Tag Archives: China

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (Sydney ETO) hosted a reception in Sydney, Australia, yesterday (February 4) to celebrate Chinese New Year.

     Over 300 guests from various sectors including political and business circles, media, academic and community groups as well as government representatives attended the Sydney reception. Among them was the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney, Mr Wang Yu. The Chairman of the M+ Board, Chairman of the Tai Kwun Culture and Arts Company Limited and Vice Chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Board, Mr Bernard Chan, was invited as the keynote speaker to share with the guests the vibrant arts and cultural scenes in Hong Kong.

     The Director of the Sydney ETO, Mr Ricky Chong, said in his welcoming remarks that both Hong Kong and Australia embrace free trade, rule of law, and multiculturalism as core values, under which Hong Kong and Australia’s bilateral trade, investment situation and people-to-people ties flourish. New South Wales, in particular, has long been a significant partner for Hong Kong in the finance, trade, tourism, and education sectors.

     “As we celebrate Chinese New Year, let us also reflect on how our collaboration can grow even stronger. With Hong Kong serving as the ‘super connector’ with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Mainland China, the opportunities for Australian businesses are unprecedented. Together, we can explore new horizons and ensure our partnership continues to thrive,” Mr Chong added.  

     In his keynote speech, Mr Chan introduced to guests the various world class venues in the West Kowloon Cultural District, including M+ museum, the Hong Kong Palace Museum and Xiqu Centre, as well as their partnerships with over 20 of the top arts and cultural institutions in the world. He also shared about the vibrant activations and inspiring exhibitions in Tai Kwun – a centre for arts, culture and heritage. Mr Chan will also speak at the Chinese New Year reception to be hosted by the Sydney ETO in Melbourne tomorrow (February 6).

     In addition to the Sydney and Melbourne receptions, the Sydney ETO will also host Chinese New Year receptions in Brisbane (February 13), Perth (February 18) and Adelaide (February 20) in Australia, and Auckland (February 25) in New Zealand, to celebrate the Year of the Snake with local communities.

          

     The Transport Department (TD) today (February 5) announced that two auctions of personalised vehicle registration marks (PVRMs) will be held on February 22 (Saturday) and 23 (Sunday) in Meeting Room N101, L1, New Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
 
     “A total of 240 approved PVRMs will be put up for public sale at each auction. The lists of the marks have been uploaded to the department’s website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html,” a department spokesman said.
 
     The reserve price of each of these marks is $5,000. Applicants who have paid a deposit of $5,000 should also participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price). Otherwise, the PVRM concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.
 
     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auctions should take note of the following points:
 
(1) Bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after successful bidding:
 
(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser (if the purchaser and the successful bidder are different persons);
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation (if the purchaser is a body corporate); and
(iv) a crossed cheque made payable to “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” or “The Government of the HKSAR”. For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed. Successful bidders may also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS), but are reminded to note the maximum transfer amount in the same day of the payment card. Payment by post-dated cheque, cash, credit card or other methods will not be accepted.
 
(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the Memorandum will not be permitted.
 
(3) A PVRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
 
(4) The display of a PVRM on a motor vehicle should be in compliance with the requirements stipulated in Schedule 4 of the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations.
 
(5) Any change to the arrangement of letters, numerals and blank spaces of a PVRM, i.e. single and two rows as auctioned, will not be allowed.
 
(6) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the PVRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the PVRM within 12 months, allocation of the PVRM will be cancelled and arranged for reallocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     “Upon completion of the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM, the purchaser will be issued a receipt and a Certificate of Allocation of Personalised Registration Mark. The Certificate of Allocation will serve to prove the holdership of the PVRM. Potential buyers of vehicles bearing a PVRM should check the Certificate of Allocation with the sellers and pay attention to the details therein. For transfer of vehicle ownership, this certificate together with other required documents should be sent to the TD for processing,” the spokesman added.
 
     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of PVRM, which is available at the department’s licensing offices or can be downloaded from its website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/pvrm_auction/index.html. read more

     â€‹Hongkong Post announced today (February 5) that a set of special stamps and associated philatelic products on the theme of “Public Architecture in Hong Kong II” will be released for sale on February 20 (Thursday).
      
