Tag Archives: China

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met the Governor of Shandong Province, Mr Zhou Naixiang, today (May 29) to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Shandong. Also attending the meeting were the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Carol Yip.
      
     Mr Lee welcomed Mr Zhou’s visit to Hong Kong with his delegation to organise the 2023 Hong Kong-Macao-Shandong week. He expressed gratitude to the Shandong Provincial Government for the continued support of various departments on the work of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai and the Shandong Liaison Unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, and said that the HKSAR Government will continue to deepen co-operation with Shandong Province on various fronts, jointly expanding the room for further development.
      
     Mr Lee said that Shandong is a coastal and major economic province, and plays an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative. Noting that Hong Kong is an international financial centre and the world’s largest offshore Renminbi business hub, as well as an international trade, shipping and logistics hub, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong can provide Shandong with the investment and financing platform and professional services support required by projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, acting as an essential bridge between Shandong and the global market. Mr Lee welcomed Shandong to continue to use Hong Kong as the prime platform for Mainland enterprises to “go global” and attract foreign investments.
      
     Mr Lee also noted that the HKSAR Government has always attached great importance to youth development. In recent years, the HKSAR Government has collaborated with Shandong Province to organise the Youth Internship Programme at Shandong on Marine Sciences, and an association for the development of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan students of Shandong University has been established, providing platforms for youth exchanges and further strengthening cultural integration between the two places.

  

     The Starting a New Chapter in Hong Kong Social Welfare Summit cum Inaugural Ceremony of Hong Kong Social Welfare Sector Heart to Heart Joint Action was held today (May 29). The Summit, jointly organised by the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB), the Social Welfare Department and the Hong Kong Social Welfare Sector Heart to Heart Joint Action, brings together local, Mainland and international stakeholders to share and exchange views on social welfare issues.

     The Summit cum Inaugural Ceremony, which was conducted in hybrid mode, attracted around 500 social welfare professionals participating in person and close to 10 000 participants online. Thirty keynote speakers or panelists from around the world spoke at the Summit.

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attended the opening of the Summit cum Inaugural Ceremony this morning and officiated at the ceremony with the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LOCPG), Mr Zheng Yanxiong; the Vice Minister of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Dr Liu Zheng; the Director-General of the Department of Civil Affairs of Guangdong Province, Ms Zhang Chen; the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun; the Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Ms Alice Lau; the Director of Social Welfare, Miss Charmaine Lee; the Chairman of the Heart to Heart Joint Action, Reverend Canon Peter Douglas Koon; and the Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Summit cum Inaugural Ceremony, Professor Annie Tam.

     Mr Lee congratulated the inauguration of the Heart to Heart Joint Action, and hoped that it would unite different fronts to scale new heights in social welfare services in collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. He commended that the Summit, which gathered social welfare professionals from around the world, has shown the unity of the social welfare sector as well as its strong support as Hong Kong is starting a new chapter in the development of the sector. He hoped that, with Hong Kong’s distinctive advantage in enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under “one country, two systems”, the local social welfare sector would continue to engage in exchanges with the Mainland and overseas to promote high quality development of the sector.

     Mr Zheng, who attended the ceremony on behalf of the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO), Mr Xia Baolong, the HKMAO and the LOCPG, also addressed the audience. He hoped that the social welfare sector will remain committed to its aspiration and mission and guide the way for a bright future for the sector. He also hoped that the sector will stay united to effectively forge consensus and promote the mainstream values of the core of “be patriotic and love Hong Kong” and implementation of “one country, two systems”. He hoped that the sector will remain pragmatic and focused when serving the community so that the public can benefit more from the fruits of economic development in a fair manner.

     Also addressing the ceremony, Dr Liu said that the inauguration of the Heart to Heart Joint Action has established a new platform and created new opportunities which strengthen exchanges and co-operation on social welfare work between the Mainland and Hong Kong. He hoped that the Heart to Heart Joint Action will serve as an important link which drives the local social welfare sector to foster exchanges with the Mainland and extend the scope of co-operation continuously.
 
     Prior to the Summit, Mr Sun signed a Memorandum of Co-operation on Care for the Elderly (MoC) on behalf of the LWB of the HKSAR Government with the Department of Civil Affairs of Guangdong Province to foster collaboration in elderly care services between the two places. The MoC will boost support for elderly care development in both places, facilitate elderly care training and exchanges, encourage relevant organisations of the two places to explore and extend the scope and mode of co-operation, etc.

     Mr Sun then introduced the latest developments of local elderly care services in detail in his keynote speech at the Summit. He said that the HKSAR Government would strive to overcome challenges of an ageing population through enhancing services, cultivating talent, optimising utilisation of land resources and promoting application of technology. He also encouraged the local social welfare sector to seize the opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and provide more quality options for retiring Hong Kong people.

     In addition, Miss Lee spoke at the luncheon of the Summit in the afternoon. Three panel sessions titled “Helping the Deprived”, “Assisting Persons with Disabilities” and “Supporting Elder Persons” were held in the afternoon, where participants had in-depth and interactive discussions with the panelists on poverty alleviation, rehabilitation services and elderly services.

