Author Archives: hksar gov

     â€‹The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, continued his visit to Harbin today (February 10) to meet with leaders of Heilongjiang Province. He also met with the injured Hong Kong ice hockey athletes and Hong Kong people working and doing business in the three northeastern provinces, and visited the Beidahuang Museum.
      
     Mr Lee met respectively with the Secretary of the CPC Heilongjiang Provincial Committee, Mr Xu Qin, and the Governor of Heilongjiang Province, Ms Liang Huiling, to exchange views on issues of mutual concern. Mr Lee noted that Heilongjiang Province has leveraged the ice and snow economy as a new engine for economic development by making good use of its rich ice and snow tourism resources while actively promoting winter sports. He added that Heilongjiang Province sets an example of integrating sports with cultural and tourism development, which is inspiring to Hong Kong.
      
     Noting that Hong Kong and Heilongjiang share close economic and trade ties, with Hong Kong being the largest source of external investment for Heilongjiang, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong, as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”, can serve the Mainland in exploring global markets.
      
     Regarding people-to-people exchanges, Mr Lee highlighted that the Individual Visit Scheme has been extended to include Harbin in Heilongjiang Province since May last year, while direct flights between Harbin and Hong Kong were officially launched in June last year. These developments have strengthened tourism co-operation between the two places and promoted people-to-people bonds. The Beijing Office and Liaoning Liaison Unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to serve as a bridge to enhance exchanges between Hong Kong and Heilongjiang in various areas, he added.
      
     Mr Lee also went to the athletes’ village to visit the Hong Kong ice hockey players who were injured yesterday (February 9) after the match, to understand their condition and offer his support. Mr Lee said he is highly concerned about the attack on Hong Kong athletes and has requested the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, and the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau to follow up on the incident and make every effort to ensure the safety of athletes. Mr Lee noted that the Hong Kong athletes had remained calm and restrained during the incident, demonstrating professionalism and sportsmanship. He also praised the ice hockey team for their outstanding performance in the past competitions, making Hong Kong people proud. He encouraged the athletes not to let the incident affect their morale, to take good care of themselves, and to give their best in the games, showcasing the professionalism of Hong Kong athletes. He also assured them that the people of Hong Kong would fully support them.
      
     At noon, Mr Lee met with Hong Kong people working and doing business in the three northeastern provinces to learn about their daily lives and development. He said that Hong Kong people and enterprises there serve as an essential bridge between Hong Kong and the three provinces. He encouraged them to introduce Hong Kong’s latest developments to local enterprises and tell the good stories of Hong Kong.
      
     In the afternoon, Mr Lee visited the Beidahuang Museum in Harbin to understand the transformation of the Great Northern Wilderness, a plain region in northeastern Heilongjiang Province, from a barren wilderness into a key commodity grain base and a strategic grain reserve base of the country. He also gained insights into the Beidahuang Spirit, which embodies perseverance, resilience, and a pioneering mindset.
      
     Separately, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, had a work meeting with the Director-General of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang Province, Ms He Jing, this afternoon. They had discussions on ways to strengthen cultural and tourism collaborations between Hong Kong and Heilongjiang. During the meeting, Miss Law gave a briefing on the latest developments in Hong Kong’s culture and tourism. She said that the cultural and tourism resources of Hong Kong and Heilongjiang are unique in their own ways. While Hong Kong, as a world city, is always innovating in integrating culture and tourism, Heilongjiang is famous for its magnificent ice and snow attractions. With significant potential for collaboration between the two places, Miss Law expressed hope to expand the market and drive bilateral tourism flow with Heilongjiang in the future.
      
     Mr Lee and the other officials will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (February 11).

                                  

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 10) that a fresh beef sample was found to contain sulphur dioxide, a preservative which is not permitted to be used in fresh meat. The CFS is following up on the incident.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, “The CFS, under its routine Food Surveillance Programme, took the fresh beef sample from a fresh provision shop (FPS) at Nam Cheong Place Market in Sham Shui Po for testing. The test result showed that the sample contained sulphur dioxide at a level of 68 parts per million. The CFS is following up with the FPS concerned about the irregularity.”

     According to the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap. 132BD), it is an offence to add sulphur dioxide to fresh or chilled meat. The maximum penalty is a $50,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment.

     Sulphur dioxide is a preservative which can be used in a variety of foods including dried vegetables, dried fruits, pickled vegetables and salted fish products, but under the Regulation it is not permitted in fresh or chilled meat. Individual meat traders have been found illegally using sulphur dioxide to make meat look fresher. Sulphur dioxide is water-soluble, and most of it can be removed through washing and cooking. However, susceptible individuals who are allergic to this preservative may experience breathing difficulties, headaches and nausea after consumption.

     The spokesman reminded the food trade to comply with the law and not to sell fresh or chilled meat adulterated with sulphur dioxide. Members of the public should purchase meat from reliable market stalls or FPSs. They should avoid buying or consuming meat which is unnaturally red, and maintain a balanced diet to avoid malnutrition or excessive exposure to chemicals from a small range of food items.

     â€‹The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. The investigation is ongoing. read more

     Hong Kong Customs on February 8 detected one dangerous drugs internal concealment case involving two incoming passengers at Hong Kong International Airport and seized a total of about 890 grams of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $720,000.

     Customs officers on that day intercepted a male passenger and a female passenger, both aged 32, arriving in Hong Kong from Budapest, Hungary, via Paris, France, and Zurich, Switzerland. During Customs clearance, Customs officers suspected that the passengers had dangerous drugs concealed inside their body cavities. They were then escorted to the hospital for examination. Upon examination, doctors confirmed that foreign objects were concealed inside their body cavities, and they were arrested immediately. As at 4pm today (February 10), the arrested persons have discharged a total of 85 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 890g in total.

     The arrested persons have been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug respectively. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (February 11).

     Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

  

     â€‹The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 10) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of high… read more

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) conducts a Household Expenditure Survey (HES) once every five years to collect up-to-date information on the expenditure patterns of households in Hong Kong. This information is an important input for updating the expenditure weights of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). A new round of the 2024/25 HES, which began in mid-September last year, is currently in progress.
 
     With the introduction of new products in the market and changes in people’s living habits, the types of goods and services that people purchase nowadays may differ significantly from those bought a few years ago. The C&SD conducts an HES once every five years to update the items included in the CPIs and their corresponding expenditure shares.
 
     The HES is conducted for a whole year to take into account seasonal variations in household expenditure patterns throughout the year. For instance, Chinese households tend to spend more during the Chinese New Year compared to the rest of the year.
 
     The C&SD expresses gratitude to those households who have participated in the survey and appeals for the support of all households selected for the remaining survey period. The detailed information provided by participating households is crucial for the compilation of the CPIs.
 
     About three weeks before the commencement of each survey cycle, notification letters will be sent to the sampled living quarters to invite the households therein to participate in the survey. Census officers, whose names are shown on the notification letters, will then call on households in the sampled living quarters about one to two weeks after despatch of the letters to explain the purposes and data requirements of the survey. Each census officer will carry a Government Identity Card / Enumerator Identity Card and a Certificate of Identity issued by the C&SD authorising him/her to conduct the survey for inspection. Householders should check carefully the identity of the census officer before admitting him/her to their premises for interviews.
 
     The major results of the 2024/25 HES are expected to be released in mid-2026.
 
     For enquiries about the 2024/25 HES, please contact the Household Expenditure Survey Section of the C&SD at telephone number 2551 6500 or email address hesurvey@censtatd.gov.hk. read more