kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
CE to attend Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference
4.4.2018

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will visit Hainan from April 8 to 10 to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018. The theme of this year's conference is "An Open and Innovative Asia for a World of Greater Prosperity". The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will join the visit. Mrs Lam will speak at a discussion session on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area and meet Hong Kong student volunteers at the annual conference on April 9. She will attend the opening ceremony of the annual conference on April 10. While in Hainan, Mrs Lam will also attend other sessions of the annual conference and meet with the leaders of various provinces and cities. Mrs Lam will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on April 10. During her absence, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, will be Acting Chief Executive. Ends/Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Issued at HKT 18:32 NNNN
Speech by CE at Art Basel Hong Kong opening ceremony
27.3.2018

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Art Basel Hong Kong opening ceremony today (March 27): Elisabeth (President of the Government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, Ms Elisabeth Ackermann), Marc (Global Director of Art Basel, Mr Marc Spiegler), distinguished guests, media, ladies and gentlemen, It really gives me great pleasure to come to Art Basel 2018. I'm no stranger to Art Basel. It is four years ago at the second edition of Art Basel I was standing here to witness the opening of this world's premier contemporary art fair in my then capacity as the Chief Secretary for Administration. I still remember, on that particular occasion four years ago, I said that Art Basel will certainly become a very significant event in Hong Kong's cultural landscape, and it turns out to be even better than I could have imagined. In the last four or five years, Art Basel has really helped us to build Hong Kong into a cultural hub, bringing a lot of world-class arts exhibitions and galleries, and what is most exciting is audience building. Last year, I saw queues of people, members of the community, queuing up to come into Art Basel to have this feeling of the arts appreciation. So thank you very much, Marc, for bringing us this Art Basel. I was actually in Basel two months ago and had this wonderful meeting with Elisabeth and Marc at the beautiful City Hall of Basel. So this closer relationship between Hong Kong and Basel is something that I find very gratifying. These days, whenever I go out to promote Hong Kong, I usually end my speech with a tagline, and that is "The best of Hong Kong is yet to come". It certainly is true for the arts and culture scene in Hong Kong, because we are now seeing our West Kowloon Cultural District starting to have its physical presence and in due course Hong Kong will bring in two wonderful museums. One is the contemporary art M+, 66,000 square metres. The other is a latecomer - it's the 30,000-square-metre Hong Kong Palace Museum. And we're also expanding the Hong Kong arts museum by almost 40 per cent in a couple of years' time. So the future looks extremely promising for arts and cultural development in Hong Kong, and I welcome more of the arts people to come to enjoy and share our excitement. Thank you very much. Ends/Tuesday, March 27, 2018 Issued at HKT 15:46 NNNN
Speech by CE at HK Asian-Pop Music Festival 2018
23.3.2018

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival 2018 this evening (March 23): First of all, a big welcome to those of you who have come from afar. Hong Kong is Asia's world city, and we are proud of our diversified and vibrant culture. Hong Kong is therefore an ideal place for an event like the Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival. This Festival is a signature music event that has been held in Hong Kong since 2011. With Vietnam coming on board this year, the Festival now has nine participating Asian countries and regions. The 16 top singers or groups joining the performance tonight will no doubt bring us a wonderful evening of music extravaganza. So, my congratulations to the organiser, IFPI (Hong Kong Group), on yet another very successful edition of Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival this year. I wish you all a wonderful evening. Thank you very much. Ends/Friday, March 23, 2018 Issued at HKT 21:16 NNNN
Speech by CE at WEEE·PARK opening ceremony
19.3.2018

