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     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, led a delegation comprising 20 representatives from the Hong Kong legal sector and visited Guangzhou and Shenzhen today (June 8). The delegation arrived at the first stop of the visit, Guangzhou, and visited the People's Government of Guangdong Province, the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court and the Guangzhou Internet Court.

     Mr Lam called on the People's Government of Guangdong Province in the morning. He met with the Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Zhizhong. Mr Wang was accompanied by the Director-General of the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province, Mr Chen Xudong, the Director of the General Office of the High People's Court of Guangdong Province, Mr Deng Juliang, and other officials.

     During the meeting, both sides discussed matters on the taking forward of the work of the working group on Guangdong-Hong Kong co-operation on legal and dispute resolution services, and also the preparation for the fifth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Legal Departments Joint Conference. They also exchanged views on the taking forward of the trial measure of the GBA Legal Professional Examination.

     Mr Lam stressed that the delegation composing of not only colleagues of the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Intellectual Property Department, but also representatives from the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association. He said that the DoJ will continue to promote the alignment of rules, harmonisation of mechanisms and exchange of talents in the GBA and also encourage the Hong Kong legal sector to anchor to the principle of "learning, sharing, and exploring" so as to further contribute to the high-quality development of the GBA.

     In the afternoon, Mr Lam visited the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court to learn about the organisation structure and the work of the Court. Mr Lam participated in a roundtable meeting with the President of the Court, Mr Hong Shiquan, the Vice President of the Court, Mr Li Chisen, and other officials. During the meeting, the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, Mr Thomas Tsang, shared the latest developments of Hong Kong's legal regime on intellectual property rights. Representatives from the Hong Kong legal sector shared practical experience in handling intellectual property cases, for example, the difficulties in verifying expert evidence. Representatives from the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court also shared the latest development on the legal protection of intellectual property rights in the Mainland and in the adjudication of foreign-related intellectual property rights cases.

     Mr Lam agreed to further promote the use of mediation to resolve disputes on intellectual property rights and strengthen collaboration of the stakeholders of both sides on the proof of Hong Kong law and Mainland law, thereby facilitating the handling of legal matters and dispute resolution of intellectual property rights in the GBA in a more efficient manner.
      
     Mr Lam then called on the Guangzhou Internet Court. He was briefed by the Vice President of the Court, Ms Tian Hui, on the Court's organisation, scope of cases, notable decisions, and the process of online mediation and litigation. Through exchanges and discussions, Mr Lam also learned how the Court capitalises on innovative technology to efficiently resolve disputes.
      
     Mr Lam then met with the President of the High People's Court of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Haibo. The two sides agreed to deepen collaboration, actively explore different modes of co-operation and exchanges, and jointly contribute to the strengthening of the rule of law in the GBA.
      
     Mr Lam will continue his visit in Shenzhen tomorrow (June 9).

        

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (June 8) strongly opposed the sending of a letter by the United States (US) Congressional-Executive Commission on China to the UK Prime Minister which interferes in judicial proceedings of the HKSAR in a court case involving Lai Chee-ying, and also vehemently condemned the US politicians' attempt to procure the imposition of so-called "sanctions" on judicial officers and prosecutors who have been discharging their duties of administration of justice independently and impartially.

     A spokesman for the HKSAR Government said, "The HKSAR Government strongly objects to the purely politically oriented remarks of the US politicians. Making a statement with the intent to interfere with or obstruct the course of justice, or engaging in conduct with the same intent, may even constitute the offence of criminal contempt of court or the offence of perverting the course of justice.

     "Pursuant to Article 63 of the Basic Law, the Department of Justice controls criminal prosecutions, free from any interference. The prosecutors act strictly in accordance with a longstanding international practice that the decision to prosecute will only take into consideration the applicable laws and the admissible evidence to justify instituting proceedings. Cases will never be handled any differently owing to the political beliefs or backgrounds of the persons involved."

     The spokesman stressed, "Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law and has always adhered to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers held accountable. Hong Kong's judicial system has always been highly regarded by international communities. Article 85 of the Basic Law clearly stipulates that the the Judiciary shall exercise judicial power independently in accordance with the law, free from any interference. As guaranteed by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights, everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to a fair hearing.

     "Safeguarding national security falls within the internal affairs of a sovereign jurisdiction, and hence the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law in the HKSAR should be free from any form of interference. The US politicians' arbitrary and unreasonable bullying act has seriously violated international norms and grossly interfered in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs at large. It is a blatant attempt to undermine the rule of law of Hong Kong and will only expose their own weakness and be doomed to fail."

