The Government Property Agency is inviting tenders for a three-year tenancy of (i) Shop No. 4 on the Departure Level, Deck 2; and (ii) Shops B1 and B2 on the Pier Deck, at the Inner Pier of Hong Kong – Macau Ferry Terminal, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

     The premises should only be used for general retail purposes, including storage, sale and display of duty-free liquor, cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products but excluding any goods or commodities that are prohibited under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60), any regulations made thereunder and any amending legislations.

     The tender notice was uploaded today (February 22) to the Agency's website: www.gpa.gov.hk. Tender documents are available for collection at the Government Property Agency, 9/F, South Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, during the period from 9am to 6pm from Mondays to Fridays, except public holidays. The documents can also be downloaded from the Agency's website. 

     Interested tenderers who wish to attend a site inspection should make a prior appointment with the Government Property Agency by calling 3842 6775 on or before March 4 this year.

     â€‹Tenderers must submit their tenders by placing them in the Government Logistics Department Tender Box situated on the Ground Floor, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong, before noon on March 15 this year. Late tenders will not be accepted.

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

     US Dollar Liquidity Facility tender notice:
 

 
Note: Licensed Banks interested in participating in the tender for the first time are encouraged to provide US dollar settlement instructions by email (settlementsection@hkma.gov.hk) to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Settlement Team in advance, preferably two days prior to the tender. Required information includes name of corresponding bank, name of final beneficiary (must be the Licensed Bank participating in the tender), and account or CHIPS number of a US dollar bank account to be settled in the US. Such information needs to be provided once only, unless there is further change.

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, gave a keynote interview at Asia Trade Week 2021, which is themed "Reviving trade: the way forward", today (February 22), sharing his insights on the trade landscape under the COVID-19 pandemic.

     During the online interview, Mr Yau said that the pandemic has brought an uneven impact on the trade in Hong Kong, as commodity trade has not been much affected but trade in services has taken a more heavy toll. Nevertheless, some areas such as financial services and information and technology have still achieved robust growth. Hong Kong's situation may resemble the situation globally.

     On relief measures provided by the Government to support enterprises in Hong Kong, Mr Yau talked about the two tranches of the Employment Support Scheme and four rounds of the Anti-epidemic Fund, which has provided targeted economic relief packages for hard-hit industries covering tourism, retail, and food and beverage. The Government has also rolled out and topped up the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme to provide cash flow relief to enterprises. The Scheme was well-received by SMEs, he said.

     Noting that most economies are still suffering from the economic recession caused by the pandemic, Mr Yau said that the pandemic would put pressure on operation costs on the way to economic recovery. And bigger challenges come from whether anti-pandemic measures will become an excuse for trade barriers and whether protectionist sentiments will happen to rise. However, there are good developments on the global trade scene. Citing the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), he said that high-standard free trade agreements could strengthen the multilateral trading system, enhance regional trade co-operation and remove trade barriers.

     Mr Yau stressed that Hong Kong stands ready to join the RCEP. Among the 15 economies of the RCEP, Hong Kong has had direct free trade agreements with 13 members including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia and New Zealand, on top of the Mainland and the Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, which provides a very good platform for Hong Kong to start a meaningful and constructive discussion with RCEP members.

     Mr Yau said how widely e-commerce was adopted by all economies was very important to economic recovery as the pandemic has affected the movement of goods and people. It is an area where international trade organisations could seek further collaboration.

     Organised by The Economist Events, Asia Trade Week 2021 will be held from today to February 25. Policymakers, business leaders, trade negotiators, academics and economists will have discussions on major factors that will shape the future of trade in Asia and beyond.

  

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (February 22) released a consultation paper on the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Plastic Beverage Containers (PPRS) for the proper and effective management of waste plastic beverage containers. The consultation period will last for three months until May 21, 2021.
 
     An EPD spokesman said, "The Government has recently announced the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035. With the vision of 'Waste Reduction‧Resources Circulation‧Zero Landfill', the Blueprint sets out the strategies, goals and measures to tackle the challenge of waste management up to 2035, and to promote a circular economy and green living environment. As one of the key waste reduction measures, the proposed PPRS requires the relevant stakeholders to jointly share the environmental responsibilities of collecting and treating plastic beverage containers to minimise their impact on the environment. This is also conducive to the development of the local circular economy. Plastic beverage containers are usually made up of mono-material which is relatively easy to handle and has a higher recycling value. If properly separated at source for collection and treatment, such material can be turned into useful resources more effectively."
 
     In line with the "polluter pays" principle, the PPRS proposed a recycling levy to be collected at the beverage supplier level (including manufacturers and importers) to help recover the operation costs of the Scheme. It has been suggested that certain retail stores selling plastic-bottled beverages serve as collection points to enable the public to return used plastic beverage containers. The plastic beverage containers collected will then be supplied to local recyclers for proper recycling, turning the containers into marketable recycled materials. Furthermore, the proposed PPRS includes the provision of rebates to encourage the public to return used plastic beverage containers.
 
     Members of the public are welcome to submit their views through the dedicated website at www.pprs.hk, or by email, post or fax to the EPD during consultation period.
 
     Meanwhile, the EPD has rolled out a one-year Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) Pilot Scheme to test the application of RVMs in recovering plastic beverage containers in the local context, paving the way for the future implementation of the PPRS. Under the pilot scheme, 60 RVMs will be set up in phases at locations such as public places and government facilities with suitable foot traffic to collect used plastic beverage containers returned by the public for recycling. This will provide an instant rebate of $0.1 via e-payment platforms for each plastic beverage container properly returned to the RVM. Each e-payment platform account will allow the return of a maximum 30 plastic beverage containers a day. Members of the public may also choose to donate the rebate (no daily limit imposed) to designated charities (the Community Chest, the Scout Association of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association) to benefit the community.
 
     At present, 40 RVMs are in service, with the remaining 20 RVMs to be available soon. The locations and service hours of the RVMs are available at www.hkrvm.com.hk. For enquiries and views on the operation of the RVMs, members of the public can call the pilot scheme hotline at 9488 0277 or email to enquiry@hkrvm.com.hk.
 

     The Innovation and Technology Commission is inviting applications for the 2021 Innovation and Technology Support Programme from today (February 22) until May 21.

     The Programme provides funding support for two types of research and development (R&D) projects undertaken by designated local public research institutes and R&D centres, namely Platform and Seed projects. Platform projects are applied R&D projects that are industry-oriented and have potential for commercialisation, while Seed projects are exploratory and forward-looking projects.

     Further information is available on the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) website (www.itf.gov.hk/en/funding-programmes/supporting-research/itsp). For enquiries, please contact the ITF Secretariat (Tel: 3655 5678; email: enquiry@itf.gov.hk).