Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Adrian Ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (October 14):

Question:

     It has been reported that in recent months, vehicles have been parked for long periods at night on relatively narrow road sections in Wan Chai District (such as in the vicinity of Wan Chai Road). This has affected the passage of large vehicles, caused obstruction to local road traffic, and brought much inconvenience and nuisance to residents in the district. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective numbers of (i) complaints received by law enforcement agencies over the past three years involving illegal parking of vehicles in respect of the aforesaid road sections in the district and (ii) prosecutions instituted;

(2) as there are views relaying that persons involved in the aforesaid illegal vehicle parking are suspected of engaging in illegal acts (such as allegedly transporting women by prostitution syndicates to and from hotels or buildings in the district), whether law enforcement agencies have conducted in-depth investigations into the issue to ascertain if syndicate-controlled illegal acts are involved; if so, of the progress of the relevant investigations and the prosecution status respectively; if not, the reasons for not conducting in-depth investigation into the issue; and

(3) to effectively combat various illegal acts in Wan Chai District and maintain law and order in the district, whether law enforcement agencies have plans to establish a notification mechanism with stakeholders in the district, so as to enhance co-operation in combating the use of premises such as bars, residential buildings and hotels in the district for organised illegal activities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) has been closely monitoring the law and order situation in Wan Chai District and has adopted a multi-pronged strategy, including intelligence-led enforcement operations conducted in response to stakeholder reports and public complaints, with a view to vigorously combating various types of organised crime and illegal activities, including illegal parking. Having consulted the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the reply to the question raised by the Member is as follows:

(1) The HKPF is committed to ensuring road safety and maintaining a smooth traffic flow. Enforcement actions will be prioritised in light of actual traffic situation, focusing on combating contraventions that endanger road safety and cause severe traffic obstruction, in order to make effective use of police manpower and law enforcement resources. The numbers of complaints received by the HKPF and the Transport Department (TD) against illegal parking of vehicles in Wan Chai District, including narrower sections such as Wan Chai Road, and the corresponding numbers of summonses issued over the past three years are set out in the table below:

Statistics of illegal parking in Wan Chai District
 

	Number of complaints (Note)						Number of summonses issued by the HKPF
	HKPF			TD
Year	2024	2025	2026 (as at September)	2024	2025	2026 (as at September)	2024	2025	2026 (as at September)
Narrower sections in Wan Chai District
(1) Wan Chai Road	156	167	170	0	0	2	1 960	1 438	638
(2) Heard Street	16	14	6	0	0	0	507	426	154
(3) Mallory Street	23	7	15	0	0	0	299	360	147
All sections in Wan Chai District, including the narrower sections above
Total	15 815	14 998	12 651	17	76	127	106 672	84 857	39 622

Note: As identical complaints may be received by the HKPF and the TD at the same time, there may be double-counting in the numbers of complaints received by the two departments.

(2) The HKPF has been committed to combating all forms of illegal prostitution, especially organised prostitution activities. Under section 130 of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200), a person who harbours another person or exercises control, direction or influence over another person for the purpose of or with a view to that person’s prostitution shall be guilty of an offence, and offenders shall be liable to imprisonment for up to 14 years; under section 137 of the Ordinance, a person who knowingly lives wholly or in part on the earnings of prostitution of another shall also be guilty of an offence, and offenders shall be liable to imprisonment for up to 10 years.

     As regards the combat of illegal prostitution activities in Wan Chai District, the HKPF and the Immigration Department have been maintaining close intelligence exchanges and will carry out regular joint operations codenamed “Tigertail” during which suspected vice establishments are raided. The Police will also carry out intelligence-led enforcement actions, conduct in-depth investigations and combat organised prostitution activities, so as to reduce the nuisance these activities may cause to the public. Over the past year, in operations against prostitution conducted in the vicinity of Wan Chai Road, the Wan Chai Police District arrested and prosecuted a total of 15 women for suspected breach of conditions of stay, while no syndicate-controlled operations were involved. The HKPF will continue to take proactive enforcement actions with a view to vigorously combating prostitution activities in the district.

(3) Good police-community relations are integral to preventing and fighting crime as well as upholding law and order in the community. The HKPF has been working closely with stakeholders in Wan Chai District to maintain public order. In this regard, the Hong Kong Island Region of the HKPF launched Project SAFE in 2023 to proactively share crime information with community stakeholders, and encourage them to enhance collaboration with the Police by, for example, providing criminal intelligence, assisting in the dissemination of crime prevention messages and leveraging technology (such as installing closed-circuit televisions) to enhance crime prevention capabilities. To date, nearly 230 partner organisations in Wan Chai District, including hotels, bars and other businesses, have participated in the project, helping to strengthen the Police’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.

