Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Cheng and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):

Question:

     It has been reported that there are black taxis in quite a number of rural and tourist areas (e.g. Sai Kung and the Peak), and the unlawful acts of the drivers concerned (including overcharging, cherry-picking passengers, refusing hire and failing to take the most direct route) have seriously affected tourists’ experience and Hong Kong’s reputation as a “hospitable city”. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of complaints received by the authorities since the implementation of the Taxi-Driver-Offence Points system involving unlawful acts of black-taxi drivers in rural and tourist areas and, among them, the number of taxi drivers with points incurred; the respective offences in which those taxi drivers with points incurred are involved and the penalties imposed on them;

(2) whether the authorities have stepped up law enforcement against black taxis in rural areas over the past three years; if so, of the details (including the number of law enforcement operations, the number of drivers arrested in each of such law enforcement operations, the reasons for their arrests, the number of drivers prosecuted and convicted, as well as the relevant penalties imposed); if not, the reasons for that;

(3) as some tourists have indicated that they are not clear about how to lodge complaints against law-offending taxi drivers, whether the authorities will step up publicity and education, such as by providing tourists with clear information, including taxi fares and channels for lodging complaints, at the entrances and exits of the airport, various boundary control points and major rural tourist spots; and

(4) as there are views pointing out that the problem of black taxis stems from the inadequacy of ancillary public transport facilities in rural and tourist areas (e.g. in the vicinity of High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung), whether the authorities have considered improving the public transport services in such areas, such as increasing the frequency of green minibus services, thereby combating black taxi operations in the market and tying in with the development of eco-tourism?

Reply:

President,

     After consulting the Security Bureau and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), our reply to the Hon Vincent Cheng’s question is as follows:

     The Government has earlier reviewed the overall taxi operation and management, and put forward a series of measures to enhance taxi services. Such measures include introducing a Taxi-Driver-Offence Points (TDOP) system and a two-tier penalty system for certain taxi-driver-related offences, in order to combat taxi drivers’ illegal acts and strengthen the deterrent effect against repeat offenders. The relevant legislative provisions were passed by the Legislative Council and are in effect.

     In addition, with a view to enhancing taxi services, the Government proposes to mandate the installation of in-vehicle cameras, dash cameras and global navigation satellite systems in all taxi compartments. Installation of such devices can help caution the few black sheep in the taxi industry against violating the law, and facilitate the follow-up actions and investigations on suspected malpractices (e.g. overcharging, driving to a destination other than by the most direct practicable route, etc) by the Police or the Transport Department (TD), thus better protecting the rights of the passengers. We have consulted the Panel on Transport of the Legislative Council and the Transport Advisory Committee in end 2024, and Members have expressed support for the proposal. We are carrying out the law drafting work, and will endeavour to introduce the proposed legislative amendments into the Legislative Council in the second quarter of 2025.

(1) The TDOP system has taken effect on September 22, 2024. It covers 11 taxi-driver related offences (e.g. overcharging, refusing to accept a hire and driving to a destination other than by the most direct practicable route, etc). If a taxi driver becomes liable to a fixed penalty for or is convicted of such taxi-driver-related offence, he or she will incur three, five or 10 points, depending on the offence committed. If a taxi driver incurs 15 or more points under the TDOP system within a two-year period, he or she will be disqualified from driving a taxi for a certain period of time.

     In accordance with the records of the TD, until March 9, 2025, 66 taxi drivers incurred points under the TDOP system. The relevant offences committed include overcharging, refusing to accept a hire or driving to a destination other than by the most direct practicable route. Among all, five taxi drivers incurred three points, 12 taxi drivers incurred five points and 49 taxi drivers incurred 10 points. So far, no taxi driver is liable to disqualification from driving a taxi due to incurrence of 15 or more points.

     The TD and the HKPF do not maintain the breakdown of the numbers of complaints about taxi services and the numbers of taxi drivers who incurred points under the TDOP system by countryside and tourism zone.

(2) The numbers of enforcement actions taken as well as the numbers of prosecution and conviction against the offences related to taxi services during the period from 2022 to the third quarter of 2024 are set out at the Annex. The Security Bureau and the HKPF do not maintain the breakdown of the aforementioned figures by countryside and tourism zone.

