The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present its Great Music 2024 from May to November, with acclaimed musicians and orchestras from all over the world as well as a local talented music producer performing in a musical extravaganza series. The programme enables audiences to feel the city's arts and cultural buzz through music, showcasing the unique charm of Hong Kong as a metropolis where East meets West.
 
　　Brief introductions are as follows:
 
Jazz Concert by Eliane Elias
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Date and time: May 28 (Tuesday), 8pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall
Ticket prices: $200 to $520
 
     Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award winner Eliane Elias will perform her hit compositions, combining jazz, Brazilian, classical and pop music styles, to showcase her musical talents with unique presentations to Hong Kong audiences.
 
Violin Recital by Ray Chen
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Date and time: June 7 and 8 (Friday and Saturday), 8pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall
Ticket prices: $250 to $650
 
　　Highly sought-after violinist Ray Chen will return to Hong Kong to stage two performances with an inspired and virtuosic programme featuring the music of Beethoven, Bach and more, before reimagining a Chick Corea classic.
 
Piano Recital by Víkingur Ólafsson
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Date and time: June 11 (Tuesday), 8pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket prices: $250 to $650
 
　　Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson embarked on a world tour featuring Bach's "Goldberg Variations" in 2023 to showcase his exceptional talent. As part of his tour, Ólafsson will captivate audience members in Hong Kong in June, interpreting Bach's monumental masterpiece through his distinctive musical perspective.
 
Basel Chamber Orchestra
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Date and time: June 25 (Tuesday), 8pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall
Ticket prices: $350 and $700
 
　　The Basel Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of renowned Austrian clarinetist and conductor Andreas Ottensamer, will present a number of classical masterpieces to music fans. The show has specially engaged Japanese pianist Kyohei Sorita to come to Hong Kong for the first time and perform Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 4" with the orchestra.
 
"New Oriental Chinese Music Scene" by Shanghai Chinese Orchestra
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Date and time: August 5 (Monday), 8pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall
Ticket prices: $200 to $440
 
Date and time: August 6 (Tuesday), 8pm
Venue: Auditorium, Tsuen Wan Town Hall
Ticket prices: $200 to $380
 
　　After a 12-year hiatus, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra will visit Hong Kong again in August to present two delicate performances of Shanghai-style Chinese music under the baton of the renowned conductor Tang Muhai, showcasing the unique charm of contemporary Chinese music and the rich cultural heritage of the Jiangnan region at the inaugural Chinese Culture Festival.
      
　　Tickets for Jazz Concert by Eliane Elias and "New Oriental Chinese Music Scene" by Shanghai Chinese Orchestra are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Meanwhile, tickets for Violin Recital by Ray Chen, Piano Recital by Víkingur Ólafsson and Basel Chamber Orchestra will be available from April 30 (Tuesday) onwards. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/groups_1682.html.
 
　　Moreover, one pop concert and two notable recitals of the Great Music 2024, namely the "ART!ON POP" Concert, Duo Recital by Gautier Capuçon (Cello) and Jean-Yves Thilbaudet (Piano) and Piano Recital by Evgeny Kissin, will be held on July 21-22, October 3 and November 16 respectively at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Programme details and booking schedules will be announced later. Music fans should stay tuned.

                      

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting today (April 23):

Reporter: With May 1 Golden Week coming up next week, what arrangements have been made to ensure smoother and more efficient cross-border travelling? And with the first pyrotechnic show happening, what are the expected visiting numbers? And for my second question, is the Government in contact with authorities in Guangdong over flood situations across the border, and what will Hong Kong do to guard again a once-in-a-century rainstorm if heavy rain persists for almost a week? Thank you.

