Tag Archives: China

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited relating to fraudulent websites and internet banking login screens, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the websites or login screens concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chun-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):

Question:

     The overseas Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs) are responsible for handling bilateral affairs between Hong Kong and the countries under their purview, as well as attracting businesses, investment and talent. It is learnt that in recent years, the Government has been actively expanding into the markets of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Middle East, encouraging Hong Kong enterprises to enter these markets and attracting companies from these regions to list in Hong Kong. It has also planned to establish ETOs in Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the staff establishment and expenditure for the ETOs in Dubai, Jakarta, Bangkok and Singapore in the past three years, as well as their proportion of the respective totals for all ETOs;

(2) whether the Government has reviewed the effectiveness of the work of the ETOs in attracting businesses, investment and talent; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as it is learnt that the Government has shifted its focus to Southeast Asia and the Middle East in response to developments in recent years, whether the Government has considered reviewing afresh the layout and resources of the ETOs (including staff establishment and deployment) in a timely manner, and allocating more relevant ETO resources to these regions to promote economic and trade co-operation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The staff establishment and total operational expenses of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs) in Dubai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore for the past three years are tabulated below:
 

ETO	2022-23		2023-24		2024-25 (Revised Estimate)
	Staff establish-ment (number of posts)	Total operational expenses* (HK$ million)	Staff establish-ment (number of posts)	Total operational expenses* (HK$ million)	Staff establish-ment (number of posts)	Total operational expenses* (HK$ million)
Dubai	17	25.0	17	25.4	17	33.1
Bangkok	17	27.2	17	26.7	17	27.2
Jakarta	14	23.4	14	25.5	14	22.8
Singapore	11	26.8	11	23.0	11	25.1

*Total operational expenses include personal emoluments, personnel related expenses, departmental expenses and other charges.

     The Dubai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore ETOs altogether account for 28 per cent of the total staff establishment of the 14 existing overseas ETOs, and about 24 per cent of their total operational expenses.

     Dedicated Teams for Attracting Businesses and Talents have been established under the overseas ETOs (Note) in line with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government’s “competing for talents and enterprises” strategy and objective. The Dedicated Teams actively reach out to high potential and representative strategic enterprises and talents, proactively co-operate with Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) to implement the performance indicator as set out in the 2022 Policy Address (viz. attracting at least a total of 1 130 companies to set up or expand their operations in Hong Kong from 2023 to 2025), and liaise with the world’s top 100 universities and Hong Kong residents studying or working overseas to promote Hong Kong’s opportunities and advantages, as well as various talent admission programmes, thereby encouraging them to settle in Hong Kong.

     In 2024, InvestHK assisted 539 Mainland or overseas enterprises in establishing and expanding their businesses in Hong Kong, representing an increase of over 40 per cent as compared with the full year figure for 2023. On a pro-rata basis, the figure well exceeded the performance indicator as set out in above-mentioned Policy Address. Among those 539 enterprises, 266 of them were from overseas, representing an increase of around 8 per cent when compared with that of 2023. The effectiveness of investment promotion work by the the Dedicated Teams based in overseas ETOs has been reflected in the overall results of InvestHK’s work in assisting overseas enterprises above.

     In addition, we have already set various indicators for evaluating the performance of the ETOs’ services, covering the three Programmes of “Commercial Relations”, “Public Relations” and “Investment Promotion”, and have set them out in the Controlling Officer’s Report.

     As mentioned in the 2025-26 Budget, in order to expand Hong Kong’s economic and trade network to cover more emerging markets, and to attract more inward investment and enterprises from the Global South markets to Hong Kong, we are following up actively with the governments of Malaysia and Saudi Arabia respectively on our plans to establish ETOs in these two countries. In addition, InvestHK set up new consultant offices in Cairo, Egypt in July 2024 and Izmir, Türkiye in January 2025, while the Hong Kong Trade Development Council has established a consultant office in Cambodia early this year to support the HKSAR Government’s effort to expand Hong Kong’s economic and trade network. We will continue to explore the feasibility of setting up new ETOs in different places, in particular emerging markets with potential taking into account all relevant factors (including the economic and political significance of different locations to Hong Kong, their state of law and order, air transport accessibility etc).

Note: Except for the Geneva ETO, and the Washington ETO which is primarily responsible for liaising with the political sector in the United States. read more

     The Department of Health (DH) today (April 2) released the “Student Health Service (SHS) Annual Health Report for 2023/24 School Year”, which summarised the key findings of the annual health assessment service provided to primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong during the school year. Among these findings, there has been an improvement regarding the overweight condition of primary school students but the proportion of students spending two hours or more using the Internet or electronic screen products for recreational purposes has increased, which is a situation that warrants attention.