(3) To help tourists understand the taxi fare arrangements in Hong Kong, the TD has published leaflets showing the taxi fare rates and the reference fares for journeying to and from major tourist areas and attractions in Hong Kong for distribution to tourists at the airport, major border crossings and tourist spots (e.g. Shenzhen Bay Port, Lok Ma Chau Control Point, Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point and Hong Kong Disneyland). The TD has also uploaded the leaflet onto its website for public viewing. The telephone numbers of the 1823 Call Centre, the Transport Complaints Unit (TCU), the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the HKPF are also provided on the leaflet for tourists to seek assistance and lodge complaints when needed. The Government has set up signs of the telephone number of the TCU at major public transport interchange as well. And the TD has also set up taxi information boards at major taxi stands to display information on taxi fares.

     If a member of the public suspects that a taxi driver has committed offences such as refusing to accept a hire or overcharging, he or she can record the name of the driver, vehicle registration mark of the taxi, time and location, etc, and report the matter to the HKPF. 

(4) The Government attaches importance to the travelling needs of tourists to and from countryside and major tourist areas. Having regard to factors such as tourist traffic and overall operation of attractions, the relevant arrangement of public transport services is timely reviewed. In respect of the area of the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung, apart from travelling by urban or New Territories taxi, citizens and tourists may make use of New Territories green minibus route no. 9A (Pak Tam Chung – the East Dam, High Island Reservoir) on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. Green minibus route no. 9A has been in service since July 2018. The TD has been liaising with the minibus operator continuously with regard to passenger needs, in order to coordinate with the operator on service enhancement in the form of extension of service period and service hours, as well as increasing the frequency of the services. 

     The timetable of green minibus route no. 9A which is temporarily implemented from December 7, 2024 to March 30, 2025 is as follows:
 

From Pak Tam Chung	From the East Dam, High Island Reservoir	Frequency (minutes)
On Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays
9.30am to 6.10pm	10am to 6.30pm	20

     The TD will maintain close liaison with relevant departments, and adjust the public transport services arrangement with operators to meet the needs of the citizens and tourists when required. read more

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Tan Yueheng and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):
 
Question:
 
     To foster career development of young persons and the exchange of talents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region launched the pilot Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme (the Scheme) in 2021, regularised the Scheme in 2023, and introduced an enhancement measure of relaxing the eligibility criteria for young persons this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the total number of applications received since the launch of the Scheme; the number of enterprises participating in the Scheme, and the number of young persons employed who have contributed to these enterprises’ success in allowance applications;
 
(2) of the amount of allowance granted in each year since the launch of the Scheme;
 
(3) whether the authorities hold information on the employment trends of those young persons participating in the Scheme, both during and after the completion of the 18-month subsidy period under the Scheme, including whether they have worked in Mainland cities for the full period of 18 months, and whether they have continued to work in Mainland cities after the completion of the subsidy period of the Scheme; if the authorities hold such information, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) whether the authorities have conducted separate surveys and studies on young persons and enterprises participating in the Scheme, so as to gather data and views for evaluation of the effectiveness of the Scheme; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government launched the pilot Greater Bay Area (GBA) Youth Employment Scheme (the pilot scheme) in 2021 and has regularised the scheme (the regularised scheme) since 2023, encouraging enterprises to employ Hong Kong young people and station them to work in the Mainland cities of the GBA. Under the pilot scheme and the regularised scheme for 2023 and 2024, an allowance of HK$10,000 per month per young person was disbursed to enterprises for up to 18 months. Starting from January 2025, the allowance limit of the regularised scheme has increased to HK$12,000 per month per young person, or 60 per cent of the young person’s monthly salary, whichever is lower. The eligibility requirements for joining the scheme were also relaxed to include young people aged 29 or below with sub-degree or higher qualifications.
 
     My reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Tan Yueheng is as follows:
 
(1) As at February 2025, the pilot scheme and the regularised scheme recorded a total of 1 076 enterprises offering job vacancies and 2 262 young people have been employed. The scheme allows enterprises to recruit eligible young people directly through various channels. Hence, the Government does not have information on the number of young people who have applied for the vacancies under the scheme.
 
