Tag Archives: China

     The Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021 (Ordinance) was gazetted and came into effect on May 21, 2021. The Ordinance amends certain legislation, including requiring District Council (DC) members to take an oath to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and bear allegiance to the HKSAR of the PRC.

     The Government will hold the third oath-taking ceremony for DC members, including those from the North District Council, the Tai Po District Council, the Sai Kung District Council and the Sha Tin District Council, at North Point Community Hall on October 4 (Monday). The oath-taking will be administered by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Caspar Tsui, being the oath administrator authorised by the Chief Executive.

     According to the Interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR of the PRC by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the person administering the oath has the duty to ensure that the oath is taken in a lawful manner. He or she shall determine that an oath taken in compliance with the Interpretation and the requirements under the laws of the HKSAR is valid, and that an oath which is not taken in compliance with the Interpretation and the requirements under the laws of the HKSAR is invalid. If the oath taken is determined as invalid, no arrangement shall be made for retaking the oath. The oath administrator will act in accordance with the law and consider the validity of the oaths taken by DC members according to the relevant legal provisions.

     The oath-taking is legally binding. The oath-taker must sincerely believe in and strictly abide by the relevant oath prescribed by law. An oath taker who makes a false oath, or, who, after taking the oath, engages in conduct in breach of the oath, shall bear legal responsibility in accordance with the law. If there were illegal acts, the oath administrator will refer the cases to the relevant law enforcement agencies. 

     The Government will publish the list of DC members whose oaths were determined as valid after the oath-taking ceremony. As for DC members whose oaths taken are questioned by the oath administrator as to their validity, the oath administrator will follow up in accordance with the relevant legislation. read more

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Priscilla Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (September 29):

Question:
 
     Regarding the relevant statistics on the three series of social incidents, namely the Occupy Central Movement in 2014, the Mong Kok disturbance on the night of the Lunar New Year’s Day in 2016 and the disturbances arising from the opposition to the proposed legislative amendments in 2019, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) among the persons arrested in each series of social incidents, of the respective up-to-date numbers of those who:
(i) were released by the Police Superintendent’s Discretion;
(ii) had to bear legal consequences (i.e. convicted, bound over, and placed under a Care or Protection Order), with a breakdown by consequence;
(iii) had the charges against them withdrawn;
(iv) were acquitted after trial; and
(v) are awaiting trial;

(2) of a breakdown of the numbers of persons mentioned in part (1) by (i) the age group to which they belonged, and (ii) capacity (i.e. primary student, secondary student, tertiary student, and others), at the time of arrest (set out in a table);

(3) whether it knows, in respect of the cases relating to each series of social incidents, the respective numbers of cases which have been or will be heard by the courts, with a tabulated breakdown by (i) court level and (ii) case type (i.e. criminal or civil);

(4) in respect of the criminal cases relating to each series of social incidents, of the respective up-to-date numbers of legal aid applications (i) received and (ii) approved by the Legal Aid Department (LAD), as well as the LAD’s total expenditure on legal costs incurred for such cases so far; and

(5) in respect of the criminal cases relating to each series of social incidents, of the up-to-date number of the persons involved who have absconded by jumping bail, and the measures taken by the Government to pursue and arrest them?

Reply:

President,

     According to the Police Force Ordinance, the Police have the statutory duty to maintain public safety and public order. No one is above the law nor can any one break the law without consequences. If there is evidence that a person violates the law, he or she must face justice regardless of status or background. No one has privileges.

     Having consolidated the information from the Legal Aid Department and the Judiciary, the reply to the Member’s question is as follows:

(1) and (2) The investigation into all cases relating to the illegal Occupy Central Movement in 2014 have been concluded. As at July 31, 2021, the Police had arrested 1 003 persons in total. Among the arrested persons, 225 had been dealt with through judicial proceedings, in which 169 had to bear legal consequences (including 127 convicted and 42 bound over by the court); 18 had the charges against them withdrawn by the prosecution; 37 were acquitted after trial and one passed away before the conclusion of trial. The Police does not maintain other figures as requested in the question on these cases.

