Tag Archives: China

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department is conducting comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     From noon on October 15 to noon today (October 16), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 204 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
 
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website (www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 268 278 samples of food imported from Japan (including 166 969 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 57 110 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, attended the 2026 Hainan Free Trade Port Legal Week (Hainan Legal Week) in Hainan today (October 16) to promote Hong Kong’s advantage in professional services and deepen co-operation in legal and dispute resolution services between Hong Kong and Hainan, driving the two places to contribute to the high-quality development of the country by leveraging the synergy of “connection of the two ports”. 

     This year’s Hainan Legal Week is themed “Law-based Free Trade Port‧ Connect with the World”. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Lam said that Hong Kong and Hainan have maintained close relationships with close personal ties and business connections. During the National 15th Five-Year Plan period, Hainan will strengthen the construction of foreign-related rule of law and position the Hainan Free Trade Port as a preferred destination for resolving international commercial disputes. Meanwhile, Hong Kong will deepen its development into an international legal and dispute resolution services centre, leverage its strengths in professional services to assist Mainland enterprises in going global, and develop into an international hub for the pooling of high-calibre talent. He stated that the talent pooled in Hong Kong can make the most of their strengths to serve Hainan’s needs, supporting Hainan to optimise its business environment governed by the rule of law. Also, Hainan shoulders the national strategic role of developing commercial aerospace as a strategic emerging industry. Hong Kong can provide tailored legal and professional services to support the commercialisation of aerospace development. Mr Lam encouraged aerospace enterprises from Hainan and across the country to adopt Hong Kong law as the applicable law in their contracts and choose Hong Kong as a venue for diversified dispute resolution.

     During the ceremony, Mr Lam and the Director-General of the Department of Justice of Hainan Province, Mr Qiu Lijun, signed a co-operation arrangement in the area of legal services, with a view to deepening co-operation between the Department of Justice and the Department of Justice of Hainan Province, including promoting legal services co-operation, foreign-related legal talent training, and mutual exchanges between Hong Kong and Hainan. Mr Lam then attended an exchange session on advancing the implementation of the co-operation arrangement and met with leaders of the Department of Justice of Hainan Province and representatives of the Hainan Lawyers Association.

     Mr Lam will return to Hong Kong this evening.

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     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (October 16) the results of the Quarterly Business Tendency Survey for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2026.

Business Situation

     For all surveyed sectors taken together, the proportion of respondents expecting their business situation to be better (14%) in Q4 2026 over the preceding quarter is higher than that expecting it to be worse (9%). 

     When compared with the results of the Q3 2026 survey round, the proportion of respondents expecting a better business situation in Q4 2026 is 14%, higher than the corresponding proportion of 10% in Q3 2026. On the other hand, the proportion of respondents expecting a worse business situation had decreased from 14% in Q3 2026 to 9% in Q4 2026.

     Analysed by sector, respondents in most of the surveyed sectors expect their business situation to increase on balance or remain broadly unchanged in Q4 2026 as compared with Q3 2026. In particular, more respondents in the accommodation and food services and financing and insurance sectors expect their business situation to be better in Q4 2026 as compared with Q3 2026. On the other hand, in the transportation, storage and courier services sector, more respondents expect their business situation to be worse, as compared to those expecting it to be better.

     The results of the survey should be interpreted with care. In this type of survey on expectations, the views collected in the survey are affected by the events in the community occurring around the time of enumeration, and it is difficult to establish precisely the extent to which respondents’ perception of the future accords with the underlying trends. The enumeration period for this survey round was from September 1, 2026 to October 6, 2026. 

Volume of Business / Output

     Respondents in most surveyed sectors expect their volume of business/output to increase on balance or remain broadly unchanged in Q4 2026 as compared with Q3 2026. In particular, more respondents in the accommodation and food services, manufacturing, financing and insurance and retail sectors expect their volume of business/production/sales to increase in Q4 2026 over Q3 2026. 

Employment

     Respondents in a number of the surveyed sectors expect their employment to remain broadly unchanged in Q4 2026 as compared with Q3 2026. Nevertheless, more respondents in the accommodation and food services and real estate sectors expect their employment to increase in Q4 2026 over Q3 2026. On the other hand, more respondents in the information and communications and construction sectors expect their employment to decrease, as compared to those expecting it to increase.

Selling Price / Service Charge

     Respondents in most of the surveyed sectors expect their selling prices/service charges to increase on balance or remain broadly unchanged in Q4 2026 as compared with Q3 2026. In particular, more respondents in the accommodation and food services and transportation, storage and courier services sectors expect their prices of food provided/charges for services rendered to go up in Q4 2026 over Q3 2026. However, more respondents in the construction sector expect their tender prices to go down in Q4 2026 over Q3 2026.

