Tag Archives: China

     The Second and Third Report on the progress of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in implementing the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) has been issued and is available on the Government’s website.

     The UNCRPD has been in force in the People’s Republic of China, including the HKSAR, since August 31, 2008, to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

     “The HKSAR report forms part of the combined Second and Third Report of the People’s Republic of China to the UN under the UNCRPD. It sets out the progress in the implementation of the UNCRPD in the HKSAR since the submission of the previous report in 2010 and responds to the concluding comments of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities after its hearing on the previous report in 2012,” a Government spokesman said today (November 8).

     “The report has taken into account the comments and views received from Legislative Council members and members of the community during the public consultation on the draft outline of the report from March to May 2018,” the spokesman said.

     In line with the established practice, the report will be examined by the Committee in a future hearing.

     The full text of the report is available on Labour and Welfare Bureau’s designated website on the UNCRPD (www.lwb.gov.hk/UNCRPD/eindex.html). read more

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 Serv… read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announces that a tender of 2-year Exchange Fund Notes will be held on November 19 (Tuesday) for settlement on November 20 (Wednesday), as set out in the tentative issuance schedule announced on August 15. This is to roll over an issue of 2-year Exchange Fund Notes maturing on the same day. 
 
     A total of HK$1,200 million 2-year Notes will be on offer, of which HK$5 million will be made available for offer to members of the Public who wish to submit non-competitive tender bids through Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (HKSCC). If the Notes reserved for non-competitive tender are under-subscribed, the non-subscribed amount will be added to the portion of notes for competitive tender (initially set at HK$1,195 million). The Notes will mature on November 22, 2021 and will carry interest at the rate of 1.63 per cent per annum payable semi-annually in arrears.
 
     Members of the public who wish to submit non-competitive tender applications for Notes that are open to HKSCC may do so through Stock Exchange Participants/Brokers, or for those who hold Investor Accounts of the Central Clearing and Settlement System (CCASS) at the HKSCC, directly through HKSCC, for submission to the HKMA for processing. Competitive tender applications for the Notes must be submitted through any of the Eligible Market Makers appointed by the HKMA, with the current published list available on the HKMA’s website at www.hkma.gov.hk. Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof for both competitive and non-competitive tender.
 
     The tender results will be published on the HKMA’s website, the Reuters screen (HKMAOOE), and Bloomberg. Applicants who submitted non-competitive tender bids through HKSCC may also obtain the tender results from Stock Exchange Participants/Brokers, or for applicants who hold Investor Accounts at HKSCC’s CCASS from the CCASS terminal for CCASS Broker/Custodian/Participants and CCASS Phone System.
 
Hong Kong Monetary Authority Exchange Fund Note Programme Tender Information
———————————–
Tender information of 2-Year Exchange Fund Notes:
 

Issue Number	:	02Y2111
Stock code	:	4078 (EFN 1.63 2111)
Tender date and time	:	November 19, 2019 (Tuesday)  9.30am to 10.30am
Issue and Settlement Date	:	November 20, 2019 (Wednesday)
Amount on offer	:	HK$1,200 million (up to HK$5 million for non-competitive tender)
Commencement of/ Deadline for submission of non-competitive tender bids by retail investors through HKSCC	:	Please refer to requirements as set down by HKSCC
Maturity	:	Two years
Maturity Date	:	November 22, 2021 (Monday)
Interest Rate	:	1.63 per cent p.a.
Interest Payment Dates	:	May 20, 2020 November 20, 2020 May 20, 2021 November 22, 2021
Tender amount	:	Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof for both competitive and non-competitive tender. Members of the public who wish to apply for the Notes through non-competitive tenders that are open to HKSCC may do so through Stock Exchange Participants/Brokers, or for those who hold Investors Accounts at HKSCC’s CCASS, directly through HKSCC. Members of the public who wish to apply for the Notes through competitive tender may only do so through any of the Eligible Market Makers on the current published list.
Other details	:	Please see Information Memorandum published or approach Eligible Market Makers, HKSCC, or brokers who are Exchange Participants of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.
Expected commencement date of dealing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong	:	November 21, 2019 (Thursday)

 
Price/Yield Table of the new EFN at tender for reference* only :
 