     Regarding the illegal acts relating to the Mong Kok riot in 2016, as at July 31, 2021, the Police had arrested 93 persons in total (all over 18 years old), among which 17 were students. Sixty-five persons were prosecuted and 11 of them were students. Among the 62 persons who had completed the respective judicial proceedings, 36 had to bear legal consequences (all of them were convicted); 20 had the charges against them withdrawn by the prosecution; six were acquitted after trial. No arrestees were bound over by court. The Police does not maintain other figures as requested in the question on these cases.

     Regarding the illegal acts relating to the serious violence in 2019, as at July 31, 2021, the Police had arrested 10 265 persons in total (8 511 aged over 18 and 1 754 aged under 18) and 4 009 of them were students. Two thousands, six hundreds and eighty-four persons (2 195 aged over 18 and 489 aged under 18) had been prosecuted, out of which 1 102 were students.
 
     Among the 1 527 persons who had completed the respective judicial proceedings, 1 197 had to bear legal consequences (905 convicted, 282 bound over by court, six granted with Care or Protection Order by court and four convicted of contempt of court through civil proceedings). Fifty-four had the charges against them withdrawn by the prosecution and 276 were acquitted after trial. Besides, 25 persons were released by the Police Superintendent’s Discretion. One thousand, one hundred and seventy-three were still going through the judicial proceedings. The Police does not maintain other figures as requested in the question on these cases.
 
(3) A total of 295 cases relating to the illegal Occupy Central Movement have been dealt with or are being dealt with at various levels of court since 2014. The breakdown is as follows:
 

Level of court	Criminal cases	Civil cases	Total
Court of Final Appeal	4	0	4
High Court	52	77	129
District Court	2	8	10
Magistrates’ Courts	111	–	111
Small Claims Tribunal	–	41	41
Total	169	126	295

     A total of 86 cases relating to the Mong Kok riot have been dealt with or are being dealt with at various levels of court since 2016. The breakdown is as follows:
 

Level of court	Criminal cases
Court of Final Appeal	1
High Court	11
District Court	8
Magistrates’ Courts	66
Total	86

     The progress of individual cases is recorded in the court files. The Judiciary does not maintain the relevant statistics.

     As at July 31, 2021, over 1 900 cases relating to the serious violence in 2019 had been brought before various levels of court, among which over 1 400 (about 74 per cent) have been dealt with. The breakdown is as follows:
 

Level of court	Criminal cases		Civil cases
	Being dealt with	Have been dealt with	Being dealt with	Have been dealt with
Court of Final Appeal	4	3	0	8
High Court#	67	220	18	42
District Court	249	74	8	3
Magistrates’ Courts	150	1 101	–	–
Small Claims Tribunal	–	–	4	9
Total	470	1 398	30	62

# Figures include bail application cases.

(4) Relevant figures on legal aid applications for criminal cases relating to the illegal Occupy Central Movement in 2014, the Mong Kok riot in 2016 and the serious violence in 2019 are as follows:
 

	No. of legal aid applications for criminal cases received	No. of legal aid applications for criminal cases approved	Total legal costs*
Illegal Occupy Central Movement	24	15	$7,614,594
Mong Kok riot	73	50	$40,770,913
Serious violence in 2019	1 310	1 068	$49,409,027

* As some of the cases have not yet concluded, the above-mentioned figures are updated as at August 31, 2021 and subject to adjustment.

(5) The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government strongly condemns anyone seeking to evade legal liabilities and abscond overseas for self-preservation. Absconding to avoid legal liabilities is a shameful act. Fearing of facing justice after breaking the law, running away by jumping bail, using various excuses such as so-called “exile” to avoid one’s responsibility, and even making false statements and making up excuses before the court to apply for bail are shameful, hypocritical and coward acts.

     The HKSAR Government strongly condemns any person who supports or harbours these absconders. These persons have turned a blind eye to the serious offences which the absconders are suspected to have committed, and have instead attempted to beautify these shameful acts of evading legal liabilities. They only see political dividends in disregard for justice and in contempt for the rule of law.

