Tag Archives: China

     The Health Bureau (HHB) rolled out a fresh round of publicity for eHealth today (June 15) under the theme “Healthy future is within your grasp” to call on members of the public to make the best use of the eHealth mobile application for managing health condition of their own and that of their family members. TV and radio Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) were premiered tonight and a mobile truck “Mobile Health Station” will tour around the city from this Saturday (June 17) till the end of this month to assist members of the public to register with eHealth and download the mobile application.
      
     Introduced in 2016, the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHealth) allows citizens to store their personal health records on an electronic platform which connects various healthcare service providers in the public and private sectors. Individual healthcare service provider may view and share electronic health records of the citizen concerned with his or her consent for the citizen to enjoy continued healthcare services. Apart from the public hospitals and clinics, all the 13 local private hospitals and about 2 800 other private healthcare organisations are also registered healthcare service providers of the eHealth. As at the end of May this year, over 3 billion medical records of more than 5.7 million citizens (viz. about 80 per cent of the population) have been shared on eHealth and over 2.9 million of downloads via its mobile application were also recorded since its launch.
      
     A spokesman of the HHB said, “eHealth is a privacy protected, personal life-long electronic health record. It can ensure that patients and healthcare service providers may view and share digital medical data of health records on a secured electronic platform without any worries.”
      
     The eHealth has been enriched with new features from time to time and its mobile application is in place for members of the public to record and manage their own health condition, including medical appointments, uploading of vaccination records, and self-record of own blood pressure, blood sugar and heart rate. The HHB is also exploring to cover test results relating to blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar in the eHealth mobile application. The HHB has just revamped the interface of eHealth mobile application this March. The new interface enables users to customise according to their user habits and needs the access to an array of health information and part of their own health records such as vaccination records, medication, appointments, allergies, adverse drug reactions as well as Elderly Health Care Voucher balance at a glance. The eHealth App supports iOS, Android and Huawei mobile devices.
      
     To encourage registration with eHealth and provide users with more convenience in adopting the mobile app as a handy daily tool to monitor their own health, the HHB launched a fresh round of publicity. On top of the premiere show of TV and radio APIs tonight, the eHealth mobile truck will visit some 30 locations across the city (see the Annex) from this Saturday (June 17) onwards to assist members of the public to register with eHealth. Staff on site will help participants to download the mobile application and introduce to them the many features of the mobile application. Body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure measurement services will also be provided on the spot with staff guiding citizens to input the data in the eHealth mobile application. No appointment or charge is required for joining the event and eHealth souvenirs will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.
      
     Looking ahead, the HHB will leverage such an extensive healthcare user base built via the eHealth over the years to establish further collaboration with private healthcare institutions in uploading healthcare data. The move aims at transforming eHealth from a basic health record sharing system across different healthcare service providers into a comprehensive infrastructure underpinning different tiers and sectors supporting the overall healthcare system, thereby ensuring delivery of continuous healthcare for individuals.
      
     The spokesman added, “To this end, the Government is working to transform eHealth into a comprehensive and integrated healthcare information infrastructure with a patient-centric perspective under the guiding principle of ‘one patient, one health record’ so that the upgraded eHealth will serve as the backbone for supporting the healthcare development.”
      
     Taken into account the views of various stakeholders, the Government will launch beta projects with healthcare IT solution partners in order to deepen the understanding on actual operational needs, foster technical exchanges and cooperation and garner more practical experience, with a view to laying a solid foundation in the technical aspect for data sharing and enhancement of further integration between private healthcare IT systems and the eHealth.
      
     More information on eHealth can be found on its designated website: www.ehealth.gov.hk/en/index.html.

    

     â€‹The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (June 15) received over 400 senior representatives from Mainland and foreign companies at an Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) reception, thanking them for their lasting confidence in Hong Kong’s business environment and calling upon them to continue using the city’s global advantage to expand their business worldwide.

     Mr Lee said that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of the strong support of the motherland and the close connections with the world. He said that Hong Kong is indeed the only city in the world that converges both the China advantage and the global advantage. With the full support of the Central Government, as well as the plentiful opportunities under such national strategies as the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong is the best place for investors to start and expand their business operations, Mr Lee said.

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, also attended and joined Mr Lee to offer a toast to the guests.

     In his welcome remarks, the Acting Director-General of Investment Promotion, Dr Jimmy Chiang, said, “This is an exciting time for Hong Kong and Mainland and foreign businesses operating here. At InvestHK our job is to help you grow by capturing these new and emerging opportunities. That is why we are both working in close collaboration across the Government and with key partners, as well as having aligned our team with our Government’s policy priorities. This is all to enable us to help you achieve even more.”

     The over 400 guests from various sectors attending the reception had been assisted by InvestHK over the past three years in setting up business in Hong Kong.
      
     InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to attract foreign direct investment and support Mainland and overseas businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It has nine sector teams catering to the needs of different companies, and in recent years expanded with new pillars, namely, the fintech and family office units to attract companies in these areas to set up in Hong Kong and develop a comprehensive ecosystem.

     For photos of the reception, please visit: www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72177720309062236.

      

     â€‹The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, and the Director General of the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Li Kuiwen, led delegations to attend the 2023 Annual Review Meeting between Hong Kong and Guangdong Customs held in Hong Kong today (June 15). 

     The meeting reviewed the co-operation between the Guangdong and Hong Kong Customs on clearance facilitation, anti-smuggling, combating cross-boundary drug trafficking, intellectual property rights protection and staff training over the past two years. 