(2) As at February 2025, the pilot scheme disbursed HK$117.91 million of allowance to enterprises. In 2023-24 and 2024-25 (as at February 2025), the regularised scheme respectively disbursed HK$15.07 million and HK$49.99 million of allowance to enterprises.

(3) Of the 1 091 young people who were employed under the pilot scheme, 632 completed the 18-month on-the-job training. Amongst those who completed the 18-month on-the-job training, 464 continued to be employed by the enterprises. The reasons for young people not continuing with their employment included the young people leaving employment pre-maturely, employers not offering employment or the young people declining the job offers. Enterprises can flexibly deploy young people who have completed on-the-job training to work in Hong Kong or in the Mainland cities according to their business development and needs.
 
     As some young people employed under the regularised scheme for 2023 and 2024 are still undergoing on-the-job training, the Labour Department (LD) will compile the relevant data in due course.

(4) The LD has commissioned a consultant to conduct a 3-year “longitudinal study” on the regularised scheme. The study conducts follow-up surveys on the participating enterprises and young people with a view to understanding the employment situation of young people, and collecting opinions from enterprises and young people on the scheme. The study commenced in March 2024. The consultant will submit an interim report of the study to the LD in the second quarter of 2025. The LD will review in detail the effectiveness of the scheme upon completion of the “longitudinal study”. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Lam San-keung and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):
 
Question:

     The Children Proceedings (Parental Responsibility) Bill (the Bill) aims at reforming and consolidating the law relating to the responsibilities and rights of parents for children, providing for the appointment and powers of guardians, etc, and requiring the court to, in giving the ruling, regard the best interests of a child as the paramount consideration. At the meeting of the Panel on Welfare Services of this Council on June 17 last year, most members considered that the authorities should expeditiously reactivate the legislative proposal. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the reasons for not having commenced the legislative process of the Bill after a lapse of nine months, and whether the Government will immediately commence the relevant legislative process at the request of members?

Reply:

President,

     The Government endeavours to implement a number of measures to support divorced families with children in coping with challenges in various aspects such as finance, child care and parenting, psychological well-being and social relationships, so as to assist them in fulfilling the positive functions of a family and safeguarding the well-being of children.

     The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) prepared the draft Children Proceedings (Parental Responsibility) Bill in 2015 which introduces a statutory list covering parental responsibilities and rights and major decisions concerning the child’s upbringing, and requires parents to obtain the express consent of the other parent or to notify them in advance for making such decisions, with an aim to reforming and consolidating the law relating to parents’ responsibilities and rights for their children. However, many stakeholders, including single parents, expressed concerns about the legislative proposal at that time. Those who do not support the bill considered that the legislative proposal would not help divorced parents in resolving conflicts, but might instead cause more problems for families with domestic violence background. Single-parent groups were also concerned that the requirement to “obtain the other party’s consent for major decisions concerning the child” would be exploited by a troublemaking ex-spouse with malicious intent to harass their former partner, causing distress to the child. Hence, the Government shelved the legislative proposal and focused instead on implementing a series of support measures to strengthen support for divorced families, including separated/divorcing/divorced parents and their children. In this connection, the Government increased resources in 2019 to set up five Specialised Co-parenting Support Centres (SCSCs) to provide one-stop specialised services for divorced families; provide a spectrum of preventive, supportive and remedial services for families in need (including separated/divorced families) through the 65 Integrated Family Service Centres (IFSCs) and two Integrated Services Centres; and adopted a multi-pronged approach of public education and publicity to foster community awareness of the well-being of children of divorced families and promote the message of co-parenting.

     To gauge the latest views of stakeholders on the legislative proposal, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) collected feedback from service users through the SCSCs and IFSCs in the second half of 2024. Results of the questionnaire survey indicated that the views of divorced parents on the subject remain diverse. About 70 per cent of the respondents agreed to inform their ex-spouses before making major decisions concerning their children (e.g. further studies, emigration, surgery, choice of religion, change of name, etc), but the percentage of those who agreed dropped to 56 per cent if the consent or written confirmation of their ex-spouses had to be obtained first. More than 61 per cent of the respondents opposed to allowing ex-spouses who do not live with their children to participate in major decisions affecting their children’s welfare and future through legislation. In fact, the court has been encouraging divorced parents to take an active part in matters relating to the life and care of their children provided that it is in the best interests of the children, and their responsibilities do not end just because of the breakdown of their marriage or relationship. In recent years, when handling matrimonial proceedings, the court has been making judgments based on the principle of “joint parental responsibility” and allow both parents to participate directly in the lives of their children as far as possible in suitable cases (e.g. those not involving domestic violence).

