â€‹The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr Meng Fanli, at Government House today (April 24) to exchange views on further deepening Hong Kong's co-operation with Shenzhen and promoting the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Also attending the meeting were the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip.
      
     Mr Lee welcomed Mr Meng's visit to Hong Kong with his delegation. Mr Lee said that the relationship between Hong Kong and Shenzhen has always been close, with frequent flows of people. Under the Hong Kong/Shenzhen co-operation mechanism, Hong Kong and Shenzhen have set up various working groups to promote collaboration in a wide range of key areas including the Northern Metropolis, innovation and technology, finance, commerce and trade, youth employment and entrepreneurship, and Qianhai. The governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen have been making steady progress in various co-operation areas to propel the co-operation of the two places to new heights.
      
     Mr Lee pointed out that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government jointly held the first meeting of Task Force on the Development of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone in early February this year to exchange views on promoting and implementing the Overall Development Plan for the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone more effectively, and deepening the collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The HKSAR Government will continue to actively maintain close communication with the Shenzhen Municipal Government, and enhance collaboration to jointly promote the high-quality development of the GBA.
      
     The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (Co-operation Zone) lies at the convergence of the Northern Metropolis and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen innovation and technology corridor, and is one of the major platforms for co-operation in the GBA under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. Noting that the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park will soon enter its operational phase, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong will continue to work closely with Shenzhen to leverage the advantages of "one zone, two parks" under the "one country, two systems" principle in the Co-operation Zone to create new quality productive forces at a faster pace.
      
     Mr Lee said that Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on its advantages in basic scientific research, finance, talent and professional services, and internationalisation, with a view to playing its crucial role in leading the development of the GBA, and implementing the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits with Shenzhen to make greater contributions to the country's development.

  

     The Civil Service College (CSC) of the Civil Service Bureau held the "Holistic View of National Security" seminar series, on the topic of "Global Economic Change and National Security", today (April 24). The seminar was delivered by the Director for the Institute of World Economic Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Mr Zhang Yuncheng.
 
     On the 10th anniversary of the promulgation of the holistic approach to national security, Mr Zhang highlighted in the seminar China's achievements in safeguarding and strengthening national security over the past decade. He also discussed the current global situation on economic and financial security and how they could be safeguarded by adopting the holistic approach to national security, enlightening civil servants on how Hong Kong could play a more active role in co-ordinating development and security.
 
     Addressing the seminar, the Head of the CSC, Mr Oscar Kwok, stressed that national security training forms a significant part of national studies training. Following the implementation of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, relevant contents of civil service training have been suitably updated. Apart from strengthening civil servants' basic understanding of national security legal provisions, training offered by the CSC places emphasis on the holistic approach to national security. It aims to deepen civil servants' in-depth and comprehensive understanding of national security concepts and enable them to act in concert with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in fulfilling its responsibility of safeguarding national security. With Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, civil servants must understand the country's development and challenges in economic and financial security and effectively prevent and mitigate risks.
 
     Over 200 officers, including middle and senior-level civil servants and politically appointed officials, attended the seminar today, and some participants took part in the seminar through video-conferencing.
 
     The series consists of seven seminars, covering topics such as national security in the rise and fall of great nations, and the opportunities and challenges of technological development for safeguarding national security. The series provides a comprehensive and multi-perspective analysis of the development of the holistic approach to national security, its main content, the challenges of safeguarding national security, and its significance to the country's development. The seminars are delivered by experts from China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations or the Center for a Holistic Approach to National Security.

      

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon David Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (April 24):

Question:

     Since the Medical Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (the Amendment Ordinance) came into effect on October 29 2021, the Government has announced a total of 100 medical qualifications recognised by the Special Registration Committee. Non-locally trained doctors who possess the recognised medical qualifications, subject to their fulfilment of relevant criteria, may apply for the special registration pathway to practise in the public healthcare institutions (i.e. the Hospital Authority, Department of Health, the University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong) in Hong Kong. For non-locally trained medical graduates who possess the recognised medical qualifications but have yet to undergo internship outside Hong Kong, subject to their fulfilment of relevant criteria, they may take the Licensing Examination (LE) of the Medical Council of Hong Kong in order to apply for the special registration pathway to practise in the public healthcare institutions in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of doctors practising in the aforesaid healthcare institutions through the special registration pathway each year since the Amendment Ordinance came into effect, and set out in Table 1 a breakdown by source region/country (i.e. (i) the Mainland, (ii) the United Kingdom, (iii) Australia, (iv) New Zealand, (v) Canada, (vi) the United States, (vii) Singapore, (viii) South Africa and (ix) India);

