The Government announced today (February 28) the appointment of two non-official members recruited through the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth (MSSY) and the reappointments of 16 incumbent non-official members to the Committee on Innovation, Technology and Industry Development (CITID) for a two-year term from March 3, 2025, to March 2, 2027.
      
     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, thanked outgoing members Mr Nicholas Chan Hiu-fung and Mr Kingsley Wong Kwok for their contributions during their term of service.
 
     Established on March 3, 2023, the CITID is chaired by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, and advises the Government on the strategic development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong.
 
The updated membership of the CITID is as follows:
 
Chairman
————
Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry
Professor Sun Dong
 
Ex-officio members
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Chairman, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Dr Sunny Chai Ngai-chiu
 
Chairman, Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited
Mr Simon Chan Sai-ming
 
Chairman, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited
Mr Sunny Lee Wai-kwong
 
Chairman, Hong Kong Productivity Council
Mr Sunny Tan
 
Non-official members
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Professor Chan Ching-chuen
Mr Calvin Chan Ka-wai
Mr Duncan Chiu
Mr Holden Chow Ho-ding
Mr Steve Chuang Tzu-hsiung
Mr Hsu Hoi-shan
Professor Nancy Ip Yuk-yu
Mr Victor Kwok Hoi-kit*
Mr Liu Da
Professor Liu Yun-hui
Professor Lu Jian
Professor Anderson Shum Ho-cheung
Mr Hendrick Sin
Professor Teng Jin-guang
Ms Karmen Yeung Ka-yin
Mr Yuan Xiao-hang*
Ms Eunice Yung Hoi-yan
Dr Philip Zhai Pu
 
Official members
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Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (or his/her representative)
Secretary for Education (or his/her representative)
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (or his/her representative)
Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry
Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry
Commissioner for Innovation and Technology
Commissioner for Digital Policy
 
* Joined through the MSSY

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (February 28) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 3 300 food samples tested were found to be satisfactory except for five unsatisfactory samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.8 per cent.

     A CFS spokesman said about 1 300 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, and about 2 000 samples were taken for chemical and radiation level tests.

     The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygiene indicators; the chemical tests included testing for pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others; and the radiation level tests included testing for radioactive caesium and iodine in samples collected from imported food from different regions.

     The samples comprised about 1 300 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; about 100 samples of cereals, grains and their products; about 300 samples of meat and poultry and their products; about 400 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; about 300 samples of aquatic and related products; and about 900 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).

     The five unsatisfactory samples comprised a Chinese wolfberry leaf sample and a snow pea sample detected with pesticide residues at levels exceeding the legal limit; a dried soybean curd sample detected with a non-permitted preservative; and a dan dan noodle sample and a satay beef noodle sample detected with excessive Clostridium perfringens.

     The CFS has taken follow-up actions on the above-mentioned unsatisfactory samples, including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items, and tracing the sources of the food items in question.

     The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.

     Separately, in response to the Japanese Government's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the CFS will continue enhancing the testing on imported Japanese food, and make reference to the risk assessment results to adjust relevant surveillance work in a timely manner. The CFS will announce every working day on its dedicated webpage (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/daily_japan_nuclear_incidents.html) the radiological test results of the samples of food imported from Japan, with a view to enabling the trade and members of the public to have a better grasp of the latest safety information.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (February 28) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on March 20 (Thursday) to noon on March 24 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.
 
     A spokesman for the TD said, "A total of 80 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve the Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with "HK" or "XX" as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles, and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged."
 
     Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
 
(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by "iAM Smart+" equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered "iAM Smart" users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not "iAM Smart" users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
 
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using "iAM Smart+" or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
 
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
 
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of the email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
 

• completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
• making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
 
(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved the Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries. 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (February 28) the list of banks for the RMB Trade Financing Liquidity Facility (RMB TFLF) in Phase 1 (see Annex), effective from today.
      
     About RMB50 billion of the total size of RMB100 billion of this facility has been allocated to the participating banks. A specific quota is assigned to each bank based on the pipelines as expected by the bank, and referencing the bank's existing scale of relevant business, among other factors. The banks can now apply for RMB funds from the HKMA from today through the RMB TFLF based on their provision of RMB trade finance to corporate customers within the assigned quota.
      
     The HKMA will closely review the implementation of the RMB TFLF, including its operation, banks' RMB trade finance activities and facility usage, as well as market development needs. Subject to the operation of the facility and market demand, we plan to proceed to the next phase of quota allocation around the middle of this year. Banks not yet ready in Phase 1 are encouraged to continue developing their RMB trade finance business so as to be ready to join in later phases. Terms and operation details of the RMB TFLF are found in this Circular.

     â€‹Hongkong Post announced today (February 28) that, as advised by the postal administration of Mauritius, due to the impact of severe weather, mail delivery services to the country are subject to delay.