Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 7) that due t… read more
Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 7) that the Environmental Protection Department has classified the water quality at Anglers’ Beach in Tsuen Wan District as Grade 3, which means the water quality has improved and the beach is suitable for swimming. The red flag has been lowered.
The red flag was hoisted on the beach earlier on due to the water quality being classified as Grade 4 and unsuitable for swimming. read more
A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) stated today (May 7) that the new measure of the Cooperation Agreement on the Supervision of Safety and Facilitation of Customs Clearance of Food Products Manufactured in Hong Kong Exported to the Mainland will commence on May 21. Upon meeting specific requirements, Hong Kong-manufactured food products with satisfactory on-site inspection of the Mainland Customs that are still required to go through sampling and testing can be released upon completion of sampling without waiting for the results.
The Environment and Ecology Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) signed the Cooperation Agreement on November 27 last year. This agreement provides a facilitating arrangement for customs clearance for food products that meet relevant requirements, with the aim of shortening the time required for customs clearance, further enhancing the safety of local food products exported to the Mainland, facilitating trade, and promoting the development of the local food manufacturing industry. The CFS and the GACC have formulated the operational details of the Cooperation Agreement, such as the food testing requirements. The CFS will conduct special supervision on Hong Kong-manufactured food products exported to the Mainland to ensure compliance with relevant Mainland laws, regulations, and standards in food safety.
“The Cooperation Agreement will aid the monitoring of food safety from the source for Hong Kong-manufactured food products exported to the Mainland, thus achieving the goal of customs clearance facilitation. Not only will this promote food trade between the Mainland and Hong Kong, particularly in the Greater Bay Area, but it will also deepen exchanges and co-operation in food safety monitoring between the Mainland and Hong Kong, fully implementing the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The smooth implementation of the new measure, the Advance Release Arrangement, is the result of joint efforts between the Government and the trade. The CFS has arranged briefings on details of the new measure for the local food trade,” the spokesman said.
The Advance Release Arrangement will initially cover three major categories of food, namely (1) beverages and frozen drinks (excluding alcoholic and dairy beverages); (2) biscuits, pastries and bread; and (3) candies and chocolates (including chocolate, cocoa butter substitute chocolate and their products). The arrangement will be available at the ports under Shenzhen Customs and Gongbei Customs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, the export volume to the Mainland of relevant categories of domestic food products in 2023 was over 51.7 million kilograms with the value of approximately $2.84 billion, which accounted for approximately 56 per cent of the total value of all Hong Kong-manufactured food exports to the Mainland in the same year and about 11 per cent of the total value of all domestic goods exported to the Mainland.
Under the new measure, a local food manufacturer who wishes to participate needs to apply with the CFS for the Advance Release Permission. After assessing the eligibility of the manufacturer, the CFS will grant an Advance Release Permission to the eligible food manufacturers. Relevant requirements include: the food manufacturer holds a valid food factory licence issued by the FEHD; food products must be manufactured in the food factory specified in the licence; a food safety management system with relevant certification (that is ISO 22000 or HACCP certification) is in place in the food factory concerned; the national standards and laws of Mainland China must be complied with. The food manufacturer should then apply with the CFS for a Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin or a Food Inspection Certificate for each consignment of food products exported to the Mainland. Furthermore, each consignment of food products must be accompanied by a Certificate of Hong Kong Origin – CEPA.
Details of the new measure, including the application form and relevant guidelines, have been uploaded to the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk). The CFS will continue to maintain close communication with the trade and provide appropriate support.
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 DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited relating to a fraudulent website and a social media page, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website or social media page concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012. read more
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, at a media session after attending the opening of the Global Talent Summit · Hong Kong organised by Hong Kong Talent Engage this morning (May 7):
Reporter: What kind of specialties or industries are the 120 000 people under the various talent admission schemes from? How many of them are from the Mainland? How would the Government further improve Hong Kong’s competitiveness to attract talent?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Over the past one and a half years, various talent admission schemes have attracted around 120 000 talents who have already arrived here in Hong Kong. In terms of visas approved, it is 180 000. Of these, 120 000 talents have already arrived. More than 50 000 came to Hong Kong under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS). We have just conducted a first-round survey, asking questions and getting information from people coming to Hong Kong under the TTPS. Around one-third are engaged in the finance industry, around 18 per cent in innovation and the information technology industry. Again, around 17 per cent are engaged in commerce. Their average salaries for those coming to Hong Kong under the TTPS is around $50,000. That’s a lot more than the median pay of Hong Kong wage earners. About a quarter are earning more than $100,000 a month and about 10 per cent are earning more than $200,000 a month.
We have achieved quite a lot in the past one and a half years. We will keep on our good effort. We want to make use of this very good start to project Hong Kong and make sure that Hong Kong remains the talent hub in this part of the world. We are going to make good use of the various schemes to attract talent to Hong Kong to help grow our economy and drive the very growth of Hong Kong in various areas.
Reporter: How would the Government attract talent from, as you said, Southeast Asia and Europe other than from the Mainland?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: The first thing we have to do is to increase their awareness. We have a lot of information available online, but we also believe it is important for us to go there to conduct a lot of face-to-face meetings and also sessions, so that we can disseminate all the information about Hong Kong to them. We are very sure that once we have let them know all the growth prospects and all the very exciting opportunities here in Hong Kong, a lot of talent in Southeast Asia as well as Europe will be thinking about Hong Kong and they will really give Hong Kong a good shot. Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
