Tag Archives: China

     The Health Bureau (HHB) announced today (October 23) that the Community Pharmacy Programme (CPP) (Community) will launch the patient pairing arrangement with designated community pharmacies by the end of October. In addition, the annually adjusted consultation co-payment fees for the screening and treatment phases, as allowed to be set by family doctors participating in the Primary Healthcare Co-care Network (Co-care Network) according to the established mechanism, will take effect from November 1.

CPP (Community)’s patient pairing arrangements 

     To implement the Primary Healthcare Blueprint’s recommendations of adopting a multidisciplinary approach for the proper management of chronic diseases in the community, strengthen the professional role of community pharmacists, and provide patients with more options for drug dispensing or refill services, as well as medication counselling and management services in the community, the first phase of the CPP (Community) will be piloted at four districts to launch patient pairing arrangements for designated family doctors participating in the Co-care Network and Family Medicine Clinics of the Hospital Authority (HA), with a total of 20 designated pharmacies across the districts. Upon successful pairing, participating patients will be able to obtain drugs from their preferred pharmacy, with pharmacists providing medication counselling and related drug and health advice, thereby enhancing patients’ drug compliance and personal health management. Drug refill services at community pharmacies can also help prevent the accumulation of excess drugs at home by patients, reducing the risk of improper storage and misuse while minimising potential drug wastage.

     The first phase of the programme will be piloted at four districts, namely Eastern, Yau Tsim Mong, Sha Tin and Yuen Long, with five community pharmacies conveniently located near residential areas and shopping malls selected in each district (list set out in Annex). The HHB will invite, in phases, family doctors participating in the Co-care Network to join the programme, and will invite eligible patients to enrol and be paired with a designated community pharmacy of their choice, and brief them on details of the drug dispensing or refill arrangements. In future, the second phase of the programme will cover Southern, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun, North and Tai Po districts, while the third phase will cover the remaining eight districts. The HHB will extend services to all 18 districts across the city in the fourth quarter of next year. More eligible pharmacies in each district will also be invited to join the programme thereafter. 

     For those using community pharmacies under the programme, drug co-payment for Co-care Network participants will be charged in accordance with the arrangements of the Community Drug Formulary, while drug fees for HA patients will remain aligned with the HA’s prevailing fee schedule. More details on the Community Drug Formulary and the operation of the CPP (Community) will be announced in due course. 

Co-care Network’s annual consultation co-payment adjustments

     Under the co-payment model of the Co-care Network, the Government provides a partial subsidy, while participants are required to pay a certain amount of co-payment fee, with a view to encouraging citizens to bear the primary responsibility for their own health. Participating family doctors are allowed to determine the consultation co-payment fees for the screening phase (not more than $120 for cardiovascular disease risk factor screening and not more than $180 for chronic hepatitis B screening) and the treatment phase on their own, and have the fees adjusted once annually according to the established mechanism. The list of consultation co-payment fees for the screening and treatment phases taking effect from November 1 has been uploaded to the dedicated website of the Co-care Network for public reference. Relevant information on the webpage for searching family doctors will also be updated on the same day.

     Regarding the treatment phase, following the co-payment fee adjustment, the proportion of service points charging consultation co-payment fees at or below the Government-recommended level of $150 will remain above 60 per cent (773 service points), while the median co-payment remains at $150. Among the current 1 239 participating service points, 1 022 of them (i.e. 82.5 per cent) will keep their existing co-payment fees unchanged. Twenty-eight service points will reduce their co-payment fees (the median reduction is $100), while the remaining 189 service points will increase their co-payment fees, of which nearly 90 per cent will raise their fees by $50 or below. Overall, the rate of increase of the consultation co-payment fees for the treatment phase is 3.7 per cent in the coming year. For the co-payment fees for the screening phase, the vast majority of service points (over 97 per cent) will charge the Government-recommended co-payment levels. In addition, 28 and 20 service points will charge co-payments below the Government-recommended level for cardiovascular disease risk factor screening and chronic hepatitis B screening respectively.