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the opening ceremony for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Treatment and Recycling Facility, WEEE·PARK, today (March 19): I would now like to say a few words in English. It is my great pleasure to join you all today at the grand opening ceremony of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Treatment and Recycling Facility, or the WEEE·PARK, here at the EcoPark. Last year, in my election manifesto and the first Policy Address of the current-term Government, I set out my vision for Hong Kong to become a more liveable city, with a sustainable environment being an indispensable building block. Today, we are one step closer towards achieving that vision. The commissioning of WEEE·PARK will provide us with the necessary processing capacity to properly recycle and treat the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) generated locally, turning them into useful resources by employing state-of-the-art technology. It will also underpin the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment that the Government will be implementing in full later this year. Apart from dismantling waste equipment, WEEE·PARK will also refurbish suitable equipment for reuse by those in need. The WEEE·PARK is the newest member of the advanced waste management infrastructure that is being established as set out in the Government's Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources. It follows the commissioning of the T·PARK, another state-of-the-art facility nearby that transforms sludge into energy. Meanwhile, our first organic resource recovery centre, O·PARK, will also commence operation later this year while the food waste pre-treatment facility at Tai Po Wastewater Treatment Plant is expected to be commissioned next year for pilot co-digestion of food waste and sludge in Hong Kong. We have also awarded the contract for constructing the Integrated Waste Management Facility recently. Before I close, I would like to express my gratitude for the support and participation by the Legislative Council, the Tuen Mun District Council, the electrical and electronic equipment industry, and the project teams, leading to the successful completion of the WEEE·PARK. To the contractor, ALBA, congratulations and I look forward to your continued contributions towards the recycling and recovery of WEEE in Hong Kong. Thank you very much. Ends/Monday, March 19, 2018 Issued at HKT 15:34 NNNN
Speech by CE at Women&apos;s Commission International Women&apos;s Day 2018 reception
8.3.2018

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Women's Commission International Women's Day 2018 reception today (March 8): As Hong Kong's first ever female Chief Executive, it is a great pleasure for me to join you all for this year's International Women's Day reception. Hong Kong has indeed made great strides in promoting women's development, and I am a firm believer that education plays a big role in this area. We are proud that Hong Kong has achieved gender equality in education. Despite having slightly more males than females in the 15-to-24 age group, females outnumber their male counterparts in higher education. In the last academic year, about 54 per cent of students who enrolled in programmes funded by the University Grants Committee were female. In terms of professional degree programmes such as medicine, which have been dominated by male students in the past, these days females have an edge in terms of enrolment numbers. For instance, in the last academic year, women accounted for about 51 per cent of medical students in Hong Kong. That said, statistics reveal that there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to supporting women at work. In 2016, 51 per cent of women participated in our labour force, which is significantly lower than the 69 per cent of men. Also in 2016, just one in three manager and administrator positions were filled by women. It is also noteworthy that the number of women in the workforce drops after the age of 30. This is understandable as this suggests that some women, including professionals, might not return to the job market after starting a family. My Government is committed to removing barriers for women to enter or remain in employment through various support measures. These include enhancing child care and elderly services, so as to create favourable conditions for women who wish to pursue their careers, and enable them to achieve a better work-life balance. I know that the Women's Commission has put a lot of effort into facilitating women's employment. In addition to commissioning surveys and researches on women's development and employment, it has since 2014-15 provided funding to help various groups organise programmes and projects under the Funding Scheme for Women's Development. To date, 206 projects have been approved for funding. I look forward to the Commission's valuable advice on how we can further support women in the workplace and address other issues of concern for women in the community. We will continue to work closely with the Commission to promote the well-being of all women in Hong Kong. On this International Women's Day, let me wish you all an enjoyable evening and a very happy and healthy year ahead. Thank you very much. Ends/Thursday, March 8, 2018 Issued at HKT 19:05 NNNN
Appointment of Town Planning Board members
29.3.2018

