Tag Archives: China

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the Europe Day Opening Ceremony today (May 10):

Ambassador Harvey Rouse, Head of the EU (European Union) Office to Hong Kong and Macao, Consuls General (of European Union Member States), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear French little friends over there,

     Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to join you at the opening of Europe Day Festival. And actually indeed, thank you very much for the support that I have got from different Consuls General ever since my appointment to the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. I have actually seen quite a number of you over different events in the last five months.
 
     On today’s special occasion, I would like to highlight the pivotal role Hong Kong plays as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. Hong Kong has deep-rooted cultural origin and bond from the Mainland of China, but we also have for decades cultivated strong cultural ties with foreign countries, including the European Union (EU) and its member states. Through regular exchanges, we have built a solid foundation of mutual understanding and collaboration. I am most delighted to learn from Ambassador Rouse that our local artists, Opera Hong Kong, will be performing “The Story of Carmen”, a classic European Opera, at today’s Festival. In fact, Carmen, was also performed at our Hong Kong Arts Festival earlier this year and I was one of the audience enjoying it. This is an example of how we can bring talent and tradition from different parts of the world, showcasing our efforts and achievements in promoting cultural exchange and collaboration.

     Hong Kong will continue to leverage our distinct institutional strengths under “one country, two systems” to “bring in” diverse cultures from around the world while enabling Chinese culture to “go global”.

     Hong Kong’s creative industries are now economic drivers for our economy. The Greater Bay Area Development and the Belt and Road Initiative provide unprecedented opportunities for our creative talents to shine on the global stage. By working closely with EU member states, we aim to unlock even greater potential for cultural exchanges and economic growth. Thank you very much for having our local Hong Kong artist to do the backdrop named after this meaningful event.

     Sports is another area under my portfolio that is full of exciting opportunities. The Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong’s largest-ever sports infrastructure, was officially commissioned in March this year. I am sure many of you were among the first to enjoy our signature rugby event, Hong Kong Sevens, at this state-of-the-art stadium in end March. Building on that success, we hosted mega international and local concerts in April, each drawing over 40 000 fans per show. And I believe quite a number of you were there for the Coldplay concert either. We have another series of concerts this weekend as well called Mayday from Taiwan, who is also performing in Hong Kong and they pledged to come back every May to perform here. We will fully utilise the opportunities that this new venue present to Hong Kong and stage more mega sports events and competitions for the enjoyment of all. And of course, larger venue means larger parties. As some of you may know, we will soon welcome international football club teams to play at both the Hong Kong Stadium and the Kai Tak Stadium in end May and late July, featuring Manchester United versus Hong Kong, China Representative Team, Liverpool versus AC Milan from Italy, as well as Arsenal versus Tottenham Hotspur. To sports fans from around the world and particularly the European Union – please stay tuned for more exciting sports events in Hong Kong later this year. Through these sporting events, my bureau will continue our efforts in fostering greater passion for sports.

     On tourism, leveraging the robust foundation built over the years, we aspire to further consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a premier world-class tourism destination. With the concerted efforts of the Government and industry players, we witness a strong comeback of our tourism industry after the pandemic. In the first four months of 2025, we welcomed a total of 16 million visitors, representing an increase by 1.2 times as compared to the same period in 2023 when Hong Kong started to resume normal travel. The rebound is particularly strong among visitors from the European Union, which register a surge by 1.4 times compared to 2023. Quoting the Labour Day Golden Week as another example, we recorded a total of around 1.1 million inbound visitors to Hong Kong, among which the number of non-Mainland visitors was around 180 000, representing a year-on-year increase of about 31 per cent. These underscore the resilience of our tourism industry and Hong Kong’s enduring appeal as a world-class travel destination. To ensure continued growth, the Government promulgated the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0 last December, setting out our vision and mission over the next five years. With the steadfast support and contribution of our industry partners, I am confident that we will reach new heights on tourism in the years to come.

     Before I close, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the European Union for organising this wonderful event of Europe Day and subsequent events as outlined by Ambassador Rouse just now. I wish it every success and everyone an enjoyable time. Thank you. read more

     Riding on the success of the 5G Campus Application Competitions held in the past two years, the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) organises the third edition of the Competition this year under the theme “5G x Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) – The Sky is the Limit for Knowledge” to enhance students’ understanding of the fifth generation mobile (5G) technology and the UAS, and encourage them to explore the application of 5G technology in the low-altitude economy, with a view to boosting their creativity and tapping their potential in innovative technologies.

     Speaking at the Kick-off Ceremony cum Seminar of the Competition today (May 10), the Director-General of Communications, Mr Chaucer Leung, said, “The 5G Campus Application Competition held last year focused on 5G and artificial intelligence (AI). It was encouraging to see the participating students’ innovative thinking and dedication to research and development in terms of 5G and AI applications, scenario design and collaboration, as demonstrated in the final entries. OFCA organises the third Competition this year to encourage participating students to make use of the unique advantages of 5G technology and explore how to collect data through drones for developing various application solutions for the low-altitude economy, so as to stimulate the innovation and technology potentials of the younger generation, expanding their knowledge and transform their creative thinking into practical solutions for the future.

     “In Hong Kong, drone systems have started to be deployed in applications and trials on the low-altitude economy. They generally operate in airspace within an altitude of 1 000 metres and could be used in scenarios such as emergency rescues, logistics, surveys, maintenance, safety inspections and show performances. The low-altitude economy not only activates low-altitude airspace as a new element for economic development, but also drives the development of communications technology, AI, and the digital industry, bringing new experiences of smart living to the public. The current well-developed 5G network of Hong Kong has laid a solid foundation for the development of the low-altitude economy,” Mr Leung added.