     As at October 7 (Note 1) this year, more than 300 000 citizens have enrolled in the Co-care Network. Among the participants who have completed cardiovascular disease risk factor screening and/or chronic hepatitis B screening, around 70 000 have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease risk factors (i.e. suffering from diabetes mellitus, hypertension or hyperlipidaemia, or prediabetes (Note 2)) and/or chronic hepatitis B, and have entered the treatment phase.
 
     For more details of the CPP, members of the public may visit its dedicated website or call the hotline at 2525 2328. For more details of the Co-care Network, members of the public may visit its dedicated website or call the hotline at 2157 0500. Dedicated staff of both hotlines will answer calls from 9am to 9pm from Monday to Saturday.

Note 1: These are provisional figures, subject to revision upon the availability of updated data.
Note 2: Prediabetes refers to HbA1c levels of 6.0-6.4 per cent or FPG levels of 6.1-6.9 mmol/L. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     A spokesperson for the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (October 23) expressed resolute opposition and issued a strong condemnation regarding the untruthful allegations, slanders and smears targeting various aspects of the HKSAR in the so-called six-monthly report on Hong Kong (January to June 2026) published by the United Kingdom (UK) Government. LegCo firmly supports the solemn statement issued by the HKSAR Government to refute the UK’s disregard for facts.
 
     The HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China. The core essence of the Sino-British Joint Declaration is China’s resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. It is not an “international treaty” that confers upon the UK any continuous right of supervision over the HKSAR after its return to the motherland. With China’s resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, all rights and obligations concerning the UK under the Joint Declaration have been completely fulfilled. Following Hong Kong’s return, the constitutional and legal basis for the Chinese Government to govern Hong Kong is the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR of the People’s Republic of China. The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over the HKSAR, and has no right whatsoever to interfere in the affairs of the Region.
 
     The LegCo spokesperson reiterated that the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance are institutional foundations for Hong Kong to restore order, safeguard freedom and development. The UK report portrays Hong Kong’s improvement of national security legislation and law enforcement as an erosion of rights and freedoms, while deliberately evading a fundamental fact: prior to the implementation of the HKNSL, Hong Kong experienced severe violent turmoil, public order was severely impacted, and the personal safety and normal lives of citizens were directly threatened. Following the implementation of the HKNSL, Hong Kong society has restored peace and order, providing a solid foundation for developments in Hong Kong’s economy, people’s livelihood and other aspects. The UK ignores the actual situation of Hong Kong society returning to stability and safety, and its so-called report is purely a pretext to stir up trouble.
 
     In fact, the UK itself possesses at least 14 pieces of legislation safeguarding national security. A country that relies on such an intensive system of national security laws to safeguard its own security stigmatises the law enforcement and judicial measures taken by Hong Kong against a tiny minority of acts endangering national security as undermining rights and freedoms. Such hypocritical double standards precisely expose the political manipulation essence of the report, rather than a genuine concern for the rule of law and human rights.
 
     The LegCo spokesperson emphasised that Hong Kong’s judicial independence is fully protected by the Basic Law. Courts independently adjudicate cases strictly based on evidence and the law, and all reasons for verdicts and sentencing judgments are fully public and free from political interference. The World Justice Project recently released the Rule of Law Index 2026, showing that Hong Kong’s ranking remains high and unchanged, maintaining sixth place in East Asia and the Pacific region and ranking 24th among 143 countries and regions globally. Hong Kong’s scores in most areas remain comparable to last year, with rankings continuing to lead individual Western countries that unceasingly and unreasonably criticise Hong Kong’s rule of law and human rights situation.
 
     The LegCo spokesperson reiterated that Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law, where laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers held accountable. Courts in Hong Kong strictly follow the law to adjudicate cases concerning offences endangering national security, including the “Lai Chee-ying case”, in a fair and impartial manner, and openly explain the reasons for verdicts and sentencing; conviction decisions are all reasoned and well-founded. The UK Government’s so-called report groundlessly attacks Hong Kong’s judicial system and trials, and even unreasonably demands the release of convicted persons, which is overtly placing politics above court judgments. This is a blatant trampling on the rule of law and a gross interference in Hong Kong’s judicial independence.
 