     Furthermore, the Wan Chai Police District will, in view of crime trends, strengthen liaison and intelligence exchanges with local stakeholders, including property management and security companies, to jointly combat crime. The Police will proactively convey crime prevention information to building security personnel, provide guidance on how to identify illegal prostitution activities to prevent suspicious persons from entering the buildings, and encourage them to report to the Police whenever a suspected crime is taking place, with a view to fostering police-community co-operation and fighting crime with concerted efforts. read more

     The Government will introduce legislative amendments to the Mediation Ordinance (Cap. 620) to empower the Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Limited (HKMAAL), on application by any party to an agreement to mediate, to decide the number of mediators or appoint mediators in prescribed circumstances where parties fail to reach an agreement, or where the agreed appointment procedure has not been carried out (Proposal).

     A spokesman for the Department of Justice said, “The Proposal aims to streamline the mediation process, reduce the risk of stalled proceedings arising from any disagreement over mediator appointments, and improve overall efficiency in case administration. These enhancements are especially beneficial for time-sensitive disputes. Granting the HKMAAL the said statutory power is expected to encourage the use of mediation as a dispute resolution mechanism. It will help bolster Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a leading international dispute resolution hub and develop Hong Kong into a global capital of mediation.”

     The Proposal was formulated on the basis of the recommendations made by the Working Group on Mediation Regulatory System in December 2025 following a stakeholder consultation. A primary objective of this legislative amendment is to recognise and further enhance the HKMAAL’s leading status within the mediation sector.

     Since its incorporation in 2012, the HKMAAL has been operating as a premier, industry-led mediation accreditation and regulatory body. The HKMAAL is responsible for setting accreditation standards for mediators and mediation training courses, assessing applications for mediator accreditation and training course accreditation, and regulating accredited mediators. The member organisations of the HKMAAL span a diverse range of sectors, including law, dispute resolution, family welfare, construction, architecture, surveying and engineering. Unlike most mediation institutions in Hong Kong, the HKMAAL does not provide any mediation services or mediation training courses, whether on a for-profit or non-profit basis. Also, under “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mediation Rules (2025 Edition)”, the HKMAAL is designated to appoint a mediator for the parties when they fail to reach a consensus on the choice of a mediator. The HKMAAL’s distinctive role is also reflected in the Judiciary’s requirement that mediators be accredited by the HKMAAL to participate in its mediation-related schemes. Given the HKMAAL’s unique role and standing in the mediation sector, as well as the breadth of sectors covered by its member organisations, the Government considers the HKMAAL the most suitable organisation to exercise the said statutory appointing power.

     The Proposal, together with the other recommendations made by the Working Group, including that the HKMAAL will revise the Hong Kong Mediation Code and encourage its adoption, implement a robust complaint-handling and disciplinary framework to enforce the Mediation Code, and actively participate in global discussions on dispute resolution, forms a comprehensive package to enhance the mediation regulatory system in Hong Kong.  

     The recommendations and the key provisions in the amendment bill received general support from major legal and dispute resolution bodies, as well as the Judiciary, during further stakeholder consultations conducted from June to July 2026.  

     The Mediation (Amendment) Bill 2026 was gazetted on October 2 and was introduced into the Legislative Council today (October 14). read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yung and a reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (October 14):

Question:

     It is learnt that the Government has established a steering committee and a project planning office to co-ordinate the celebration activities for the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the expected timeframe for announcement of the overall plan, current progress of the preparation work and timetable of the celebration activities for the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, and whether it will study collaborating with the relevant Central authorities and the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to jointly co-ordinate national-level celebration projects, so as to expand the impact of the activities;

(2) whether it will roll out celebration activities at three levels, namely community, education and sports, including mobilising resources in 18 districts to organise activities with distinctive characteristics, encouraging various sectors to continue providing special offers on the 1st of July, making good use of the existing patriotic education facilities and red tourism elements to design thematic activities integrating celebration with education, as well as organising the event of Reunification Cup at the Kai Tak Sports Park to bring together tradition and international sports events, with a view to promoting the mega event economy; and

(3) whether it will organise international forums, exhibitions or economic and trade activities relating to Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, so as to attract visitors and inward investment, and demonstrate the achievements of the successful implementation of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong over the past 30 years since its return to the motherland, and how the Government assesses the effectiveness of these activities in reinforcing the international image of Hong Kong and telling good stories of Hong Kong, China?

