Tag Archives: China

     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the opening ceremony of Japan Autumn Festival in Hong Kong – Rediscovering Nippon this evening (October 12):
 
Ambassador Matsuda (Ambassador and Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong, Mr Kuninori Matsuda), Mr Sakurai (Chairman of Japan Autumn Festival Executive Committee, Mr Chiharu Sakurai), ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening.  I am delighted to join you today for the opening of the Japan Autumn Festival in Hong Kong.
 
     This is the third annual Japan Autumn Festival in Hong Kong, and I’ve been here each year for the opening.  The people of Hong Kong, myself included, have long enjoyed close and rewarding relations with Japan in business and trade, in culture, travel, entertainment and many other aspects.  Since Japan launched its first Autumn Festival here in Hong Kong two years ago, the Festival has become a marvellous treat for us, making October and November two eventful months filled with all things Japanese.  The festival’s popularity is reflected in the numbers.  Last year, more than 430 000 people attended its 140 events.  This absolutely fantastic response has given me extra joy because the idea of a Japan Festival was put to Ambassador Matsuda by me when he arrived to take up this position some three years ago.  But its success owes entirely to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Ambassador and his consular colleagues as well as the local Japanese community.
 
     This year, another 140 Japanese cultural, entertainment  and consumer happenings are on show through this month and November.  They cover just about everything we love when it comes to Japan: art, film, performance, food, fashion, design, together with such special events as a Halloween Festival featuring popular Japanese cartoon characters including Hello Kitty at Ocean Park and a Japanese carnival in Lan Kwai Fong.
 
     Alongside our deep cultural ties, the people of Hong Kong and Japan love to do business together.  Last year, Japan was our fourth-largest trading partner, while we were Japan’s eighth-largest partner in trade and fifth-largest market for exports.  For more than a decade now, Hong Kong has been the number-one export market for Japanese food and agricultural products, ahead of much larger markets such as the United States.  At last count, Japan was Hong Kong’s ninth-largest source of inward direct investment, with a value totalling US$28.5 billion.  That significant investment in Hong Kong is backed up by the more than 1 300 Japanese companies that maintain an office here.
 
    Beyond business, the continuing flow of people between us has been remarkable.  Last year, more than 2.2 million Hong Kong people took in the many delights of Japan, up more than 21 per cent over the previous year.  More than 1.2 million Japanese visited Hong Kong over the same period, up nearly 13 per cent, year-on-year.  The positive trend continues this year.  In the first eight months of 2018, the corresponding numbers are 1.5 million and 820 000, representing year-on-year increases of 1.4 per cent and 4.3 per cent respectively.  I would like to thank Ambassador Matsuda for his efforts in this regard, and with our mutual, visa-free arrangements and frequent flight connections, I am confident those numbers will continue to rise in the coming years.
 
     As you all know, I delivered my second Policy Address on Wednesday, elaborating on the vision and the priorities of the current-term Government.  One of the priorities lies in enhancing Hong Kong’s external affairs through more Government-to-Government and Government-to-Business interactions.  Such work priority has taken me to some 10 overseas countries since I took office in July last year.  With that objective in mind, I am very glad that I will be visiting Japan from October 29 to November 2 for the first time in my capacity as Chief Executive.  This will be the first Chief Executive visit to Japan since 2010.  As a result of meticulous planning and full assistance rendered by the Japanese Government, I will have a full five-day schedule in Japan meeting senior government officials and people from various sectors, as well as attending the “Think Global, Think Hong Kong” business promotion event organised by our Trade Development Council, which will form part of Hong Kong Week in Japan.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, I understand that Ambassador Matsuda will finish his term with us in the middle of next month.  I have always been grateful for the Ambassador’s remarkable efforts in promoting the bilateral ties between Hong Kong and Japan in the past three years, and for his kindness to accompany me on this visit to Japan as one of his last assignments on Hong Kong.  Ambassador, you have been a valuable addition to our Consular Corps, and you will be sorely missed.   I’ve enjoyed working with you on a number of issues and projects, of course including the Japan Autumn Festival, and I wish you and Mrs Matsuda all the best in your new posting.
 
     My best wishes, as well, to this year’s Japan Autumn Festival in Hong Kong, and have fun! Thank you very much.

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     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the Plenary Session of the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in Bali, Indonesia, this morning (October 12), as a member of the Chinese delegation.

     The Annual Meetings bring together finance ministers, leaders of central banks and senior management of banks and financial institutions from around the world to discuss issues related to global economic and financial development. 

     After the plenary session, Mr Chan met with the Governor of the People’s Bank of China, Mr Yi Gang, and exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including the latest developments of Hong Kong’s financial market, bond market, banking system, property market and support measures for enterprises.

     He then held separate meetings with the Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the World Bank Group, Mr Yang Shaolin, and the Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Mr Zhang Tao. Topics such as infrastructure financing and the global economic outlook were discussed.