     Hong Kong has entered a new stage of advancing from stability to prosperity, where security and legal systems are effectively safeguarded, governance efficacy is enhanced, social order is stable, the business environment is continuously optimised, and residents’ rights and freedoms are fully protected in accordance with the law. If the UK is genuinely concerned about Hong Kong, it should face these facts and establish a pragmatic and constructive relationship with Hong Kong. The LegCo spokesperson strongly urged the UK Government to stop publishing untruthful and highly misleading so-called reports regarding Hong Kong affairs, and to stop interfering in the HKSAR affairs which are purely China’s internal affairs. The spokesperson reiterated that LegCo will, as always, under the executive-led system, firmly support the HKSAR Government in administering in accordance with the law, ensuring the steadfast and successful implementation of “one country, two systems”. read more

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, at the press conference on Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival 2026 today (October 23):
 
Alpha (Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau), ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning and thank you for joining us today. In about a week’s time, Hong Kong will once again welcome innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and policymakers from around the world for Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival 2026.
 
     I have had the privilege of witnessing this premier gathering transform into a global powerhouse for innovation over the years. Entering its 11th edition this year, the event reaches another milestone. We are delighted to welcome over 45 000 executives, more than 1 000 renowned speakers, and 800 sponsors and exhibitors from over 120 economies to join us. This is of particular significance when we just had the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Finance Ministers’ Meeting completed in Hong Kong earlier this week, and one of the key discussion areas at the meeting exactly falls on digital infrastructure financing. In tandem with Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address, which set out the blueprint for our city’s future development, this year’s Hong Kong FinTech Week carries the forward looking theme “Fintech Nexus: Bridging the World, Building the Future”.
 
     Our position at the forefront of global fintech is not merely rhetorical, but a proven reality on the world stage. As one of the top international financial centres globally and a leading force in Asia, Hong Kong continues to make confident strides in expanding its fintech capability.
 
     Today, Hong Kong continues to be one of the most prestigious centres on development of fintech. We are proud to host a thriving community of more than 1 400 fintech companies, including eight digital banks, four virtual insurers, and 12 licensed virtual asset trading platforms.
 
     Our success does not happen by accident. It stems from sustained policy vision, strong regulatory direction, and a firm commitment to implementation. Let me highlight the major milestones we have achieved over the past year across a few key focus areas.
 
     First of all in tokenisation, Hong Kong is moving beyond experimentation and into implementation. Earlier this year, we have concluded the first phase of a joint review with the HKMA (Hong Kong Monetary Authority) on the adoption of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in Hong Kong’s fixed income market, confirming that Hong Kong’s legal and regulatory framework is already sufficiently flexible to support tokenised bond issuances.
 
     To provide the market with certainty about DLT record-keeping, we have issued a clarification affirming that a register of debenture holders maintained with the use of DLT can be deemed as fulfilling the relevant record-keeping requirements under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622).
 
     Market adoption is growing rapidly. By the end of last year, banks in Hong Kong held more than $14 billion in digital assets under custody, while tokenised deposits reached $29 billion.
 
     Just last month, the Government completed its fourth digital green bond issuance, raising approximately $20 billion equivalent and setting another global record for the largest digital bond issuance in the world. The offering was oversubscribed across four currencies, demonstrating strong investor demand and growing market adoption of tokenised financial products. It also marked the world’s first digital bond integrating tokenised Hong Kong dollar (HKD) deposits into the settlement process, highlighting how Hong Kong continues to lead the development of next-generation financial infrastructure.
 
     Building on this impressive momentum in tokenised finance, we are making steady progress under our digital assets policy. Under the direction of the Policy Statement 2.0 (Policy Statement 2.0 on the Development of Digital Assets in Hong Kong), we have been broadening the range of tokenised products, expanding practical use cases and strengthening collaboration across the financial ecosystem. In particular, the HKMA granted stablecoin issuer licences to two entities in April this year, with one licensed issuer beginning to issue its regulated HKD-pegged stablecoin in August 2026 and the other expected to do the same very soon.
 