     In the 2023/24 school year, around 257 000 primary school students and 173 000 secondary school students received annual health assessment services at the DH’s Student Health Service Centres (SHSCs). Students were provided with a series of health services, including growth monitoring, physical examinations, screenings for vision, hearing and scoliosis, health assessment questionnaires on health behaviours and psychosocial well-being, individual health counselling, health education and mop-up vaccinations.

     The health assessment revealed that the weight problems and dietary patterns among Hong Kong students remain unsatisfactory. The prevalence of being overweight (including obesity) among primary school students has decreased from 19.5 per cent in the 2022/23 school year to 16.4 per cent in the 2023/24 school year, which was a record low since the 2014/15 school year. However, the prevalence of being overweight (including obesity) among secondary school students remained high at 20.0 per cent. In the 2023/24 school year, 94.4 per cent of students reported insufficient physical activity, meaning that they were not able to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity per day. About 89.9 per cent of students (83.5 per cent primary and 97.0 per cent secondary school students) reported an inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables per day (i.e. an average of less than four servings for primary school students and less than five servings for secondary school students).

     “To prevent childhood and adolescent obesity from developing into a lifelong threat to health, the DH encourages students to adopt healthy lifestyles and maintain a balanced diet. The DH will continue to offer weight management advice through the SHSCs to students in need. Dietitians of the SHS will provide dietary counselling to individual students if indicated,” the Consultant Community Medicine (Family and Student Health) of the DH, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, said.

     The inappropriate use of electronic screen products should not be overlooked. The DH recommends children aged between 6 and 12 years old to limit recreational screen time to less than two hours a day. The health assessment questionnaire revealed that 43.3 per cent of primary school students indicated that they spent two or more hours in using Internet or electronic screen products (including computers, tablets, smartphones, video games and television) for recreational purposes on a typical school day. The proportion was higher than in the pre-COVID years of around 30 per cent. For secondary school students, the proportion was higher at 80.9 per cent, which is a cause for concern.

     Dr Chuang noted that, apart from reminding students of the appropriate recreational screen time, the DH has set up a webpage on Healthy Use of Internet and Electronic Screen Products to assist parents and teachers in handling related issues.

     The state of vision among Hong Kong students remains less than ideal. The proportion of primary one students wearing glasses was 14.3 per cent which was similar to that of the previous school year (14.8 per cent), but still much higher than that of the pre-COVID years of about 11 per cent. The proportion of students wearing glasses was higher among students at higher grades, up to 53.8 per cent among Primary Six students. Among the primary and secondary school students with a visual acuity test done in the 2023/24 school year, 18.5 per cent required further assessment by optometrists in the SHS or private sector due to a failed preliminary visual acuity test, other eye or visual problems.

     Regarding psychosocial health, a majority of students reported they very much enjoyed family life (94.3 per cent) and school life (92.4 per cent). However some students were identified to have psychosocial problems warranting attention. In the 2023/24 school year, 2.2 per cent and 1.0 per cent of students reported that they had planned or attempted to commit suicide in the past 12 months respectively, which were slightly lower than that in the previous school year (2.8 per cent planned and 1.3 per cent attempted to commit suicide) and are similar to the levels in the 2018/2019 school year. Professional staff of the DH promptly provided the students concerned (including some with emotional or mental health problems) with an immediate risk assessment, support or arranged referrals for further evaluation and management. In the 2023/24 school year, 1.4 per cent of students receiving annual health assessment services at the SHSCs were referred to the clinical psychologists of the SHS or other organisations, for further assessment and management of their psychosocial and behavioural problems.

     The Government has set up the 18111 – Mental Health Support Hotline to provide one-stop, round-the-clock support for people with mental health needs. The Government has also implemented the Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism through cross-departmental collaboration of the Education Bureau, the Health Bureau and the Social Welfare Department in all secondary schools in Hong Kong to ensure early identification and support for students at high risk, and provide timely assistance and seek professional counselling or treatment services for them.

     Furthermore, “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” announced that the Whole School Health Programme (WSHP) will be strengthened. Besides publishing this territory-wide health report, health reports will be compiled for each participating school to recommend targeted school‑based health promotion measures for physical activities, diet and other matters, to improve students’ physical and psychological wellbeing. So far, more than 760 schools have joined the WSHP, covering over 65 per cent of all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The DH will continue to encourage more schools to join through various channels and work towards realising the vision of “Making every school a health-promoting school”.

     At the same time, the Primary Healthcare Commission is actively promoting the Life Course Preventive Care Plan via the District Health Centres (DHCs), DHC Expresses and family doctors. A personalised preventive care plan will be formulated to address the health needs of citizens, including vaccinations required by children as well as prevention of infectious diseases, cancers and chronic diseases. The DHCs and DHC Expresses also provide children-targeted services, such as emotion management, weight management and healthy diet classes as well as collaborate with schools to provide outreach health education, health-risk factors assessment, low salt and sugar diet education and promotion activities. In the long run, the Government will integrate some of the DH’s primary healthcare services into the primary healthcare system, in order to enhance children’s healthcare services in Hong Kong and create a better environment for children’s medical care and healthy development.
      
