The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH) said today (May 4) that no additional case of measles infection had been recorded as at 4pm today.

     Regarding measles control measures implemented at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), a total of 5 persons had received measles vaccination at the airport vaccination station as at 6pm today, bringing the cumulative number of vaccinations given to 8 354.

     From May 6 to 17 (excluding Sundays and public holidays), measles vaccination will be provided to airport staff who:

(1) Were born in or after 1967, and have not received two doses of measles vaccination, and have not been infected with measles before; or
(2) Have laboratory evidence of testing not positive against measles antibody (IgG).

     The vaccination quota for the measles vaccination station at the airport remains at 600 doses daily. The venue and operation hours of the airport vaccination station are as follows:
 

 
     As for the blood test service, the DH will continue to provide the measles serology test service to about 200 airport staff who were born in or after 1967 on May 7. The pilot service at the blood test station to provide measles serology testing for a total of about 200 Filipino foreign domestic helpers who are coming to or returning to work in Hong Kong will also be continued on May 7.

     The venue and operation hours of the airport blood test station are as follows:
 

     The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, will depart for Beijing tomorrow afternoon (May 5) to meet with officials of Mainland ministries with policy portfolios relating to the work of the Development Bureau.
 
     On May 6, Mr Wong will call on the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Water Resources. On the following day, he will visit the Ministry of Commerce and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.
 
     Mr Wong will depart for Hong Kong in the evening on May 7. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Development, Mr Liu Chun-san, will be the Acting Secretary for Development.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, at a media session after attending a radio programme this morning (May 4):

Reporter: Secretary, Hong Kong recorded 0.5 per cent GDP growth in the first quarter, are we expecting the economy to rebound later in the year? Or are we expecting a more gloomy outlook?  And what are the factors that are affecting our economy?

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: I think the first quarter figures revealed that we are at the crossroad, i.e. while sentiment towards the general economic situation has slightly improved with easing of tension between the US and China over the trade dispute, export figures remain negative, we are still in the negative trend.  We are also in a rather stagnated situation as far as retail figures are concerned. Overall, the first quarter's 0.5 per cent (GDP) growth suggested that there are still a lot of uncertainties ahead. I think a lot will depend on whether and how far the US and China would come to an agreement on the trade dispute. Having said that, even if there is an agreement, whether that would bring a sharp return of economic performance would depend on (handling of ) tariffs and on whether more fundamental issues between China and the US are being resolved by further trade negotiations or agreements.

     I just came back from Beijing biennial Belt and Road summit, from what I heard among the countries taking part, and also after reading the speeches and the concluding remarks made by our nation (leader),  a positive note is that there is a very strong and deep commitment for China to adopt a more open and liberalising rule-based system, and a lot of respect and regards to bilateral international agreements. They also went further to say China would certainly respect the protection of intellectual property rights, and will also curb corruptive moves. All these in aggregate represent a very firm and important commitment to the whole world that China will be a responsible trading partner. So, this is not just a response to the US issues, but a commitment to the wider world. And that fits very well with Hong Kong's agenda, because Hong Kong survives much better in a rule-based, barrier-free trading environment. And that's what Hong Kong has been advocating. We hope this will bring some positive signs beyond the US-China trade dispute.

Reporter: Do you see businesses confidence coming back?

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: Business sentiment will act on what sort of news and indications they see from the trade talks. In terms of survey, reference can be drawn to the Hong Kong Productivity Council's recently released index which measures the sentiment (on business confidence), there has been a rebound from the figure of 40 to 46. It is a clear rebound, meaning people are less pessimistic, but it is still below 50 mark, which means the overall situation remains cautious. I think that is quite an appropriate description of the sentiment now. We are also observing a similar trend globally. The IMF has adjusted downward the projection of the global GDP growth from 3.6 per cent to 3.3 per cent, and saying that it could rebound to the original projection of 3.6 per cent in the years to come if the US-China trade dispute could be resolved satisfactorily.

     I think the whole world, including Hong Kong, is facing similar situation. Currently we are still suffering from the impact of the trade dispute. We are also watching very carefully on the way forward. For Hong Kong in particular, I think there should be no sparing of efforts in reaching out and going out and reinforcing the need for a more liberalising trade community globally.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 4) that Ma On Shan Swimming Pool in Sha Tin District has been reopened. The swimming pool was
closed earlier on due to power failure.

     The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, continued to attend the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Nadi, Fiji today (May 4).
 
     At the Business Session which closed this year's Annual Meeting, Mr Lau shared that the uncertainties over international trade and economic prospects over the past year had rendered trusts and reliable partnerships all the more important at this juncture. He appealed to ADB members to work together as a whole to get the right infrastructure in the right place at the right time, saying that it would be the key to the sustainable growth of Asia.

     Mr Lau added that as an international financial centre with deep and liquid financial markets in the region, Hong Kong would continue to play an active role in supporting and promoting infrastructure investment in Asia.

     On the sidelines of the Annual Meeting, Mr Lau met with the Director General of the Department of International Financial and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Finance, Mr Zhang Wencai; and the Executive Director for China to the ADB, Mr Cheng Zhijun. They exchanged views on Hong Kong's contribution to the long-term development of the ADB.
 
     Mr Lau will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (May 5).