Author Archives: hksar gov

LCQ5: Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles

     Following is a question by the Hon Lai Tung-kwok and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 11):

Question:

     It is reported that following the completion of the automated car park on the Hong Kong Port Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) by the end of this year, the authorities plan to implement the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles in phases starting as early as the end of this year. The scheme runs with quotas and Guangdong vehicles allocated with quotas under the first phase will only be allowed to park at the automated car park at the HZMB Hong Kong Port. Passengers may proceed directly to the restricted area of Hong Kong International Airport and depart Hong Kong by plane without going through immigration clearance, or enter Hong Kong via the HZMB Hong Kong Port and then transfer to other modes of transport to reach the urban areas. Guangdong vehicles will only be allowed access to the urban areas under the second phase of the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the reasons for implementing the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles in two phases; whether it will consider implementing the two phases in one go by merging them, so as to address the calls from various sectors for attracting road trip visitors more expeditiously;

(2) whether it will designate no-entry zones for Guangdong vehicles in specific urban areas with heavier traffic, and whether it will increase the daily quota for the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles on weekends, Sundays, and Hong Kong public holidays when urban traffic is relatively light and smooth; and

(3) whether it has assessed the economic benefits brought to Hong Kong upon the full implementation of the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles?

Reply:

President,

     Guangdong and Hong Kong have been committed to implementing various cross-boundary transport measures to jointly develop the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and to make good use of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB). Since the successful implementation of Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles (the Northbound Travel Scheme) in July 2023, eligible Hong Kong single-plate private cars are allowed to travel under the customs guarantee-free policy to various commercial centres, countryside, tourist hotspots, etc, in the Guangdong Province via the HZMB for business, visiting families or sight-seeing on a short-term basis upon making simple bookings; thus allowing greater convenience for Hong Kong travellers to plan their travel. The number of northbound Hong Kong private cars to the Guangdong Province has been on the rise, with over 100 000 private cars which have participated in the scheme. The usage of the HZMB has also recorded new highs, with its two-way vehicular flow reaching a total of 450 000 vehicles in May 2025 (i.e. a daily average of about 15 000 vehicles), representing an increase of about 170 per cent as compared to that before the implementation of the Northbound Travel Scheme; among which vehicles under the Northbound Travel Scheme account for about 40 per cent of the HZMB’s vehicular flow (i.e. a daily average of about 6 000 vehicles). Meanwhile, to meet the keen expectations of the public on two-way travel, and to provide diversified experiences for Mainland travellers to visit Hong Kong, we are actively working with the relevant Mainland authorities on the implementation arrangements for the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles (the Southbound Travel Scheme).

     In response to the three parts of the question raised by the Hon Lai Tung-kwok, my reply is as follows:

(1) The experience of implementing the Northbound Travel Scheme provides pragmatic and substantive reference for the planning of the Southbound Travel Scheme between Guangdong and Hong Kong. The governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have been monitoring the application and travel experience of the citizens in a bid to roll out a number of enhanced arrangements, which include gradually increasing the maximum number of applications received per day from 200 at the beginning to the current 500; increasing the number of vehicle inspection centres from one at the beginning to three at present; expanding the travel booking timeslots, while deferring the deadline of booking and cancellation of booking. Guangdong and Hong Kong have also worked together to enhance port clearance at the HZMB ports, so as to address the increasing vehicular flow of the HZMB. Meanwhile, various parts of Guangdong are successively providing ancillary facilities to facilitate the vehicles under the Northbound Travel Scheme and launching promotion.

     As regards the Southbound Travel Scheme which is the reverse reciprocal arrangement of the Northbound Travel Scheme, eligible Guangdong private cars without regular quotas will also be allowed to travel to Hong Kong via the HZMB for business, visiting families or sight-seeing on a short-term basis under the condition that advance bookings have been made. Drawing on the experience from the Northbound Travel Scheme, we need to ensure that the Southbound Travel Scheme is taken forward in a prudent manner while enhancing speed and efficiency. We have earlier announced the two automated carparks near the HZMB Hong Kong Port as part of the Southbound Travel Scheme, where private cars from Guangdong and Macao can park when they come to Hong Kong via the HZMB. Visitors who park their cars at the “Park and Fly” carpark could transfer flight at Hong Kong International Airport, thereby further facilitates the transport of travellers of the GBA to and from all parts of the world via Hong Kong, as well as consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a leading international aviation hub. Visitors who park at the “Park and Visit” carpark could go through immigration clearance at the passenger clearance building of the HZMB, which provides visitors to Hong Kong with an additional option, thereby promotes the flow of people between the two places and drives economic growth. At present, the Government and the Airport Authority Hong Kong are actively undertaking preparatory work for the commencement of operation, including conducting tests and drills, as well as formulating the details in respect of the booking and use of the carparks. Our objective is to streamline the procedures as far as possible to provide maximum convenience for travellers. In addition, we are planning promotional activities and discounts, with a view to attracting self-drive visitors, which will in turn stimulate the retail, food and beverage, hotel and related service sectors in Hong Kong.