Commentary

     A Government spokesman said that the overall near-term business outlook among large enterprises for the fourth quarter of 2026 strengthened notably, registering a net positive balance of enterprises that expected their business situation to improve over the previous quarter, the first time in ten quarters. Most sectors saw improvements in their outlook. The overall hiring appetite also improved slightly.

     Looking ahead, continued solid growth in the Hong Kong economy will render support to local business outlook. Nonetheless, uncertainties remain in the external environment, which may affect near-term sentiment. The Government will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Further Information

     The survey gathers views on short-term business performance from the senior management of about 570 prominent companies in various sectors in Hong Kong with a view to providing a quick reference, with minimum time lag, for predicting the short-term future economic performance of the local economy.

     The survey covers 10 major sectors in Hong Kong, namely manufacturing; construction; import / export trade and wholesale; retail; accommodation and food services (mainly covering services rendered by hotels and restaurants); transportation, storage and courier services; information and communications; financing and insurance; real estate; and professional and business services sectors.

     Views collected in the survey refer only to those of respondents on their own companies rather than those on the respective sectors they are engaged in, and are limited to the expected direction of quarter-to-quarter change (e.g. “up”, “same” or “down”) but not the magnitude of change. In collecting views on the quarter-to-quarter changes, if the variable in question is subject to seasonal variations, respondents are asked to provide the expected changes after excluding the normal seasonal variations.

     Survey results are generally presented as “net balance”, i.e. the difference between the percentage of respondents choosing “up” and that choosing “down”. The percentage distribution of respondents among various response categories (e.g. “up”, “same” and “down”) reflects how varied their business expectations are. The “net balance”, with its appropriate sign, indicates the direction of expected change in the variable concerned. A positive sign indicates a likely upward trend while a negative sign indicates a likely downward trend. However, the magnitude of the “net balance” reflects only the prevalence of optimism or pessimism, but not the magnitude of expected change, since information relating to such magnitude is not collected in the survey. 

     Furthermore, owing to sample size constraint, care should be taken in interpreting survey results involving a small percentage (e.g. less than 10%) of respondents in individual sectors.

     Chart 1 shows the views on expected changes in business situation for the period Q4 2025 to Q4 2026.

     Table 1 shows the net balances of views on expectations in respect of different variables for Q4 2026. 

     The survey results are published in greater detail in the “Report on Quarterly Business Tendency Survey, Q4 2026”. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1110008&scode=300).
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     Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Business Expectation Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7263; E-mail: business-prospects@censtatd.gov.hk). read more

     ​The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (October 16) that stalls at the 2027 Che Kung Festival (CKF) Fair will be put up for open auction on October 30 (Friday).

     A spokesman for the FEHD said that the annual CKF Fair will be held for 18 consecutive days from February 3 to 20, 2027, at Chui Tin Street Soccer Pitch in Sha Tin. A total of 48 dry goods stalls will be put up for auction, with an upset price of $2,770.

     The open auction will be held at the Assembly Hall, 2/F, Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, 19 Lai Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, on October 30 starting from 9am until the completion of the auction.

     Bidders for the CKF Fair stalls must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. Bidders can bid for more than one stall. A bidder must pay the bid price and register in person with his/her own name as the licensee of the stall immediately after successfully bidding for a stall. The bidder is also required to sign at once a licence agreement with the FEHD; otherwise, he/she will forfeit the rights to operate the stall.

     The CKF Fair site will be made available to the licensees two days in advance of the fair (February 1 and 2, 2027) for the setting up of stalls. In the event of any unforeseeable incident that will cause a reduction of the whole licence period (including the duration for setting up stalls and the business period of the fair), the Government has the right to postpone the commencement date and shorten the duration of the period. The bidding price (licence fee) paid will be refunded to the successful bidder on a pro-rata basis without interest.

     The FEHD reminds licensees that the stalls are solely for the purpose of selling and promoting the sale of the permitted commodities, and no other activities are allowed in the licensed area. If the FEHD considers that any activity conducted by the licensee to publicise, promote, display, show, sell or gift any permitted commodities in the venue is unlawful, contrary to the interest of national security, immoral or incompatible with the object of the CKF Fair, the FEHD is entitled to direct the licensee to stop conducting such activity and the licensee must immediately comply with such direction.

     Stall licensees must not destroy, damage or abandon any unsold commodities at or in the vicinity of the stall. They must completely remove the stall structure and all paraphernalia, together with all refuse, debris and unsold commodities (whether damaged or otherwise), from the licensed area before 10pm on February 20, 2027.

     According to the licence agreement, licensees must not keep, store or use any compressed helium cylinders in the licenced area. Sales of floating LED glowing balloons and aquarium fish by stall licensees are prohibited at the CKF Fair.

