Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
 
Question:
 
     In recent years, Hong Kong has spared no effort in building the “Study in Hong Kong” brand to develop Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education, and has been gradually enhancing support measures for non-local students while they are studying in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the respective numbers of non-local students applying through different ways for studying full-time locally-accredited programmes in Hong Kong who have obtained bachelor’s degrees or higher qualifications and those who have eventually been admitted, as well as the percentages of non-local students in the number of places of the relevant programmes, in each of the past three years;
 
(2) given that full-time non-local undergraduate and postgraduate students were required to obtain a “No Objection Letter” (NOL(s)) issued by the Immigration Department before they were allowed to take up part-time jobs in Hong Kong in the past, of the number of non-local students who took up part-time jobs after obtaining NOLs in each of the past three years and, among them, the respective numbers of those who were pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies;
 
(3) given that the Government temporarily exempted full-time non-local postgraduate and undergraduate students from the restrictions on taking up part-time jobs in November 2023 and November last year respectively (the temporary exemption arrangements), whether the authorities have compiled statistics afterwards on the number of non-local students who have taken up part-time jobs under the temporary exemption arrangements; if they have not compiled the statistics, whether they will collect the relevant data and review the effectiveness of such measure in future; whether they will consider regularising the temporary exemption arrangements in the long run;
 
(4) as some non-local students have relayed to me that some local employers are deterred from employing non-local students to take up part-time jobs because they are not clear about the temporary exemption arrangements, how the authorities will publicise and promote the temporary exemption arrangements, and whether they have co-operated with the relevant tertiary institutions to provide non-local students with the relevant employment information and support services; and
 
(5) as it has been reported that the Chief Executive has indicated earlier that Hong Kong fully welcomes students who suffer from unfair treatment as a result of the policies of the United States to study in Hong Kong, and that he will do his best to provide the most appropriate support and assistance to students in collaboration with the local universities, of the work progress made by the authorities in supporting such students so far; whether they have set up task forces with various local universities to provide one-stop transfer services for such students, e.g. expediting their admission, transfer of credits, as well as urgent support measures such as providing accommodation arrangements, so as to attract more outstanding students to Hong Kong?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Hong Kong has sound education infrastructure and our overall competitiveness in education ranked top five in the world. Among others, Hong Kong’s post-secondary education is highly internationalised and diversified, and we boast five of the world’s top 100 universities with outstanding talent in technology and research, making Hong Kong an international hub for exchange and collaboration among high-calibre talent. To fully leverage the distinctive advantages of the post-secondary education sector in Hong Kong under “one country, two systems”, and to develop Hong Kong into an international post-secondary education hub, we strive to build the “Study in Hong Kong” brand and attract more non-local students to study and conduct research in Hong Kong.
 
     After consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau, our consolidated replies to Hon Kenneth Leung’s questions are as follows:
 
(1) In the 2022/23 to 2024/25 Academic Year (AY), the numbers of non-local students pursuing locally-accredited programmes at undergraduate level or above in Hong Kong, and the number of non-local students as a percentage of relevant undergraduate student places are tabulated below:
 

	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
Non-local student enrolment
University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded programmes (Note 1)	21 656	23 051	26 609
Non-UGC-funded programmes (Note 2)	40 267	48 859	62 305
Total	61 923	71 910	88 914
Percentages of non-local students
UGC-funded undergraduate programmes (Note 3)	19.2%	19.9%	23.2%
Non UGC-funded undergraduate programmes (Note 4)	7.0%	14.2%	18.7%

(Note 1) Referring to full-time equivalent student enrolment, including both full-time and part-time programmes.
(Note 2) Non-UGC-funded programmes cover publicly-funded programmes offered by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and self-financing programmes offered by UGC-funded universities, the HKAPA, and other institutions. Relevant figures refer to the headcounts of full-time and part-time programmes.
(Note 3) Referring to non-local student enrolment as a percentage of local student places in UGC-funded undergraduate programmes.
(Note 4) The percentages of non-local students of non-UGC-funded undergraduate programmes refer to the percentages of intakes of non-local students as a share of the estimated intake places of relevant programmes. Estimated intake places are based on estimates made by institutions for planning purposes and may not necessarily represent the maximum approved intake quotas or admission targets.
 
     In the 2022/23 to 2024/25 AY, the number of applications from non-local students for UGC-funded first-year-first-degree undergraduate programmes ranged between 70 000 and 80 000. The Education Bureau (EDB) does not maintain information on the number of applicants of other taught programmes.
 