     In parallel with digital asset innovation, we are scaling artificial intelligence and data infrastructure across our financial sectors. Through the Generative AI Sandbox++ launched by the HKMA, the SFC (Securities and Futures Commission), the Insurance Authority, and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority alongside Cyberport, we expanded the sandbox initiative to multiple financial sectors, including banking, securities and capital markets, asset and wealth management, insurance, mandatory provident fund, and also stored value facilities.
 
     To complement these technological capabilities, we are continuing to broaden the reach of our financial data infrastructure. We are actively encouraging more government departments and institutions to integrate with the Commercial Data Interchange (CDI) and explore the feasibility of automated payment. This will enable banks to conduct a business registration search through CDI, enhancing efficiency in credit approval.
 
     Digital finance is also integrated in our new financial development of the commodity market. As a key infrastructure to develop Hong Kong into a trusted international gold trading, clearing, and reserve hub, the Government has commenced the trial operation of the central clearing and settlement system for over-the-counter gold transactions. In this system, we have established a central digital ledger to record settlement activities and interface seamlessly with designated vaults to facilitate and record physical gold deposits and withdrawals. Before we officially launch this system in Q1 next year as stated in the Policy Address, we will also have the system connected to the Real Time Gross Settlement system to enable Delivery versus Payment settlement. Moreover, an HAU price ticker was launched to reflect indicative bid/offer prices contributed by gold market participants and is now providing reference data on Bloomberg and London Stock Exchange Group platforms.
 
     Our regulators are also forerunners in fintech development. As stated in the 2026 Policy Address, the SFC will improve its regulatory framework to facilitate the issuance and trading of tokenised products of gold and other suitable real-world assets on licensed platforms. The HKEX (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited) is striving to launch a pilot project for tokenised warehouse-receipt financing with designated banks next year, using physical tracking technologies to promote the use of commodity inventories as collateral. The HKEX is also developing a blockchain-backed, multi-asset tokenisation platform which will include commodity warehouse receipts from LME (London Metal Exchange)-approved warehouses for a pilot next year. All these are leveraging our strength in fintech to support our building of a more integrated gold ecosystem and injecting new momentum into the development of the financial sector.
 
     Looking ahead, we are doubling down on this momentum with a clear, forward focused strategy. We will continue to leverage our strengths in Finance+ and AI+ to consolidate our status as an international financial centre, driving fintech development to capitalise on new growth opportunities. This is not just about maintaining our lead. It is also about shaping the next chapter of global finance, where capital flows more intelligently and technology addresses real world economic challenges.
 
     So I invite each of you, every one of you here today, to join us at the Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival. Let us explore the boundless possibilities of fintech in Hong Kong. Let us pave the way for a connected, efficient, and sustainable global economy.
 
     Thank you. read more

     ​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (October 22) seized two live turtles of suspected scheduled endangered species, with an estimated market value of about $3,000, at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point.
               
     Customs officers intercepted an incoming 50-year-old local male passenger at the Arrival Hall of the above-mentioned control point yesterday. Upon examination, the two live turtles were seized from his plastic bag. Officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) attended the scene for inspection and preliminarily identified the two live turtles as of endangered species listed in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance in Hong Kong. The case was handed over to the AFCD for follow-up investigation.
      
     Customs reminds the public not to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong.
               
     Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586), any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.
               
     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling 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).

  

     ​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (October 22) seized two live turtles of suspected scheduled endangered species, with an estimated market value of about $3,000, at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point.
               
     Customs officers intercepted an incoming 50-year-old local male passenger at the Arrival Hall of the above-mentioned control point yesterday. Upon examination, the two live turtles were seized from his plastic bag. Officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) attended the scene for inspection and preliminarily identified the two live turtles as of endangered species listed in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance in Hong Kong. The case was handed over to the AFCD for follow-up investigation.
      
     Customs reminds the public not to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong.
               
     Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586), any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.
               
     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling 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).