The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
 
     Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, will leave Hong Kong tomorrow (October 10) to attend the 19th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

     The Conference will be held from October 11 to 14. It is a biennial event which seeks to provide the Chief Justices and senior judges of the Asia and Pacific region with a forum to discuss various issues of common interest to judiciaries in the region. It will cover a number of legal and judicial issues, including the rule of law, cross-border judicial co-operation and use of technology in court. Chief Justice Cheung will be the moderator-cum-speaker of a discussion session on international co-operation and cross-border issues. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the 37th LAWASIA Conference (Note), which will be held in Kuala Lumpur on October 13.

     Chief Justice Cheung will return to Hong Kong on October 14. During his absence, Mr Justice Roberto Alexandre Vieira Ribeiro, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, will be the Acting Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal.
 
Note: LAWASIA, or the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, is a regional association of lawyers, judges, jurists and legal organisations. It holds annual conferences to provide a platform to facilitate the discussion of regional developments in various legal issues. All Chief Justices participating in the Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific are, in line with tradition, invited to join part of the LAWASIA Conference.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Kwai Chung Hospital made the following announcement today (October 9):

     Three female patients (aged 33 to 64) in a ward of learning disabilities have been presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms since October 2. Appropriate viral tests had been arranged for the patients and their test results were positive for Rhinovirus/Enterovirus. The three patients are being treated in isolation and are in stable condition.

     Enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted according to prevailing guidelines. Droplet and contact precautions, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of the environment and equipment have also been strengthened.

     The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation in the ward concerned. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for follow-up.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (October 9) reminded members of the public that the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in phases this weekend (October 12 and 13) to facilitate the holding of the triathlon event in Central and Wan Chai districts:
 
1. Road closures

• From 10am on Saturday (October 12) to 6pm on Sunday (October 13), the section of Expo Drive between Legislative Council Road and Expo Drive Central will be temporarily closed; and
• From 1am on Sunday to about 6pm, road closure and diversion measures will be implemented in the vicinities of the Central Harbourfront and Wan Chai North (including Yiu Sing Street, Lung Wo Road, Lung Hop Street, Lung Tat Path, etc).

2. Public transport arrangements
     To tie in with the road closure arrangements in the vicinities of Central and Wan Chai North, cross-harbour bus route No. H2 (to Central (Star Ferry)) will be temporarily diverted to operate via Connaught Road Central from 12.30pm on Sunday until the closed road is reopened to traffic at about 6pm.
 
     Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. During the event, the TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation. The Police may adjust the traffic arrangements subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas. Members of the public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or the "HKeMobility" mobile application.
      
     For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may visit the TD website (www.td.gov.hk), its mobile application "HKeMobility" or passenger notices issued by the relevant public transport operators.

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) fully support the Banking Industry Integrity Charter (Integrity Charter) introduced by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The two organisations co-hosted today (October 9) a launching ceremony for the Integrity Charter together with the ICAC. Senior management from 30 banks, including those from major retail banks and private wealth management banks in Hong Kong, attended the ceremony. Representatives of the Chinese Banking Association of Hong Kong and the Private Wealth Management Association also attended the event (see Annex).
      
     The HKMA has long been encouraging banks to further their work in integrity building. The ICAC launched the Integrity Charter to create a platform for communication through public-private partnership, helping banks to implement effective integrity management and anti-corruption measures. The ICAC will provide anti-corruption recommendations tailored for the banking industry, share anti-corruption cases with the industry, and arrange regular thematic training for banks to further support the industry's efforts in integrity building and promoting honest and responsible business practices. Banks participating in the Integrity Charter will commit to further strengthening their internal anti-corruption capabilities and promoting an integrity culture among their business partners.
      
     The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue; the Commissioner of the ICAC, Mr Woo Ying-ming; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Banks, Ms Luanne Lim, officiated at the ceremony to mark the launch of the Integrity Charter. During the event, the ICAC also showcased for the first time the logo specially designed for the Integrity Charter.
      
     In his welcome remarks, Mr Yue said, "Customer trust is an important pillar for the sustainable development of the banking industry. The professionalism and ethical conduct of banks and their frontline staff are key to building customer trust. The launch of the Integrity Charter by the ICAC is conducive to maintaining the stability of the Hong Kong banking system, and also helps to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre. It provides strong support for the Hong Kong banking industry to develop new markets, including the Middle East and Southeast Asia."
      
     Mr Woo said in his welcome remarks, "Hong Kong is widely recognised as one of the most corruption-free places in the world and its financial sector is vibrant and thriving. The Integrity Charter combines the two advantages of Hong Kong – integrity and finance – underlining the banking industry's commitment to integrity and enhancing its anti-corruption capabilities, to maintain and develop Hong Kong's position as an international financial centre."
      
     Ms Lim said, "The Integrity Charter will help the public better understand banks' determination to maintain a clean society and combat corruption collectively." She encouraged members of the association to participate in the Integrity Charter.
      
     For further information about the Integrity Charter, please visit the webpage of the ICAC's Corruption Prevention Advisory Service at cpas.icac.hk/EN/Info/TP_Library?cate_id=10046.

     The Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-operation in Informatisation convened its 19th meeting in Guangzhou today (October 9) to deepen sustained co-operation in informatisation between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Guangdong Province.

     The Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Tony Wong, and the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province (GDDIIT), Mr Qu Xiaojie, reviewed the work progress and achievements of the Expert Group over the past year. They discussed and exchanged views on the work plan in the coming year, and agreed to continue strengthening co-operation in five areas of informatisation:

1. accelerating development of a Guangdong-Hong Kong smart city cluster;
2. deepening collaboration on cross-boundary e-commerce between Hong Kong and Guangdong;
3. enhancing informatisation for cross-boundary customs clearance;
4. continuing to deepen the innovation and technology (I&T) co-operation; and
5. expediting co-operation in telecommunications business and infrastructure between Hong Kong and Guangdong.

     Mr Wong said in the meeting that "Guangdong's Research Report on Development of New Quality Productive Forces 2023" revealed that Guangdong has established significant competitive advantages in three major sectors including artificial intelligence (AI), high-end manufacturing, and biomedicine. This resonated well with the emphasis of the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint that Hong Kong should focus on the development of I&T industries of strategic importance such as life and health technology, AI and data science, as well as advanced manufacturing and new energy technology industries. He hoped that the Digital Policy Office (DPO) and the GDDIIT could jointly explore avenues for promoting collaboration in the development of AI and digital industries between the two places.

     Officials from relevant departments, including the DPO, the Office of the Communications Authority, the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Marine Department, and Hong Kong Customs attended the meeting on behalf of the HKSAR Government. Mainland representatives who attended the meeting included officials from the GDDIIT, the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Government Service and Data, the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, the Radio and Television Administration of Guangdong Province, the Guangdong Communications Administration, the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, the Department of Transport of Guangdong Province, the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee. Members of the HKSAR delegation also comprised representatives from research institutions and industry organisations, including the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, the Cyberport, and GS1 Hong Kong.

     With the arrangement of the GDDIIT, the Hong Kong delegation visited the Guangzhou Digital Technology Group after the meeting to learn more about the enterprise's developments on AI, smart city solutions and its exploration of data elements.