(2) Meanwhile, we are also working with Guangdong to make early preparation for Guangdong vehicles to enter Hong Kong urban area. We are taking comprehensive consideration of various aspects, including total volume control, port clearance, risk management and enhancement of supporting facilities. On one hand, we will assess traffic at the port and the capacity of nearby roads, divert traffic away from peak hours, and strengthen port clearance as well as ancillary transport arrangements and contingency plans; on the other hand, we will properly manage the risks, such as requiring southbound vehicles to comply with the rules and regulations of Hong Kong to ensure the safety of their vehicles and take out a Hong Kong third party insurance. We are also formulating publicity information covering application procedures, driving rules and ancillary facilities. Where risks are controllable, we will streamline the application procedures and provide convenience for applicants. Following the above arrangements, the Southbound Travel Scheme will be implemented in orderly manner, welcomed by users, to the satisfaction of the public, and beneficial to the community at large; thereby obviating the need to impose restricted zones or roads for Guangdong vehicles.

(3) We believe that under the conditions of orderly implementation, total volume control, and appropriate supporting measures, the Southbound Travel Scheme will provide visitors with convenient and flexible new travel option to Hong Kong for travel, business, attending exhibitions or conferences, participating in concerts or other large-scale events, seeking various professional services, leisure and dining, etc, according to their need. It is expected that various industries in Hong Kong will benefit; and the synergy effect achieved with the Northbound Travel Scheme will also add extra impetus to the economies of Guangdong and Hong Kong, and the integration and development of the GBA. 

     The HKSAR Government is proactively working with respective Mainland authorities to formulate the implementation arrangements and timetable for taking forward the Southbound Travel Scheme in an orderly manner. I myself have also been leading a team to discuss with Guangdong side, with a view to striving for early announcement of the details of the scheme within this year.

     Thank you, President. read more

East Asia

LCQ11: Academic staff members of universities funded by University Grants Committee

     Following is a question by Professor the Hon Chow Man-kong and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (June 11):

Question:

     Regarding the academic staff members of universities funded by the University Grants Committee, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows the numbers of newly-joined academic staff members (including but not limited to (i) senior academic staff, (ii) junior academic staff, (iii) academic supporting staff, (iv) administrative, technical and other staff, and (v) technical research staff) of the eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee (the eight universities) in each of the past three academic years, as well as their respective percentages in the academic staff members of the respective ranks, together with a breakdown by (A) university, (B) academic programme/department (including but not limited to (I) Medicine, Dentistry and Health, (II) Sciences and (III) Education and Continuing Education), and (C) background of relevant academic staff members (i.e. (a) holders of Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards, and (b) holders of visas granted by the Immigration Department under the Top Talent Pass Scheme, General Employment Policy and Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, etc);

(2) whether it knows the numbers of academic staff members of the eight universities who left the service (including but not limited to those mentioned in (i) to (v) in (1)) in each of the past three academic years, as well as their respective percentages in the academic staff members of the respective ranks, together with a breakdown by (A) to (C) mentioned in (1));

(3) regarding the departure situation mentioned in (2), whether it knows the reasons for departure of the academic staff members of the eight universities in each of the past three academic years (e.g. retirement, transfer to another local university, change of profession and other reasons), and whether it has analysed their departure trends, together with a breakdown by university; and

(4) as there are views that as the United States (US) has further tightened its visa policy on non-US academics as well as research and development (R&D) personnel, and the relevant countries in the European Union have also introduced measures one after another to “trawl talent”, whether the authorities will introduce stronger and more effective measures to attract such people to engage in R&D work in Hong Kong, so as to develop Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Our reply to Professor the Hon Chow Man-kong’s question is as follows:

     Hong Kong’s overall competitiveness in education ranks among the top five in the world, and our post-secondary education is highly internationalised and diversified. To date, five University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities have been ranked among the top 100 in the world, six are ranked among the top 50 in Asia, a number of them have been ranked among the top universities in the world’s most international universities ranking, and they have excellent research talent, which make them attractive to students and scholars from all over the world. The universities are recruiting globally following their institutional development strategies and their teaching and research needs, so as to continuously enhance their global competitiveness. Under the leadership of the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Government will continue to promote Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talent, co-ordinate and drive the integrated development of education, technology and talent, expand connections, formulate policies to attract and cultivate talent, and foster the co-ordinated development of technologies, so as to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international post-secondary education hub and an international innovation and technology centre.

