Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

     Please broadcast the following message as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     As Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No.1 has been issued, the Marine Department reminds vessel owners, masters and persons-in-charge of vessels that they should take precautionary measures immediately and properly secure their vessels at safe locations.

     In case of an accident, a report should be made immediately to the Vessel Traffic Centre at 2233 7801.

     The Security Bureau today (August 9) launched a two-month public consultation to seek views on the legislative proposal for improving the fire safety of old industrial buildings.

     To upgrade the fire safety standards of old industrial buildings, the Government proposes to introduce a new piece of legislation to mandate owners and occupiers of pre-1987 industrial buildings to upgrade the requirements of fire service installations and equipment as well as fire safety construction of their buildings.

     The new legislation targets buildings which were wholly or partly constructed to be used as a factory, workshop, industrial undertaking, godown, warehouse, place of bulk storage or similar industrial establishment on or before March 1, 1987, or those constructed for the aforesaid uses with their building plans first submitted to the Building Authority for approval on or before the same date. Under the new legislation, the Director of Fire Services and Director of Buildings, being the enforcement authorities, will inspect the target buildings and serve fire safety directions to require the owners and/or occupiers to upgrade the fire safety of such buildings to the required standard. The owners and/or occupiers must comply with the requirements within the period as stipulated in the directions.

     The consultation paper on the legislative proposal is now available on the website www.sb.gov.hk/eng/special/consultation/ib-bill.htm.

     Members of the public are invited to submit their views to the Security Bureau by mail to 9th Floor, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong; by fax to 2868 9159; or by email to fsibb_consultation@sb.gov.hk. The consultation will end on October 8, 2018.

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, today (August 9) visited Dongguan to meet with senior officials and keep himself abreast of the latest developments in the high-tech industry.
      
     Following his visit to Shenzhen two days ago, Dongguan is the second city visited by Mr Chan in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area this week.
      
     He first visited the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) facility, including its control centre and underground accelerator facilities. The CSNS is one of the key science and technology infrastructure projects of the National 11th Five-Year Plan, and is the fourth neutron source facility in the world. The CSNS can be used widely in scientific research in different areas, such as materials science, life science, physics, chemistry and new energy.

     He then visited Songshan Lake Xbot Park to learn about its work in entrepreneurial incubation in robotics and related fields as well as nurturing relevant talents.
      
     Mr Chan called on the Secretary of the CPC Dongguan Municipal Committee, Mr Liang Weidong, and the Mayor of the Dongguan Municipal Government, Mr Xiao Yafei, and had lunch with them.

     Mr Chan said that Dongguan has a strategic location in the Bay Area and is an advanced manufacturing base. He expressed the hope that Hong Kong and Dongguan can further collaborate in commercialisation of results of scientific and technological research, and join hands to promote the development of the Bay Area.

     In the afternoon, Mr Chan visited a Hong Kong-invested electronic product company and a multinational corporation manufacturing mobile communication devices.
      
     Concluding the visit, Mr Chan returned to Hong Kong in the evening.

          

     The Home Affairs Department will open 18 temporary night heat shelters tonight (August 9) for people in need of the service.
      
     The shelters will be open from 10.30pm until 8am tomorrow.

     For further information, please call the department's enquiries hotline before midnight on 2835 1473.
      
     The 18 night heat shelters are located at:
 
Hong Kong Districts:
———————
 
Central and Western –
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex,
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
 
Eastern/Wan Chai –
Causeway Bay Community Centre
Waiting Lobby, 3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
 
Southern –
Lei Tung Community Hall
Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau
 
Kowloon Districts:
——————
 
Kowloon City –
Hung Hom Community Hall
Multi-purpose Room, 1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices,
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
 
Kwun Tong –
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin
 
Sham Shui Po –
Shek Kip Mei Community Hall
G/F, Block 42, Shek Kip Mei Estate,
Nam Cheong Street, Sham Shui Po

Wong Tai Sin –
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
Hall, G/F, 45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
 