The Chief Executive has appointed six official and 32 non-official members to the Town Planning Board (TPB) for a new two-year term from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2020. The membership was published in the Gazette today (March 29). The Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands) and Professor Wong Sze-chun are re-appointed as Chairman and Vice-chairman of the TPB respectively. A spokesman for the Development Bureau said that the non-official members of the TPB come from various sectors, including architecture, surveying, urban design, business, engineering, environment and sustainable development, legal, social and medical services, housing affairs, transport and media sectors. The TPB members have multi-disciplinary expertise, experiences with planning and related matters and wide exposure, and will contribute to its work in discharging statutory functions. The members are also appointed to serve on the TPB's two planning committees, namely the Metro Planning Committee and the Rural and New Town Planning Committee. The TPB is a statutory body established under section 2 of the Town Planning Ordinance with a view to promoting the health, safety, convenience and general welfare of the community through the systematic preparation and approval of plans for the layout of areas of Hong Kong. Following is the TPB's full membership for the new term: Chairman ---------- Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands) Vice-chairman ---------------- Professor Wong Sze-chun Official Members: ------------------- Director of Planning Deputy Secretary (Transport)1, Transport and Housing Bureau, or alternate representative Director of Home Affairs, or alternate representative Director of Environmental Protection, or alternate representative Director of Lands, or alternate representative Non-official Members: ------------------------ The re-appointed members are: Mr Lincoln Huang Ling-hang Mr Cheung Hau-wai Dr Chan Fuk-cheung Mr Cheung Kwok-kit Mr Ivan Fu Chin-shing Mr Wilson Fung Ying-wai Dr Hau Chi-hang Mr Sunny Ho Lap-kee Mr Thomas Ho On-sing Mr Philip Kan Siu-lun Mr Alex Lai Ting-hong Dr Lawrence Li Kwok-chang Mr Stephen Liu Ling-hong Professor Liu Tik-sang Mr David Lui Yin-tat Miss Winnie Ng Wing-mui Dr Lawrence Poon Wing-cheung Ms Sandy Wong Hang-yee Mr Stephen Yau How-boa Dr Frankie Yeung Mr Franklin Yu Mr Peter Yuen Ka-tat The new appointees are: Mr Stanley Choi Tak-shing Mr Kwok Lit-tung Mr Daniel Lau King-shing Ms Lilian Law Suk-kwan Mr Leung Ka-wing Professor John Ng Cheuk-yee Dr Jeanne Ng Chi-yun Professor Jonathan Wong Woon-chung Mr Ricky Yu Wai-yip Ends/Thursday, March 29, 2018 Issued at HKT 12:28 NNNN
Appointments to Board of Governors of Hong Kong Arts Centre
29.3.2018

The Chief Executive has appointed Mrs Dominica Yang as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. The Chief Executive has also appointed Mr Peter Lau Man-pong and Ms Maggie Tsui Yeuk-ting as members of the Board of Governors of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. The appointments, to be published in the Government Gazette on April 6, are for a period of three years from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2021. The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah said, "Mr Nelson Leong has served on the Board of Governors of the Hong Kong Arts Centre in his capacity as the Board Chairman over the past six years. He has demonstrated excellent leadership qualities and actively promoted the work of the Centre during this period. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr Leong for his valuable contributions to the promotion of the cultural and arts development of Hong Kong." Ends/Thursday, March 29, 2018 Issued at HKT 11:00 NNNN
Appointment of HA members for 2018/19
29.3.2018

The Chief Executive has re-appointed four serving members and appointed four new members to the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA), the Government announced today (March 29). A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said, "We are grateful to the four new members for accepting the appointment and the existing members for agreeing to continue their service with the HA for another term." The re-appointed members are: From April 1 for two years Ms Tennessy Hui Mei-sheung Mr Chua Hoi-wai Ms So Ching From August 13 for two years Mr Stanley Wong Yuen-fai The new members (appointed from April 1 for two years) are: Dr Johnnie Casire Chan Chi-kau Mr Raymond Chan Yuk-ming Ms Cleresa Wong Pie-yue Ms Cissy Chan Ching-sze Seven serving members will retire from the HA. "We wish to thank the retiring members for their sterling contribution over the past years," the spokesman said. The retiring members are: Retiring on April 1 Professor Edwin Chan Hon-wan Mr Lee Ping-kuen Mr Winfield Wong Wing-cheung Miss Anita Fung Yuen-mei Mr Barrie Ho Chow-lai Professor Bernard Vincent Lim Wan-fung Retiring on August 13 Dr Lau Kwok-yu The membership list of the Housing Authority for 2018/19 is below: Secretary for Transport and Housing (Chairman) Director of Housing (Vice-chairman) Non-official Members (25): Ms Tennessy Hui Mei-sheung Dr Lau Kwok-yu (up to August 12, 2018) Mr Stanley Wong Yuen-fai Ms Serena Lau Sze-wan Mr Wan Man-yee Mr Chua Hoi-wai Ms So Ching Mr Cheung Tat-tong Dr Lo Wai-kwok Mr Alan Lui Siu-lun Mr Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan Mr Kwok Wai-keung Mr Dennis Kwok Wing-hang Professor Joseph Lee Kok-long Mr Wilson Or Chong-shing Professor Chan Ka-lok Ms Melissa Kaye Pang Miss Vena Cheng Wei-yan Dr Miranda Lou Lai-wah Mr Shiu Ka-fai Mr Andrew Wan Siu-kin Dr Johnnie Casire Chan Chi-kau Mr Raymond Chan Yuk-ming Ms Cleresa Wong Pie-yue Ms Cissy Chan Ching-sze Official Members: Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Treasury) Director of Lands Ends/Thursday, March 29, 2018 Issued at HKT 14:30 NNNN
CE meets Governor of Guangdong Province
28.3.2018

