Tag Archives: China

The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:

     The Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo Non-official Members) today (December 14) issued the following statement:
 
     ExCo Non-official Members fully support the Chief Executive in leading the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in its administration to pursue economic growth, advance development, and address livelihood issues. They also expressed gratitude to President Xi Jinping for the importance he attached to Hong Kong and his care for the city.
      
     During the Chief Executive’s duty visit to Beijing, President Xi acknowledged the work of the Chief Executive and the HKSAR Government, emphasising that the Central Government will continue to fully, firmly and accurately implement the “one country, two systems” principle. President Xi’s remarks also underscored the importance of reform and innovation, which inspires people to embrace changes, be proactive, and embody a spirit of innovation and creativity.
      
     As the Chief Executive said, the next two and a half years will be a critical period for Hong Kong to move forward, advance from stability to prosperity, and build on its achievement while beginning a new chapter of development. ExCo Non-official Members will continue to fully support the Chief Executive in leading Hong Kong to pursue reforms and changes by offering advices on important policies and actively collaborating with the HKSAR Government to implement various reform measures, with a view to creating new momentum and advantages for economic development, promoting Hong Kong’s transition from stability to prosperity through innovation and invention, and advancing high-quality development in Hong Kong together.
      
     ExCo Non-official Members believe that with the unwavering support of the Central Government and the unifying efforts from all sectors of the community, Hong Kong will effectively leverage its advantages of “one country, two systems”, rise to challenges, maintain prosperity and stability, and scale new heights. read more

     The Transport Department (TD) today (December 14) launched the e-Licensing Portal (e-LP) (elicensingportal.td.gov.hk/login) to provide convenience for registered vehicle owners and drivers in renewing their vehicle and driving licences and making enquiries about their licences.

     The e-LP provides a one-stop service platform for licence applications and enquiries, featuring a dashboard that clearly displays information about licences held by registered users, expiry dates, and the progress and results of applications. After registering as users via “iAM Smart”, members of the public can enquire at any time about their: (1) driving licence, driving entitlements, and licence expiry date; (2) driving-offence points; and (3) vehicles registered under their name and the expiry dates of relevant licences. They can also choose to receive reminders for vehicle and driving licence renewals.
 
     A spokesman for the TD said, “We have long encouraged members of the public to use online licensing services, saving the need to visit the Licensing Offices for application processing. Following the launch of the e-LP, registered vehicle owners and drivers can more easily manage their licences and vehicles, checking relevant information anytime, anywhere. The e-LP’s reminder function for renewals of vehicle and driving licences can also issue notifications to registered users before expiry of their licences, and enable vehicle owners and drivers to renew licences online effortlessly.”
 
     Starting from today, Hong Kong identity card (HKIC) holders can use “iAM Smart” to register as e-LP users and enquire about their licences. For non-HKIC holders, including holders of passports or Exit/Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao, companies or organisations, they can use a digital certificate or the e-contact means registered with the TD to register an e-LP account, thereby enjoying the one-stop services.
 
     Additional functions of the e-LP will be launched in the second quarter of 2025. Users will then be able to use the automatic form-filling function to submit online licensing applications, track progress and results, and make online bookings for driving tests. Moreover, information on various types of permits will also be available for enquiry. read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

     The fire danger situation today (December 14) is red and fire risk is extreme. The countryside is extremely vulnerable to fire. If you are planning to spend the day in the countryside, please take pre-cooked food for a picnic and take all measures to prevent hill fires. The penalty for lighting fires illegally in the countryside is $25,000 and a year’s imprisonment. read more

     Wu Oi Christian Centre has been issued a Public Subscription Permit to hold a territory-wide flag sale from 7am to 12.30pm today (December 14), a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added. read more

     â€‹The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) co-organised with the Netherlands Hong Kong Business Association, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Invest Hong Kong the “Dongzhi business seminar-cum-luncheon” in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on December 11 (Amsterdam time), with the theme on tourism and trade developments in Hong Kong. The event has become an annual key business occasion in which prominent speakers from Hong Kong and the Netherlands provide Dutch companies with the latest updates on Hong Kong and the region.

     Deputy Representative of HKETO, Brussels, Miss Fiona Li gave a presentation to about 70 business executives in the seminar. She elaborated about Hong Kong’s prevailing advantages as an international financial, trading and logistics centre which offers unparalleled connectivity and quality services while highlighted also the latest government policies on promoting tourism. It included hosting more world-class mega-events not just for businesses, but also for sports, arts and culture. Efforts were also stepped up to better leverage the city’s unique charms and strengths including our stunning harbour and waterfront, tranquil islands and countryside, rich gastronomy, and east-meets-west heritage to innovate tourism with new attractions and rediscovery of local cityscape.

     “Besides establishing Hong Kong as a city of mega events, fusing arts with tourism and developing cultural and eco-tourism are also the directions we are going for”, she said. Miss Li added that Hong Kong is well equipped with state-of-art infrastructure to realise these initiatives, namely the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, and the Kai Tak Sports Park to be opened in early 2025. In addition to the three-runway system of Hong Kong International Airport coming into operation this November, Hong Kong is expected to become an even more popular tourist destination globally.

     Citing the launch of more direct flight routes between Hong Kong and European cities in summer 2025 and Hong Kong’s latest initiatives to reduce the duty rate for liquor to boost the development of logistics industry, tourism as well as high-end food and beverage consumption, Miss Li expected that more international visitors would be attracted to Hong Kong. “We are ready to welcome Dutch and other European travellers to experience the city’s unique chic and glamour”, Miss Li concluded.