Hong Kong – Smart tech aids Hong Kong’s environment
Smart tech aids Hong Kong’s environment
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The Environmental Protection Department’s Innovation and Technology Task Force is utilising smart technology with the goal of identifying sources of underwater pollution and enhancing efficiency and safety in its operations.
News.gov.hk spoke to members of the task force to learn more about the department’s innovative use of an unmanned sampling submarine to help solve pollution investigations and monitor the environment.
The story is available at www.news.gov.hk/eng/feature today (June 11) in text and video format.
DSJ promotes Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services in Geneva (with photos)
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Mr Cheung attended a reception hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva for exchanges with representatives to the World Trade Organization (WTO) from different countries and economies as well as business and industry leaders in Europe, with focus on how Hong Kong leverages on its strengths to contribute to the rules-based multilateral trading system.
Speaking at the reception, he reiterated that Hong Kong, China has always been a staunch supporter of rules-based international trading system. It has participated in a number of disputes brought by different WTO members, including the complaint against the duties and related measures imposed by the United States (US) on steel and aluminium imports, which has helped in clarifying important legal principles of the WTO law and enhancing members’ understanding of international trade law.
He particularly mentioned that in the case brought by Hong Kong, China against the US in relation to the origin marking requirement imposed on Hong Kong products by the US, the Panel established under the WTO Dispute Settlement Body has ruled that such requirement is inconsistent with the most-favoured-nation treatment requirement under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994. The Panel also completely refuted the US’ invocation of security exception. This ruling has fully affirmed the status of Hong Kong, China as a separate customs territory within the WTO.
In addition to promoting Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services, Mr Cheung said that following the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Hong Kong’s investment and business environment has become stable and more vibrant. He encouraged enterprises and organisations to set up offices in Hong Kong to take full advantages of the unique strengths and opportunities offered by Hong Kong as the only common law jurisdiction within China under “one country, two systems”.
Before the reception, Mr Cheung visited the Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law (ACWL), and met with the Executive Director of the ACWL, Mr Niall Meagher, and other members of the senior management of the ACWL. They exchanged views on strengthening co-operation between the DoJ and the ACWL.
Mr Cheung then called on the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the WTO, Mr Li Chenggang, and said that Hong Kong would proactively create strong impetus for the overseas development of its diversified legal and dispute resolution services, consolidating the city’s status as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mr Cheung will continue his visit in Geneva today (March 9, Geneva time) before departing for The Hague, the Netherlands, this afternoon.
A taste of Hong Kong’s street food culture in Berlin (with photo)
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IMF acknowledges Hong Kong’s strong economic recovery and stability of its financial system
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Future of Hong Kong’s visual culture in times of pandemic (with photo)
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Hong Kong – DSJ promotes Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services in Geneva (with photos)
The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, arrived at Geneva, Switzerland, on March 8 (Geneva time), the third stop of his Europe visit, to strengthen co-operation between the Department of Justice (DoJ) and international organisations and to promote Hong Kong’s robust legal system to the political and business communities.Hong Kong – A taste of Hong Kong’s street food culture in Berlin (with photo)
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) continued its celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) with a food festival dedicated to Hong Kong-style street food and delicacies in Berlin on July 7 (Berlin time).
The Hong Kong Street Food Festival offered a selection of local street food and dim sum options, such as spring rolls, egg tarts, mango pomelo sago and the famous Hong Kong style milk tea. The visitors embarked on a flavourful journey through the different tastes of Hong Kong.
Street food has been playing an integral role in shaping Hong Kong’s cultural identity. “Food culture is not only a key part of everyday life, but also an entry point and important channel to facilitate exchanges among people from different backgrounds and cultures,” the Director of HKETO Berlin, Ms Jenny Szeto, said.
HKETO Berlin is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR by hosting and supporting a series of events ranging from film festivals and gala dinners to a street food festival, all under the theme “A New Era – Stability．Prosperity．Opportunity”, in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland this year.
For details on the Hong Kong Street Food Festival and other celebration events of HKETO Berlin, please visit www.hketoberlin.gov.hk/en/events_25th.htm.
About HKETO Berlin
HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the HKSAR Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Hong Kong – IMF acknowledges Hong Kong’s strong economic recovery and stability of its financial system
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a Staff Report today (March 8) which, substantiated by a more detailed analysis, reinforces its assessment of Hong Kong’s economic and financial positions published on January 20, 2022, following the conclusion of the 2022 Article IV Consultation.