     Over the past years, with the Government’s increased investment in higher education and the introduction of various support measures, the staff number in academic departments of the UGC-funded universities has increased by 4.5 per cent from 13 548 in the 2021/22 academic year (AY) to 14 161 in the 2023/24 AY, with an increase of 8.5 per cent in the number of senior and junior academic staff from 4 974 to 5 398. The number of leaving academic staff has also dropped from 399 to 378. Overall, Hong Kong’s higher education institutions are proactively pursuing the goal of capacity expansion and quality enhancement, and have achieved certain success in recruiting and retaining talent.

     The actual numbers of staff in the academic departments of universities by staff grade, university and departmental cost centre group are at Annex I. The numbers of senior/junior academic staff joining and leaving are at Annex II and Annex III respectively. We do not have a breakdown of the number of intake and departure of academic supporting staff, administrative, technical, and other staff and technical research staff, as well as a breakdown of the background of the staff or the reasons for departure, such as retirement, completion of contract, transfer to other local universities, etc.

     In the light of the changes in the global higher education landscape, the Education Bureau (EDB) has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for affected students and scholars with a view to safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, while attracting top talent in accordance with their diversified admissions and talent policies. The EDB is pleased to see that local universities are responding proactively and closely monitoring the situation, fully utilising the Government’s facilitation initiatives that support the capacity expansion and quality enhancement of post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong.

     We will continue to keep a close eye on the development and accordingly consider support measures for them in a holistic approach so as to give full play to Hong Kong’s role as an international post-secondary education hub. Apart from the recruitment measures of the institutions, the Government attracts more top talent to pursue their studies in Hong Kong through a range of initiatives, including doubling the cap on non-local students in publicly funded post-secondary institutions to 40 per cent, increasing scholarship quotas, and gradually increasing the number of places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. We remain committed to pursuing various policies and initiatives, fostering networks and partnerships at the national, regional, and; international levels, and will continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. These efforts align with the national strategies to invigorate the country through science and education, cultivate high-calibre talent, and advance innovation and development, thereby contributing to meeting the needs of our nation. read more

East Asia

Air Passenger Departure Tax Ordinance (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2025 to be gazetted this Friday

     The Air Passenger Departure Tax Ordinance (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2025 will be gazetted this Friday (June 13) to expand the scope of passengers to be exempted from paying the air passenger departure tax (APDT) under the Air Passenger Departure Tax Ordinance (Cap. 140) (the Ordinance).

     The Ordinance currently allows certain classes of passengers to be exempted from payment of the APDT, including children under 12 years of age, direct transit or connecting flight passengers, passengers who arrive at and depart from Hong Kong by aircraft on the same day, and passengers who arrive at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) by vehicle via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge or by ship and subsequently depart from Hong Kong by aircraft while remaining within the restricted area at all times before departure, etc.

     The 2025-26 Budget announced the increase of APDT from $120 to $200 per passenger.  While the increase will only have a minimal impact on air passengers as it constitutes only a very small portion of the overall travelling cost of the general public and tourists, with a view to enhancing the competitiveness of HKIA, the Government, having considered the stakeholders’ view, will expand the exemption scope under the Ordinance to include:

(1) passengers arriving at HKIA by aircraft and departing from HKIA by aircraft on the arrival day or on the following day (i.e. a maximum of 48 hours); and

(2) passengers arriving in Hong Kong through immigration controls by means other than by aircraft and departing from HKIA by aircraft on the arrival day or on the following day (i.e. a maximum of 48 hours), with an exclusionary provision incorporated to prevent people from making a brief return trip between Hong Kong and the Mainland or Macao deliberately so that they can be eligible for an exemption of the APDT.

     The two new exemptions will take effect on October 1 this year, together with the new tax rate of the APDT. Passengers arriving in Hong Kong on or after that day and meeting the exemption criteria will be exempted from the APDT. Based on air passenger traffic statistics in 2024, the two exemptions could benefit about 830 000 air transfer passengers and about 2.5 million intermodal transfer passengers annually, leading to a potential revenue foregone of about $670 million per year.

     A Government spokesman said, “The new exemptions can help attract more passengers to use HKIA, thus consolidating Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub. As there will be more transfer passengers’ spending on hotel accommodation and local consumption during their stay, the exemptions are expected to bring about positive economic benefits.”

     The Government will engage the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) to handle refund applications centrally for all eligible passengers. The AA will set up a new e-application platform for passengers to apply for receiving the refund by cash at the airport or by other means, such as credit cards and electronic payment platforms.

     The Order will be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting on June 18. read more

East Asia