     For those absconded by jumping bail and wanted by the court, as at July 31, 2021, among those who had been arrested in connection with the Mong Kok riot in 2016, three were wanted after failing to appear before the court. For those who were arrested in connection with the serious violence in 2019, 31 were wanted after failing to appear before the court and 24 did not report back to the Police according to bail conditions. As to those who were arrested in connection with the illegal Occupy Central Movement in 2014, no one had jumped bail and absconded.

     All persons who are wanted for prosecution of offences and have absconded from Hong Kong are fugitive offenders. The HKSAR Government will definitely pursue their criminal liabilities and make them face the sanctions of law. The Police will, in light of the circumstances of each case, track down the whereabouts of the fugitive offenders through various means in accordance with the law and pursue them. read more

     The Government announced today (September 29) the quarterly land sale programme for the third quarter of 2021-22, i.e. October to December 2021.

     “In the third quarter of 2021-22, the Government will sell by tender two residential sites, one each in Tai Po and Repulse Bay. The total estimated flat yield is about 210 units,” the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, said.

     In the third quarter, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) also plans to sell by tender a development project at Hung Fook Street/Ngan Hon Street, To Kwa Wan, which is capable of producing about 750 units.

     On private development and redevelopment projects, 12 projects are expected to have their lease modification processes completed in the third quarter to be capable of producing about 6 150 units.

     “Taking all sources of private housing land supply into account, the total private housing land supply in the third quarter would be able to provide about 7 110 flats, which is a new high quarterly figure in recent years,” Mr Wong said.

     Together with the supply of 7 320 flats in the first half of this financial year, the total private housing land supply from various sources for the first to third quarters of 2021-22 amounts to some 14 430 flats, exceeding the private housing supply annual target (12 900 flats) by more than 10 per cent. 

     “Despite having reached the supply target already, to ensure a steady land supply, we will continue to provide additional supply in the fourth quarter, i.e. January to March 2022, through government land sale and MTR and URA projects. There might be also the supply from private development and redevelopment projects in the fourth quarter of the financial year. We therefore estimate that the total private housing land supply for the financial year 2021-22 could exceed 17 000 flats, which is higher than the supply target (12 900 flats) by 30 per cent,” Mr Wong added. 

     Furthermore, the Government plans to put up for tender an industrial site in Fanling, capable of providing around 8 200 square metres of gross floor area, in the third quarter. As regards commercial land, earlier this year the Government put up for sale two large-scale commercial sites, i.e. the Caroline Road Hill site in Causeway Bay and Site 3 in the New Central Harbourfront. The Government does not intend to put up a new commercial site for tender in the third quarter, and will continue to monitor the market situation and put up commercial sites for sale when appropriate.

     Mr Wong said that the Government would continue to increase land supply through a multi-pronged approach to meet the community’s needs for housing and economic and social development.

     The list of the sites to be tendered from October to December 2021 is attached. The actual tender timetable will be drawn up taking into account the progress of necessary preparatory work. The Lands Department will announce the detailed land sale arrangements before individual sites are put up for tender. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Wilson Or and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, in the Legislative Council today (September 29):

Question:

     Regarding the statistics on private development projects, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the respective numbers of applications for (a) in-situ land exchange, (b) non-in-situ land exchange and (c) lease modification for private residential development projects (i) received and (ii) processed by the Lands Department (LandsD) in each year from 2015 to 2020, as well as (iii) the estimated total number of units to be provided by the projects involved in the processed cases (set out in Table 1);

Table 1

Year	Type of applications	(i) Number of applications received	(ii) Number of applications processed	(iii) Estimated total number of units to be provided by the projects involved in the processed cases
2015	(a) In-situ land exchange
	(b) Non-in-situ land exchange
	(c) Lease modification
	Total:
…
2020

(2) of the respective numbers of applications for (a) in-situ land exchange, (b) non-in-situ land exchange and (c) lease modification for private non-residential development projects (i) received and (ii) processed by the LandsD in each year from 2015 to 2020, as well as (iii) the estimated total number of units to be provided by the projects involved in the processed cases (set out in a table of the same format as Table 1); and

(3) of the number of premium assessment cases for private residential development projects completed by the LandsD in each of the past five financial years, and set out in Table 2 the details of each project?