Chief Executive: We have been making comprehensive preparation for the May 1 Golden Week. We estimate that there will be at least 800 000 additional visitors to Hong Kong from the Mainland. We also believe that at our immigration control points, both at the airport and the railway and land crossings, there will roughly be about 5.9 million people going in and out of all the immigration control points. It will be a busy period, but I am very glad to see that the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has long made arrangements to ensure that we have comprehensive preparation, for both the immigration control points' management as well as that there will be good management of tours and also improving services to visitors. The actual arrangements for the immigration control points will be announced when we come nearer to the actual day. There will be special transportation arrangements, of course, to ensure that the experience in Hong Kong, both crossing the boundary or within the travelling between different tourist spots, will be well managed. The Transport and Logistics Bureau and the Transport Department have already been in close contact with the transportation operators.
 
     We will be in full gear to ensure that there will be good and smooth service for visitors. We will also be turning out officers to take care of the management of tourist groups, because we want to spread them out, also to stagger the meal arrangements, so that they will be smoothly absorbed into the whole arrangement at different districts. Of course we want visitors, which of course include tourists, and also maybe as a result of the activities, local spenders to have good experiences in taking meals, in shopping, in all kinds of service businesses. I am glad to see that different operators and different workers in these service industries are already geared up, some with special promotion plans, some with promoting experiences, measures – all rolled out to welcome the visitors. We will make good use of this opportunity to show that Hong Kong is a vibrant city. We welcome tourists. Hong Kong will give tourists good experiences that they will not just enjoy, but when they finish their business, they will tell their friends and neighbours within their home cities.

     In respect of the preparation for extreme weather, we know, of course, about the floods that are being experienced in Guangdong. There are good dialogues between Hong Kong authorities and the relevant authorities in different cities of Guangdong. We have, first of all, had good communication with the authorities responsible for possible discharge of water from reservoirs in Guangdong. We have already sought good agreement with them, so that they will give us a lot of advance notice period, such as when they plan for such possibilities, they will give us advance notice. One thing that is very important is that discharge of water from the reservoirs in Shenzhen or nearby cities will not be in any way a cause of any flooding in Hong Kong, because it is a very different system.
 
     Rest assured that we will ensure that we have the right measures put in place to ensure that we will be facing the challenges of extreme weather in a smooth way. The Chief Secretary for Administration, in fact, has already convened an interdepartmental meeting to look at the strengthened measures that we will be taking in anticipation of the coming season of extreme weather attacks. In fact, since last year's experience of the extreme weather attacks, including heavy storms and black rainstorms, there have been all the improved measures already being studied and planned. What I am pleased to see is that the Chief Secretary for Administration has made use of an opportunity to gather all departments concerned to go through all the experiences and strengthened measures to prepare, warn the public for and also to respond and recover from all these potential storms and black rainstorms. I think we will wait for an opportunity to inform the public about the enhanced measures that the Government will take. These measures will include enhanced information dissemination, so that the public will know of the possibility of some challenging attacks that may take place, and also strengthened response plans, strengthened recovery plans, and of course some measures relating to traffic arrangements as well when we come across these extreme conditions. We will announce the details when we have got all these measures fully drawn up in good anticipation of the possible coming of the extreme condition season.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council Meeting today (April 23):

Julia (Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council 2024, Mrs Julia Torreblanca), Ambassador Carlos Vasquez (Chair of the APEC Senior Officials' Meetings 2024), distinguished members of the APEC Business Advisory Council, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good morning and a very warm welcome to Hong Kong!  

     I have great pleasure to meet you all at the second meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) this year. This remarkable event gathers nearly 200 business leaders, representing the voice of all 21 APEC member economies.

     First, let me express my sincere gratitude to the representatives of ABAC Peru and ABAC Hong Kong, China for working together to stage this prestigious business event here in Asia's world city, after a hiatus of nine years. For long, APEC and ABAC have been the powerhouse in spearheading efforts in the region to promote free trade and economic co-operation, and we are proud to be a part of it.

Welcome to Hong Kong

     Amid the uneven pace of recovery across regions, the global economic environment remains complicated. Sharply tightened financial conditions over the past two years continue to hinder the growth of advanced economies. Although the market has generally expected interest rate cuts by major central banks, their timing, pace and scale remain unclear. Intensifying geopolitical tensions and conflicts continue to impact on international trade and capital flows, and cause disruption to global supply chains.  

