Police today (November 25) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Sha Tin. Kam Mun-tong, aged 33, went missing after he was last seen in Kwong Yuen Estate yeste… read more
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, started his two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today (November 25), leading a delegation comprising business people, professionals and start-up representatives to tap the huge potential for business collaboration and foster stronger bilateral ties with Malaysia and Thailand.
Soon upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur early this afternoon, Mr Yau and several delegation members met with the Minister of Finance of Malaysia, Mr Lim Guan Eng, and the Deputy Minister of Transport of Malaysia, Dato’ Kamarudin Jaffar, to learn about the latest financial policies and economic development situation of Malaysia as well as its future infrastructure developments.
During the meetings, Mr Yau introduced Hong Kong’s strengths on many fronts that could support Malaysian businesses in accessing the Mainland China market and going global, as well as tapping into the immense opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative, including Hong Kong’s unparalleled advantages as an international financial, trading and logistics hub with a global network and professional services benchmarked against international standards. Some delegates joining the meetings also shared their views from respective professions.
Noting that Malaysia is embarking on a series of future development plans, Mr Yau said he hoped the delegates could, through this mission, gain first-hand information on the latest business opportunities and forge direct and valuable connections with Malaysian business and government counterparts in order to seize local opportunities and build further collaborations.
Mr Yau remarked that Malaysia issued the world’s first green Islamic bond in 2017. In Hong Kong, given that the city is an international financial centre, the Government is also actively pursuing work on various fronts to promote the city as a regional green financing hub. The room for further mutual co-operation is huge.
Mr Yau also said that Malaysia is undergoing rapid development in transport infrastructure. Hong Kong businesses and professional services, with their rich experience and advantages in various strengths, could make contributions on different relevant infrastructure projects.
Before concluding his first-day visit programme, Mr Yau will meet with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia, Mr Bai Tian, to keep him abreast of the latest developments of Hong Kong.
Mr Yau will continue his visit in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow (November 26). read more
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department announced today (November 25) that the Australian Government Department of Agriculture (DA) has fully resumed the movements of horses between Australia and Hong Kong.
The DA’s assessment of Guangzhou’s Equine Disease Free Zone, the Conghua Racecourse (CRC) and the biosecurity passage via which horses are transported between Hong Kong and the CRC has been completed. The assessment concluded that the suite of biosecurity controls that are in place met Australia’s import standards and that accordingly Hong Kong should regain its status as an approved jurisdiction for the export of horses to Australia. Effective immediately, horses can be exported directly from Hong Kong to Australia as before the suspension. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat: The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Health Services conducted a visit to the Kwai Tsing District Health Centre (DHC) today (November 25) to under… read more
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chaired the eighth meeting of the Human Resources Planning Commission this afternoon (November 25).
At the meeting, members were briefed on the existing measures to attract technology talent. The Government is committed to promoting the development of innovation and technology (I&T). To cater for the rising demand for I&T talent, Hong Kong is taking a proactive approach to attract more qualified personnel to pursue I&T careers in Hong Kong. Members noted the package of proactive measures introduced to pool together technology talent. These include targeted initiatives on attracting and retaining technology talent, such as the introduction of the pilot Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS), listing of technology-related professionals in key areas under the Talent List to facilitate immigration under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, and enhancement to the Researcher Programme (RP) and the Postdoctoral Hub (PH).
Members further noted that enhanced measures were announced in the 2019 Policy Address to help pool together more technology talent, including extension of the applicable technology areas of the TechTAS from seven to 13, extension of the TechTAS’ coverage to all companies undertaking research and development (R&D) activities in 13 areas in Hong Kong, and expansion of the scope of the RP and the PH to cover all technology companies conducting R&D activities in Hong Kong.
The Government is also endeavouring to invest in and improve the local I&T ecosystem by enhancing I&T infrastructure and strengthening R&D facilities in Hong Kong to help open up more opportunities for talent.
Looking ahead, the Government will continue to improve its existing measures, as well as continuously upgrade Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem, by stimulating growth areas and enhancing infrastructure so as to enhance the city’s attractiveness as a preferred place for technology talent to build their careers.
Automation is a key strategy to enhance productivity in the face of shortage in the labour force. As a valued solution partner, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) briefed the Commission on its support measures to help local enterprises and industries to undertake transformation through innovation and adoption of technology.
Members noted that the HKPC offers support services to local businesses, ranging from development of applied technology solutions to assistance and advice in product innovation and technology transfer as well as serving as an implementation agent for a number of government funds dedicated to local businesses, particularly the small and medium-sized enterprises. The HKPC has been rendering assistance to support local industries including food and beverage, logistics, manufacturing, professional services, retail and tourism.
In addition, the Commission was briefed on the latest progress in the development of the Manpower Information Portal, which is a one-stop portal developed by the Commission to provide consolidated human resources information to the public to facilitate decision-making in respect of their career, training and development pathways. Members noted that preparation of the portal has reached the final stage and it is set to be launched in early December 2019. The development of the portal is a new initiative announced under the 2019 Policy Address. read more