Table 2

Project	Execution date of land document [Type of transaction]	Location [Lot number]	Original use	Site area (hectares)	Date of valid application for land exchange / lease modification	Estimated number of units

Reply:
 
President,

     My reply to various parts of the question is as follows:

(1) and (2) I suppose part (1) of the question concerns those development projects intending solely for private residential use, while part (2) concerns other projects with partial private residential development (for example, a residential and commercial complex). Between 2015 and 2020, the respective numbers of cases for (a) in-situ land exchange, (b) non-in-situ land exchange and (c) lease modification, relating to these projects involving private residential development (other than those for small house developments in the New Territories), received and processed by the Lands Department (LandsD), as well as the total number of units to be provided, are consolidated in the following table:
 

Year	Type of applications	(i) Number of applications received	(ii) Number of cases processed and executed (Note 1)	(iii) Estimated total number of units to be provided by executed cases (Note 2)
2015	(a) In-situ land exchange	7	8	1 052
	(b) Non-in-situ land exchange	0	0	0
	(c) Lease modification	17	4	382
	Total:	24	12	1 434
2016	(a) In-situ land exchange	7	1	504
	(b) Non-in-situ land exchange	0	0	0
	(c) Lease modification	12	3	415
	Total:	19	4	919
2017	(a) In-situ land exchange	3	16	16 832
	(b) Non-in-situ land exchange	1	0	0
	(c) Lease modification	16	4	493
	Total:	20	20	17 325
2018	(a) In-situ land exchange	1	9	2 296
	(b) Non-in-situ land exchange	0	0	0
	(c) Lease modification	10	4	1 974
	Total:	11	13	4 270
2019	(a) In-situ land exchange	7	4	1 087
	(b) Non-in-situ land exchange	0	0	0
	(c) Lease modification	5	6	1 205
	Total:	12	10	2 292
2020	(a) In-situ land exchange	5	3	1 103
	(b) Non-in-situ land exchange	0	1	1
	(c) Lease modification	9	3	54
	Total:	14	7	1 158
Grand Total		100	66	27 398

(3) To facilitate the viewing of the above, information provided in this part is also based on calendar year. In the past five years (i.e. from 2016 to 2020), details of cases involving development projects that were “solely” for private residential use and not “solely” for private residential use (other than those for small house developments in the New Territories) processed by the LandsD (including premium assessment) are tabulated as follows:
 

