The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) made the following appeal today (May 23) regarding a patient who left the hospital without notifying hospital staff:

     A 77-year-old male patient left the Emergency Medicine ward without notifying hospital staff at around 1.40pm today.

     Upon discovering the patient was missing, ward staff immediately reported the incident to security guards for a search in hospital areas and the vicinity, but their efforts were unsuccessful. QEH is very concerned about the incident. The hospital has contacted the patient's relatives and friends and reported the incident to the Police. The hospital will co-operate with the Police for the search.

     The patient is about 1.7 metres tall and 80 kilograms in weight with short white hair. He was wearing a black-and-white striped long-sleeved t-shirt, a black down vest and black pants when leaving the hospital.

     The hospital appeals to the public to contact the QEH Security Department at 3506 8944 or call 999 if they know the whereabouts of the patient.

     â€‹The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, today (May 23). Also attending the meeting were the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, Datuk Mohamad bin Alamin; and the Consul General of Malaysia in Hong Kong, Mr Muzambli Markam.
      
     Mr Lee welcomed Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's visit to Hong Kong. He said Hong Kong and Malaysia have long enjoyed a close relationship in trade, noting that the bilateral trade in goods between the two places reached US$23.9 billion last year. Malaysia is Hong Kong's ninth-largest trading partner and the third largest among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he added. Mr Lee also expressed his gratitude to Malaysia for its continued support for Hong Kong's early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, with a view to making greater contributions to regional co-operation.
      
     Mr Lee noted that the strategy of attracting and retaining talent is one of the priorities of the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. The Top Talent Pass Scheme welcomes graduates of the world's top 100 universities, including Universiti Malaya, to come to Hong Kong for development. The HKSAR Government will continue to work closely with Malaysia to promote talent exchanges in such areas as healthcare and vocational training. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is determined to develop into an international hub for post-secondary education. With the upcoming increase in the quota of the Belt and Road Scholarship starting from the next academic year, more students from Malaysia are welcome to study in Hong Kong to deepen exchanges among young people between the two places, he added.
      
     Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong will continue to foster exchanges and collaboration with Malaysia in such areas as trade and commerce, investment, innovation and technology, as well as culture and tourism, contributing to the further consolidation of the bilateral relationship between the country and Malaysia.

  

     Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-lowering ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 6pm today (May 23) will be cancelled.

     If the thunderstorm warning is cancelled and weather conditions permit by then, the flag-lowering ceremony may be resumed without further notice.

     Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) hosted a themed seminar on innovation and technology (I&T) this afternoon (May 23) to delve into development opportunities for I&T talent in Hong Kong and support them to settle in the city.

     At the seminar, a speaker from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation outlined the career opportunities of starting a business or joining I&T enterprises in Hong Kong. In addition, two I&T talents shared with incoming talent about the talent demand of the Hong Kong Quantum AI Lab and relevant projects, as well as the experience of settling in an overseas technology firm within the Hong Kong Science Park respectively.

     The Government conducted follow-up surveys in November 2023 with persons who had arrived in Hong Kong for more than six months with Top Talent Pass Scheme visas. The survey results showed that 54 per cent of the incoming talent had been in employment and, among them, 18 per cent took up jobs in I&T/information and communication technology services. The Government will continue to attract tech talent, at home and abroad, through measures such as the Technology Talent Admission Scheme and the Talent List.

     HKTE has held online and physical seminars or workshops from March 2024 in collaboration with working partners on a wide range of topics, such as job seeking, business start-ups, education, accommodation, household knowledge and Cantonese learning. Talent who have arrived in Hong Kong may obtain event details from HKTE social media or by contacting HKTE via email (hkte@hkengage.gov.hk).

        

     The Government today (May 23) announced that the implementation of cargo fuel surcharge (CFS) liberalisation will take effect starting from January 1, 2025, after a six-month lead-in period (i.e. from July 1 to December 31, 2024).  

     With the liberalisation of CFS, airlines may set their own CFS levels or choose not to levy such surcharges for flights originating from Hong Kong. The prevailing requirement on airlines to impose CFS having regard to the levels promulgated by the Civil Aviation Department (CAD), which may inhibit market competition and further diversification of cargo industry development in Hong Kong, will be removed.

     "The liberalisation of CFS aligns with the global trend of deregulating fuel surcharges and encourages competition in the air cargo industry, thereby maintaining the competitiveness of Hong Kong's aviation industry and its status as an international aviation hub. We are thankful for the support and views expressed by various stakeholders to enable us to take forward the liberalisation. In order to facilitate our continuous dialogue with stakeholders on the matter, we will put in place a communication platform to work in collaboration with stakeholders for the smooth transition towards the liberalisation of CFS from January 1, 2025," a Government spokesman said.

     In order to ensure transparency after the liberalisation of CFS, the CAD will require airlines to promulgate their maximum CFS levels for flights originating from Hong Kong on company websites or other platforms for the public's information.

     With a view to providing the air cargo industry with sufficient time to better prepare for the liberalisation, there will be a six-month lead-in period (i.e. from July 1 to December 31, 2024) prior to the liberalisation. The existing CFS mechanism managed by the CAD for flights originating from Hong Kong will therefore remain in force until December 31, 2024. For details on the existing CFS mechanism, please refer to the CAD's website (www.cad.gov.hk/english/cargo_fuel_surcharge.html).