     To showcase Hong Kong’s social welfare services developments and achievements, an exhibition on the services provided by local non-governmental organisations was held at the Summit to introduce products and provide service information including soft meals for the elderly, gerontechnology and pre-school children rehabilitation services.

                    

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met the Governor of Hunan Province, Mr Mao Weiming, today (May 29) to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Hunan. Also attending the meeting were the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; and the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Carol Yip.
      
     Mr Lee welcomed Mr Mao’s visit to Hong Kong with his delegation to organise the 2023 Hunan-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Investment and Trade Conference Week with the theme of connecting to the GBA to jointly promote new developments. Mr Lee said he was pleased to note that Hunan Province will continue to embrace the opportunities brought about by the GBA development and further strengthen economic and trade co-operation with the GBA.
      
     He said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government had set up the Hunan Liaison Unit as early as 2016 to deepen co-operation between the two places in various aspects, including economic matters and trade, culture, and tourism, and to provide support for Hong Kong people and enterprises in Hunan. He expressed gratitude to the People’s Government of Hunan Province for its strong support for the work of the liaison unit over the years, noting that the HKSAR Government will continue to promote mutual exchanges and co-operation through the liaison unit.
      
     Mr Lee also pointed out that there is plenty of room for collaboration in tourism between Hong Kong and Hunan, citing Hunan’s rich tourism resources and Hong Kong’s well-developed tourism service industry. With convenient transportation between Hong Kong and Hunan, the two places can jointly promote multi-destination tourism to overseas visitors to tie in with the development of the GBA as a world-class bay area for leisure, promoting the overall development of the tourism industry and achieving complementarity and mutual benefits.

  

     â€‹The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (May 29) that six new estate kindergarten premises would be open for application by eligible applicant bodies under the First Kindergarten Premises Allocation Exercise 2023. Details of the six kindergarten premises are set out in the Annex.
      
     “The six new estate kindergarten premises, each providing six to 12 classrooms, are located in Kwun Tong District, Tuen Mun District, Sai Kung District and Islands District, and will be available between 2024 and 2025. The EDB is entrusted by the Hong Kong Housing Authority to nominate operators for the kindergarten premises. The Exercise will be carried out on a competitive basis,” a spokesman for the EDB said.
      
     Since implementation of the Kindergarten Education Scheme (the Scheme) in the 2017/18 school year, apart from continuing to help kindergartens improve the environment of their premises, the EDB endeavours to provide more kindergarten premises owned by the Government for eligible applicant bodies to compete fairly for, with an aim of reprovisioning or operating kindergartens, which not only enables reduction in rental expenses but also allows them to enjoy quality school premises. The EDB has been implementing the measures as announced in the 2022 Policy Address that 10 kindergarten premises will be provided by the end of 2023, including four premises allocated earlier and six to be allocated in this Exercise, which have increased the total number of school premises allocated to 31 since the 2017/18 school year. In addition, the EDB has adopted a streamlined mechanism starting from 2021 for assessing applications for nomination of suitable operators for kindergarten premises to reduce applicant bodies’ administrative work.
      
     Non-profit-making kindergartens, especially those bearing high rental expenses, having dilapidated school environments and facilities, and facing a surplus of kindergarten places in the district, are encouraged to apply for the above-mentioned kindergarten premises. The EDB will accord priority to kindergartens under the Scheme applying for relocation. Applications for operating new kindergartens will only be considered if no suitable applicants are found for relocation. Quality of education is the prime consideration. The EDB will take into account the operation plan, track record of school operation and relocation needs (if applicable) of the applicant bodies. The applicant body should be exempted from tax under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.   
      
     The application form, information on the operation plan, points to note and other reference materials for the Kindergarten Premises Allocation Exercise can be downloaded from the EDB’s homepage at www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/preprimary-kindergarten/allocation-of-kg/latest-news.html. The EDB will provide a template for preparation of the operation plan and set out the selection criteria in the “Points to Note” for applicant bodies’ reference. Applicant bodies should read the basic requirements and relevant instructions as stipulated in the “Points to Note” carefully before submitting applications.
      
     The duly completed application form, information on the operation plan, list of operating schools run by the applicant body (if any) and supporting documents should reach the Kindergarten Education Division of the EDB (Room 1432, 14/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) by 5pm on July 24. Late applications or those not duly completed will not be processed. For enquiries, please contact the EDB at 2892 5986. read more

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at Government House today (May 29) to exchange views on matters of common interest. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong; and the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, also attended the meeting.
      
     Mr Lee welcomed President Tshisekedi’s visit to Hong Kong. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong has maintained cordial trade relations with the DRC, and with an average annual growth of 12 per cent over the past five years in total merchandise trade, he saw good potential to further enhance business and trade co-operation between the places.
      
     “Hong Kong is a leading international financial centre with boundless opportunities, bringing together talent and capital from all over the world. Under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, Hong Kong also reaps the unique benefits of enjoying strong national support while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world. The city is well-positioned to serve as a key link for the DRC and other African countries to jointly promote the development of the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Mr Lee.
      
     Mr Lee also said that many Hong Kong enterprises have vast experience in investing in and taking up overseas infrastructure projects, and will embrace opportunities in the DRC to expand their businesses.