(2), (3) and (4) The Government has temporarily exempted full-time non-local postgraduate students of local programmes from the restriction on taking up part-time jobs since November 2023, and has extended the temporary exemption arrangement to full-time non-local undergraduate students from November 2024 onwards. Since November 2023, the Immigration Department (ImmD) has issued “No Objection Letters” to nearly 150 000 eligible non-local students, who are allowed to take up part-time jobs under the temporary exemption arrangement without making applications. There is no restriction on the number of hours or the location of the part-time employment. The breakdown of the numbers of “No Objection Letters” issued by the ImmD under this arrangement by student category are tabulated below:
 

Student category	Number of “No Objection Letters” issued
	2023 (November to December)	2024	2025 (as of May)
Non-local postgraduate students	51 161	54 987	16 946
Non-local undergraduate students	Not applicable#	24 037#	749
Total	51 161	79 024	17 695

# The Government has temporarily exempted full-time non-local undergraduate students from the restriction on taking up part-time jobs since November 1, 2024.
 
     Non-local students benefitting from this arrangement are eligible to apply to stay in Hong Kong after graduation for development through the “Immigration Arrangement for Non-local Graduates”. Allowing them to take up part-time jobs during their studies enables them to gain personal exposure and knowledge for working in Hong Kong, enhances their incentives to stay in Hong Kong for development after graduation, and helps attract more outside students to study in Hong Kong.
 
     Under the temporary exemption arrangement, non-local students are not required to apply to the ImmD or notify their institutions for part-time employment. Therefore, the Government does not maintain statistics of non-local students taking up part-time jobs. According to the institutions, many non-local students have made use of the arrangement to take up various types of part-time jobs, including business support, retailing, and marketing, etc. The institutions generally agree that this arrangement helps attract non-local students to stay in Hong Kong for development after graduation, thereby expanding the city’s potential talent pool.
 
     The Government promotes this temporary exemption arrangement through various channels such as press releases, the ImmD’s website and communications with employers, etc, and introduces the arrangement to chambers of commerce, employers and human resources practitioners through meetings with chambers of commerce, joint meetings of Human Resources Managers’ Clubs, and other occasions. The Government also encourages relevant institutions to assist in enhancing on-campus promotion and providing appropriate support to eligible students. The Government will review the entire temporary exemption arrangement this year.
 
(5) In the light of the changes in the global higher education landscape, the EDB has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for affected students and scholars with a view to safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, while attracting top talent in accordance with their diversified admissions and talent policies. The EDB is pleased to see that local universities are responding proactively and closely monitoring the situation, fully utilising the Government’s facilitation initiatives that support the capacity expansion and quality enhancement of post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong.
 
     The EDB will continue to keep a close eye on the development and accordingly consider support measures for them in a holistic approach so as to give full play to Hong Kong’s role as an international post-secondary education hub. Apart from the recruitment measures of the institutions, the Government attracts more top talent to pursue their studies in Hong Kong through a range of initiatives, including doubling the cap on non-local students in publicly funded post-secondary institutions to 40 per cent, increasing scholarship quotas, and gradually increasing the number of places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. We remain committed to pursuing various policies and initiatives, fostering networks and partnerships at the national, regional, and international levels, and will continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. These efforts align with the national strategies to invigorate the country through science and education, cultivate high-calibre talent, and advance innovation and development, thereby contributing to meeting the needs of our nation. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that the United States (US) Government has recently barred Harvard University from enrolling international students. There are views that, due to political factors, it is expected that more top-tier institutions will face restrictions on international student recruitment in the future. This could lead to significant shifts in the global talent mobility within the higher education sector. As such, Hong Kong, as an international education hub, should seize the opportunity to actively attract and retain high-calibre international students and scholars, so as to consolidate its position as a regional hub for knowledge, innovation and technology. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether, in the face of the aforesaid abrupt change in overseas higher education policies, the Government has formulated a systematic plan to assist Hong Kong institutions in attracting high-calibre students affected by the turbulent international situation to pursue studies in Hong Kong, and to ensure that they can stay in Hong Kong for career development after graduation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) how the University Grants Committee (UGC) will avoid resource misallocation and vicious competition in the course of promoting talent competition among the eight UGC-funded universities, and whether UGC will take the lead in establishing a unified platform to foster collaboration among institutions, so as to enhance their overall international competitiveness; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) whether, in the face of the China-US confrontation and competition, the Government will introduce specific policy measures to encourage Hong Kong’s higher education institutions to capitalise on new opportunities arising from the shifting geopolitical landscape, with a view to further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international education hub; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Hong Kong’s overall competitiveness in education ranks among the top five in the world, and our post-secondary education is highly internationalised and diversified. To date, five University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities have been ranked among the top 100 in the world, six are ranked among the top 50 in Asia, a number of them have been ranked among the top universities in the most international universities ranking, and they have excellent research talent, which make them attractive to students and scholars from all over the world. Under the leadership of the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Government will continue to promote Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talent, co-ordinate and drive the integrated development of education, technology and talent, expand connections, formulate policies to attract and cultivate talent, and foster the co-ordinated development of technologies, so as to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international post-secondary education hub and an international innovation and technology centre.
 
