Tag Archives: China

     The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH) said today (April 29) that no additional case of measles infection had been recorded as at 4pm today.        Regarding measles control measures … read more

     A Highways Department spokesman said today (April 29) that the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) had confirmed the completion of the Phased Array Ultrasonic Test under the opening-up investigation in the second stage of the holistic assessment strategy for the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project.
      
     The last batch of the test results are now available at the Highways Department’s website for the SCL project (www.hyd.gov.hk/en/road_and_railway/railway_projects/scl/index.html) for reference by the public.
      
     According to the MTRCL’s holistic assessment strategy, the MTRCL will consolidate the test results found in the first two stages into the third stage and use the information obtained such as as-constructed details of the platforms and quality of works, and taking into account the technical data provided by the coupler supplier, conduct a detailed structural analysis on the works for the Hung Hom Station Extension to ascertain the overall structural integrity of the works. The MTRCL has launched the third stage of the holistic assessment strategy and it is expected to be completed by the end of June. read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (April 29) reported three suspected cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places they visit. The cases are detailed below:
 

Sex	Female	Female	Male
Age	8	40	38
Affected area involved	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
High-risk exposure	Camel ride	Camel ride	Camel meat consumption
Hospital	Queen Elizabeth Hospital	Queen Elizabeth Hospital	Princess Margaret Hospital
Condition	Stable	Stable	Stable
MERS-Coronavirus preliminary test result	Negative	Negative	Negative

                                    
     “Travellers to the Middle East should avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels; avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry; and avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare facilities. We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV),” a spokesman for the CHP said.

     Locally, the CHP’s surveillance with public and private hospitals, with practising doctors and at boundary control points is firmly in place. Inbound travellers and members of the public who recently visited the Middle East and developed fever or lower respiratory symptoms within 14 days will be classified as suspected MERS cases. They will be taken to public hospitals for isolation and management until their specimens test negative for MERS-CoV.

     Travellers to affected areas should maintain vigilance, adopt appropriate health precautions and take heed of personal, food and environmental hygiene. The public may visit the MERS pages of the CHP and its Travel Health Service, MERS statistics in affected areas, the CHP’s Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and the World Health Organization’s latest news for more information and health advice. Tour leaders and tour guides operating overseas tours are advised to refer to the CHP’s health advice on MERS. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee:
 
     The Acting Chief Executive, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (April 29) presented awards to the winners of the 2018 Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to commend them for their green management practices and their contributions to environmental protection. Winners of the 2018 Hong Kong Green Innovations Awards (HKGIA) and organisations certified as Hong Kong Green Organisations (HKGOs) in 2018 were also recognised at the presentation ceremony.

     The HKAEE commends organisations in 15 different sectors that have demonstrated outstanding environmental performance. The three judging criteria are green leadership, programme and performance, and partner synergy. The number of entries competing for the HKAEE in 2018 reached a record high of 1 959, more than a fivefold increase compared with 2008, when the awards were launched. A total of 47 organisations won gold, silver or bronze awards this year, and 161 received certificates of merit. To commend company management and employees for their dedication in enhancing the environmental performance of their respective companies and the community, seven awardees were selected under the new Outstanding Green Achiever Commendation Scheme. In addition, to encourage event organisers to adopt environmental practices and reduce waste when organising outdoor events, 14 events were honoured as Green Outdoor Events at today’s ceremony.

    At the presentation ceremony, the Acting Chief Executive, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said that the impacts of climate change had become imminent and Hong Kong could no longer remain aloof from the issue. All sectors of the community should work together to actively implement measures to deal with climate change urgently.

     Mr Cheung said, “To set a good example, the HKSAR Government has introduced a number of initiatives to drive Hong Kong’s low-carbon transformation, including encouraging power companies to replace coal-fired electricity generation units by cleaner energy units, introducing a Feed-in tariff in the private sector, and providing support and facilitation measures for those participating in renewable energy (RE) development.

     “The Government has also spearheaded RE development (e.g. installing solar photovoltaic panels at suitable locations in reservoirs and landfills) and actively promoted building energy-saving programmes.”

     Mr Cheung expressed his warmest gratitude to the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC) for organising the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Department and nine other organisations to encourage business and private sectors to jointly combat climate change.

     The HKGIA aims to encourage local organisations to tackle environmental challenges using new ideas that will benefit the environment. The three assessment criteria are level of innovation, environmental achievements and cost-effectiveness, and practicability and contribution to society. Among the 75 entries this year, six gold awards, silver awards, bronze awards or certificates of merit were granted.

     The final adjudication for the 2018 HKAEE was chaired by former Chairman of the ECC Mr Lam Chiu-ying; the ECC Vice-chairman, Mr Hui Yung-chung; former Chairman of the Awards Committee on the HKAEE Mr Thomas Ho; and the Convenor of the Education Working Group under the ECC, Ms Sylvia Chan. The adjudicating panels also comprised representatives of major business chambers, professional bodies and government departments.

