Tag Archives: China

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, started his visit programme in Beijing this afternoon (July 18), meeting with the Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Wang Bingnan, to exchange views on trade-related matters in both places.

     At the meeting, Mr Yau introduced the progress of Hong Kong’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, and said that Hong Kong will actively participate in the China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November this year. The latest implementation of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) was also discussed. The Commissioner for Belt and Road, Mr Denis Yip, also attended the meeting. Mr Yau then met with representatives of a state-owned enterprise in the afternoon.

     Mr Yau will attend the second Belt and Road Joint Conference to be held by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the National Development and Reform Commission, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and other relevant Mainland authorities in Beijing tomorrow (July 19).

     The Conference will discuss work priorities and suggestions related to promoting Hong Kong’s participation in and contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative, which include the setting up of a Belt and Road-related dispute avoidance and resolution mechanism and fostering collaboration on policy exchanges and capacity building between the HKSAR Government and relevant Mainland authorities.

     The Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, and representatives from the Department of Justice, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Belt and Road Office, Invest Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Insurance Authority and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council will also attend the Joint Conference.

    

     The Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, started her visit in Beijing today (July 18) by meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Supreme People’s Court to promote Hong Kong’s legal as well as dispute avoidance and resolution services. She also exchanged views with Mainland counterparts on the latest development of the related issues internationally and in the Mainland (including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area). She said she was pleased to learn that the Central Government supports Hong Kong as a centre for arbitration and mediation in the Asia-Pacific region.

     In the morning, Ms Cheng met with the Vice Minister of Justice, Mr Xiong Xuanguo, to explore opportunities for further bilateral collaboration in respect of legal services under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and the Greater Bay Area. She then met with the Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Jia Guide. They exchanged views on the dispute avoidance and resolution services under the Belt and Road Initiative.

     Ms Cheng called on the Vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court, Mr Yang Wanming, followed by a visit to the Beijing Internet Court and the Beijing Intellectual Property Court in the afternoon, to have a better understanding of the use of modern technology to resolve disputes. Both sides exchanged views on the development of dispute avoidance and resolution services in the Greater Bay Area.

     Accompanying Ms Cheng on the visit included the Commissioner of the Inclusive Dispute Avoidance and Resolution Office and government counsel from the Civil Division, the Legal Policy Division and the International Law Division of the Department of Justice.

     Ms Cheng will attend the second Belt and Road Joint Conference with other government officials and representatives tomorrow (July 19), to discuss matters relating to Hong Kong’s participation in and contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative.

     Ms Cheng will return to Hong Kong in the morning on July 20.

          

     A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said that the Government had scrutinised and accepted the holistic assessment report on the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project, as well as the verification study report on as-constructed conditions of the North Approach Tunnels, South Approach Tunnels and Hung Hom Stabling Sidings, which were submitted by the MTR Corporation Limited.

     The two reports have been submitted to the Commission of Inquiry into the Construction Works at and near the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link Project today (July 18), and are now available at the Highways Department’s web page for the SCL project (www.hyd.gov.hk/en/road_and_railway/railway_projects/scl/index.html) for reference by the public. read more

     Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, at a media session on the Shatin to Central Link project this afternoon (July 18):      MTRCL (MT… read more

     Hong Kong Customs today (July 18) seized 123 suspected illegally imported live birds with an estimated market value of about $300 at Lo Wu Control Point.

     During Customs clearance for a 23-year-old incoming male passenger this afternoon, the batch of live birds was found in four bird cages inside two plastic bags he carried.

     The case was handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for a follow-up investigation.

     Under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Regulations, it is an offence to import any bird unless it is accompanied by a valid health certificate. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $25,000.

     Members of the public may report any suspected activities of illegal importing of live birds to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).