Tag Archives: China

     The Civil Service College (CSC) has launched the Executive Series on “Connecting with the World – ASEAN”. The second seminar in the series, on the topic of “The Future of Global Financial System: Challenges and Opportunities for ASEAN and Hong Kong” was delivered by Distinguished Fellow, Asia Global Institute, the University of Hong Kong, Mr Andrew Sheng, at the CSC today (March 25).
 
     Addressing the seminar, the Head of the CSC, Mr Oscar Kwok, said the Executive Series is one of CSC’s key initiatives to develop civil servants’ international perspectives. The overwhelming response to the Executive Series is a testament to the collective recognition of the significance of the subject matters covered by the Series and their relevance to the work of senior civil servants. In a fast-changing world with all its volatility, complexity, and unpredictability, the one consensus that everyone can have is that changes are afoot. The global financial system that emerges at the end of these changes will be a very different one from today’s. As new doctrines and systems are being developed, civil servants should actively anticipate new developments, position themselves to cater for a new reality, and seek to involve themselves in shaping the new reality’s emergence in order to turn challenges into opportunities.
 
     About 200 civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks from 50 bureaux/departments attended the seminar today, including about 60 officers from Hong Kong, and from Mainland Offices and overseas Economic and Trade Offices of the Government in Beijing, Bangkok, Berlin, Brussels, Dubai, Geneva, Jakarta, London, Singapore and Tokyo who joined the seminar via video conferencing.
 
     The Executive Series on “Connecting with the World – ASEAN” is designed to further broaden the international perspective of directorate and senior civil servants. It covers subjects pertaining to the changing international dynamics and the development of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, including economies of emerging markets, opportunities and challenges from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the role and positioning of ASEAN, diversity of ASEAN economies, etc. Prominent experts are invited to speak and engage in in-depth discussions with participants.

        

     The Government today (March 25) announced the latest COVID-19 vaccination arrangements for XBB mRNA vaccine (XBB vaccine). Starting from March 27, all persons aged 6 months or above who are still not vaccinated or have not yet completed initial doses, may receive XBB vaccine as their initial vaccination to replace ancestral strain vaccines and bivalent vaccine.

Vaccination arrangements for high-risk priority groups

     According to the earlier recommendation by the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (JSC) under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, for high-risk priority groups, a booster dose is recommended to be given at least six months after the last dose or COVID-19 infection (whichever is later), regardless of the number of doses received previously. High-risk priority groups currently may receive XBB vaccine as a choice for initial and booster vaccination.

     High-risk priority groups include persons aged 50 or above including those living in residential care homes, adults aged 18 to 49 with underlying comorbidities, persons aged 6 months or above with immunocompromising conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers.

Initial vaccination arrangements for non high-risk priority groups

     The JSC earlier recommended that XBB vaccine to be extended to the initial vaccination of non high-risk priority groups. Non high-risk priority groups are only required to receive initial vaccination but do not require booster vaccination.

     After reviewing the current supply for XBB vaccine, the Government will extend XBB vaccination to non high-risk priority groups for initial vaccination from March 27. In other words, all persons aged 6 months or above who are still not vaccinated or have not yet completed initial doses may choose to receive XBB vaccine as their initial vaccination. The Government online booking system (booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk/forms/index.jsp) will be updated at 9am on March 27 to facilitate XBB vaccination for eligible members of the public to receive XBB vaccine. For the list of venues providing XBB vaccination, please visit (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/xbb_venues_dec2023_eng.pdf). For people who have made an online booking to receive other vaccines, XBB vaccines will be provided to complete their initial vaccination in venues offering XBB vaccination services.