     Our reply to the Hon Tang Fei’s question is as follows:
 
(1) and (3) In the light of the changes in the global higher education landscape, the Education Bureau (EDB) has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for affected students and scholars with a view to safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, while attracting top talent in accordance with their diversified admissions and talent policies. The EDB is pleased to see that local universities are responding proactively and closely monitoring the situation, fully utilising the Government’s facilitation initiatives that support the capacity expansion and quality enhancement of post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong.
 
     We will continue to keep a close eye on the development and accordingly consider support measures for them in a holistic approach so as to give full play to Hong Kong’s role as an international post-secondary education hub. Apart from the recruitment measures of the institutions, the Government attracts more top talent to pursue their studies in Hong Kong through a range of initiatives, including doubling the cap on non-local students in publicly funded post-secondary institutions to 40 per cent, increasing scholarship quotas, and gradually increasing the number of places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. We remain committed to pursuing various policies and initiatives, fostering networks and partnerships at the national, regional, and international levels, and will continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. These efforts align with the national strategies to invigorate the country through science and education, cultivate high-calibre talent, and advance innovation and development, thereby contributing to meeting the needs of our country.
 
(2) The EDB and the UGC have been actively fostering collaboration among the eight UGC-funded universities, including supporting the jointly-established Heads of Universities Committee’s Standing Committee on Internationalisation (HUCOMSCI) to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand around the world. We will continue to deepen institutional collaboration through the HUCOMSCI to attract more talent from around the world and accelerate the development of Hong Kong into an international post-secondary education hub.
 
     Each of the eight UGC-funded universities has its own strengths and characteristics, and is making full use of the Government’s facilitation policies and measures to bring their strengths into full play in recruiting and attracting more outstanding students and academics. With the Government increasing the non-local student quota for UGC-funded universities from 20 per cent to 40 per cent from the 2024/25 academic year onwards, the proportion of non-local students enrolled in UGC-funded undergraduate programmes has increased from about 19.9 per cent in 2023/24 academic year to 23.2 per cent. Universities will adopt the principle of meritocracy to attract more non-local students to study in Hong Kong. Non-local students will also make choices of further studies that suit their own strengths and interests.
 
     As for academic staff, the UGC-funded universities have also been actively expanding capacity while enhancing quality by increasing the number of academic staff in the UGC-funded universities from 4 974 in the 2021/22 academic year to 5 398. The universities will continue to recruit top scholars from around the world through various measures to create a favourable environment for scientific research and contribute to the development of our country and Hong Kong. read more

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Chan Han-pan and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
 
Question:
 
     I have received a number of requests for assistance involving the opening of bank accounts by non-commercial organisations and, among them, some “three-nil buildings” are still unable to open bank accounts six to eight months after the formation of owners’ corporations (OCs), rendering the OCs unable to raise funds for their operation. On the contrary, it takes only one to two months on average for commercial organisations to open accounts. There are views that the difficulties encountered by OCs in opening accounts have seriously affected the livelihood of the grass roots and run counter to the Government’s objective of improving the community. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows the total number of complaints received by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) in the past three years about non-commercial organisations encountering difficulties (e.g. excessively long processing time) in opening bank accounts;
 
(2) whether it knows if HKMA has put in place measures to streamline the requirements for banks in vetting and approving applications from non-commercial organisations for opening accounts (in particular social service accounts such as those for OCs), so as to shorten the processing time;
 
(3) whether it will amend the Banking Ordinance (Cap. 155) or the licensing guidelines to expressly require banks to provide social service organisations with convenient procedures for opening accounts; and
 