     The Women Empowerment Fund was officially launched today (June 8). The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, officiated at the launching ceremony of the Fund.
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Chan said that the Government attaches great importance to supporting women's development. After the Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address the establishment of the Fund, the Government has set aside $100 million in this year's Budget to strengthen support for women's development. This provision will be injected into the Fund to subsidise women's organisations and relevant non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to further facilitate women's development of their own potential and self-enhancement. The Fund will also help with child care to meet the need of working women.

     He said, "I congratulate the official launch of the Fund. I wish every woman could unleash their full potential and shine at different positions and live a fruitful life."
 
     Miss Mak encouraged women's organisations and relevant NGOs to apply for and make good use of the Fund to organise programmes conducive to women's development so as to achieve women empowerment.
 
     She said, "In future, the Government will continue to work with members of the community to provide an enabling environment for women and inspire more women to advance at the forefront of the times and to become builders of the great cause, advocates of civic virtues and followers of their own dreams."
 
     Also officiating at the reception were the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam, and the Chairperson of the Women's Commission, Ms Chan Yuen-han.
 
     The Fund aims to empower women, regardless of their age, occupation and background, to unleash their full potential in their respective roles. The Fund is divided into general projects and thematic projects. The funding cap of each one-year and two-year general project is $400,000 and $800,000 respectively. For thematic projects this year, namely the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Exchange Programmes, each project shall be completed within one year and the funding cap is $120,000.

     The Fund accepts two rounds of applications each year, and is now open for the first round of application. The Guide to Application and the application form have been uploaded to the thematic website (www.wef.gov.hk). Women's organisations and NGOs may submit applications on or before July 7.

      

     A spokesman for the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) today (June 8) said that the Inter-departmental Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel (the Working Group) led by the EEB has given agreement-in-principle to three more applications of trial projects on hydrogen fuel technology at its meeting on June 7.
 
     The three projects given agreement-in-principle this time concern one application submitted by Sinopec (Hong Kong) Limited to try out a hydrogen refuelling station at Au Tau, Yuen Long, one application submitted by MTR Corporation Limited to conduct a test run with a hydrogen fuelled light rail vehicle (LRV) in Tuen Mun not involved in carrying passengers, and one application submitted by Linde HKO Limited to try out the use of a hydrogen tube trailer to deliver hydrogen to a hydrogen fuelled LRV. 
 
     A spokesman of the EEB said, "The Working Group received the above three applications of trial projects between September and November last year, and has subsequently examined these applications and provided advice to the applicants. Following the applicants' enhancement on the designs and technical details to ensure that the trial projects can be carried out smoothly and safely, the Working Group has given agreement-in-principle to the three applications at its meeting on June 7 this year. Amongst them, for the hydrogen fuelling station at Au Tau, Yuen Long, planning permission in relation to such use has to be sought from the Town Planning Board separately. According to the targets of the applicants, the trial project on the hydrogen refuelling station at Au Tau, Yuen Long, and the two trial projects related to a hydrogen fueled LRV will commence in mid-2024 and the second half of 2024 respectively."
 
     Together with the first batch of three applications given agreement-in-principle on March 28 this year, the Working Group has examined and given agreement-in-principle to a total of six trial projects. The Working Group will closely monitor the progress of the various projects, continue to examine other applications and require the applicants to incorporate the Working Group's comments for enhancing their trial projects. Through the use of applicable interim standards as well as data and experiences collected from various trial projects on hydrogen fuel technology, the Government endeavours to get prepared as early as possible for the local application and provision of supporting facilities in future.
 
     The spokesman supplemented, "The Working Group has also examined the government departments' plans to commence trials of hydrogen fuel cell heavy vehicles for street cleaning via a contractor engaged by them. We expect to commence the trials by next year. In addition, the Government's target is to complete within this year the ongoing consultancy studies on formulation of technical guidelines pertinent to a hydrogen fuel system, a hydrogen refuelling station and quantitative risk assessment. The Government also plans to engage a consultant in the third quarter of this year to study the details amending the Gas Safety Ordinance (Cap. 51) to cover hydrogen fuel and conduct the business impact assessment.
 
     "We will also closely monitor the development of other new energy transport technologies, and keep pace with the global development, with a view to working out a practicable strategy for Hong Kong to promote carbon emission reduction through green transport. Our targets by 2025 are to announce a roadmap for the promotion of electric public transport and commercial vehicles, as well as formulating the long-term strategies for the application of hydrogen energy in land transport, in order to help guide Hong Kong towards zero vehicular emissions before 2050." 
 
     The Working Group is formed by the EEB, the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Environmental Protection Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Fire Services Department, the Transport Department, the Marine Department, the Planning Department, the Lands Department, the Buildings Department and the Architectural Services Department.