Project	Execution date of land document [Type of transaction]	Location [Lot Number]	Original use (Note 3)	Site area (hectares) (about)	Date of valid application for land exchange/ lease modification	Estimated number of residential units (Note 2)
2016
1	February 5, 2016 [Lease modification]	Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road, Tuen Mun [Tuen Mun Town Lot No. 99 and Castle Peak Town Lot No. 18]	Non-industrial	0.0743	July 2014	100
2	March 24, 2016 [Lease modification]	Discovery Bay development   [Lot No. 385 Remaining Portion in Demarcation District No. 352 and the extensions thereto]	Multiple uses (including recreational facilities and residential etc.)	0.6243	January 2004	200
3	June 27, 2016 [Lease modification]	78-80 Maidstone Road, To Kwa Wan [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 9692]	Residential	0.0479	November 2014	115
4	December 7, 2016 [Land exchange]	Tai Tong, Yuen Long [Yuen Long Town Lot No. 524]	Building and agricultural	0.4546	July 2005	504
Total						919
2017
1	January 4, 2017 [Lease modification]	340-342 Fuk Wing Street, 27-29 Tonkin Street and 249-263 Un Chau Street, Cheung Sha Wan [New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 4178]	Industrial	0.2403	January 2015	377
2	February 27, 2017 [Land exchange]	Ho Man Tin Station Package 1 [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 11264]	Railway related	3.6204	October 2016	962
3	April 18, 2017 [Land exchange]	Area 85, Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung [Tseung Kwan O Town Lot No. 121]	Industrial/ Godown	0.9635	April 2012	1 518
4	May 15, 2017 [Land exchange]	Area 54, Siu Hong, Tuen Mun [Tuen Mun Town Lot No. 483]	Agricultural	4.2856	August 2013	4 540
5	May 29, 2017 [Land exchange]	Hung Shui Kiu, Yuen Long [Lot No. 4328 in Demarcation District No. 124]	Agricultural	1.0240	June 2015	176
6	May 31, 2017 [Lease modification]	301, 301A-C Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon City [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 2320]	House	0.0749	December 2014	79
7	June 1, 2017 [Lease modification]	195 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon City [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 2341 Section E]	House	0.0843	May 2012	34
8	June 6, 2017 [Land exchange] (Note 4)	Junction of Peel Street and Gage Street, Central [Inland Lot No. 9064]	Virtually unrestricted	0.0893	December 2013	116
9	June 12, 2017 [Land exchange]	Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang Station [Aberdeen Inland Lot No. 467]	Railway related	6.8581	August 2016	800
10	July 21, 2017 [Lease modification]	30A San Shek Wan, Lantau Island [Lot No. 687 in Demarcation District No. 329]	Residential	0.1940	March 2012	3
11	August 16, 2017 [Land exchange]	13 and 15, Sze Shan Street, Yau Tong [Yau Tong Inland Lot No. 41]	Industrial/ Godown	0.3816	June 2010	332
12	August 31, 2017 [Land exchange]	Shap Pat Heung Road, Yuen Long [Lot No. 4056 in Demarcation District No. 120]	Agricultural	0.2251	April 2015	266
13	September 4, 2017 [Land exchange]	Fo Tan, Sha Tin [Sha Tin Town Lot No. 576]	Industrial/ Godown and Workmen’s Quarters	2.0038	September 2013	914
14	September 8, 2017 [Land exchange]	Sai Sha, Shap Sze Heung, Tai Po [Tai Po Town Lot No. 157]	Building and Agricultural	62.3232	June 2008	4 776
15	October 16, 2017 [Land exchange]	Ha Yeung, Clear Water Bay, Sai Kung [Lot No. 264 in Demarcation District No. 233]	Agricultural	0.3750	May 2009	5
16	October 31, 2017 [Land exchange]	Tong Yan San Tsuen, Yuen Long [Lot No. 2168 in Demarcation District No. 121]	Agricultural	0.1020	October 2013	15
17	November 9, 2017 [Land exchange]	Chau Tsai, Pak A Village, Sai Kung [Lot No. 339 in Demarcation District No. 362]	Building and agricultural	0.0113	December 2006	1
18	December 19, 2017 [Land exchange]	Areas 24 and 25, Kwu Tung, Sheung Shui [Fanling Sheung Shui Town Lot No. 263]	Residential	0.5250	July 2015	810
19	December 22, 2017 [Land exchange]	Ping Shan, Yuen Long [Lot No. 2128 in Demarcation District No. 121]	Agricultural	0.3506	July 2015	18
20	December 27, 2017 [Land exchange]	Ma Sik Road, Area 18, Fanling [Fanling Sheung Shui Town Lot No. 262]	Building and agricultural	1.6187	July 2015	1 583
Total						17 325
2018
1	January 23, 2018 [Lease modification]	Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang Station (Site B) [Aberdeen Inland Lot No. 467]	Railway related	6.8581	August 2017	600
2	March 6, 2018 [Lease modification]	139, 141, 143, 145 and 147 Argyle Street, Kowloon City [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6005, Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6035 Remaining Portion, Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6036 Remaining Portion, Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6037 Remaining Portion and Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6038 Remaining Portion]	Residential and office	0.5755	September 2013	172
