Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced today (March 22) that its client, China Mobile Communications Group Co Ltd, is leveraging Hong Kong's global status to set up its corporate treasury centre (CTC) and an innovation research institute in the city as part of the long-term business development strategy.
      
     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Mr Yin Zonghua; the Chairman of China Merchants Group Limited, Mr Miao Jianmin; the Chief Executive of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr Sun Yu; the Director General of the Youth Department of the LOCPG in the HKSAR, Mr Zhang Zhihua; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; and the Chairman of the China Mobile Communications Group, Mr Yang Jie, officiated at the opening ceremony marking the birth of the two centres. Over 150 guests including Legislative Council members along with renowned academics and financial and business leaders were invited to join.
      
     Mr Chan congratulated the establishment of China Mobile's CTC and their innovation research institute. He said that the HKSAR is committed to developing Hong Kong as a global innovation and technology hub with an emphasis on promoting the co-operation of the Government and the industry, academic and research sectors. At the same time, Hong Kong as a global financial centre is well suited for treasury functions of multinationals such as overseas capital, remittance, fund raising and risk management matters. The China Mobile CTC and innovation research institute is a positive response to the HKSAR's policy and a vote of confidence and strong support for Hong Kong's economy in terms of its innovation development and financial services industry.
      
     Mr Yang indicated that the CTC and the innovation research institute are examples of China Mobile's attempt to make use of Hong Kong's advantages and the deepened co-operation between Mainland China and Hong Kong in accelerating the group's business development. Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. The group believes in Hong Kong's future and has invested more than HK$30 billion over the past years in the city, hoping to help lift Hong Kong's status as a global telecommunication hub.
      
     Mr Yang said that Hong Kong has the unique advantage of being a breeding ground of innovation and a premium global financial centre. China Mobile will reinforce its roots in Hong Kong, further integrating into the city and its financial ecosystem to better serve its people and lift the group's overseas treasury management and innovation capabilities.
      
     He continued that the China Mobile (Hong Kong) Innovation Research Institute will strive to bring together innovation talent and resources from around the world for the best synergy in promoting the co-operation of industry, academic and research sectors. The centre has a particular focus on technological frontiers such as 6G development, new-generation mobile communications, artificial intelligence and new Internet, using technology to drive industry innovation in line with the goal of developing Hong Kong as a global innovation and technology centre and driving the growth of China Mobile's capabilities and products in global markets.
      
     The CTC in Hong Kong will serve as China Mobile's overseas treasury platform, using Hong Kong as a global hub to manage overseas capital management, services and operations, opening up capital channels within and outside China, and managing overseas capital risk, as well as taking China Mobile's high-quality development and Hong Kong's digital economy to new heights.
      
     For more information about China Mobile, please visit www.10086.cn.

    

     A new round of the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) and the Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) (degree/professional grades) will open for application from tomorrow (March 23). Prospective applicants for civil service posts at degree or professional level are welcome to apply before the deadline of 5pm on April 5.
 
     A spokesman for the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) reminded persons planning to apply for civil service posts at degree or professional level in the near future that they are required to have valid CRE results and should make use of the opportunity to take part in this round of examination, tentatively scheduled to be held on June 1. 
 
     The pool of eligible candidates for civil service jobs requiring an undergraduate degree has been expanded to students in their third year of undergraduate studies (in a four-year curriculum). Therefore, this round of examination will be open to holders of a degree, or a professional qualification meeting the entry requirement of the posts, or undergraduate students graduating in the academic year of 2023/24 or 2024/25.
 
     The CRE consists of three papers, namely Use of Chinese (UC), Use of English (UE) and Aptitude Test (AT). Results in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) or other specified public examinations are accepted as equivalents to different levels of results for UC and UE. Therefore, applicants who have attained the specified results in the language subjects concerned in the HKDSEE or other specified public examinations will not be arranged to take the UC and/or UE paper(s). Please visit the CSB webpage (www.csb.gov.hk/eng/cre.html) for the specified results and the language subjects concerned. Applicants should note that different civil service posts have different Chinese and English language proficiency requirements. No public examination results are accepted as being equivalent to the AT. Applicants for some civil service posts at degree or professional level are also required to obtain a pass result in the AT paper in order to be eligible for applying for the posts concerned.
           
     All applicants are required to obtain a pass result in the BLNST for all civil service recruitment exercises, regardless of whether they have taken any Basic Law Test centrally conducted by the CSB or individual bureaux/departments in previous recruitment exercises. A pass result in the BLNST has permanent validity. The CSB has been conducting the BLNST (degree/professional grades) since June 11, 2022. Those who possess a pass result in the BLNST (degree/professional grades) need not apply again.
           
     Applicants may choose to take any of the CRE papers and/or the BLNST paper in the coming examination.
 
     Details about the coming CRE and BLNST will be uploaded to the CSB webpage (www.csb.gov.hk/eng/cre.html) tomorrow. Persons interested in taking the examination may apply through the online application system on the CSB webpage, or by using the CRE and BLNST application form (CSB31 (3/2024)) which can be downloaded from the CSB webpage or obtained from any Home Affairs Enquiry Centre of the Home Affairs Department or Job Centre of the Labour Department.
           
     General enquiries may be directed to the Civil Service Examinations Unit by phone at 2537 6429 or by email to csbcseu@csb.gov.hk.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, March 22, 2024 is 105.7 (up 0.7 against yesterday's index).

     The Town Planning Board today (March 22) announced amendments to the approved Mong Kok Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     The amendments mainly involve (i) rezoning a site at 56 Fuk Tsun Street from "Comprehensive Development Area (1)" to "Residential (Group A)" ("R(A)"); (ii) rezoning a portion of Mong Kok Road Playground and a strip of land to its immediate north from "Government, Institution or Community" to "Open Space" and "R(A)" respectively to reflect the as-built condition and to rationalise the zoning boundaries; and (iii) removing the building height restriction on the sites of Mong Kok Road refuse collection point cum public toilet and Canton Road 1106 substation.
      
     The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP are amended to take into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning scheme area, where appropriate.

     The draft Mong Kok OZP No. S/K3/37, incorporating the amendments, is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Tsuen Wan and West Kowloon District Planning Office and (iv) the Yau Tsim Mong District Office.
      
     Any person may make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before May 22. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29C on "Submission and Processing of Representations and Further Representations" (TPB PG-No. 29C).

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29C. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29C, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at the above locations (i) and (ii) and the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     Copies of the draft Mong Kok OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     The Town Planning Board today (March 22) announced amendments to the approved Pok Fu Lam Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     The amendments mainly involve (i) rezoning a site between Pok Fu Lam Road and Victoria Road from "Green Belt", "Residential (Group C)6" and area shown as 'Road' to "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Global Innovation Centre" for proposed Global Innovation Centre of the University of Hong Kong; and (ii) rezoning narrow strips of land along Victoria Road and a strip of land to the south of Wah Mei House, Wah Fu Estate, to suitable zonings to reflect the existing alignment of Victoria Road and the land grant boundary of Wah Fu Estate.
 
     The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP are amended to take into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning scheme area, where appropriate.

     The draft Pok Fu Lam OZP No. S/H10/22, incorporating the amendments, is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Hong Kong District Planning Office, and (iv) the Southern Home Affairs Enquiry Centre.
 
     Any person may make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before May 22. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29C on "Submission and Processing of Representations and Further Representations" (TPB PG-No. 29C).

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29C. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29C, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at the above locations (i) and (ii) and the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     Copies of the draft Pok Fu Lam OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).