     The “Student Health Service Annual Health Report for 2023/24 School Year” has been uploaded to the DH’s website as information for members of the public.

     “The DH has been safeguarding both the physical and psychological health of school children through health promotion and disease prevention services. The annual health assessment service aims to identify students with health problems at an early stage for timely advice and intervention, including referrals to appropriate organisations for further assessment or management. Enrolment is now open for the annual health assessment service of the 2024/25 school year. Students who have not yet enrolled are encouraged to enrol through their school or directly with the SHSCs,” Dr Chuang said.

     For more information on a healthy lifestyle, members of the public are welcome to browse the “@DH mobile application“, DH’s social media accounts, and scan the QR codes attached. read more

     The Government will introduce the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 into the Legislative Council (LegCo) to make miscellaneous amendments to various enactments. The opportunity is also taken to make straightforward adaptation or amendment of provisions of, or references in, various enactments that are inconsistent with the constitutional status of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; and to repeal obsolete provisions or references in various enactments.

     A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said today (April 2) that the proposed amendments in the Bill are mainly those arising from the Systematic Review of Statutory Laws of Hong Kong, as well as some amendments that do not relate to the exercise. The amendments included are largely minor, technical and non-controversial but are useful for the purpose of updating or improving the relevant legislation.

     In 2022, the Law Reform Commission Secretariat spearheaded the Systematic Review of Statutory Laws of Hong Kong, which consists of work mainly in three aspects: (1) adaptation of laws; (2) consolidation of laws; and (3) repeal of obsolete laws. Among them, the adaptation of laws refers to the process of identifying and amending certain provisions or references in enactments that were in force in Hong Kong before July 1, 1997, so that they are consistent with the Basic Law and the status of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and properly reflect the policy intent of the relevant policy bureaux.

     The Bill amends references including “Crown”, “Governor”, “Secretary of State”, and “Her Majesty”, as well as references to legislation of the United Kingdom, “overseas”, “country” and “country or territory”, among others, in various enactments. It also updates or amends certain texts, references or terminology in specific ordinances and subsidiary legislation. Furthermore, the Bill repeals a number of enactments, or certain provisions or references therein, which have become obsolete, and makes miscellaneous minor or technical amendments to some enactments.

     No objection has been received from stakeholders whom the relevant policy bureau or independent body had consulted, as necessary, in respect of the proposed amendments concerned. The Department of Justice has issued an information paper to the LegCo Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services in February this year, briefing members of the Panel on the major legislative proposals to be included in the Bill.

     The Bill will be gazetted tomorrow (April 3) and will be introduced into the LegCo on April 16. read more

     The Department of Health (DH) today (April 2) announced that a licensed manufacturer of proprietary Chinese medicines (pCm), Merika Medicine Factory Ltd (Merika), located on Wong Chuk Yeung Street, Fo Tan, New Territories, had not manufactured a pCm for external use called “Golden Statue Cinnamon Oil & Embrocation” according to the registered particulars and was therefore suspected of illegal sale and possession of unregistered pCm. The DH has immediately requested Merika to recall the batch of product concerned (batch number: 427141) from the market.
 
     During an inspection yesterday (April 1), the DH found that the above-mentioned pCm manufacturer was suspected to have changed one of the active ingredients from Cinnamon Oil to Ceylon Cinnamon Leaf Oil during the production of a registered pCm named “Golden Statue Cinnamon Oil & Embrocation” (Registration number: HKC-02106), without the approval of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (CMCHK). According to the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap.549), since the product did not match the registered particulars of the registered pCm, the batch of the product concerned is therefore an unregistered pCm.
 
     According to section 119 of the Ordinance, no person shall sell, import or possess any pCm unless it is registered. The maximum penalty is a fine of $100,000 and two years’ imprisonment. The DH will seek advice from the Department of Justice on prosecution matters upon completion of the investigation and will refer the case to the CMCHK for consideration of possible disciplinary action.
 
     According to its label, the above product, in liniment form, is used to expel wind and relieve pain and itching. Although Cinnamon Oil and Ceylon Cinnamon Leaf Oil come from different species of plants within the same family and have similar actions, the safety, efficacy and quality of unregistered pCm had not been assessed. Members of the public who have purchased the batch of the product should stop using it immediately. Those who have used the above product and feel unwell should seek advice from healthcare professionals. As instructed by the DH, Merika is conducting the above-mentioned recall and has set up a hotline (2699 1410) for related enquiries.

     The DH is continuing to investigate the case and will closely monitor the recall. So far, no adverse reports related to the use of the above product have been received by the DH.

     Apart from returning the product to Merika, people who have the batch of the product concerned may submit it to the DH’s Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office on 16/F, AIA Kowloon Tower, Landmark East, 100 How Ming Street, Kwun Tong, during office hours for disposal.

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