     In addition, as stated in the licence agreement, the height of dry goods stalls must not exceed 3 metres from ground level. Also, each corner and anchor point of the marquee (if any) shall be securely fastened using appropriate ballast weights, such as sandbags or purpose-designed marquee water weights. During the period when the Strong Monsoon Signal is in force or is to be issued, the licensee shall immediately inspect the stall and adopt reinforcement measures as necessary.

     Successful bidders shall comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the department is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.

     Details of the 2027 CKF Fair, such as the public notice, the location and layout of the fair venue, commodities allowed for sale at the fair stalls, open auction arrangements and related rules, as well as a sample of the licence agreement, are available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk). Interested bidders may visit the website or contact the FEHD’s Sha Tin District Environmental Hygiene Office (2634 0134) for enquires. read more

     The Transport Department (TD) today (October 16) said that the passenger and vehicle traffic at land boundary control points (BCPs) will significantly increase before and after the Chung Yeung Festival holiday (October 16 to 19), especially amid the expected inbound peak on Monday (October 19) afternoon and evening when waiting times for public transport (PT) services will be longer. Cross-boundary travellers are urged to plan their trips early and properly, allow sufficient travelling time, avoid travelling during peak hours as far as possible and heed the latest traffic and PT information of BCPs.

Enhancing services for travel convenience

     The TD has been steering local and cross-boundary public transport operators (PTOs) to strengthen their services before and after the Chung Yeung Festival holiday for the convenience of residents and visitors, including:
 

• The MTR Corporation Limited will enhance the train services of the East Rail Line between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau Stations at different times from October 16 to 19 based on passenger demand;
• The Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link will operate additional short-haul trips between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Futian and Shenzhenbei Stations (see details at the 12306.cn website);
• The frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus) will be increased to an average of about one minute during peak hours;
• The cross-boundary coach service will be strengthened;
• The frequency of local franchised bus B routes connecting various land BCPs will also be enhanced beyond the normal weekend level; and
• The PTOs concerned will arrange additional vehicles and manpower to meet passenger demand.

Travel during non-peak hours

     It is anticipated that the waiting time for PT services, including the Gold Bus and the franchised bus B routes, may be longer. Travellers should avoid travelling during peak hours as far as possible. Passengers are advised to maintain order while queuing and heed the advice of on-site Police and staff of PTOs concerned. Passengers planning to take cross-boundary coaches are also advised to reserve their coach tickets in advance.

     HZMB users travelling to Zhuhai should note that the temporary link bridge connecting the HZMB Zhuhai Port and Qinglu South Road has been closed to all traffic, and the traffic at Zhuhai Port and neighbouring roads has become very busy during holiday peak periods. They should use PT services as far as possible, plan their trips early, allow sufficient travelling time and remain patient while waiting.

     Motorists of cross-boundary private cars are advised that special traffic arrangements may be implemented at Shenzhen Bay Port, subject to actual traffic conditions, before and after the Chung Yeung Festival holiday to secure smooth access for PT vehicles to the Port. Cross-boundary private cars may experience longer waiting times for crossing the Port during peak periods. Motorists should pay extra attention to variable message signs and traffic signs along the roads. In case of traffic congestion, they should remain patient and follow the instructions of on-site Police.

Information dissemination

     To plan their journeys ahead, members of the public can make use of the TD’s HKeMobility mobile app or website (hkemobility.gov.hk/en/traffic-information/live/cctv) to access snapshots of traffic conditions of major connecting roads to land BCPs and the inbound and outbound vehicle plazas of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. They can also check the real-time situation at the vehicle clearance plaza of Zhuhai Port through the WeChat official accounts “hzmbzhport” or “zhuhaifabu” (traffic-info.gzazhka.com:5015/#/) (Chinese only). Moreover, motorists are reminded to always comply with traffic control measures implemented by the Zhuhai authority when driving on the HZMB Main Bridge. Vehicles must not occupy the emergency lane unless instructed by the Zhuhai authority.

     The public and visitors may visit the one-stop information platform on immigration clearance “Easy Boundary” (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/bwt/status.html?type=outbound) of the Security Bureau or HKeMobility for the latest information on various land BCPs more conveniently. The TD will provide information on the services and waiting times of the Gold Bus and MTR. Members of the public are advised to check the latest traffic news through radio and television broadcasts, the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk) and  HKeMobility. PTOs and relevant departments of BCPs will also disseminate the latest information to passengers through public announcement systems and other channels at major stations and BCPs.

     The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre operates round the clock to closely monitor the traffic conditions and PT services across various districts, BCPs and major stations, and to implement contingency measures when necessary to meet service demand. read more