(4) whether it knows if HKMA will set indicators to increase banks’ incentive to process applications from organisations such as OCs for opening accounts, or impose penalties on banks against which complaints have been repeatedly lodged?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     To safeguard the stability of the banking system and customer interests, banks are required to comply with the relevant laws and regulatory requirements when establishing business relationship with customers. Banks are required to conduct customer due diligence (CDD) on applicants seeking to open a bank account irrespective of whether they are commercial entities or non-commercial entities (including Owners’ Corporations (OCs)).
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has been closely monitoring the situation regarding bank account opening of non-commercial entities in Hong Kong. In this connection, the HKMA reminds the banking sector from time to time that while implementing robust control measures, they should also avoid creating unreasonable barriers for legitimate businesses and entities (including OCs and other non-commercial entities) to access banking services. Banks should maintain proper communication with customers throughout the CDD process, properly handle customers’ account opening applications through transparent, reasonable and efficient procedures, uphold the principle of treating customers fairly, and where appropriate flexibly and pragmatically handle account opening applications.
 
     After consulting the HKMA, our reply to the four parts of the question is as follows:
 
     The HKMA issued a circular to banks in April 2023 to provide further guidance on the CDD requirements with respect to account opening for commercial entities or non-commercial entities. The circular also sets out guidance on communication with customers, understanding of market developments and risk management, as well as shares past cases and good practices for the industry’s reference, so as to assist banks in achieving effective outcomes and enhancing customer experience in account opening. The HKMA has also required banks to review their account opening procedures and CDD measures, and provide staff training.
 
     In response to the HKMA’s guidance, banks have introduced various facilitation measures in recent years to improve the account opening process for customers, covering OCs and other non-commercial entities. These measures include providing applicants with updates on the progress of their account opening applications, establishing review mechanisms and re-examining account opening applications upon customers’ request. The HKMA has also set up a dedicated email and hotline to collect enquiries from the public and relevant stakeholders, which are handled and followed up by a dedicated team within the HKMA for account opening and maintenance (the dedicated team).
 
     Regarding the account opening application process for OCs, as an OC is an independent body corporate set up under the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344), banks would adopt CDD measures applicable to a legal person. These include requiring applicants to provide relevant registration documents of the corporation, minutes or extracts of resolutions of the management committee meeting or general meeting of the OC regarding the approval for opening a bank account and appointment of authorised signatories, as well as the identification documents of the appointed authorised signatories. Banks may also request additional information or documents from the applicants having regard to the specific circumstances and their risk assessments. The turnaround time for account opening depends on the circumstances of individual cases, as well as whether the applicant has furnished the required information. As the HKMA understood from major banks, the account opening process could generally be completed in around two weeks upon receipt of the required information and documents from applicants.
 
     The HKMA has been maintaining close communication with the Home Affairs Department (HAD) and offering support to the OCs seeking assistance on bank account opening under the established communication and referral mechanism. In May 2025, the HKMA and the HAD held a meeting with representatives from the banking sector for a direct exchange on matters relating to bank account opening for OCs, including a discussion on the bank account opening situations following the establishment of OCs. The participating banks responded positively and have actively introduced facilitation measures to assist OCs, including publishing information in relation to bank account opening for OCs on banks’ websites; providing hotlines and contact information for OCs to enquire about account opening related information with individual banks; assigning designated staff to handle enquiries and applications in relation to bank account opening for OCs; as well as offering multiple channels and appointment arrangements to facilitate account opening for OCs. To further enhance transparency and shorten the account opening turnaround time, the HKMA, the HAD and the banking sector are jointly compiling practical information related to bank account opening, so as to assist OCs to better understand the account opening requirements and make advance preparation for the necessary documentations, with a view to enhancing customer experience.
 
     The numbers of complaints and requests for assistance received by the HKMA and the aforementioned dedicated team over the past three years regarding banks’ handling of account opening applications by non-commercial entities are tabulated as follows:
 

	2022	2023	2024	2025 (as of end-May)
Complaint received by the HKMA	None	1 case (Note 1)	None	1 case (Note 2)
Request for assistance received by the dedicated team	2 cases (Note 3)	2 cases (Note 4)	None	None

Note 1: The bank concerned properly handled the complaint, and the complainant did not seek further assistance from the HKMA after communicating with the bank.
Note 2: The bank is following up on the case as requested by the HKMA.
Note 3: Two cases concerning OCs have been resolved.
Note 4: These involved one case concerning an OC and one case concerning other non-commercial entity, both of which have been resolved.
 
