â€‹The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, concluded her visit to Paris, France, yesterday (May 22, Paris time).
      
     In the morning, Ms Ho met with a representative of CDC Habitat, a social housing association in France, to learn more about the mode of operation, development strategies, and challenges of social housing in France. She also shared Hong Kong's situation and the various housing initiatives being implemented by the Housing Bureau.
      
     Ms Ho then visited an integrated residential and commercial community comprising social housing, which was transformed from the Olympic Athletes' Village, to learn about sustainable urban development.
      
     Moreover, Ms Ho exchanged views with a renowned urban planner, Associate Professor of the IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School, Professor Carlos Moreno, and shared her vision and thoughts on sustainable urban planning and design. Professor Moreno put forward the urban planning concept of the "15-minute city", which aims to enable residents in a community to meet their daily needs for food, clothing, housing and transport within a 15-minute walking or cycling distance and to enhance environmental sustainability. Ms Ho pointed out that this coincides with the planning concept of the new public housing estates of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) and cited Queen's Hill Estate as an example, demonstrating the HKHA's planning of a resident-oriented, self-sufficient community that embraces cultural heritage and blends with nature to create a sustainable community. Professor Moreno showed great interest in Hong Kong's public housing planning model and expressed his wish to have the opportunity to visit Hong Kong in the future.
      
     In the evening, Ms Ho met with the Advisor to the Mayor on housing, urban planning, architecture, land development, Mr Renaud Paque, and Director of Housing and Habitat, Ms Doan Lebel, to exchange views on public housing policies and experiences on sustainable urbanisation and urban planning concepts.
      
     Concluding the trip, Ms Ho said, "This visit tied in with the HB's Housing•I&T initiative this year, introducing the latest developments of advanced technology companies from Hong Kong and the Mainland in the areas of construction technologies, public housing, green building, etc, as well as demonstrating to the world the application of technologies such as Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and construction robots that help enhance construction efficiency and safety. We will actively make reference to overseas experiences on decarbonisation and energy-saving technologies. At the same time, we will fully capitalise on Hong Kong's unique advantages, reinforce connectivity, and play the role as a 'super connector' and a 'super value-adder'. I expect that the two cities will maintain liaison and strengthen exchanges in areas such as innovative building technologies, public housing construction, green buildings, well-being communities, and enhancing the housing ladder to give new impetus to public housing construction."
      
     Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong this afternoon (May 23).

          

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 23) that some sections of Avenue of Stars will be temporarily closed from noon to 9pm on May 25 for an event to be held at the venue. If necessary, please follow the venue staff's instructions to pass through the area via Salisbury Road instead. 

     For details on the arrangements during the closure period, please visit the Avenue of Stars Management Limited's website: www.avenueofstars.com.hk/en

     â€‹The Government gazetted today (May 23) nine amendment regulations to amend relevant regulations under the Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance (Cap. 369), the Merchant Shipping (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Ordinance (Cap. 413), and the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) Ordinance (Cap. 548), to incorporate into local legislation the latest relevant requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974; the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004; and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

     The nine regulations to be amended are:

(a) Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Grain) Regulations (Cap. 369AA);
(b) Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Navigational Equipment and Safety of Navigation) Regulation (Cap. 369BA);
(c) Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Construction and Survey) Regulation (Cap. 369BD);
(d) Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Fire-fighting Appliances and Fire Protection) Regulation (Cap. 369BE);
(e) Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Ships Operating in Polar Waters) Regulation (Cap. 369BF);
(f) Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (General) Regulation (Cap. 548F);
(g) Merchant Shipping (Reporting of Pollution Incidents) Regulations (Cap. 413C);
(h) Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Air Pollution) Regulation (Cap. 413P); and
(i) Merchant Shipping (Control of Ballast Water and Sediments) Regulation (Cap. 413Q).

     The proposed amendments include new requirements related to the safe carriage of bulk grains in specially suitable compartments; reporting of loss of freight container(s), including those containing harmful substances in packaged form, from a ship or observation of freight container(s) drifting at sea; design, construction, installation and testing etc of shipboard lifting appliances, anchor handling winches and their utilised loose gear; prevention of fire and explosion, suppression of fire and special requirements for the protection of specific spaces; safe navigation and voyage planning for specific types of vessels when operating in polar waters; classification, labelling, packing and documentation of dangerous goods in packaged form carried by sea; provision of bunker delivery notes for the bunkering of low-flashpoint fuels and gas fuels, and approval of electronic Ballast Water Record Boots and verification of the entries therein, etc.
     
     A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, "As an Associate Member of the IMO, Hong Kong is committed to fulfilling our responsibilities to support the protection of the marine environment and the prevention of pollution, as well as to promote safe navigation. The proposed legislative amendments will keep our local laws up to date and in line with international standards on those fronts."

     The Panel on Economic Development of the Legislative Council, the Hong Kong Fleet Operation Advisory Committee and the Local Vessels Advisory Committee of the Marine Department, as well as local fuel oil suppliers, have been consulted on the legislative proposals. The amendments were supported.

