The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published today (September 20) statistics on Statistics of Stored Value Facilities (SVF) schemes … read more
​Invest Hong Kong attended the 27th Beijing-Hong Kong Economic Cooperation Symposium and Beijing-Hong Kong Cooperation Promotion Conference today (September 20) in Beijing, promoting Hong Kong’s business advantages to Mainland enterprises. The department also joined one of the “Invest in Hong Kong” thematic sessions – “Special Promotion Activities for Trade and Logistics Cooperation” on the first day of the symposium, encouraging Mainland enterprises to make use of Hong Kong’s advantages as a multinational supply chain management centre to expand overseas amid the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development.
The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, and the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Dr Bernard Chan, attended the event and delivered keynote speeches, followed by a presentation from the Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau, on Hong Kong’s advantages as a multinational supply chain management centre.
Dr Chan said, under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. The city, as an international financial, transportation and trade centre, will give full play to its dual roles in going global and attracting foreign investment, helping Beijing’s enterprises to go global and connect with international markets, as well as bringing overseas investment, talent and projects to various provinces and cities on the Mainland, including Beijing. Under the 14th Five-Year Plan, the country supports Hong Kong to further enhance its status as an international trade centre. The HKSAR Government actively explores new markets, including Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Middle East countries, while strengthening its ties with traditional markets via its 65 offices from around the world. In addition, the HKSAR Government will continue to strengthen its work on attracting investment and its ties with investment promotion departments from various provinces and cities on the Mainland to work together to go global. He hopes that both Beijing and Hong Kong will take the success of today’s event as a new starting point to deepen exchanges in the future and reach more significant achievements of co-operation.
Ms Lau said that Hong Kong plays important roles as a “super-connector” and a “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world, serving as a two-way springboard for attracting overseas enterprises and for Mainland enterprises to go global. With Hong Kong’s favourable business environment, including deep experience in foreign trade and financing, excellent professional services, high-quality talent and capital, well-established ports, airport and other infrastructure as well as reliable trade finance channels, the city can serve as a multinational supply chain management centre for Mainland enterprises. Meanwhile, Hong Kong, as Asia’s preferred international financial and business centre, offers Mainland enterprises comprehensive and well-developed professional services, making it the best place for them to set up and manage offshore trade centres. Mainland enterprises can make use of Hong Kong’s professional services and new investment opportunities to accelerate their overseas expansion.
The thematic presentation aimed to encourage Beijing enterprises to leverage Hong Kong’s status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, as well as its strategic position as an international hub for high-calibre talent, the advantage in professional service and its active role in serving as a multinational supply chain management centre for Mainland enterprises, to better manage their overseas production capacity and supply chain.
For event photos, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72177720320476234.
Police will implement the following special traffic arrangements in various districts to facilitate grave-sweepers, and to ensure smooth vehicular traffic movements and pedestrian safety during Chung Yeung Festival. Ch… read more
The Lands Department (LandsD) announced today (September 20) that a site, Sha Tin Town Lot No. 625 at the junction of Sha Tin Wai Road and Siu Lek Yuen Road, Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories, in the 2024-25 Land Sale… read more
Two Vietnamese illegal workers were jailed by the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (September 19).
During operation “Twilight” conducted on September 16, Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided a food factory in Tuen Mun district. Two Vietnamese men, aged 32 and 49, were arrested while working as odd-job workers.
The illegal workers were charged at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts on September 19 with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration, and taking employment while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force respectively. They pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment. Meanwhile, one of the males was also charged with one count of remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully. He was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, with parts of the sentences to run consecutively, making a total of 18 months’ imprisonment.
The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately. read more