3	March 29, 2018 [Lease modification]	48A and 50 La Salle Road, Kowloon Tong [New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 3851 Section D and Section E]	Residential	0.0883	July 2013	2
4	April 3, 2018 [Land exchange]	Wai Yi Street, Tai Po [Tai Po Town Lot No. 233]	Building	0.0217	March 2015	11
5	April 16, 2018 [Land exchange]	Man Sau Sun Tsuen, Sai Kung [Lot No. 1179 in Demarcation District No. 215]	Agricultural	0.0486	May 2009	1
6	August 8, 2018 [Land exchange]	Yau Tong, Kowloon [New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6602]	Railway related	0.4030	November 2016	500
7	August 29, 2018 [Land exchange]	Mo Tat, Lamma Island [Lot No. 524 in Demarcation District No. 7, Lamma Island]	Residential and garden	0.4552	July 2009	10
8	September 21, 2018 [Land exchange]	233 and 235 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon City [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 11230]	House	0.1340	July 2013	51
9	September 28, 2018 [Lease modification]	Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang Station (Site C) [Aberdeen Inland Lot No. 467]	Railway related	6.8581	February 2018	1 200
10	October 22,  2018 [Land exchange]	14-20 Inverness Road, Kowloon City [New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6573]	House	0.1440	August 2015	60
11	October 24, 2018 [Land exchange]	Kwu Tung South, Sheung Shui [Lot No. 2579 in Demarcation District No. 92]	Building and Agricultural	3.7560	January 2006	90
12	December 5, 2018 [Land exchange]	Castle Peak Road –So Kwun Wat, Siu Sau, Tuen Mun [Tuen Mun Town Lot No. 463]	Agricultural	2.4800	July 2002	573
13	December 17, 2018 [Land exchange]	Ho Man Tin Station (Site B) [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 11264]	Railway related	3.6204	June 2016	1 000
Total						4 270
2019
1	January 4, 2019 [Land exchange]	1 Wang Tak Street, Happy Valley [Inland Lot No. 9045]	Residential (including hotel)	0.0540	December 2015	159
2	January 30, 2019 [Lease modification]	10 and 12A La Salle Road, Kowloon Tong [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 3275]	House	0.0839	November 2016	73
3		168 and 168C Boundary Street, Kowloon [Kowloon Inland Lot No. 3276]
4	February 4, 2019 [Lease modification]	16 Bowen Road, Wan Chai [Inland Lot No. 2304 and the extension thereto]	House	0.1435	October 2016	2
5	May 21, 2019 [Land exchange]	Shek Wu Wai, San Tin, Yuen Long [Lot No. 2091 in Demarcation District No. 105]	Agricultural	11.2993	February 2009	300
6	May 23, 2019 [Lease modification]	Mui Wo, Lantau Island [Lot No. 667 in Demarcation District No. 4, Mui Wo]	Non-industrial	0.0139	November 2016	3
7	June 19, 2019 [Land exchange]	Tung Yuen Street and Shung Yiu Street, Yau Tong [Yau Tong Inland Lot No. 45]	Industrial / Godown	0.7773	November 2016	536
8	July 30, 2019 [Lease modification]	13-23 Wang Wo Tsai Street, Tsuen Wan [Tsuen Wan Town Lot No. 160]	Industrial / Godown	0.3114	July 2017	327
9	November 26, 2019 [Land exchange]	Nam Pin Wai, Sai Kung [Lot No. 2189 in Demarcation District No. 244]	Agricultural	1.3866	January 2007	92
10	December 17, 2019 [Lease modification]	Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang Station (Site D) [Aberdeen Inland Lot No. 467]	Railway related	6.8581	February 2019	800
Total						2 292
2020
1	August 26, 2020 [Lease modification]	138 and 138A Pok Fu Lam Road, Pok Fu Lam [Rural Building Lot No. 757]	Residential	0.1895	October 2018	3
2	October 6, 2020 [Lease modification]	Area 54, Siu Hong, Tuen Mun [Tuen Mun Town Lot No. 483 and the extension thereto]	Non-Industrial	4.4926	January 2018	47
3	October 12, 2020 [Land exchange ]	Coombe Road, The Peak [Rural Building Lot No. 1207]	House	0.1100	October 2016	1
4	October 22, 2020 [Land exchange]	Junction of Hung Shui Kiu Tin Sam Road, Hung Yuen Road, Hung Tai Road and Hung On Lane, Hung Shui Kiu, Ping Shan, Yuen Long [Lot No. 4312 in Demarcation District No. 124]	Building and agricultural	0.9689	March 2015	935
5	November 10, 2020 [Land exchange]	142-154 Carpenter Road, Kowloon City [New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6561]	House	0.0848	November 2014	167
6	December 4, 2020 [Lease modification]	30 Hang Hau Wing Lung Road, Sai Kung [Lot No. 540 in Demarcation District No. 238]	Residential	0.2514	June 2018	4
7	December 22, 2020 [Land exchange]	Pak Sha Wan, Sai Kung [Lot No. 1203 in Demarcation District No. 217]	Residential	0.0815	April 2014	1
Total						1 158