Yau Tsim Mong –
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
 
New Territories Districts:
————————–
 
Islands –
Tung Chung Community Hall
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building,
39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
 
Kwai Tsing –
Kwai Shing Community Hall
Podium, Block 6, Kwai Shing West Estate, Kwai Chung
 
North –
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
 
Sai Kung –
Hang Hau Community Hall
G/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex,
38 Pui Shing Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
 
Sha Tin –
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
 
Tai Po –
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
 
Tsuen Wan –
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
 
Tuen Mun –
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun
 
Yuen Long –
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
 
Yuen Long –
Tin Yiu Community Centre
Tin Yiu Estate, Tin Shui Wai
      
     The temporary night heat shelters will resume their functions as either community centres or community halls in the daytime for hire by the local community and cannot continue to be open as heat shelters. People may choose to take refuge from the heat during the daytime in the common areas in any of the 21 designated community centres or community halls. Their opening hours are from 9am to 10pm. For addresses of the community centres or community halls, please browse the following webpage: www.had.gov.hk/file_manager/en/documents/public_services/emergency_services/List_CH_CC_Day_E.pdf.

     Further to the external merchandise trade statistics in value terms for June 2018 released earlier on, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (August 9) the volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade for that month.

     In June 2018, the volume of Hong Kong's total exports of goods increased by 0.7% over June 2017. Concurrently, the volume of imports of goods increased by 1.7%.

     Comparing the first half of 2018 with the same period in 2017, the volume of Hong Kong's total exports of goods increased by 6.7%. Concurrently, the volume of imports of goods increased by 7.9%.

     Comparing the second quarter of 2018 with the preceding quarter on a seasonally adjusted basis, the volume of total exports of goods increased by 0.8%. Concurrently, the volume of imports of goods increased by 0.7%.

     Changes in volume of external merchandise trade are derived from changes in external merchandise trade value with the effect of price changes discounted.

     Comparing June 2018 with June 2017, the prices of total exports of goods increased by 2.7%. Concurrently, the prices of imports of goods increased by 2.9%.

     As regards price changes in the first half of 2018 over the same period in 2017, the prices of total exports of goods increased by 2.5%. Concurrently, the prices of imports of goods increased by 2.6%.

     Price changes in external merchandise trade are reflected by changes in unit value indices of external merchandise trade, which are compiled based on average unit values or, for certain commodities, specific price data.

     The terms of trade index is derived from the ratio of price index of total exports of goods to that of imports of goods. Compared with the same periods in 2017, the index decreased by 0.2% and 0.1% in June 2018 and in the first half of 2018 respectively.

     Changes in the unit value and volume of total exports of goods by main destination are shown in Table 1.

     Comparing June 2018 with June 2017, the total export volume to Vietnam increased significantly, by 20.6%. Concurrently, the total export volume to the USA and Japan increased by 6.6% and 2.5% respectively. On the other hand, the total export volume to the mainland of China (the Mainland) and India decreased by 0.7% and 21.8% respectively.

     Over the same period of comparison, the total export prices to the Mainland, the USA and Japan increased by 3.6%, 3.4% and 2.8% respectively. On the other hand, the total export prices to Vietnam and India decreased by 0.2% and 4.3% respectively.

     Changes in the unit value and volume of imports of goods by main supplier are shown in Table 2.

     Comparing June 2018 with June 2017, the import volume from Korea and Singapore increased by 10.1% and 9.1% respectively. On the other hand, the import volume from Taiwan, Japan and the Mainland decreased by 0.6%, 1.3% and 1.7% respectively.

     Over the same period of comparison, the import prices from all main suppliers increased: Korea (+6.9%), the Mainland (+3.0%), Japan (+2.9%), Singapore (+2.6%) and Taiwan (+1.1%).

     Details of the above statistics are published in the June 2018 issue of "Hong Kong Merchandise Trade Index Numbers". Users can download the publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp230.jsp?productCode=B1020006).

     Enquiries on merchandise trade indices may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section (1) of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4918).