The Government published in the Gazette today (June 11) the Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2021 and the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 2) Order 2021 to amend the control lists of chemical weapons and strategic commodities.

      "As a responsible trading partner and an international trading hub, Hong Kong has been following closely the controls adopted by leading international regimes and convention of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The purpose of this technical amendment exercise is to reflect through the two Orders the changes to the control lists adopted by a number of international regimes and convention with respect to the technologies or items under control as well as the control thresholds", a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said.

     The control lists of chemical weapons and strategic commodities in Hong Kong mirror the control lists adopted by the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia Group, and the Chemical Weapons Convention (Note 1). The control lists are provided in the relevant schedules to the Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance (Cap. 578) and the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Cap. 60G).

     The Orders will be tabled at the Legislative Council on June 16. The Government plans to bring the Orders into effect on August 25.

     The Trade and Industry Department will inform traders of the details of the amendments via a trade circular and through its website (www.stc.tid.gov.hk/eindex.html). Enquiries can be made to the Strategic Trade Controls Branch of the department by telephone at 2398 5587 or by email at stc@tid.gov.hk.
 
Note 1: The full name of the Chemical Weapons Convention is "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction".

     The Government declared by notices in the Gazette today (June 11) the existence of one vacant elected seat each in the Wong Tai Sin District Council Chuk Yuen North Constituency and the Sha Tin District Council City One Constituency.

     Following the resignation of elected members Mr Cheng Tsz Kin of the Wong Tai Sin District Council and Ms Wong Man Huen of the Sha Tin District Council, their offices have become vacant since June 1, 2021, and June 4, 2021, respectively, pursuant to section 26(b) of the District Councils Ordinance (Cap. 547).

     The Labour Department (LD) will hold a public talk entitled "Occupational safety and health (OSH) for confined space workers" on June 18 (Friday). To enhance workers' OSH awareness in confined spaces, the talk will explain the related OSH hazards as well as their preventive measures.
      
     The talk will be given by the LD's occupational hygienist, occupational safety officer and occupational health nurse at 2.30pm in the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library, 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay.
      
     The LD will hold another talk, entitled "Occupational health for security guards", on June 21 (Monday). The talk will introduce the causes and preventive measures of lower limb and back disorders commonly found among security guards. Tips on healthy living will also be provided, with demonstration and practice of workplace exercise.
      
     The talk will be given by the LD's occupational health nurse at 3pm in Lecture Room 1, Sha Tin Town Hall, 1 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin.
      
     Both talks will be conducted in Cantonese. Admission is free but must be pre-registered. On-site registration is not available. Infection control measures taking into account the latest epidemic developments will be adopted at both venues. For enquiries or registration, please call 2852 4040.

     Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, "Chinese Opera Film Shows" will be held in July and August. The programme is a showcase of various Chinese opera genres including Peking opera, Yu opera, Yue opera, Yang opera, Xi opera, Ping opera, Huangmei opera and Cantonese opera.
 
     Screening details are as follows:

July 7 (Wednesday), 7.30pm
Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive
Peking opera film "Goddess Luo River" (1956)
 
July 8 (Thursday), 7.30pm
Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive
Yu opera film "Mu Guiying Takes Command" (1958)
 
July 15 (Thursday), 7.30pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Peking opera film "Havoc in Heaven" (2019)
 
July 16 (Friday), 7.30pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Yue opera film "A Poet's Lament" (2019)
 
July 17 (Saturday), 11am
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Yang opera film "Romance of a Noble Man" (2018)
 
July 17 (Saturday), 3pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Peking opera film "Havoc in Heaven" (2019)
 
July 17 (Saturday), 7.30pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Xi opera film "The Pearl Pagoda" (2015)
 
July 18 (Sunday), 11am
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Xi opera film "The Pearl Pagoda" (2015)
 
July 18 (Sunday), 3pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Yue opera film "A Poet's Lament" (2019)
 
July 18 (Sunday), 7.30pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Yang opera film "Romance of a Noble Man" (2018)
 
July 21 (Wednesday), 7.30pm
Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive
Ping opera film "Flower is a Matchmaker" (1963)
 
August 8 (Sunday), 7.30pm
Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum
Cantonese opera film "Golden Phoenix and Dragon" (1961)
 
August 19 (Thursday), 7.30pm
Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive
Huangmei opera film "The Female Consort of the Princess" (1959)
 
August 20 (Friday), 7.30pm
Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum
Cantonese opera film "A Child was Born under Bridge" (1962)
 
August 21 (Saturday), 7.30pm
Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum
Cantonese opera film "Hung-neung, The Matchmaker" (1958)
 
August 22 (Sunday), 7.30pm
Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum
Cantonese opera film "An Ideal Couple" (1960)
 
     Tickets priced at $60 or $80 per screening are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1137.html.

     The Government gazetted today (June 11) the Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2021 to strengthen the regulation of harmful substances such as industrially produced trans fats and mycotoxins in food.

     A Government spokesman said, "We conducted a three-month public consultation from December 11, 2020, to March 15, 2021, on the proposed amendments to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap. 132AF). The respondents generally welcomed and supported the proposed amendments and considered that the proposals could better protect public health. Meanwhile, we have also taken into account several technical comments raised by some respondents and solicited support from the Legislative Council Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene in April 2021 to formulate the updated proposals, as reflected in the Amendment Regulation."

     The Amendment Regulation aims at updating and strengthening the regulatory control of three types of mycotoxins, i.e. aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol (also known as vomitoxin) and patulin, in food; as well as setting or updating the maximum levels for five other harmful substances (i.e. benzo[a]pyrene, glycidyl fatty acid esters, melamine, 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol and erucic acid) in edible fats and oils, condiments or formula products intended for infants.

     With reference to the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Amendment Regulation also specifies partially hydrogenated oils, i.e. the main source of industrially produced trans fatty acids (IP-TFAs), as a prohibited substance in food, with a view to meeting the WHO's goal of eliminating IP-TFAs from the global food supply by 2023. To align with the prevailing international standards and practices, the Government also published in the Gazette today the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment) Regulation 2021 to stipulate that any prepackaged food containing hydrogenated oils, e.g. fully hydrogenated oil, must be indicated accordingly in the list of ingredients. 

     "We consider that the two Amendment Regulations should be implemented as soon as practicable. Meanwhile, in view of the business environment under the COVID-19 pandemic, we also have to duly consider the need of allowing sufficient time for the trade to get prepared for the updated food safety standards. On balance, we propose to implement the Amendment Regulations in two phases for the provisions relating to specifying partially hydrogenated oils as a prohibited substance in food and the related marking and labelling requirement to come into operation on December 1, 2023, and all other provisions to come into operation on June 1, 2023," the spokesman said.

     The two Amendment Regulations will be tabled in the Legislative Council on June 16 for negative vetting.