     Apart from the above cases, the HKMA also received cases referred by the HAD and district organisations from time to time, mainly concerning the bank account opening procedures and requirements for newly formed OCs. In this connection, the HKMA has provided appropriate assistance to these newly formed OCs, and these OCs have subsequently started to proceed with their bank account opening applications. The HKMA noted that for some of these cases, bank accounts were successfully opened within about two weeks on average after the OCs provided the required information to banks. In certain cases, bank accounts were opened within one week.
 
     The HKMA and the banking sector have implemented a series of measures to facilitate bank account opening for various businesses and entities, while ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulatory requirements. We consider that there is currently no need to introduce legislative amendments or set fixed targets regarding account opening matters. The HKMA will continue to maintain close communication and collaboration with the banking sector and relevant stakeholders on bank account opening matters, with a view to streamlining the related account opening processes and enhancing customer experience. read more

     The Transport Department (TD) announced today (June 18) that a pilot licence for autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been updated in accordance with section 20(3)(b) of the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicles) Regulation (Cap. 374AA) to expand the routes for AV trials in North Lantau.

     The applicant has been approved to conduct trials for 10 AVs during a specified time on specified road sections in Tung Chung. Three autonomous private cars can be operated in each road test at most. The specified expanded routes cover Man Tung Road, Ying Hei Road, Yi Tung Road, Tung Chung Eastern Interchange, Yu Tung Road, Chung Yan Road, Shun Tung Road, Tung Chung Waterfront Road and Wai Tung Road.

     A spokesman for the TD said that the North Lantau project, which commenced in December 2024, has made significant progress to date. The TD has expedited ongoing monitoring, proactively taken forward the project and granted approval under the new AV regulatory framework, achieving several technical advancements within months. They included scaling up the trials from a single vehicle to 10 vehicles operating simultaneously to collect multi-vehicle data, conducting designated passenger-carrying trials on specific routes after safety assessment, expanding the trial scope to roads with more complex traffic scenarios, and increasing the maximum speed limit to 50 km/h based on the trial route. This updated pilot licence further expands the trial routes, so that more useful data can be collected to evaluate AV performance in more different road conditions and communities.

     The TD’s label for pilot AV shall be displayed on all pilot AVs for identification by other road users. Details of the pilot licence have been uploaded to the TD’s website on AV trials.

     The TD welcomes interested organisations or enterprises to submit applications for a pilot licence and act in concert to promote the further development of autonomous driving in Hong Kong. Upon receipt of an application, the TD will consider various factors, including the design operating range and functions of the autonomous system submitted by the applicant, relevant international or national standards/guidelines, and the road test situations, based on the Code of Practice for Trial and Pilot Use of Autonomous Vehicles before approval. The TD will exercise stringent control with a view to promoting AV trials and development in Hong Kong in a safe and orderly manner. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Dominic Lee and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that the Dapeng Peninsula of Shenzhen, which is adjacent to Yan Chau Tong of Hong Kong, possesses rich ecological resources, and both Shenzhen and Hong Kong have expressed intentions in recent years to strengthen cooperation in eco-tourism and marine conservation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the details of cooperation projects commenced and co-operation agreements reached between the SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government and the relevant government departments of Dapeng New District, Shenzhen in terms of, among others, eco-tourism, green economy, and marine conservation; whether it has compiled statistics on the specific data and effectiveness of such co-operation projects over the past five years;
 
(2) whether it has plans to promote cross-boundary eco-tourism from Kat O and Tung Ping Chau to the Dapeng Peninsula and devise related sea routes, including the construction of piers for “co-location arrangement” in such areas; if so, of the details and progress of the ongoing negotiations with Shenzhen authorities, including technical feasibility, estimated timetable, and related ancillary facilities; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) whether the Government has assessed the expected benefits of the aforementioned cross-boundary eco-tourism routes for Hong Kong’s tourism industry and local economy, as well as the potential risks involved in environmental conservation; if so, of the assessment results, and the policy directions determined in response to such results?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     According to the Northern Metropolis (NM) Action Agenda announced in 2023, the Blue and Green Recreation, Tourism and Conservation Circle situated in the easternmost part of the NM comprises Robin’s Nest, Lin Ma Hang, Sha Tau Kok, Yan Chau Tong as well as coastal villages and the outlying islands. With abundant blue and green resources including country parks, marine parks and geopark as well as a number of traditional rural townships, this zone has the potential for recreation and tourism development.
      