Reply

President,

     July 1, 2027, marks the glorious and historic moment of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. This is the first major establishment anniversary Hong Kong celebrates following the full implementation of the principle of “Patriots Administering Hong Kong”. It signifies that Hong Kong has entered a historic phase of advancing from stability to prosperity in the march to fully implementing the “one country, two systems” policy, safeguarding national sovereignty and security, and ensuring long-term prosperity and stability. As the country takes forward the National 15th Five-Year Plan in full steam, the HKSAR Government has also formulated Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan to proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, ensuring that Hong Kong can better seize the development opportunities while integrating into and serving the overall development of the country.

     Leveraging this important historic moment, the Government will celebrate the extraordinary achievements made over the 30 years of return to the motherland together with all sectors of society and citizens of Hong Kong, while showcasing Hong Kong’s ever brighter future to the world. Under the steer of the Chief Executive, the Government has established a steering committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration to provide overall steer on the planning and preparation of celebrations. Designated task forces chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration have been set up under the steering committee to co-ordinate and oversee the implementation of specific tasks. The Government has also set up a Project Planning Office to support the steering committee and task forces, and to take forward the planning and preparation work.

     Under the leadership of the steering committee, all Government bureaux and departments are fully committed to organising a diverse and exciting array of celebratory activities for rolling out in 2027. The celebratory activities will cover a wide range of areas and incorporate elements of national education. This will allow members of the public to deepen their understanding of the history and development of the country and Hong Kong while celebrating the anniversary, thereby enhancing their sense of national identity and belonging, and deeply cultivating a sense of patriotism. While sharing the joy of the return to the motherland with the citizens and compatriots in the Chinese Mainland, the Government will also leverage the celebratory activities to showcase Hong Kong’s distinctive edge of enjoying strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle, and to highlight Hong Kong’s unique role and status on the international stage. The opportunity will be taken to tell the good stories of China and Hong Kong to the world, and to demonstrate the good opportunities awaiting Hong Kong under the National 15th Five-Year Plan.  

     Celebrating the 30th anniversary of return to the motherland is keenly anticipated by the entire city. The Government looks forward to the participation and support of all sectors of society, including the Legislative Council, in this important celebration in their different ways. The Government is currently making every effort to plan and advance the celebratory activities for the 30th anniversary; announcements will be made at suitable junctures when plans are firmed up.

     Thank you, President. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (October 14):
 
Question:
 
     Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan emphasises “promoting the enhancement and upgrading of the pension finance system and continuing to diversify pension finance product offerings”. Both the number of valid applicants and the total principal amount of subscription of the Silver Bond issued in 2026 have reached historic highs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as it is learnt that the Silver Bond issued in 2026 recorded over 476 000 valid applications with subscription amount close to $120 billion, which is more than double the final issuance amount of $55 billion, whether the Government will, based on the eligible elderly population and subscription situations over the years, regularly review and increase the final issuance amount of Silver Bond, so as to further promote the silver economy; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as it is learnt that under the allocation mechanism of the Silver Bond issued in 2026, the maximum allocation of bonds per person was capped at 13 units, which was far lower than the maximum of 17 units allocated for the Silver Bond in 2025; as a result, over 388 000 applications seeking more than 12 units were only allocated 12 units initially, with the additional unit to be determined by ballot, the success rate of which was only about one in four, whether the Government will study increasing the per capita allocation of Silver Bond (such as increasing the basic guaranteed number of units to be allocated), and evaluate the role of Silver Bond in providing retirement income protection for the elderly; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) as it is learnt that Silver Bond holders may redeem their bonds early if they have financial needs, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the respective numbers of redemption cases and the amounts involved throughout the years since the issuance of Silver Bond in the 2016-2017 financial year, and whether it will review the redemption arrangements with reference to the relevant data, so as to enhance the flexibility of Silver Bond in the financial management of the elderly?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government set up the Government Sustainable Bond Programme (GSBP) and the Infrastructure Bond Programme (IBP) in 2018 and 2024 respectively, with the aim of utilising market resources to meet the funding needs of sustainable projects and public works projects which are conducive to long-term development of Hong Kong, pushing ahead Hong Kong’s infrastructure and urban development, and facilitating the early completion of projects for the good of the economy and people’s livelihood.
 