     We understand that there are views in the community that the legislation would help clearly reflect the current criteria of the court in making judgments, thereby promoting public understanding of the importance of joint parental responsibilities after divorce. However, there is in general still a lack of awareness and even misunderstanding of custody orders in the community. Divorced parents tend to focus on defending their custody rights, which may lead them to overlook the continuous joint parental responsibilities with the other parent with regard to the principle of safeguarding their children’s best interests. Therefore, the Government considers that prior to deciding whether to resume the legislative process, we should step up public education to change the entrenched concepts as mentioned above. This would enable divorced parents to understand their joint responsibilities over their children, instead of initiating unnecessary legal proceedings in fighting for the custody rights of their children, which would jeopardise the best interests of their children.

     As I pointed out at the meeting of the Panel on Welfare Services in November 2024, since single parents have clearly expressed their concerns about the legislation (no matter whether the concern is attributed to a lack of understanding of the legislative proposal or to a dissenting view), the Government should not force the resumption of the legislative process. The Government is willing to collaborate with the legal sector and non-governmental organisations specialising in supporting divorced families to explain to divorced parents the essence of joint parental responsibilities and the benefits of legislation. If the majority of stakeholders can overcome their deep-rooted concerns, the legislative process will naturally come to fruition, at the same time avoiding disputes in the community and preserving social harmony. In this connection, the LWB and the SWD plan to launch a new and enhanced public education programme next year to promote the concept of continuous joint responsibility of divorced parents for their children at various fronts of the community. This will include enabling single parents to fully understand the current criteria of the court’s judgments on custody orders, alleviating their concerns about the legislative proposal. After rolling out the public education programme for a period of time, the Government will evaluate its effectiveness in embedding the concept of “joint parental responsibility” in the minds of divorced parents, and further consider whether the legislative proposal should be put back on the agenda. read more

     â€‹Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for Youth and Home Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):
 
Question:
 
     It is learnt that every year, numerous festive and cultural events take place in villages throughout the New Territories. These events are hosted by the Rural Committees (RCs) and attract a large number of visitors from the Mainland and overseas for sightseeing. However, there are views pointing out that the organisation of such events requires significant human, material and financial resources, which places a considerable financial burden on the resource-constrained RCs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether the Government provided financial and manpower support for the following rural mega events in the past three years: (i) the Lam Tsuen Wishing Festival, (ii) the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, (iii) ‍the Tin Hau Festival Parade of Yuen Long, (iv) the Hau Wong Festival of Tung Chung, (v) the Dragon Boat Races during the Dragon Boat Festival, and (vi) the Jiao Festivals of various villages; if so, of the details, and set out in a table the funding amount and number of support staff for each event; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) whether, in order to fully implement the concept of “Tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong”, the Government will provide direct funding to various RCs and consider introducing a new project type of Rural Festive and Cultural Events under the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme, so as to subsidise villages to organise events with distinctive festive characteristics; if not, of the reasons for that;
 
(3) as there are views that the development of rural mega events and tourism in the New Territories requires the participation of various RCs, and yet it is learnt that the monthly subvention granted by the Government to each RC ranges from $15,300 to $16,700, with the last adjustment to the subvention amount made in 2018, whether the Government will adjust such amount upwards based on changes in the Composite Consumer Price Index; if not, of the reasons for that; and
 
(4) whether, in addition to strengthening the promotion of rural mega events through the Tourism Commission and the Home Affairs Department, the Government will draw on the Mainland’s experience and use means such as live streaming and short video clips by rural online influencers to showcase the natural scenery, traditional culture and lifestyle of New Territories villages, so as to deepen the understanding of the public and tourists about the motherland and the New Territories, thereby promoting the development of rural mega events?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In respect of the question raised by the Hon Kenneth Lau, in consultation with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and the Environment and Ecology Bureau, a consolidated reply is as follows:
 
