Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Tourism Commission today (February 27) expanded the City in Time tourism project to Tai Hang with an addition of five new designated locations, allowing locals and visitors to experience Hong Kong’s past and present through a mobile application.

     The five new City in Time designated locations in Tai Hang include Fire Dragon Path, Tung Lo Wan Road, Lin Fa Kung Street West, Wun Sha Street, and the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Heritage Centre.

     Apart from the above designated locations, the City in Time Project currently encompasses areas including Central, The Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sham Shui Po, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan, and Lei Yue Mun, with a forthcoming expansion planned for Kowloon City. Locals and visitors can scan the “AR clocks” installed at the above designated locations using their smartphones with the City in Time mobile app downloaded to experience 360-degree historical panoramas developed from archival photos or artistic renderings by local artists.

     Commissioned by the Tourism Commission, the City in Time Project is developed and produced by the School of Creative Media of the City University of Hong Kong. The mobile app is available for free downloading at the Apple App Store and Google Play. Locals and visitors can also embark on virtual journeys and find out more on the City in Time website (cityintime.hk).

  

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on February 26 to noon today (February 27), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 271 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 118 559 samples of food imported from Japan (including 77 806 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 27 476 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The Capacity Building Workshop on Promoting Digital Solar Resource Maps and Management Technologies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is being held in Hong Kong today and tomorrow (February 27 and 28). Thirty experts and delegates from six ASEAN member states are gathering to exchange valuable experiences and technical knowledge and share insights on digital solar resource maps and management technologies.
      
     Delivering a welcoming speech by video, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that Hong Kong was honoured to hold the ASEAN Capacity Building Workshop on Promoting Digital Solar Resource Maps and Management Technologies to enhance renewable energy utilisation in combating climate change in the region.
      
     Mr Tse emphasised that Hong Kong has been reducing carbon emissions significantly since 2014, with the reduction progress surpassing that of the United States and the European Union. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government also set the interim target to further reduce carbon emissions by half from the 2005 level before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. He said that the HKSAR Government has been leading by example in developing renewable energy systems at government premises, including restored landfills and impounding reservoirs, and launching the Pilot Scheme on Building-Integrated Photovoltaics.
      
     In addition, he pointed out that digital solar resource maps and management technologies enable solar plant operations to be remotely monitored and managed more effectively, helping ASEAN member states better plan energy transition policies and roadmaps by collecting and analysing solar energy data and information.
      
     Mr Tse also expressed that, to encourage innovation, the HKSAR Government has devoted resources to support research and pilot projects on green energies, including the development of solar-to-hydrogen facilities. The HKSAR Government also published the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong in June last year. The Strategy outlines four major strategies to complement the development of hydrogen energy of the country, seize opportunities for development, and maintain the important role as the “super connector” and “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world.
      
     The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying, shared the HKSAR’s advancements in solar energy development with emerging technologies. He thanked ASEAN member states for joining the workshop and encouraged them to embrace innovative technologies for utilising solar resources.
          
     The workshop is organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department with support from the Economic and Technical Co-operation (ECOTECH) Work Programme under the ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement. The ECOTECH Work Programme has supported 35 projects in pursuit of mutual benefits between ASEAN and Hong Kong, benefitting around 6 600 participants from Hong Kong, ASEAN and other regions to date.

    

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 27) that in view of a notification from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about outbreaks of highly pa… read more

     The Government announces today (February 27) that the Registration of Titles and Land (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 will be introduced to the Legislative Council (LegCo) to amend the Land Titles Ordinance (Cap. 585) (LTO), which has not yet come into operation, in order to implement the title registration system on newly granted land first.
      
     A spokesperson for the Government said, “Hong Kong is among the few economies that still run a deeds registration system. The Government’s policy objective is to progressively replace the deeds registration system, which has been in place in Hong Kong for more than 180 years, with the title registration system. That is because the title registration system provides certainty in land ownership and simplifies property transfer procedures, thereby providing an even more favourable business environment and bringing Hong Kong’s land registration system in line with other jurisdictions. The Bill proposed by the Government to implement the title registration system on new land first is a milestone in the development of Hong Kong’s land registration system, and an important step for Hong Kong to convert to the title registration system.”
      
