture and atmosphere. We are also committed to providing comprehensive support to start-ups at different stages of their development. The two I&T flagships in Hong Kong, namely the Hong Kong Science Park and the Hong Kong Cyberport, play a vital role in nurturing and supporting start-ups in Hong Kong through various entrepreneurship schemes and incubation programmes, providing infrastructure, technical and funding support for their start-ups.”
Professor Sun highlighted that Hong Kong is well positioned to be the bridge connecting East and West, as the city enjoys the dual advantages under “one country, two systems” and strategic location on the doorstep of Mainland China. He said, “Setting up business in Hong Kong gives start-ups and enterprises much more than just a single market, but an ideal gateway to the gigantic market in the entire Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Mainland China and Asia with boundless opportunities. A solid industry chain and supply chain are essential for start-ups. The prospects and synergies of the GBA will be unlimited with a stable supply of talent and materials.”
Professor Sun also toured the Hong Kong Pavilion set up by the HKTDC at the VivaTech. The pavilion showcases Hong Kong’s vibrant start-up and technology ecosystem and provides information on the unparalleled advantages the city offers for global start-ups. He also visited the pavilion set up by Japan, which is the “Country of the Year”, as well as pavilions set up by institutions such as Centre national de la recherche scientifique and Région Sud of France, and had brief exchanges with representatives of some exhibitors to learn more about their innovative solutions. Afterwards, Professor Sun attended a networking reception hosted by the HKTDC to exchange views on the development and collaboration of I&T with local leaders of the I&T industry, entrepreneurs, influencers and investors.
On May 23 (Paris time), Professor Sun departed Brussels, Belgium for Paris, France to continue his visit. In the afternoon, he toured the Institut Pasteur and visited its laboratories to gain an understanding of the institute’s research areas and advanced research equipment, as well as programmes to accelerate the development potential of research discoveries and promote the creation of startups. The Institut Pasteur is an internationally-renowned private and non-profit infectious disease research institute which co-operated with the University of Hong Kong through InnoHK clusters to establish the Centre for Immunology & Infection in 2020 to use novel technology platforms for biomarker discovery and the development of new vaccine and therapeutic strategies. Professor Sun noted that international collaboration and talent development are key components under InnoHK. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government strongly encourages strengthening academic exchanges to foster knowledge sharing, enhance research capabilities and promote scientific advancements for the benefits of the I&T development in both Hong Kong and France.
Professor Sun will continue his visit in Paris tomorrow (May 25, Paris time) and conclude his visit in the afternoon. He will return to Hong Kong on Sunday (May 26, Hong Kong time).
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by WeChat Pay Hong Kong Limi… read more