Yield-to- Maturity	Price	Yield-to-Maturity	Price
0.630	101.99	1.630	100.01
0.680	101.89	1.680	99.92
0.730	101.79	1.730	99.82
0.780	101.69	1.780	99.72
0.830	101.59	1.830	99.63
0.880	101.49	1.880	99.53
0.930	101.39	1.930	99.43
0.980	101.29	1.980	99.34
1.030	101.19	2.030	99.24
1.080	101.09	2.080	99.14
1.130	100.99	2.130	99.05
1.180	100.89	2.180	98.95
1.230	100.80	2.230	98.86
1.280	100.70	2.280	98.76
1.330	100.60	2.330	98.67
1.380	100.50	2.380	98.57
1.430	100.40	2.430	98.48
1.480	100.31	2.480	98.38
1.530	100.21	2.530	98.29
1.580	100.11	2.580	98.19
1.630	100.01	2.630	98.10

 
* Disclaimer
The information provided here is for reference only. Although extreme care has been taken to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date, the HKMA does not warrant that all, or any part of, the information provided is accurate in all respects. You are encouraged to conduct your own enquiries to verify any particular piece of information provided on it. The HKMA shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any use or reliance on any of the information provided here. read more

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, at the Elevator Pitch Competition 2019 today (November 8):
 
Albert (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Mr Albert Wong), distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon! I am delighted to join you all today at the Elevator Pitch Competition, an EPiC annual event organised by the Hong Kong Science Park.
 
     “60 seconds to Make an Impact! Disrupt the Norm” this is not just a slogan of this event, but also sums up the exhilarating thrill everyone expects to experience today in coming up with a pitch, of which I look forward to hear, delivered on stage by our Top 10 finalists very soon. They will show us how a startup can win the investors’ hearts in just one minute.
      
     I am happy to learn that this competition has achieved a record-breaking number of 650 entries from 48 countries or cities this year, with more than 70 of the 100 finalists coming from overseas, including the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and of course Hong Kong.
 
     I believe winning the top prize of US$150,000 is just the icing on the cake. The unique platform attracting startups, entrepreneurs, accelerators, investors and business leaders from around the world to connect and share is why we are here today. Many of you will leverage this platform, and perhaps the Hong Kong I&T ecosystem, to bring to the world your innovative ideas and products which can help improve our future.
      
     The current term of the HKSAR Government is committed to support I&T development in Hong Kong. Over the past two-plus years, we have allocated over HK$100 billion, via various initiatives, to drive local I&T development, and to build and enhance the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong. And this is part of it.
 
     I would like to take this opportunity to share with you two new initiatives outlined in the latest Policy Address by our Chief Executive which was announced last month. First, we will extend the coverage of the Technology Talent Admission Scheme, the Researcher Programme and the Postdoctoral Hub to all companies undertaking R&D activities in Hong Kong. This reflects the importance we place on attracting I&T talents from outside Hong Kong as well as providing the opportunities for nurturing our local I&T talents. We would like to use Hong Kong’s international edge to pool together the best talents from around the world to blend with our local people. For example, the highly internationalised start-up community in Hong Kong today has more than one third of its founders coming from outside of Hong Kong.
 
     Another initiative I would like to highlight is our commitment to build Hong Kong into a hub for Global Research Collaborations through the development of InnoHK clusters. The first two clusters, namely Health@InnoHK focusing on healthcare technologies and AIR@InnoHK focusing on artificial intelligence and robotics technologies, will soon be set up at the Hong Kong Science Park early next year. These clusters attract top-tier universities and research institutions from around the world to carry out midstream and downstream R&D projects here in Hong Kong through collaborations with our local universities and research institutions. Our target is bring the best from outside of Hong Kong to collaborate with our best local research teams in Hong Kong. The response so far has been phenomenal, with over 60 proposals from the best of the best around the world. We will also explore the setting up of the third InnoHK research cluster. Through these clusters, we hope to create more high-quality jobs and business opportunities for our future generations.  
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, the true value of innovation cannot be just for a particular city or a specific group of individuals, but lies in incubating as many new ideas as possible to deliver far-reaching benefits and impacts to the communities and people all over the world.
      
     Last but not least, I would like to deliver a little sales pitch myself. With a comprehensive set of incubation programmes and facilities, plus close to 800 partner companies working together and focusing on technology developments in biomedicine, electronics, information and communications, Hong Kong Science Park is the ideal environment for entrepreneurs to realise their innovative dreams and thrive in Hong Kong. I am sure Albert and his team would be very happy to share more details with you at the networking session after the ceremony.
      
     In closing, I wish today’s event a continuing success, and all the participants a fruitful, enjoyable and inspiring experience. Thank you very much.

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     "Gems of Traditional Cantonese Opera" by the Lung Wai Cantonese Opera Troupe will be staged in December. The events are presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.        Deta… read more