     Here in Hong Kong, our economy grew by 3.2 per cent last year, led by a strong rebound in inbound tourism after the pandemic. Visitor numbers reached 34 million, which was slightly above 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. This year, we are expecting some 50 million tourists. Private consumption and overall investment also improved. But high interest rate environment and geo-economic fragmentation had dampened our merchandise exports. Inflation remained at a low level of 1.7 per cent, while unemployment rate was just around 3 per cent.   

     Hong Kong remains a magnet for global business, investments and talent. In our survey last year, there were over 9 000 companies in Hong Kong with parent companies outside of the city, similar to the pre-pandemic levels. Since the establishment of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises in December 2022, we have attracted nearly 50 such companies to expand their business here. In the coming years, they will invest more than US$5 billion, creating over 13 000 jobs. Separately, Invest Hong Kong has also attracted more than 380 other companies, which together would invest another US$7 billion to US$8 billion.

     For talent, we have approved around 160 000 applications under the various talent admission schemes since December 2022, and over 110 000 of them have already arrived in Hong Kong.

     For the asset market, residential property prices dropped by nearly 7 per cent last year, while the stock market fell by around 14 per cent last year, both with reduced trading volume. High interest rate environment, geopolitical tensions and its impact on capital flow, and investment sentiment were at play.  

     Looking ahead, under a complex external environment, the Hong Kong economy is expected to grow by 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent in 2024, on account of improvement in merchandise exports, continued recovery of inbound tourism, and inflow of strategic enterprises and talent. 

     In a nutshell, our economy is solid and growing. With a comprehensive set of legislation to safeguard national security in place, the business community here has commonly expressed that Hong Kong will offer a safer and more stable business environment for businesses to thrive.  

     As an international financial, trade and shipping centre, Hong Kong will advance our role as the region's "super connector" and "super value-adder", by capitalising on our unparalleled advantages of connecting the Mainland with the rest of the world. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, we enjoy convenient and sometimes priority access to the Mainland's market, while continuing to maintain all the advantages that have made us a unique international city: the rule of law; free flow of capital, goods, information and talent; freely convertible currency pegged to the US dollar, seamless alignment with the best international standards; simple and low tax regime, and more. It is our nation's solemn commitment to maintain the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong for the long run. 

     Our future development will rest with seizing opportunities brought by two mega trends: green development and digital economy. We will also fully leverage the staunch support of our country, China, and focus on the "eight centres" development direction laid out in the National 14th Five-Year Plan: financial services, innovation and technology, trade, aviation, shipping, legal services and dispute resolution, intellectual property trading, and international cultural exchange.  

Forging closer regional collaboration for a better future

     Ladies and gentlemen, as a member of APEC, Hong Kong, China is a proud contributor to the region's economic development. We are committed to communicating and co-operating with other member economies to advance the APEC and ABAC agenda, for the benefits of the businesses and people in the region.

     We are living in a world that has a high degree of interconnectedness and interdependence. But it is also filled with uncertainties that may disrupt or even threaten global economic prosperity. With the privilege of engaging in conversation with you all, allow me to highlight a few areas that we should work together. 

     First, let's work together to promote international free trade, and overcome roadblocks to the supply chain and logistics network. Over the past few decades, the power of free trade and competition has unleashed immense productivity worldwide, driving economic growth and raising the incomes and living standards of billions of people. Today, protectionism and unilateralism, and all the talks and actions of "de-risking", "on-shoring", "near-shoring", and "friend-shoring", are threatening the world's economic growth and progress. As a founding member of the World Trade Organization, Hong Kong, China is a steadfast supporter of free trade and a rules-based multilateral trading system. In this regard, Hong Kong is willing to enter into more free trade agreements and investment promotion and protection agreements with various economies in the world. 