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, hosted a breakfast meeting with the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui, at Government House this morning (March 28) to exchange views on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area and co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong. Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Ma's visit to Hong Kong with his delegation. She said that Hong Kong and Guangdong have all along had close ties and co-operation and that this is the fifth time she has met Mr Ma to discuss ways to deepen co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong since she assumed office on July 1 last year. Noting that ties between the two places will be more convenient with the forthcoming promulgation and implementation of the development plan for the Bay Area and the commissioning of three cross-boundary infrastructure projects in the coming 12 months, she expressed the hope that Hong Kong and Guangdong will continue to explore further exchanges and collaboration in various aspects including city management, healthcare, education and innovation and technology. Thanking the Guangdong Provincial Government for making arrangements for her upcoming visit to Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, and the visit by Legislative Council members to five cities in the Bay Area next month, she said she believes that these visits will deepen the understanding of the Bay Area’s latest situation and future development by various sectors in Hong Kong. Mrs Lam said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will actively promote the opportunities brought about by the Bay Area’s development to the business community, professionals and members of the public in Hong Kong, and added that the HKSAR Government will also invite the Guangdong Provincial Government to jointly organise promotional activities overseas to publicise the combined advantages and tremendous business opportunities of the Bay Area to attract foreign investment and talent. Ends/Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Issued at HKT 20:11 NNNN
First meeting of Chief Executive&apos;s Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development held
27.3.2018

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, and her Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development had a useful exchange of views on the future development direction of Hong Kong at the Council's first meeting today (March 27). The meeting was held after a welcome lunch hosted by the Chief Executive at Government House for members of the Council. Mrs Lam shared with members her vision on the future of Hong Kong, and how, by leveraging on its unique strengths and adopting new roles of the Government as a facilitator and promoter, Hong Kong could be better integrated into the overall development of the country. "The Government must be forward-looking and maintain a strategic perspective in its governance. In addition to strengthening the competitiveness of Hong Kong's traditional industries, we need to foster the development of the new economy by embracing innovation and technology. With our strong fiscal position, it is clear that we should invest more vigorously for the future," she said. At the meeting, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, gave a presentation on the 2018-19 Budget. Members were briefed on the economic forecast for Hong Kong in the medium term, the current fiscal position and the economic challenges facing Hong Kong. Members also deliberated on how Hong Kong could seize the opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area development, and provided advice on the factors essential to sustaining Hong Kong's economic development in the medium term. The Council decided that further study should be conducted to explore opportunities for Hong Kong arising from the Bay Area development, in particular on proposed measures to facilitate the flow of people, goods, capital and information between Hong Kong and other cities in the Bay Area. The Council is a high-level body to advise the Chief Executive on Hong Kong's future development and strategies for driving innovation. It will give advice on Hong Kong's strategic positioning in the global and regional contexts and directions of economic development with an aim of enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness and growth potential, provide guidance on evidence-based research and studies on related issues with a view to enhancing policy formulation to meet changing development needs, and advise on stakeholder engagement and public participation in the policy formulation and consensus building process. Ends/Tuesday, March 27, 2018 Issued at HKT 18:31 NNNN
Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting
27.3.2018

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (March 27): Reporter: How confident are you that the employers will also accept this rumoured plan? Chief Executive: Well, we will try our very best to convince the employer groups and the business chambers that this off-setting feature is actually undermining the very purpose of setting up a Mandatory Provident Fund, which is to preserve the benefits for the retirement protection of employees in Hong Kong. Now that the Government has demonstrated the needed political resolve to address this issue and to put in extra funding, I hope that we will be able to convince the employers. But as I said, we'll try our best. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, March 27, 2018 Issued at HKT 11:59 NNNN
CE to visit Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Zhuhai
27.3.2018

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will visit three cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, namely Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, on March 29 and 30. During the visit, Mrs Lam will officiate at the inauguration ceremony of Harmonia College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and visit places including the Zhongshan National Health Technology Park and Tsui Hang New District in Zhongshan, as well as Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai. She will also meet with leaders of the Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Zhuhai Municipal Governments separately. The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, and the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will accompany Mrs Lam on the visit. The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan; and the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, will join parts of the visit. Mrs Lam will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on March 30. During her absence, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, will be Acting Chief Executive. Ends/Tuesday, March 27, 2018 Issued at HKT 10:20 NNNN