     As the Government accelerates the development of the Northern Metropolis and other public works projects relating to the economy and people’s livelihood, the total borrowing ceiling of the GSBP and the IBP was raised to HK$900 billion following approval by the Legislative Council in May this year. During 2026-27 to 2030-31, the Government plans to issue about HK$160 billion to $220 billion worth of bonds each year under the two bond programmes. Silver Bond is offered under the IBP (Note).

Note: Silver bond was first launched in 2016. During 2016 to 2023, it was offered under the Government Bond Programme (GBP); since 2024, it was offered under the IBP. The GBP was a Government initiative to develop the local bond market. In February 2024, the Government announced that the IBP and the GSBP would gradually replace the GBP.
 
     In response to the question raised by Hon Maggie Chan, having consulted the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, our reply is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) Currently, the Government issues Silver Bond mainly for raising funds for capital works projects, while at the same time providing senior citizens with a reliable investment option with steady returns. The target issuance amount of the 2026 Silver Bond was HK$50 billion. In view of the positive response in subscription, the final issuance amount was increased to HK$55 billion.
 
     When formulating specific arrangements of the bond issuance plan each year, the Government will take into consideration a basket of factors, including interest rates and tenors of different currencies and types of bonds, issuance costs of the Government, market response, fiscal position of the Government and duration and progress of works. The above factors are also applicable to the formulation of issuance arrangements of Silver Bond. The population of senior citizens and historical subscription results are some of the reference information when considering the issuance arrangements of Silver Bond, but not the decisive factors regarding the issuance amount.
 
     Apart from Silver Bond, the Government has various measures on promoting silver economy. Among them, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau is taking the lead to promote the “silver financial and security arrangements”, to assist senior citizens in prudent financial planning and risk management through arrangements such as retirement financial planning products, mortgage and investor education. Silver Bond provides senior citizens with a reliable investment option with steady returns, but is not for retirement income protection. Since the financial situation and investment plans vary significantly among individual senior citizens, we are not able to make an assessment in this regard.
 
     On the “maximum principal allocation amount” of Silver Bond, as the Government aims at allowing more citizens to join the scheme, the allocation mechanism in the Issue Circular of the 2026 Silver Bond specified that the maximum allocation amount per investor is HK$1 million, viz each investor would be allocated 100 units at most. Under the current mechanism via allocation cycles, the highest number of allocated units for each Silver Bond issuance is determined subject to the total number of valid applications and amounts applied for. Using the Silver Bond issued in 2026 as an example, all valid applications received have been allocated bonds up to a maximum of 13 units. For the 88 422 applications seeking 12 or fewer units, they will be allocated the full amounts applied for. The remaining 388 281 applications applying for more than 12 units would be allocated 12 units each and then entered into a ballot. Of these applications, 97 396 applications would be allocated one additional unit.
 
     The current allocation mechanism can cover all valid applications while satisfying the demand of small-lot investors. The Government will continue to take into account of the market response of Silver Bond when formulating suitable bond issuance arrangements in the future.
 
(3) An early redemption arrangement has been in place since the launch of Silver Bond in 2016. Currently, a bondholder can submit an early redemption request to the Government through a Placing Bank or Designated Securities Broker on any business day. The bonds will be redeemed at par by the Placing Bank or Designated Securities Broker on the third business day after the submission of the request. The amount equals to the principal amount together with accrued but unpaid interest (for the period up to (but excluding) the Early Redemption Settlement Date), which is calculated at the fixed rate applicable to the respective batches of bonds.
 
     The amount involved in the early redemption of Silver Bond during the past 10 years (up to September 2026) is set out below. The Government does not keep records of the number of early redemption cases.
 

Year of issuance	Early Redemption Amount (HK$’billion)	Early Redemption Ratio (%)
2025	7.0	1.3
2024	12.2	2.2
2023	18.2	3.3
2022	30.5	6.8
2021	31.6	10.5
2020	15.4	10.3
2019	1.0	3.4
2018	1.0	3.4
2017	1.4	4.7
2016	1.5	5.1

     The early redemption ratio of Silver Bond during the aforementioned period is on average around 5 per cent of the issuance amount. This shows that the majority of senior citizens held/are holding their bonds until maturity and also reflects that Silver Bond and its issuance arrangements are supported by senior citizens. The current early redemption arrangements render Silver Bond both a safe and flexible investment option, offering senior citizens considerable liquidity in investment. read more

     ​Hongkong Post announced today (October 14) that, as advised by airlines, customs clearance for mail at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, will be suspended from October 16 to 24. Mail delivery services to Nepal a… read more