     He also met with representatives of the banking sector to discuss items of mutual interest.

     Tomorrow (October 13), Mr Chan will meet with senior officials of the IMF and the International Finance Corporation.

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     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (October 12) that Lion Rock Park in Wong Tai Sin District will be reopened at 9am tomorrow (October 13).      While the Centre for Health Protecti… read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) today (October 12) announced the findings of the investigation report regarding a sentinel event of a case of maternal death.
 
     A 24-year-old pregnant woman who had been receiving regular antenatal check-ups at QEH was diagnosed with oligohydramnios and proteinuria. The woman was admitted for induction of labour during gestation of 38 weeks. She was admitted in the morning on August 10, 2018, to receive induction of labour with the use of medication. The medical staff closely monitored her condition and the foetus. Their conditions were both stable at the time. In the evening, the woman suddenly developed a short duration of seizure and the medical staff immediately examined and monitored her condition. She developed cardiac arrest a few minutes later. The medical staff immediately performed resuscitation and an emergency bedside caesarean section for her. A baby was delivered subsequently. During the process, the medical staff continued to perform resuscitation for the woman, but her condition was still critical with repeated occurrence of cardiac arrest. The woman finally succumbed on August 11.
 
     The hospital reported the incident to the Hospital Authority (HA) Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System and set up a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Panel to investigate the incident. After a thorough investigation, the Panel has completed the report with the following conclusions:
 

1. The woman had a history of proteinuria at 33 weeks of gestation and oligohydramnios at 35 weeks of gestation. A doctor admitted her for induction of labour during gestation of 38 weeks. The management was reasonable;
2. The woman’s sudden deterioration of condition was without signs and unpredictable but was promptly recognised. The medical staff immediately performed resuscitation. During the process, the medical staff performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intubation and blood transfusion in accordance with the international guidelines, and closely communicated with her husband and relatives;
3. When the woman’s condition suddenly deteriorated and she developed cardiac arrest, senior medical staff from various specialties, including Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Anaesthesiology and the Intensive Care Unit, arrived at the ward immediately to assist in the resuscitation, and made every endeavour to save and revive the woman and the baby. The resuscitation process was prompt, appropriate and thorough;
4. An emergency caesarean section was conducted within four minutes after the woman’s cardiac arrest and the baby was later delivered. The caesarean section was prompt and proper in accordance with the international guidelines. The baby was discharged from hospital 18 days after birth;
5. The woman developed post-partum haemorrhage about one hour after the cardiac arrest. According to her clinical conditions, the cause resembled an amniotic fluid embolism resulting in disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and uterine atony. The multi-disciplinary clinical teams had already provided various resuscitative treatments, blood transfusion and medications; and
6. The probable differential diagnoses had been considered by the multi-disciplinary clinical teams upon the sudden deterioration of the woman’s condition. They had endeavoured to provide all possible resuscitation and treatments.

     The spokesperson said the hospital had accepted the panel’s investigation report and had submitted it to the HA Head Office. The hospital has met the family to explain the investigation report and also expressed its deepest condolences once again to the family over the death of the woman, and will continue to closely communicate with the family to provide the necessary assistance.
 
     The hospital also expressed its gratitude to the Chairman and members of the RCA Panel. Membership of the Panel is as follows:

Chairman

• Dr Leung Wing-cheong, Chief of Service, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kwong Wah Hospital

 
Members

• Dr Lee Kai-wan, Chief of Service, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Caritas Medical Centre/Princess Margaret Hospital/Yan Chai Hospital
• Dr Shum Hoi-ping, Consultant, Department of Intensive Care, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
• Ms Lai Sui-yi, Department Operations Manager, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, United Christian Hospital
• Dr Osburga Chan, Service Director, Department of Quality and Safety, Kowloon Central Cluster/Queen Elizabeth Hospital
• Ms Katherine Pang, Manager, Patient Safety and Risk Management, Quality and Safety Division, HA Head Office

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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital at Sandy Bay (DKCH) made the following announcement today (October 12) on an incident concerning a vaccine injection:
 
     The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme commenced in DKCH on October 10 for hospital staff and volunteers. During inventory checking this morning, it was found that 19 hospital staff and two volunteers had been wrongly injected with tetanus vaccine. It is suspected that the two vaccines got mixed up during distribution yesterday (October 11). No other vaccines or patients have been affected.
 
     The DKCH has contacted all 21 persons to explain and extend its apology. Generally speaking, a tetanus vaccine injection would not result in serious side effects. The hospital will closely monitor their condition and will arrange follow up consultations in the staff clinic if necessary. 
 
     The hospital has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System. An investigation panel will be formed to review the case. The Hong Kong West Cluster (HKWC) will review the vaccine storage, distribution and delivery, and the injection process at all HKWC hospitals. Staff are reminded to follow the medication verification protocol. Regular inventory checking should also be performed as a safety precaution. read more