     The two Customs administrations reached consensus on a series of co-operation plans at the meeting. On customs clearance, the two sides will proactively facilitate development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and explore new co-operation initiatives, including strengthening various trade facilitation measures and pressing ahead with the development of a new trade corridor of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to enhance customs clearance efficiency and create a more advantageous business environment. They will also continue to combat cross-boundary smuggling and drug trafficking activities, protect intellectual property rights, and strengthen the risk prevention and control mechanism of the Customs of the GBA through intelligence exchanges and joint operations. 

     To enhance the enforcement and management capabilities of Customs officers of both administrations, they will continue to provide mutual training programmes and arrange visits and exchange activities. In addition, both pledged to deepen the understanding of enterprises and the public of both sides about Customs’ duties through publicity campaigns and education.

    

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (June 15) met the Executive Vice President of the National Academy of Governance (NAG) in charge of daily operations, Mr Xie Chuntao, at the Central Government Offices and together witnessed the signing of the Agreement on the Dedicated National Studies Programme for Senior Directorate Civil Servants between the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) and the NAG, signifying a new stage of collaboration between the HKSAR Government and the NAG.

     The Agreement on the Dedicated National Studies Programme for Senior Directorate Civil Servants was signed by the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, and the Director-General of the International and Hong Kong and Macau Training Center of the NAG, Mr Xie Yutong. The dedicated programme aims to enhance participants’ knowledge about the country’s policies of governance, deepen their understanding of the country’s political system and formulation of important policies, and strengthen their communication and contact with senior Mainland officials for further mutual exchanges. The programme to be held on the Mainland includes lectures and site visits, with contents covering the Constitution, the Basic Law, safeguarding national security and the country’s latest policies and developments.

     Before the agreement signing ceremony, Mr Lee met with the delegation from the NAG led by Mr Xie, to exchange views on further strengthening collaboration.
 
     Mr Xie was invited by the CSB to deliver a talk on “The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation”, reviewing the glorious journey of the CPC which united and led the people in continuous exploration and relentless struggle towards the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The talk also introduced the historic achievements and transformation since the 18th National Congress of the CPC as well as a series of strategic plans outlined during the 20th National Congress of the CPC, elaborating the scientific connotation and significant implications of promoting Chinese modernisation in achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
 
     The talk was attended by Mr Lee and around 350 senior officials, including Secretaries of Departments, Directors of Bureaux and other politically appointed officials, as well as Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments, and other senior directorate officers of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. 
 
     At the talk, Mr Lee thanked the academy for having long been giving strong support to the HKSAR Government’s training work. He said that the talk enabled senior government officials and civil servants to have a deeper understanding of the governance philosophy and mission of the CPC, and to have a more accurate appreciation of the country’s policies of governance, so that the HKSAR Government can play a more active role in supporting the overall development of the country.
 
     Mr Lee pointed out that the civil service was a key component of the HKSAR governance system, shouldering the responsibility of implementing the principle of “one country, two systems” and supporting the administration of the HKSAR Government. To effectively perform their duties, civil servants must understand the country, and fully appreciate the leadership role and mission of the CPC in the country. He expected the attending officials to better serve Hong Kong in their respective positions and better leverage the distinctive advantages of Hong Kong under “one country, two systems” and its unique advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, so as to better serve Hong Kong and the country, and contribute to the realisation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation. 
 
     Mr Leung said at the talk that the CSB, through the Civil Service College, had been making on-going efforts to enhance civil service training so as to strengthen civil servants’ sense of national identity and patriotism, and a shared commitment to serve the country and Hong Kong. The NAG has been a key partner in civil service training for the HKSAR Government. More opportunities will be provided for civil servants at different levels to learn about the journey of the country’s development, and appreciate the relationship between the country’s achievements and development, and Hong Kong.

                

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (Sydney ETO) hosted a business seminar in Melbourne, Australia, today (June 15) to promote the latest developments in logistics, maritime and aviation in Hong Kong.

     Addressing the seminar in a virtual speech, the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, said that Hong Kong, with an unbeatable location in the world’s most vibrant markets, excels in the logistics, maritime and aviation sectors.

     “Under the unique principle of ‘one country, two systems’, we are blessed with the unwavering support of national strategies while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world. The National 14th Five-Year Plan has supported the development of the international maritime centre and international aviation hub in Hong Kong,” he said.

     On the logistics and maritime front, Mr Lam said that the Government has been actively promoting tax concessions and sustainability to create a welcoming ecosystem for international maritime enterprises to thrive in Hong Kong. A Task Force on Maritime and Port Development Strategy has been set up to accelerate the growth of Hong Kong’s high value-added maritime services.

     He also highlighted the significant developments in aviation, including the much-anticipated Three-Runway System and the far-sighted initiative of transforming Hong Kong International Airport into an Airport City and a continuous increase in e-commerce cargo handling capacity.   
 
     Mr Lam added that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has dedicated much effort in nurturing talent in these sectors, notably with the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy and the Maritime and Aviation Training Fund. A Maritime Services Traineeship Scheme will also be launched this year to provide traineeship for young people who aspire to a career in maritime law in Hong Kong.   
     
     The Director of the Sydney ETO, Miss Trista Lim, said in her opening remarks that the Government has rolled out a raft of proactive initiatives to attract top talent and strategic businesses worldwide to tap the boundless opportunities in Hong Kong. She encouraged participants to take part in the upcoming Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference in November in Hong Kong and experience the vibrancy of the city first-hand.

     Prominent representatives from the logistics, maritime and aviation sectors took part in a panel discussion to share their valuable insights about market trends in the three sectors and the unique strengths of Hong Kong for relevant businesses to grow and scale.

     The seminar was jointly organised by the Sydney ETO, Invest Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Australian Trade and Logistics Corporation. Another edition of the seminar will be held in Sydney, Australia, on July 6.