Reaffirming Hong Kong’s position as a major global financial centre with a resilient financial system, sound macroprudential policies, and robust regulatory and supervisory frameworks, the IMF recognises that Hong Kong’s financial sector has continued expanding robustly, even during the pandemic. The IMF commends that Hong Kong has made significant progress in addressing climate change in the past decade and recognises the Government’s ongoing efforts to enhance the green and sustainable finance ecosystem. The IMF also welcomes that a large fiscal stimulus has helped mitigate the impact of economic shocks and speed up economic recovery. It supports the Government’s three-pronged approach to containing housing market risks and increasing housing affordability (which include macroprudential measures, demand-side management measures and an increase in housing supply).
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said, “I welcome the IMF’s recognition of our strong economic recovery supported by swift and bold policy responses. Having considered that the economic situation in Hong Kong has taken a drastic turn with the outbreak of the fifth wave of the pandemic, I have announced in the 2022-23 Budget counter-cyclical measures, involving a total commitment of over $170 billion, with a view to providing appropriate assistance for individuals and businesses affected by the fifth wave of the local outbreak. The counter-cyclical measures, together with those introduced in the past two years and multiple rounds of the Anti‑epidemic Fund, involving a total commitment of over $650 billion, are effective in mitigating the socio-economic impact of the pandemic. We will continue to closely monitor the local epidemic situation, take necessary and effective fiscal measures and further strengthen our already robust institutional frameworks with a view to fostering economic recovery after the pandemic and safeguarding financial stability.”
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Eddie Yue, said, “I welcome the IMF’s reaffirmation of the robustness and resilience of our banking and financial system. The well-functioning Linked Exchange Rate System will continue to be an anchor of economic and financial stability for Hong Kong.”
The IMF Mission held virtual discussions with government officials, regulators and private sector representatives in Hong Kong from December 1 to 15, 2021, for the 2022 Article IV Consultation with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Concluding Statement of the Mission’s assessment was published on January 20, 2022. The Staff Report was endorsed by the IMF Executive Board on February 10, 2022.
The IMF’s press release on the Staff Report is attached in the Annex. The Staff Report can be accessed from the websites of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (www.fstb.gov.hk) and the IMF (www.imf.org).
Hong Kong – Future of Hong Kong’s visual culture in times of pandemic (with photo)
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin), together with the Centre for International Relations (CIR) and THINKTANK, organised an online seminar on February 15 (Warsaw time). Renowned speakers from the creative industry in Hong Kong and Poland, including Ms Ikko Yokoyama, Lead Curator, Design and Architecture of M+, Hong Kong; Mr Tomek Rygalik, Founder of Studio Rygalik and Design Nature; and Dr Paweł Ukielski, Deputy Director of Warsaw Rising Museum, shared valuable insights on how the arts and culture industry has overcome the obstacles and navigate through the challenges posed by the pandemic and discussed the current developments of visual culture in Asia and Europe.
Ms Jenny Szeto, the Director of HKETO Berlin, pointed out in her welcoming remarks that Hong Kong has demonstrated remarkable resilience by using innovative ways to strengthen its position as an emerging arts and cultural hub in Asia amid the pandemic.
Hong Kong has all along been an East-meets-West hub for international arts and cultural exchanges. With Asian economies’ strong performance and fast recovery from the pandemic, the Asian and Hong Kong art scenes flourish, attracting both artists and entrepreneurs who are looking to expand their presence here.
“The promotion of arts is one of Hong Kong’s top priorities. The development of the city’s arts and culture formed a key part of the Government’s budget in 2020-21, with a total of HK$5.5 billion (around 2.8 billion Zloty) allocated to the arts and culture, excluding capital works expenditure,” Ms Szeto said.
West Kowloon Cultural District is a flagship project designed to boost Hong Kong’s art and cultural landscape. “The centerpiece of the District is the M+, Hong Kong’s new visual cultural museum which opened its doors to the public in November last year, dramatically changing the Asian art landscape. The creators of M+ defined its mission as collecting and curating visual culture, encompassing twentieth and twenty-first century art, design and architecture as well as moving image from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Asia and the whole world,” Ms Szeto added.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been supporting the creative industries over the years: In the 2021-22 Budget, an additional injection of HK$1 billion (around 500 million Zloty) into the CreateSmart Initiative to drive the development of the creative industries was announced. On top of that, an additional allocation of HK$900 million (around 460 million Zloty) was earmarked for the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme to further promote culture and arts from all sectors.
About HKETO Berlin
HKETO Berlin is the official Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Poland as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.
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