     Second, let's work together to promote regional green transition and transformation. The challenges of climate change are pressing and on everyone's agenda. Last year was the hottest year on record by a clear margin. No country, no politician should say that we shouldn't be worried about climate change. To combat climate change, the amount of investment required for green transformation is huge, measured in trillions of US dollars. We are Asia's leader in green and transition finance, with the volume of green and sustainable bonds accounting for more than one-third of Asia's total. We also lead in green finance product innovation such as tokenised green bond. Working with sister cities in the Greater Bay Area, our green tech ecosystem is also thriving. We warmly welcome public and private partners in the region and beyond to access green and transition capital and technologies through Hong Kong. 
 
     Third, let's work together to drive the growth of the digital economy. Digital development, particularly artificial intelligence, is rapidly changing the models of industrial production, urban management, lifestyles, and much more. Here in Hong Kong, we are making significant strides to drive the digital economy, one important initiative of which is facilitating the orderly flow of data within the Greater Bay Area – of course with proper personal data protection. In other words, Hong Kong will be converging data from the Mainland and the world, enabling us to be an international hub for research and development in artificial intelligence and biomedicine.  

     On digital finance, Hong Kong is a leader, too. For example, Phase 1 of Project mBridge, a settlement mechanism of Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs, will be launched this year. It will be one of the first projects in the world to settle cross boundary business transactions using CBDCs.

Concluding remarks 

     Ladies and gentlemen, before I close, I would like to invite you to take this opportunity to enjoy this city – Hong Kong continues to be an open, vibrant and safe metropolis full of vitality and vigour. I look forward to our continued collaboration in the years ahead as we work together to build an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community. 

     Now, for all the charisma of this city, may I invite you to watch a video that tells all. 

    

     Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) today (April 23) welcomes talent who are interested in coming to Hong Kong or have recently arrived in the city, stakeholders in various sectors who are concerned about talent development, non-local university students and members of the public to visit the CareerConnect Expo to be held on May 7 and 8 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre concurrently with the Global Talent Summit · Hong Kong.

     The Director of HKTE, Mr Anthony Lau, said, "Apart from organising the Summit to exchange experiences and discuss trends in talent development with partners around the world and in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), we will hold the Expo in tandem with the Summit to enable international, local and regional strategic enterprises and counterparts to present to participants and global talent the opportunities of Hong Kong and the Mainland as well as development prospects of various sectors."

     HKTE will stage an exhibition area at the Expo to promote Hong Kong’s unique advantages and development opportunities, various talent admission schemes as well as HKTE's support services, coupled with experience sharing by incoming talent on settling in the city. Guangdong Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region will also introduce the latest manpower developments and opportunities of the GBA at their booths.

     The Expo is anticipated to bring together nearly 100 public and private organisations as exhibitors, including HKTE partners (covering employment, accommodation, social and community networking, integrated settlement services, education, banking and finance, business and corporate services as well as telecommunications), the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Invest Hong Kong, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Information Services Department, the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the MTR Corporation Limited and the Hospital Authority.

     Human resources agencies and recruitment platforms will introduce quality positions of various professions, including financial services, innovation and technology as well as financial technology in Hong Kong which are suitable for talent with diverse backgrounds, qualifications and experience. Talent who have recently arrived can also learn about relevant information on job searches, working or starting a business in Hong Kong as well as the latest skill demands of different sectors and professions. In addition, some exhibitors will provide visiting talent and their families with consultation services and settling-in solutions or offers, with a view to helping them move to Hong Kong, adapt smoothly and stay in the city for development.

     The Expo will be held from 10am to 5.30pm at Hall 3F, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Admission is free. Visitors may register in advance through the Summit's website (www.hkengage.gov.hk/GlobalTalentSummit) and enter the Expo with a QR Code on the selected date. For the latest updates, please refer to the Summit's website or HKTE's social media. Enquiries may be sent via email to gts@hkengage.gov.hk.

     Hongkong Post announced today (April 23) that, as advised by the postal administration of Mauritius, due to the impact of torrential rainfall, mail delivery services to Mauritius are subject to delay.