     Public architecture is closely related to the daily lives of people. Following the “Public Architecture in Hong Kong” special stamps issued in 2016, Hongkong Post will present a set of six stamps and associated philatelic products themed “Public Architecture in Hong Kong II”. The stamps, which feature six distinctive public buildings, namely Che Kung Temple Sports Centre, Oi!, Woosung Street Temporary Cooked Food Hawker Bazaar, GREEN@WAN CHAI, Tai Po Lung Mei Beach Building and Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, highlight the innovative construction technologies and building designs that are inclusive and environmentally friendly.
            
     Official first day covers for “Public Architecture in Hong Kong II” will be on sale at all post offices and Hongkong Post’s online shopping mall ShopThruPost (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk) from tomorrow (February 6), while postcards will be available at philatelic offices only. This set of special stamps and associated philatelic products will be on sale at all post offices and ShopThruPost from February 20, while serviced first day covers affixed with the special stamps and maximum cards will be available at philatelic offices only.
      
     A hand-back date-stamping service will be provided on February 20 at all post offices for official first day covers/souvenir covers/privately made covers bearing the first day of issue indication and a local address.
      
     Information about this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products is available on the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk).

            

     The Government Property Agency (GPA) is inviting tenders for a three-year tenancy for Shop No. 302 on the Ground Floor, Passenger Clearance Building, 33 Shun Fai Road, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port, Lantau, Hong Kong,… read more

     The Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) announced today (February 5) that the New Industrialisation Vetting Committee under the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) has supported an application under the New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme (NIAS) submitted by Jean-Marie Pharmacal Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Jacobson Group, covering the life and health technology sector. The project plans to set up smart production lines for sterilised eye drops, oral solid dose and oral liquid dose. This is the first NIAS project supported by the Vetting Committee. The total cost of the project is projected to be around $600 million, and the expected NIAS funding amount involved will be around $200 million.
      
     At the same time, the ITC announced that the number of new smart production lines supported by the Vetting Committee under the New Industrialisation Funding Scheme (NIFS) has exceeded 100 since the launch of NIFS, involving industries such as food manufacturing and processing (including health food), textiles and clothing, construction materials, medical devices, nanofiber materials, new energy, pharmaceutical (including Chinese medicine), electronics, printing and product accessories with a total estimated project cost of around $1.3 billion, of which $930 million came from private investment.
      
     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said, “The Government proactively engages in innovation and technology (I&T) industry development. By launching the NIFS and the NIAS, we aim to promote new industrialisation and secure room for high-quality development in Hong Kong. We are glad to see that enterprises are actively participating in the two funding schemes, making use of I&T to achieve smart production and enhance competitiveness. The Government will continue to assist more enterprises to set up new smart production facilities in Hong Kong and support local enterprises in technology upgrade and achieving new industrialisation, so as to foster the development of Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry and diversified economy.”
      
     The Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address the establishment of the $10 billion NIAS, which was launched in September 2024. The NIAS provides funding support on a 1 (Government): 2 (enterprise) matching basis for enterprises engaging in industries of strategic importance (i.e. life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, advanced manufacturing and new energy technologies) and contributing no less than $200 million to set up new smart production facilities in Hong Kong. For each project, the minimum total project cost is $300 million. The enterprise has to contribute no less than $200 million, and the Government will cover a maximum of one-third of the total approved project cost or $200 million, whichever is lower. Each enterprise can receive up to $200 million in funding under the NIAS.
      
     In addition, the Government encourages enterprises with approved projects under the NIAS to carry out research or increase their scale of research in Hong Kong by providing additional funding for them to engage research talent, as well as facilitating such enterprises in employing non-local talent required for setting up or operating the new production facilities in Hong Kong.
      
     The NIFS aims to subsidise manufacturers on a 1 (Government): 2 (enterprise) matching basis to set up new smart production lines in Hong Kong. The funding ceiling for each project is one-third of the total project cost or $15 million, whichever is lower. Each enterprise can carry out up to three projects concurrently to receive a maximum total funding of up to $45 million under the NIFS.
      
     The NIAS and the NIFS are open for applications throughout the year. Details are available on the website of the Innovation and Technology Fund (www.itf.gov.hk). For enquiries, please contact the Secretariat of the schemes (Tel: 3655 5678; email: enquiry@itf.gov.hk). read more