Vaccine supply (including introducing XBB toddler and paediatric formulation)

     The JSC considered that XBB vaccines could provide enhanced protection against JN.1, which has become the predominant COVID-19 variant in Hong Kong. The Government has launched the XBB vaccination arrangement since December 14 last year and has procured about 200 000 doses relevant vaccines. As at yesterday (March 24), about 126 000 of them have been administered. Also, the Government has recently procured some additional 14 000 doses of XBB toddler and paediatric formulation (i.e. 9 600 doses of Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 toddler formulation and 4 800 doses of paediatric formulation). The vaccines have arrived in Hong Kong and will be administered as initial doses or booster doses starting from March 27. The Government will continue its close monitoring on the demand for XBB vaccines and ensure a sufficient vaccine supply for the public.

     Meanwhile, the JSC agreed that that all available COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong, including inactivated virus and mRNA vaccines, are effective in reducing death and severe COVID-19 infection. Members of the public may choose to receive an available COVID-19 vaccine based on personal choice.

     The CHP pointed out that the overall local COVID-19 activity is still high. Surveillance data revealed that the positive detection rate in early March (March 3 to 16) has exceeded the level recorded in the past six months. During the same period, the weekly number of severe cases including deaths with cause of death preliminarily assessed to be related to COVID-19 was over 50, which has also exceeded the level of about 30 cases weekly earlier this year. The CHP appealed to members of the public to complete their initial doses and high-risk groups to receive booster doses. The Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations currently provide ample time slots of free XBB vaccination for eligible persons. For available booking time slots of various vaccination outlets, please visit booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk/centre/index.html.

     â€‹Details of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme can be found at the CHP’s website (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/106934.html). read more

     Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the One Earth Summit today (March 25):
 
Poman (Founder of the Institute of Sustainability and Technology, Professor Poman Lo), Ms Neo (Managing Director of the Centre for Nature and Climate of the World Economic Forum, Ms Neo Gim Huay), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening!
      
     I have much pleasure to join you this evening at the Gala Dinner of the One Earth Summit. I trust you have had an immensely rewarding and engaging day thus far, filled with insightful discussions on finding the right solutions to address climate change and various sustainability issues. At this Gala Dinner, we gather not only to celebrate the successful conclusion of this Summit, but also look forward to continuing our conversations in addressing the pressing challenges ahead. 
      
     The title of this inaugural “One Earth Summit”, vividly reminds us that it is this one planet that we all share as home. The World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, confirmed that 2023 was the hottest year on record by clear margin. And here in Hong Kong, we also experienced the hottest day in March for over 140 years. Extreme weather events have become regular news in the media. There is no alternative but we must act together with the utmost urgency before it is too late.
      
     As a good global citizen, Hong Kong has been making proud contributions in combating climate change. First and foremost, we have set out clear targets to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and halve our carbon emissions by the year 2035. We are taking concrete actions to achieve our targets, under a four-pronged strategy: net-zero electricity generation, green buildings, green transport, and waste reduction. 
      
     But that only marked the beginning of a long journey. And we are doing more. Just as in this year’s Budget, more initiatives have been rolled out for a greener future. For example, in the green finance area, we will extend the Green and Sustainable Finance Grant Scheme for three years. This scheme is designed to provide financial support to issuers and borrowers for their expenses related to green bond issuance and external review. Furthermore, we are expanding its scope to cover transition bonds and loans. 
      
     In addition, in the next few months, we will roll out a new subsidy scheme to support early-stage green fintech ventures to foster the better integration of fintech and green finance.
      
     In fact, green transition calls for massive investments, and there is a huge funding gap. According to the WMO, to reach the 1.5°C target in the Paris Agreement, annual climate finance investments need to grow by more than six times to reach around US$ 9 trillion by 2030 and US$ 10 trillion through to 2050. 
      
     As Asia’s green finance centre, with green and sustainable bonds issued by us accounting for one-third of Asia’s total, Hong Kong is well-positioned to help match funds with green projects. Besides, we possess high-quality professional services that help ensure projects’ alignment with international green standards. We have also put in substantial resources in education and training programmes to nurture talents. We are fully committed to cultivating a comprehensive green and sustainable finance ecosystem that will support the great green transformation.
      