Table 1

(2) among the doctors mentioned in (1), of the number of those who possess specialist qualifications, and set out in Table 2 a breakdown by specialist qualification;

Table 2

(3) of the number of non-locally trained medical graduates who have directly taken and passed LE in Hong Kong without undergoing internship outside Hong Kong each year since the Amendment Ordinance came into effect; and

(4) of the number of non-locally trained medical graduates receiving specialist training in Hong Kong each year since the Amendment Ordinance came into effect, and set out in Table 3 a breakdown by specialty?

Table 3

Reply:

President,

     The Government has been addressing the shortage of doctors in the public healthcare system through a multipronged strategy, including the admission of qualified non-locally trained doctors to work in the public healthcare system. To that end, the Government amended the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161) (MRO) to introduce special registration (SR) on top of the existing limited registration (LR), so as to broaden the pathways for qualified non-locally trained doctors to practise in Hong Kong. Since the gazettal of the first batch of recognised medical qualifications for the purpose of SR in April 2022 to the fourth batch in June 2023, a total of 100 medical qualifications offered by 80 universities from nine places were recognised. In the meantime, the Hospital Authority (HA), the Department of Health (DH) and the medical schools of two universities have been jointly recruiting non-locally trained doctors under SR and LR or arranging for exchange of professionals overseas and in the Mainland since 2022 with a view to increasing the manpower of doctors in the public healthcare system. 

     The reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon David Lam is as follows:

(1) and (2) According to the information from the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK), the number of applications for SR and LR in 2022-23 and 2023-24, their employment institutions, countries/places where the applicants obtained medical qualifications, and the number of applicants who have acquired specialist qualifications are set out below:

Note 1: Refers to the number of applicants and approved applicants in 2022-23 and 2023-24, excluding application for renewal. 
Note 2: The remaining one application has been approved in April 2024.
Note 3: The remaining one application is being processed.
Note 4: The SR of eight of the remaining individuals took effect after March 31, 2024. The SR of another one individual was terminated in January 2024, and one other individual passed the Licensing Examination of the MCHK in February 2024 and obtained full registration.
Note 5: Includes Mainland China, Macau and Taiwan region.
Note 6: The countries/places that those 42 doctors under LR concern countries/places are concerned with are the Czech Republic (2 people), the Philippines (10 people), Sri Lanka (1 person), Ireland (8 people), France (1 person), Italy (1 person), the Netherlands (1 person), Argentina (1 person), Malaysia (6 people), Thailand (1 person), Saudi Arabia (1 person), Russia (2 people), Japan (1 person), Turkey (1 person), Poland (1 person), Germany (1 person), Myanmar (1 person), Indonesia (1 person) and Pakistan (1 person).
Note 7: Refers to the number of specialists whose names are included in the Specialist Register of the MCHK as at March 31, 2024, by specialties.

(3) According to the information from the MCHK, since the enactment of the Medical Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, there is as yet no non-locally trained medical graduate, who is a Hong Kong permanent resident holding a recognised medical qualification but has not participated in internship elsewhere, to directly take part in the local Licensing Examination under section 7A(1)(b)(ii) of the MRO.

(4) According to the information from the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM), the numbers of non-locally trained doctors admitted by Academy Colleges under the HKAM for specialist training from 2021 to 2023 are as follows:

Note 8: The College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong College of Pathologists, the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists and the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong did not admit non-locally trained doctors in 2021. 
Note 9: The College of Dental Surgeons of Hong Kong, the College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong College of Otorhinolaryngologists, the Hong Kong College of Pathologists, the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists did not admit non-locally trained doctors in 2022. 

     Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, in the Legislative Council today (April 24):

Question:

     To better leverage Hong Kong's advantage of being "backed by the motherland and connected to the world" and nurture high-quality foreign-related legal talents with an international perspective, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has, with the support of the Central Government, built close co-operative relationships and made standing secondment arrangements with various international legal bodies, including the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific. Nine young solicitors, barristers and Government Counsels have been seconded to the HCCH and the UNIDROIT so far. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) how the Department of Justice (DoJ) selected legal professionals in the public and private sectors who applied for various secondment programmes to international organisations (secondment programmes) in the past three years;

(2) of the number of solicitors at local small and medium-sized law firms selected for various secondment programmes in the past five years;

(3) whether the DoJ has plans to build co-operative relationships with more international legal bodies, so as to provide continuous training opportunities in the practice of foreign-related legal affairs for local legal talents; if so, of the details; and

(4) how the DoJ plans to integrate the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy to be established with various existing secondment programmes, so as to enhance Hong Kong's function as an international legal services centre?

Reply:

President,

(1) Regarding the secondment programmes to the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), information about the secondment programmes (including eligibility criteria and application procedures) and promotional materials will be posted on the website of the Department of Justice (DoJ) during the application period. Through the relevant open recruitment procedures, legal professionals from the public and private sectors may apply to participate in the secondment programmes. The present arrangement (including eligibility criteria for the secondees) was the outcome of discussion between the Administration and the international organisations concerned. In the selection process, through the written applications submitted and various rounds of interviews, the applicants are assessed as to whether they possess the required knowledge and skills and their suitability evaluated.

(2) Regarding the secondment programmes to the HCCH and the UNIDROIT, all qualifying legal professionals from the public and private sectors (irrespective of the size of the law firms they work in) are welcome to apply. Since the standing arrangements have been put in place, a total of nine local legal professionals have participated in the said secondment programmes, three of them are solicitors in private practice (i.e. one third of the said total) who have worked in law firms of different sizes.

(3) Apart from establishing close collaborative relationships with the HCCH, the UNIDROIT and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, the DoJ has also developed co-operative linkages with the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre and the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) Preparatory Office. The AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre officially settled in the Hong Kong Legal Hub in May 2022 and, for the first time, organised the third AALCO Annual Arbitration Forum 2023 on December 5 and 6, 2023, in Hong Kong. The DoJ further looks forward to establishing a closer collaborative relationship with IOMed after its establishment and official settlement in Hong Kong.

     The DoJ will continue to actively explore the development of and deepen the collaborative relationship with various international legal organisations, including seconding local legal personnel to these organisations, jointly organising various practical legal courses, seminars and international exchange activities, with a view to providing local legal personnel with continual training opportunities on foreign-related legal matters, and to facilitating local legal personnel to enhance professional exchanges of experience with the counterparts, experts and academics in the Mainland and overseas.

(4) The DoJ will set up a dedicated office and an expert committee within 2024 to facilitate the establishment of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy. Riding on the existing foundation of a capacity building centre, the Academy will organise regular practical legal courses, seminars, international exchange activities, etc, in order to actively nurture legal talents, facilitate talent exchange along the Belt and Road regions, and nurture legal talents conversant in international law, common law, civil law and national legal systems for our country (including the Greater Bay Area) and other Belt and Road countries.

     The DoJ anticipates that the Academy will co-ordinate the existing capacity building programmes and relevant resources and, together with the current secondment programmes with various international legal organisations, strengthen the role of Hong Kong as an international legal services centre and fully utilise Hong Kong's unique advantages as a common law jurisdiction. The dedicated office to be set up within 2024 will holistically review the relevant factors and formulate a long-term plan, which would include the training of talents conversant in foreign-related legal matters, secondment and training opportunities, as well as the resources requirements of the Academy.

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, met with the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Qingdao Municipal Committee, Shandong Province, Mr Meng Qingbin, today (April 24) to exchange views on deepening tourism co-operation.
      
     Mr Yeung said, "Starting from March 6, the Central Government has expanded the Individual Visit Scheme to Qingdao. Contacts between residents in Hong Kong and those in Qingdao will become more frequent. A steady increase in the number of visitors from Qingdao shows that relevant enhancement measures are warmly welcomed by Qingdao residents. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is grateful for the Central Government's policy to benefit Hong Kong, and will definitely welcome visitors with hospitality. Friends from Qingdao are welcome to visit Hong Kong any time to experience our unique local culture."
      
     Hong Kong and Shandong Province both are rich in tourism resources, giving the two places an edge in developing tourism activities. Shandong Province has been actively developing its cultural industry to build an internationally renowned cultural tourism destination, with its geographical location offering natural resources for tourism. International cruise companies have resumed various journeys to cover Hong Kong and Qingdao. Hong Kong will continue to utilise its position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange to offer more exchange opportunities to people of both places.