     The time required to process lease modification/land exchange applications varies depending on the complexity of the case and other factors. Such factors include whether the applicant has changed its proposed plan during the application period; whether title checking of the lot is required; the process and time needed to handle and respond to local objections and comments from Government departments, if any; the time needed to complete relevant statutory procedures (such as the statutory procedures required for proposed road works under the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Cap. 370)), if any; and the time needed to negotiate and agree on the premium amount with the applicant.

     The LandsD releases on its website (www.landsd.gov.hk/en/resources/land-info-stat/non-NTEH-land-transaction.html#summary) on a monthly basis information on the respective numbers and nature of applications for lease modification, land exchange, lot extension or private treaty grant that are received, under processing or completed.
 
Note 1: Given the lead time required for processing, applications received may not be processed and executed in the same year. Hence, the cases processed and executed each year may not correspond to the applications received in the same year.
 
Note 2: The estimated total number of units to be provided is based on information provided by the applicants of lease modification and land exchange at the time of execution of the land documents. The actual flat number depends on the actual design of the proposed development.
 
Note 3: The users quoted are general descriptions of the uses permissible under lease, which do not fully reflect the detailed user conditions of the lot in question as prescribed in the relevant leases.
 
Note 4: This case is a project by the Urban Renewal Authority granted at nominal premium (i.e. $1,000). read more

     Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced today (September 29) a series of promotions building upon the “Report on Hong Kong’s Business Environment: A Place with Unique Advantages and Unlimited Opportunities” published this week by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
      
     The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Stephen Phillips, said that the report, announced by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, on September 27, sets out very clearly the exciting opportunities for businesses from around the world in Hong Kong and at the same time sets the record straight about international investors’ misconceptions of Hong Kong as a result of persistent biased media reports in some quarters.
      
     “The report not only outlines clearly the robust strengths of Hong Kong as an international financial, aviation, innovation and technology, legal and cultural hub, but also highlights the many attractive opportunities the city has to offer multinationals and entrepreneurs who want a reliable, efficient business base in Asia,” Mr Phillips said.
      
     “It is very important for us to tell the real Hong Kong story to the international business community that under the Central Government’s support and the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, Hong Kong and businesses in Hong Kong have a bright future with fantastic opportunities.” 
      
     Mr Phillips added, “Our pipeline remains strong with many multinationals, small and medium-sized companies and start-ups still planning to come to our city to develop their businesses and scale into Mainland China and wider Asia. Going forward, with the continued support of the Central Government, we see very bright prospects for Hong Kong’s economy.”
      
     InvestHK is organising a series of global webinars to be held on October 7 for business communities around the world to provide an update on Hong Kong’s latest business environment and key announcements relevant to business in next week’s Policy Address.
      
     A short video summarising the report can be found at youtu.be/zhSxxEo32l4. read more