     The proposed amendment regulations will be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting on May 28.

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Opening Ceremony of HK Tech 300 Expo today (May 23):
 
Chairman Ngai (Chairman of the Council, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Mr Michael Ngai), President Boey (President and University Distinguished Professor of CityU, Professor Freddy Boey), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join you today at the opening ceremony of the HK Tech 300 Expo and the launch ceremony of the HK Tech 300 International Start-up Competition.
      
     I would like to first commend City University of Hong Kong and its partners for their instrumental role in supporting young talent and nurturing deep-tech start-ups in our community. Today at the Expo, I am delighted to see approximately 300 innovative start-ups and projects incubated by the HK Tech 300 programme. These initiatives demonstrate their success in translating research and innovative ideas into practical applications. I am particularly encouraged to see the programme expanding its footprint into Mainland China, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
　　
     Over the years, the Government has implemented various policies and made significant investments to nurture and enhance support for start-ups. For example, the $10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme was launched in 2023 to fund, on a matching basis, research teams from universities with good potential to become successful start-ups to transform and commercialise their R&D (research and development) outcomes. I am pleased to see that several awarded CityU projects have already shown promising development and I look forward to seeing their research results in successful market applications.
      
     To attract more venture capital to co-invest in local I&T (innovation and technology) start-ups, we launched the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund enhanced scheme recently by redeploying up to $1.5 billion to set up funds jointly with the market, also on a matching basis, to invest in start-ups of strategic industries, thereby empowering start-ups with more financing support. We are also preparing for the launch of the Pilot I&T Accelerator Scheme to attract professional start-up service providers with proven track records in and beyond Hong Kong to set up accelerator bases in Hong Kong to foster the robust growth of start-ups and enhance the I&T ecosystem.
      
     As I always emphasise, interactive collaboration between the Government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors is essential for Hong Kong's I&T development. CityU and the HK Tech 300 programme play a crucial role in this, creating a vibrant ecosystem that fosters cross-disciplinary, cross-sector and cross-industry collaboration. We must continue our efforts to work together to support our young entrepreneurs, providing them with the necessary resources, mentorship and opportunities they need to turn their ideas into impactful solutions, further bolstering the development of Hong Kong as an international I&T hub.　
   
     The start-up journey is undoubtedly challenging, but with the right direction and enthusiasm, even a small idea can have a significant impact and benefit society. I encourage all of you to stay creative and innovative, and I look forward to witnessing our start-ups to grow into gazelles, unicorns or even industry giants in the near future.
      
     In closing, may I wish you a fruitful and inspiring experience over the next two days at the HK Tech 300 Expo. Thank you very much.

  

     The Government published in the Gazette today (May 23) The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong Ordinance (Ordinance), which takes effect on the same day. The Ordinance aims to protect the exclusive right to use the titles of The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and make technical amendments to other relevant enactments that are generally applicable to public hospitals or private healthcare facilities (PHFs), enabling these relevant provisions to apply equally to CMHHK under the same circumstances, thereby ensuring the smooth operation of CMHHK.

     CMHHK is scheduled to commence services in phases starting from the end of this year, marking an important milestone in the development of Chinese medicine (CM) in Hong Kong. As a flagship CM institution in Hong Kong, CMHHK will undertake five key missions of development, namely the provision of government-subsidised and market-oriented healthcare services, training and education, research, collaboration, and creation of health values. CMHHK will also serve as a change-driver in close collaboration with the CM sector and stakeholders to drive the overall development of CM in Hong Kong, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the international community. 

     As a hospital controlled by the Health Bureau, CMHHK is neither a public hospital managed by the Hospital Authority under the Hospital Authority Ordinance (Cap. 113) nor a PHF specified under the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633). References to "hospitals" in the existing legal provisions generally only include public hospitals or PHFs and therefore may not be applicable to CMHHK. In this connection, a number of technical amendments have been made to the Ordinance to ensure that other relevant enactments generally applicable to public hospitals or PHFs are also equally applicable to CMHHK under the same circumstances, meeting the practical operational needs of CMHHK.

     The Ordinance also specifies and offers protection for the Chinese title 香港中醫醫院 and the English title "The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong" of CMHHK, located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road, Tseung Kwan O in the New Territories, with the titles intended for exclusive use by CMHHK. Any person who is involved in the unauthorised use of or unauthorised association with these titles commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000) upon conviction.

     To complement the implementation of the Ordinance, the Government and the operator of CMHHK will implement a series of support measures, including establishing a notification mechanism between the Health Bureau and the Companies Registry to refuse registration of company names with unauthorised association with CMHHK; conducting a series of promotional activities by the Health Bureau and the operator before CMHHK commences services in phases; uploading information about its partner organisations, among others, by CMHHK to its official website for public access; and the Health Bureau and CMHHK will immediately issue public announcements for clarification in case of suspicious cases of misleading or misappropriation of titles and will consider if enforcement action is required on a case-by-case basis; as well as reviewing the relevant penalties in a timely manner.