     The Government has always been supportive of the organisation of major rural events, with a view to promoting and preserving traditional culture. Among other things, the Home Affairs Department implements the Community Involvement Programme through which eligible organisations, including non-governmental organisations such as Rural Committees (RCs) and district organisations, may apply for funding support to organise projects featuring local characteristics and popular festive celebrations as well as cultural, artistic and recreational activities to promote district harmony. In the past three years, more than $14 million has been allocated under the Community Involvement Programme to subsidise RCs and other district organisations in the New Territories in organising some of the major rural events mentioned in the question. In addition, all District Offices (DOs) in the New Territories have been in close liaison and collaboration with RCs and relevant district organisations, including the provision of manpower support to assist the organisers in carrying out relevant activities upon their invitation. Other government departments have also made concerted efforts to provide assistance for the activities in accordance with their respective duties and remit, including venue arrangements, crowd management, traffic diversions and road closures, environmental hygiene and public order. All of the above work is undertaken by the DOs and other departments concerned with their existing resources and manpower. Hence, a breakdown of the subsidy amount and manpower involved is not available.
 
     Besides, the Countryside Conservation Office under the Environment and Ecology Bureau also subsidises local non-profit-making organisations to organise diverse and innovative countryside conservation and revitalisation projects through the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme (CCFS). One of the project types funded under the CCFS is Cultural Rehabilitation/Revitalisation Projects, which aims at enhancing public appreciation and awareness in conservation of target cultural assets. This project type encompasses elements of organising countryside festive events for attracting villagers to return to their villages for gatherings. For instance, festive activities were organised in Kuk Po last year for the Kuk Po Spring Equinox Festival in celebration of the new year, introducing the public to the Hakka culture, the features of Hakka cuisine and other Chinese New Year traditions.
 
     With regard to the promotion of major rural events, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been promoting mega events and festivals through various channels, including social media posts and invitation to KOLs for experiencing Hong Kong in person, as well as production of a series of promotional content, including videos, outdoor advertising, programmes in collaboration with renowned media, to carry out promotion in different source markets around the world and boost promotion impact by complementing with contents on HKTB’s one-stop travel information platform Discover Hong Kong. These include “Hong Kong Great Outdoors”, a promotional platform featuring hiking, beaches and outdoor activities, leisure and sightseeing, as well as island hopping. It also promotes traditional festivities, such as Cheung Chau Bun Festival, Dragon Boat Water Parade of Tai O, Hung Shing Festival. These promotional contents introduce to tourists the natural scenery, traditional culture and lifestyle of villages in the New Territories and attract them to come to Hong Kong. Efforts are also made by the DOs concerned in promoting activities in their respective districts through different channels, including websites, social media platforms and local networks.
 
     The Government has always attached great importance to rural affairs and, through the provision of monthly subvention to RCs since the 1960s, to recognise and support their work. The rates and Government rents of RCs are also paid in full by the Government. The subvention to RCs is not subject to an adjustment mechanism approved by the Legislative Council. In 2018, the Government increased the subvention to RCs with reference to the changes in the Composite Consumer Price Index. There are three levels of RC subventions at $15,300, $15,800 and $16,700 per month respectively, which were set according to factors like the size of the RCs to cover their daily operating expenses. RCs may also apply for government subsidies for eligible rural activities through the various funding programmes mentioned above. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Sunny Tan and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):
 
Question:
 
     As proposed by the Chief Executive in the 2023 Policy Address, the Hong Kong Fashion Design Week (Fashion Week), branded as Hong Kong Fashion Fest (Fashion Fest), would be held annually starting from 2024. In the 2024 Policy Address, it is proposed to make the new flagship Fashion Week an annual signature event to develop Hong Kong into a fashion design hub in Asia. It has been reported that the inaugural Fashion Fest was held in early December last year with resounding success. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the performance of the inaugural Fashion Fest, including the number of participants, the countries or regions from which the participants or attendees of the Fashion Fest came, and the media effectiveness, etc.;
 