     The current deeds registration system in Hong Kong gives no guarantee of title to the property. Therefore, during the property transfer process, it is necessary to thoroughly check the historical title documents to establish title to the property, complicating and lengthening the property transaction procedures. Property owners also need to safe-keep the title deeds of properties. In this regard, the Government enacted the LTO in 2004 to introduce the title registration system in place of the deeds registration system. However, as substantial changes were made during the scrutiny of the bill, the Government and the LegCo agreed that a thorough review should be conducted before commencement of the LTO. As a result, the LTO has not yet been put into operation as of today. Notwithstanding lengthy discussions and public consultations in the past years, consensus could still not be reached among various parties on major issues, most notably the mechanism for converting existing land to the title registration system. After consulting stakeholders, the Government proposes the approach of resolving simple matters first before tackling the difficult ones, and to implement the title registration system on new land first (i.e. the “New Land First” proposal) while dealing with conversion of existing land subsequently.
      
     The Bill defines “new land” to mean land held under a government lease granted on or after the date on which the LTO comes into operation (operation date), and generally speaking, will include land granted on or after the operation date by way of land sale (auction or tender), by private treaty grant, and by land exchange (i.e. land re-granted after surrender).
      
     Other major proposals in the Bill include:
 
(i) principle of indefeasible title: To provide title certainty and to align with the arrangements in other jurisdictions, it is proposed that the mandatory rectification rule in the enacted LTO be abolished. This is in line with the principle that the Title Register is conclusive evidence of title under the title registration system (i.e. the Title Register prevails). In other words, a bona fide and innocent purchaser for valuable consideration and in possession of the property will enjoy indefeasible title even in the event of a transfer of property through the fraud of a third party. The innocent former owner who loses the property will be entitled to compensation under the Land Titles Indemnity Fund (Indemnity Fund); 

(ii) disapplication of adverse possession on new land: As the purpose of the title registration system is to give certainty to title, it is proposed that claims for adverse possession will not arise for new land under the “New Land First” proposal; 

(iii) cap on Indemnity Fund and levy: The LTO has made reference to the arrangements in other jurisdictions and proposed the establishment of a self-financing Indemnity Fund based on the user-pay principle for the payment of indemnity to persons who suffer loss of interests in land to which the title registration system applies due to fraud. The Indemnity Fund will be built up by levy on transfers of properties registered under the title registration system, and a levy rate of 0.014 per cent of the consideration amount of each property being transferred is recommended. It is proposed that the indemnity be capped at $50 million; and 

(iv) minimising the risk of property fraud: It is proposed to put in place a series of measures to minimise the risk of fraud, including that a certificate of verification from a solicitor is required for an application for registration; property owners will be issued title certificates with advanced anti-forgery features; an application for a rectification order must first be made to the Court before claiming indemnity from the Indemnity Fund; the Land Registrar will be empowered to make a restriction order prohibiting the registration of a disposition of a property if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a property fraud has been or is about to be committed; and a person who fraudulently lodging an application for registration or for indemnity payment will commit an offence. 
     
     â€‹If the Bill is passed by the LegCo, the Government will formulate and introduce six pieces of subsidiary legislation into the LegCo for negative vetting next year. The Government will also prepare for the implementation of the legislation and launch publicity and educational activities with the industry and the public in the same year, with a view to implementing the enacted legislation in the first half of 2027.
      
     The spokesman added, “The ‘New Land First’ proposal adopts a pragmatic strategy of resolving simple matters first before tackling the difficult ones to reap the benefits of the title registration system as early as possible. We expect that the experience gained after the implementation of the title registration system on new land will enable various parties to reach a consensus on extending the implementation of title registration system to existing land. Indeed, parallel running of two registration systems for a considerable period of time is not uncommon in overseas jurisdictions. Regarding the conversion of existing land, we have kick-started internal research to assess the extent and types of problematic registers in the existing 2.9 million land registers to formulate recommendations on conversion. We will start discussion with stakeholders after the implementation of the legislation in the first half of 2027, with a view to progressively implementing the LTO on a wider scale.”
      
     The Government consulted the LegCo Panel on Development twice on December 19, 2022, and January 24, 2025. Members generally supported the introduction of the Bill into the LegCo.
      
     The Bill will be gazetted tomorrow (February 28) and introduced into the LegCo for first reading on March 19. For details, please refer to the LegCo Brief issued today. read more