     This year’s Competition is co-organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and will be held in stages, comprising the Kick-off Ceremony cum Seminar, the 5G x UAS Inspiration Training Workshop, the first-round adjudication, the Drone Operation and Mobile App Development Training Workshop, and the final-round adjudication cum award presentation ceremony. Participating teams are required to design an innovative mobile application and/or relevant prototype to demonstrate how the data collected by drones can be used and integrated with 5G technology for applications in the low-altitude economy so as to achieve at least one of the specific objectives of the Competition, such as enriching campus life, improving learning environment, optimising teaching resources or learning experience, improving nearby community environment or facilities, realising smart living development in real-life scenarios, and creating economic or social benefits.

     The Chief Digital Officer of the HKPC, Mr Edmond Lai, also officiated at the event today. Veteran practitioners of the innovative technology and education sectors were invited to share with students and other participants the latest developments of 5G technology and the low-altitude economy. A representative from the HKPC also briefed the audience about the requirements and points to note of the Competition.

     The Competition is supported by the communications sector as well as various educational organisations, including the Communications Association of Hong Kong, the Association of I.T. Leaders in Education, the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education, the Hong Kong Competence Education Foundation, the Association of Hong Kong Chinese Middle Schools, the Hong Kong Computer Society, the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers and the Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance.

     The Competition is open to secondary students. The deadline of registration is May 30. Participants should take part as a school team consisting of three to five students and a teacher as team leader. To enrol in and learn more about the Competition, please visit OFCA’s website.

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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) today (May 10) announces an event of the discovery of suspected contamination in a batch of upper respiratory tract flocked swabs:

     The Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) laboratory recently conducted routine testing on a batch of three-in-one (viral transport medium and flocked swabs) specimen collection kits and detected anomalies, with subsequent testing revealing weak positive results for COVID-19 in some flocked swab samples. The HA takes this event very seriously and, upon receiving the report from PMH, a series of measures have been implemented immediately to ensure patient safety and testing accuracy:
 

• Immediate suspension of all flocked swabs from this supplier and arrangement of alternative flocked swabs from other suppliers;
• Enhanced sampling and testing of the supplier’s specimen collection kits delivered in January this year that had previously passed routine sampling tests; and
• Review of test results of patients who had used the affected flocked swabs.

 
     The HA conducted repeated testing on 100 samples from the same Lot of flocked swabs, ultimately identifying 18 samples that showed weak positive results for COVID-19.

     The flocked swabs were procured from a local supplier and delivered to the hospitals under the Kowloon West Cluster (KWC), including Caritas Medical Centre, Kwai Chung Hospital, North Lantau Hospital, PMH and Yan Chai Hospital (YCH) from January to the end of April this year. Since the flocked swabs were sealed in packaging, the HA’s microbiology experts, after analysing the test results, estimate that the flocked swabs were contaminated before delivery to the hospitals.

     In addition, the HA has reviewed the patient cases that used these flocked swabs for COVID-19 testing from January this year onwards. A 91-year-old female patient admitted to PMH and an 82-year-old male patient admitted to YCH were identified as likely false positive. Both patients had CT values above 38, showed no obvious respiratory infection symptoms, and were immediately tested negative on repeated testing by doctors. No antiviral medication was prescribed, and both patients have been discharged earlier. The hospitals have informed these two patients about this event. 

     After consulting microbiology experts, the HA has determined that the residual virus on the contaminated flocked swabs is biologically inactive and non-infectious, and there is no health risk to patients who have undergone testing with these flocked swabs.

     Records show that approximately 27 000 flocked swabs from the lot concerned were used in KWC. Besides the two possible false positive cases mentioned above, no other unusual cases were identified. The recent COVID-19 positive rates in KWC remain comparable to other hospital clusters.

     A spokesperson stated, “The HA is following up on this event stringently and has notified the Department of Health (DH). We have demanded the supplier of the flocked swabs concerned to thoroughly investigate its quality control and testing records, provide an explanation, and implement remedial measures. The HA does not rule out taking further action to hold the supplier accountable.”

     The flocked swabs concerned are BABIO Lot No. 24090511, primarily supplied to the hospitals under KWC. This event does not affect patient clinical treatment or testing services.

     The HA will continue to closely follow up with DH and the supplier. The supplier will be required to provide quality control records and testing certifications in the future to prove that their testing supplies meet with the stringent requirements so as to ascertain patient safety and testing accuracy. read more

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, will depart for Jeju, Korea, tomorrow (May 11) to attend the Seventh Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting.     &nbsp… read more

     Below are the remarks by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, on the closure of Ocean Empire Food Shop at a media session after attending a radio programme today morning (May 10):
 
Reporter: What is the Labour Department’s current plan of action regarding the unpaid wages and severance payment owed to former employees of Ocean Empire Food Shop? What steps are the Labour Department taking to ensure these contributions are recovered and paid to the workers? The second question is, what steps are the Government taking to strengthen employment protection and prevent similar situations to recur in future? Thank you. 
 
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Right now our top priority is to help the 100 or so workers, local or imported, to get what they should get under the law, i.e. their unpaid salaries, unpaid leave as well as severance payment. We are helping them to apply for support under the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund against insolvency and wage default. It takes a bit of time, but they don’t have to worry. Right now, under the Fund, be it unpaid salaries, unpaid leave as well as severance payment, there is a well-established mechanism for them to get back money that is owed to them. We are working closely with the employers because with their help, it could speed up the whole process. In Hong Kong we have very elaborated labour laws providing much needed and necessary protection for our workers, and such protection applies to both local and imported workers. 
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.) read more