(2) of the plans and measures in place to make the Fashion Fest an annual signature event with more international and spectacular elements (including how to step up overseas publicity on the Fashion Fest in the international fashion arena, the industrial and commercial sectors, ‍etc.), and to reinforce Hong Kong’s positioning as the premier textile and fashion hub in the Asian region; and
 
(3) as I have learnt that the fashion collections of an overseas brand were well received and successfully sold at the inaugural Fashion Fest, and the brand’s founder cum designer subsequently moved to Hong Kong to develop his/her career and business, whether the Government will consider adopting more proactive policy incentives and initiatives (e.g. reduction of profits tax and business registration fees) to attract brands and designers from the Mainland and regions along the Belt and Road such as Southeast Asia to move to Hong Kong to set up their presence, so as to establish more Asian international brands based in Hong Kong?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Chief Executive has announced in his 2024 Policy Address to make the Hong Kong Fashion Design Week an annual signature event, developing Hong Kong into a fashion design hub in Asia. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) has branded the event as Hong Kong Fashion Fest to consolidate different fashion design events and introduce innovative elements and affiliate activities annually, promoting Hong Kong’s fashion and textile design brands as well as promoting Hong Kong as a prime destination for hosting major cultural and creative events.
 
     In consultation with Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), my reply to the question raised by the Hon Sunny Tan is as follows:
 
(1) The inaugural Hong Kong Fashion Fest was funded by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the CSTB, with the core programmes took place from November 20 to December 4, 2024. During the period, the CCIDA carried out online and offline publicity and promotion, and invited local and international media to Hong Kong to experience in person the atmosphere of Hong Kong fashion scene. The inaugural Hong Kong Fashion Fest gathered around 160 000 participants from the industries and the public across 25 countries or regions. More than 500 media outlets and related representatives attended the events, and the event-related videos on social media garnered over 4.6 million views.
 
(2) The inaugural Hong Kong Fashion Fest fully showcased Hong Kong’s potential and advantages as a fashion design hub in Asia, laying the foundation for its future development into an annual signature event.
 
     Preparation work for the Hong Kong Fashion Fest 2025 commenced at the end of last year. The CCIDA will fund and promote potential fashion design projects that align with the objectives of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest through the CreateSmart Initiative (CSI), and actively encourage collaboration within the local fashion industry. We will continue to promote the Hong Kong Fashion Fest to countries in Europe and along the Belt and Road, attracting prestigious fashion brands and industry players to Hong Kong to participate in the event and expand their collaboration opportunities with international fashion organisations and brands. We will also continue to optimise and enrich the content of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest, actively introducing different types of fashion design events to further strengthen the international appeal and influence of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest, fostering Hong Kong’s role as a prominent textile and fashion hub in Asia.
 
     On publicity, the CCIDA will adopt comprehensive public relations and marketing strategies, such as utilising digital media promotions, inviting local and overseas fashion celebrities to participate in the event, and organising networking activities for industry stakeholders, etc. in order to enhance the international visibility of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest and local fashion design.
 
(3) The Hong Kong Fashion Fest creates a platform for local and overseas fashion designers and brands, as well as industry leaders and relevant professionals, by providing opportunities for exchanges and showcasing their works. We are pleased to note that a local fashion designer has received multiple inquiries for retail and business collaborations from both local and international sources after showcasing his works at the inaugural Hong Kong Fashion Fest. The fashion designer subsequently met with the leading figures in French fashion design industry to discuss potential collaborations for entering the French market. In addition, a Southeast Asian fashion designer has successfully increased her brand’s exposure and sold a few thousand high-end fashion pieces through her participation in the international fashion show of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest. Eventually, she decided to continue developing her fashion career and business in Hong Kong. We believe that the Hong Kong Fashion Fest will help attract more international brands and talents from Asia to establish their base in Hong Kong.
      
     Hong Kong offers an ideal business environment for foreign investors, featuring the advantages of low tax rates and a simple tax system, as well as simple and efficient procedures for foreign entrepreneurs to register their companies and apply for work visas. The CCIDA will actively liaise with InvestHK to provide support for local and overseas fashion brands seeking to develop their businesses in Hong Kong, and assist creative talent and enterprises in establishing themselves here. read more