Author Archives: hksar gov

     The 2021 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on Intellectual Property (IP) and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) (Online) was held today (September 24), attracting an audience of around 210 SME representatives, IP practitioners and government officials from Guangdong and Hong Kong.

     The National 14th Five-Year Plan sets out the strategy to further consolidate China’s lead on IP rights. The National 14th Five-Year Plan also, for the first time, supports Hong Kong to develop into a regional IP trading centre, demonstrating the importance the Central People’s Government attaches to the development of IP protection and commercialisation in Hong Kong. Themed “The Development of Enterprises in the Greater Bay Area and IP Trading During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period”, the seminar aimed to assist SMEs in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong in strengthening their IP protection and management capacity, encourage them to make use of Hong Kong’s professional services in formulating effective IP strategies and leveraging the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during the National 14th Five-Year Plan period, and enhance their competitiveness in the Mainland and international markets.

     At the online seminar, speakers made presentations and led discussions on various topics including IP court cases in the Mainland, protection and development of geographical indications in the Mainland, collaborative innovation and IP commercialisation.

     Being one of the key co-operation items under the framework of the Guangdong/Hong Kong Expert Group on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, the seminar was jointly organised by the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation (Guangdong Intellectual Property Administration), and was co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong of the HKSAR Government. The event was also supported by other members of the Expert Group and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

     Since 2004, Guangdong and Hong Kong have co-organised a number of activities in various cities to promote the importance of IP protection and exploitation among SMEs.

     Details of the webinar are available on IPD’s website (www.ipd.gov.hk). read more

     The Finance Committee (FC) of the Legislative Council (LegCo) today (September 24) approved the recommendations on salary and increment made by the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service (SCDS) and the Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service (SDCS) in the Report on the Grade Structure Review for the Disciplined Services (the Report). The Government welcomes the decision and hopes that with the implementation of the recommendations, the grade structures and remuneration of the disciplined services will continue to be effective in attracting and retaining talent.
 
     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, said, “The last grade structure review (GSR) for the disciplined services was completed in 2008. Since then, there have been significant changes in the social and economic environment of Hong Kong. The spate of social unrest and violent events in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic together with the responsibilities for safeguarding national security have also increased significantly the workload and pressure of the disciplined services. The recommendations put forward in this GSR for the disciplined services, as well as the support from the LegCo for these recommendations are a manifestation of the full recognition by the Government and various sectors of the community of the dedication and determination of disciplined services colleagues.
 
     “The Government takes this opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to the SCDS and the SDCS for their efforts in completing the GSR, as well as all the stakeholders for their valuable input,” he said.
 
     The Chief Executive-in-Council (CE-in-Council) decided to conduct a GSR for the disciplined services in October 2018 to ensure that the grade structures and remuneration of the disciplined services were still effective in attracting and retaining talent under the current social environment as well as the job nature, responsibilities and workload of the disciplined services. The SCDS submitted the Report to the Chief Executive on June 23, 2021. The CE-in-Council decided to accept in full the recommendations made in the Report on August 10, 2021. Following the FC’s approval today, the recommendations on salary and increment, as well as the normal conversion arrangement for serving staff in the affected ranks, should be implemented with effect from the first day of the month of approval by the FC, i.e. September 1, 2021. read more

     A 63-year-old man was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for 14 days by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today (September 24) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C).

     The man was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that he must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, he left the place of quarantine on March 15, 2021, without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer. He was charged with contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts to immediate imprisonment for 14 days today.
      
     Breaching a compulsory quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. A spokesman for the Department of Health said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence that the Government will not tolerate, and solemnly reminded the public to comply with the regulations. As of today, a total of 187 persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders and have received sentences including immediate imprisonment for up to 14 weeks or a fine of up to $15,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the relevant regulations. read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 24) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic… read more

     Hong Kong ranked third globally in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) 30 Report published today (September 24) by Z/Yen from the United Kingdom and the China Development Institute from Shenzhen, rising by one place from the March issue of the index this year. 

     A Government spokesman said, “This is an unequivocal affirmation of Hong Kong’s status and strengths as a leading global financial centre. Hong Kong has remained among the top in various areas of competitiveness, including human capital, infrastructure, financial sector development, and reputational and general.

     “Persistent uncertainties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened geopolitical tensions continued to affect the overall ratings of major financial centres. Nevertheless, thanks to our robust and effective regulatory regime, a well-established institutional framework for systemic risk monitoring and the Linked Exchange Rate System underpinned by large foreign exchange reserves, Hong Kong’s financial markets have been functioning in an orderly manner. At the same time, Hong Kong plays the unique role as a bridge between the Mainland and the rest of the world under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, and possesses numerous institutional strengths, including our highly open and internationalised markets, robust infrastructure support, internationally aligned regulatory regimes, the rule of law, a large pool of financial talents and a full range of financial products, and free flow of information and capital. These competitive edges will continue to consolidate Hong Kong’s status as a leading global financial centre. Furthermore, over the past year or so, safety and stability have been restored in Hong Kong, which is conducive to attracting more global investors to do business and invest in Hong Kong, and reinforces further Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre.”  

     The spokesman added, “The National 14th Five-Year Plan expresses staunch support for Hong Kong to strengthen our functions as a global offshore Renminbi (RMB) business hub, an international asset management centre and a risk management centre, as well as to deepen and widen mutual access between the financial markets of Hong Kong and the Mainland. We will continue to capitalise on the unique advantages of Hong Kong, enhance our role as the gateway between the Mainland and international markets and proactively integrate into the overall development of the country, including leveraging the vast opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Qianhai’s development and the Belt and Road Initiative. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will spare no effort to ensure the smooth implementation of the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect in the GBA and Southbound Trading under Bond Connect, thereby promoting the further opening up of the financial market of the country, and facilitating the internationalisation of the RMB.” 

     The GFCI Report has been released in March and September every year since 2007. In GFCI 30, 116 financial centres were assessed and Hong Kong came third with an overall rating of 716.  read more