     As set out in the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) promotes in-depth integration of Hong Kong’s unique world-class resources with tourism, and crafts tourism products and projects with distinctive features and strong appeal, with “Ecology+Tourism” being one of the development strategies. On the premises of respecting the nature and protecting the environment, we will appropriately unveil Hong Kong’s precious ecological resources to visitors, and at the same time minimise the potential environmental impact due to too many visitors as far as practicable, thereby balancing the needs for conservation and tourism development.
      
     The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) under the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) has designated places of high ecological value in Yan Chau Tong as country park, marine park and geopark, for conservation and eco-education and recreation purposes.
      
     In taking forth the above work, the wish of some local communities for maintaining a quiet countryside environment should also be considered.
 
     Having consulted the EEB, the Development Bureau, the Security Bureau and the Transport and Logistics Bureau, a consolidated reply in response to the questions raised by the Hon Dominic Lee is as follows:
 
(1) The HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government has established mechanisms with the Shenzhen authorities for the cooperation in individual areas. On ecological conservation and environmental protection, following the establishment of the Robin’s Nest Country Park last year, the AFCD and the Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality signed the Cooperation Agreement last year on the establishment of the ecological corridor between Shenzhen Wutong Mountain and Hong Kong Robin’s Nest, including jointly removing invasive species, conducting ecological surveys, examining enhancement of animal corridors and enhancing publicity and education. The Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark also collaborated with the Shenzhen Dapeng Peninsula National Geological Natural Park to hold science lectures and exhibitions in both locations last year and this year, enabling citizens of both sides to have better understanding of the geological history, landforms, and geoparks of the two places.
 
     On marine conservation, the Environmental Protection Department and the Ecology and Environment Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality have been improving sewage collection and treatment through the Mirs Bay and Deep Bay (Shenzhen Bay) Areas Environmental Management Special Panel. With the concerted efforts of both sides, the water quality of Mirs Bay has been kept at a good level, and it is conducive to the conservation of marine ecology, especially the hard corals in the northeast waters of Hong Kong.
       
     The CSTB has been strengthening co-operation with the Shenzhen authorities in the tourism aspect under the principle of mutual benefits, including encouraging the trade to design eco-tourism products and itineraries on the premise of striking a balance between ecological conservation and tourism development. The travel trade of the Shenzhen and Hong Kong will also organise relevant familiarisation visits to help with the promotion work.
 
(2) and (3) Yan Chau Tong in the northeastern part of Hong Kong possesses unique geological landscape, rich ecology and village culture with long history. The AFCD has, in collaboration with stakeholders and the local community, established visitor centers, cultural trails, land tour routes, island-hopping itineraries, and maritime tour routes, providing tourists an in-depth green tour experience. In addition, the Countryside Conservation Office under the EEB is dedicated to revitalising villages, and held the Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po ‘Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion’ Tour at Kuk Po in Sha Tau Kok from January to February 2025. The event blended local natural ecology, historical architecture and countryside culture, allowing the public to experience the unique charm of Hong Kong’s countryside.
 
     Through the Working Group for Sha Tau Kok Co-operation Zone set up under the Task Force for Collaboration on the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy under the Guangdong-Hong Kong and Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation mechanism, the CSTB collaborates with Shenzhen to promote the tourism development in Sha Tau Kok and nearby areas (including Kat O) under the overall principle of “low density, high quality” and through enriching its historical and cultural elements. The CSTB has also been encouraging the business sector to develop diversified tourism products. At present, Mainland visitors can conveniently enter Hong Kong through various boundary control points to join local tours, including eco-tourism itineraries in Hong Kong. Earlier on, in collaboration with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the CSTB actively engaged with the trade in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. For instance, the CSTB organised the Sha Tau Kok island-hopping familiarisation tour for the travel trade from Yantian District of Shenzhen in December last year, which included visits to Lai Chi Wo, Kat O and Ap Chau, etc, for designing Sha Tau Kok island-hopping tours after crossing the boundary from the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point.

     As regards the construction of piers for “co-location arrangement” for developing cross-boundary ferry routes between the eastern waters of Shenzhen and the NM area of Hong Kong as mentioned in part two of the question, it will indeed involve a number of complex considerations as mentioned in part three of the question, including the long-term market demand for the ferry routes concerned and the carrying capacity of the region; the infrastructure facilities that are required, the consequential change of planning as well as the economic and cost-effectiveness of the infrastructure investment; the security challenges that will have to be faced; and the potential impacts on the ecological environment, etc. which require long-term consideration by both sides of the governments. 
      
     Thank you President. read more