     Hong Kong is also a rising centre for green technology. Our Science Park and Cyberport are home to some 200 green tech firms, and some of them have successfully tapped into the Mainland and overseas markets with cutting edge technologies. We are also working with our sister cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) which are not only strong in technology and innovation, but also in outcome application, commercialisation and advanced manufacturing. The GBA as a whole is rapidly rising as an international green tech and green finance centre.
      
     Besides finance, we are also taking steps to support green bunkering and the use of sustainable aviation fuels and photovoltaic technology in Hong Kong.
      
     Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot better conclude my speech by expressing my sincere appreciation to Po Man, and the organisers of this Summit, the Institute of Sustainability and Technology, and the World Economic Forum, for providing a platform for the much needed discussion on this important subject of green transition and carbon neutrality. We keenly look forward to more collaborations with our global partners in other sustainability endeavours. I wish you all a wonderful evening, and the best of health, business and environment in the time to come. Thank you!

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:      Legislative Council Members conducted a site visit to Tsz Wan Shan area today (March 25) to follow up on issues raised by a deputation relating to a r… read more

     The Health Bureau announced today (March 25) the soft launch of a new channel for the public to join the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) via direct enrolment at clinics of some participating family doctors starting today. The arrangement aims to encourage and provide more convenience for members of the public to initiate early health management so that they could be aware of their health situation if they are having, or may have a high-risk of having, diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT). Apart from enrolling in the Scheme at District Health Centres (DHCs), eligible Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above may also register at some participating clinics to pair with a family doctor for screening.
 
     The CDCC Pilot Scheme has been well received since its rollout. As of March 21, various DHCs have assisted over 27 800 citizens to enrol in the Scheme, among which over half of the participants have completed screening arranged by their family doctors. Of those who have completed screening, more than 5 100 participants (equivalent to some 36 per cent of the participants who had completed screening) were diagnosed with prediabetes, DM or HT, and received further follow-up care and treatment by the participating family doctors for early identification and follow-up.
 
     To further promote the concept of “Family Doctor For All” and encourage the public to maintain a long-term doctor-patient relationship with their family doctors, a number of participating clinics are now open for direct enrolment to the Scheme, and participants can pair with a family doctor at the clinic. Upon searching the list of participating family doctors on the CDCC Pilot Scheme dedicated website, citizens may look for an indication of “Accept CDCC Pilot Scheme enrolment at clinic” next to the doctors’ names. Members of the public may contact the clinic of the corresponding family doctor with the aforementioned indication directly and make an arrangement to pair with the doctor at the clinic. The family doctor will then assist the participant to register for the DHC’s membership simultaneously, and conduct a diagnosis, arrange laboratory investigations for him or her as well as give advice on the diagnosis afterwards. Participants who are diagnosed with prediabetes, DM or HT will be taken care of by their family doctor with long-term management under government subsidy. If the participants are prescribed drugs under basic tier of the CDCC Pilot Scheme Drug List, they will not be required to pay any additional drug fee.
 
     Participants who are not diagnosed with DM or HT after screening will be aided by the DHCs/DHC Expresses (DHCEs) to set health management goals. Arrangements will also be made as needed for them to join activities that can help them adopt a healthier lifestyle for staying in good shape.
 
     Among the 510-plus family doctors (at over 660 service points) participating in the Scheme, there are 96 family doctors (at 126 service points) that so far can offer direct matching services at their clinics. For eligible persons who wish to match with other family doctors, they may go to DHCs/DHCEs for matching and enrolment in the Scheme.
 
     The Government rolled out the CDCC Pilot Scheme under the Primary Healthcare Blueprint in mid-November last year, with a view to encouraging Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above with no known medical history of DM or HT to pair with a family doctor for screening, and long-term follow-up by family doctors if diagnosed with DM or HT with Government subsidy under a co-payment model. For more details, members of the public may browse the dedicated website of the CDCC Pilot Scheme (www.primaryhealthcare.gov.hk/cdcc/en), or call the hotline at 2157 0500. Dedicated staff of the hotline will answer calls from 9am to 9pm from Mondays to Saturdays. read more