     The Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC) aims to benchmark the green performance of organisations and encourages them to sustain their environmental initiatives in waste reduction, energy saving, carbon reduction and indoor air quality improvement, as well as to strengthen environmental attributes in products.

     Participating organisations are commended as HKGOs if they can demonstrate certain environmental achievements such as possessing certificates under the HKGOC, winning HKAEE awards, signing any of the environment-related charters launched or supported by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government or possessing a valid ISO 14001 certificate. To date, over 2 100 organisations in 15 different industry sectors have attained HKGO status. At the ceremony today, representatives from 989 organisations which became HKGOs in 2018 were presented with certificates in recognition of their environmental achievements.

     Also attending today’s ceremony were the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing; the Chairman of the Environment and Conservation Fund Committee, Mr Douglas Woo; the Chairman of the Awards Committee on the HKAEE, Mr Conrad Wong; the Acting Permanent Secretary for the Environment/Director of Environmental Protection, Ms Irene Young; and representatives of the joint organisers.

     The HKAEE and the HKGOC are jointly organised by the ECC, the Environmental Protection Department, the Advisory Council on the Environment, the Business Environment Council, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hong Kong Chinese Importers’ and Exporters’ Association, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Productivity Council. The HKAEE and the HKGOC are sponsored by the Environment and Conservation Fund.

     The 2019 HKAEE, the HKGIA and the Outstanding Green Achiever Commendation Scheme are now open for applications while the HKGOC and the Green Outdoor Event Commendation Scheme accept applications all year round. The ECC will hold a number of seminars in May and June for winning organisations to discuss their experience of going green. Organisations wishing to learn more about the schemes may obtain details at the seminars. For more information, please visit the website at www.hkaee.gov.hk or call the hotline 2788 5903.

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     On his visit to Sai Kung District today (April 29), the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, toured a company specialising in energy-efficient building products and was briefed on the development progress of the Data Technology Hub (DT Hub) and the Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate. He also visited a secondary school and met with members of the Sai Kung District Council (SKDC).
 
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the SKDC, Mr George Ng, and the District Officer (Sai Kung), Mr David Chiu, Mr Yang went to Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate. He toured the manufacturing plant of an energy-efficient building products company which employs plastic extrusion technology in insulating products for use in doors, windows and facades. Its Tseung Kwan O plant focuses mainly on high-end precision manufacturing while the mass production process takes place on the Mainland.

     Representatives of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC) then gave an update on the progress of the DT Hub and the AMC. The two infrastructural projects are being developed to promote re-industrialisation, targeting for completion in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The DT Hub will provide purpose-designed infrastructure for the data technology and telecommunications services industry while the AMC will foster smart production and advanced assembly of high value-added manufacturing industries and cover extended activities such as research and development, logistics support, prototyping and design.
 
     Noting that re-industrialisation aims to attract high value-added, high-technology and less land-intensive industries to Hong Kong, Mr Yang said it will help promote diversified economic development and create quality employment opportunities for innovation and technology (I&T) talent. To expedite re-industrialisation, the Government will provide an additional allocation of $2 billion to the HKSTPC to identify suitable land in industrial estates for building production facilities required by the dedicated manufacturing sector in order to support more manufacturers in launching operations in Hong Kong. A $2 billion Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme will also be established to subsidise manufacturers, on a matching basis, to set up smart production lines in Hong Kong. The Government will consult the Panel on Commerce and Industry of the Legislative Council next month before seeking funding approval from the Finance Committee, with a view to implementing the initiatives in the second half of this year.
 
     Mr Yang then proceeded to QualiEd College which is a participating school of the Enriched IT Activities Programme. He toured the Dream Laboratory to get a grasp of students’ I&T learning experiences and fruitful results, including the integration of virtual reality technology and aerial photography in geography class and awards obtained in an international programming robot challenge. Mr Yang had a chat with teachers, students and parents and listened to their views and experiences gained in these activities.
 
     Since the introduction of the Enriched IT Activities Programme to secondary schools in 2015/16, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer has subsidised more than 140 secondary schools to organise IT-related extra-curricular activities for inspiring students’ interest and creativity in information technology.
 
     “Hong Kong has been vigorously developing I&T in recent years and thirsting for talent. Given the encouraging responses, we decided to go further and expand the programme. We will launch a $500 million IT Innovation Lab in Secondary Schools initiative so as to nurture more new I&T talent,” said Mr Yang.
 
     The IT Innovation Lab in Secondary Schools initiative is open for some 500 publicly-funded secondary schools on a voluntary basis for organising IT-related extra-curricular activities. Each school will receive a maximum funding of $1 million in the coming three school years to upgrade IT equipment and organise related activities.
 
     The last stop of the district visit was the Hong Kong Velodrome where Mr Yang met with members of the SKDC to exchange views on I&T matters and district issues.

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