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CE welcomes proactive study by Independent Police Complaints Council

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201907/02/P2019070200696.htm

2.7.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (July 2) welcomed the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) Chairman's plan to proactively undertake a detailed study on the recent large-scale public order events pursuant to its statutory functions as set out in the IPCC Ordinance (Cap. 604). "I am in full support of the study and have pledged that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will render full co-operation in the course of the IPCC's work and will ensure that sufficient resources are provided to the IPCC secretariat. "In view of the huge public interest involved in the study, I have requested the IPCC to consider submitting the study report, together with any recommendations, to me within six months, and making public the report as soon as practicable," Mrs Lam said. Ends/Tuesday, July 2, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:45 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201907/02/P2019070200193.htm

2.7.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung; the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee; and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Lo Wai-chung, at a media session today (July 2): Reporter: (inaudible) Chief Executive: Let me just repeat very briefly what I have said in Cantonese. On July 1, that is the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, we have seen two entirely different public scenes. One is a regular march on July 1. Regardless of the number of participants in the march, the march was peaceful and generally orderly, and this fully reflects the inclusiveness of Hong Kong society and the core values we attach to peace and order. The second scene that we have seen, which really saddens a lot of people and shocks a lot of people, is the extreme use of violence and vandalism by protesters who stormed into the Legislative Council (LegCo) building over a period of time. This is something that we should seriously condemn because nothing is more important than the rule of law in Hong Kong. I hope community at large will agree with us that with these violent acts that we have seen, it is right for us to condemn it and hope society will return to normal as soon as possible. Reporter: Mr Lo, Police Commissioner, can you tell us why there were no police officers inside LegCo building? What kind of games is the police playing? Are you setting a trap on protesters? And Mrs Lam, sorry, I have a second question for you. Do you feel that personally you are responsible for the violence tonight because of your lack of positive response to the protesters’ demands? Thank you. Commissioner of Police: Let me answer first, I totally disagree with what this gentleman has just said. We had officers inside the LegCo defending LegCo for nearly eight hours. During the period, we had been under siege of the protestors. They kept on using violent tactics to try to intrude into the LegCo. It was until nine o’clock at night time, several incidents happened that made us to do a temporary retreat. First of all, there were many protestors outside the LegCo main entrance and they were starting using violent tactics to charge the inner door of the LegCo. Secondly, due to the local environment, we were unable to use some of the force that we could use in open ground. Thirdly, we found that there were some protestors tempering with the electricity boxes, and we found that some of the lights had gone out. And in fear of a total dark out that some protestors turned off the lights, I’m afraid there will be people stepping people, or there will be wrong move on either side, both the Police and the protestors. And lastly, but not the least, during the charging they threw in some white smokes. As you know there was already a toxic powder attack on my officers in the afternoon. So without knowing whether this was another toxic powder attack, we had no other choice but to temporarily retreat from the LegCo. Before we retreated, we had already asked the LegCo security to appeal to all working staff within the LegCo to leave due to the incident. And by 9pm, we had been told that all working staff had left. That meant we were sure that no other civilians were within the building, so my officers had no choice but to temporarily retreat, to do a regrouping and to do some redeployment to take back LegCo later on. Chief Executive: It is not true to say that the Government has not responded. We have not responded to every demand asked because of good reasons. First of all, if the cause of the social tensions that we have seen is a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, on June 15 I have announced the suspension of the bill. Subsequently we have explained and elaborated that by suspending the bill at this point in time with no timetable and no plan to resume the debate of the bill in the Legislative Council, the bill will expire, or the bill will die, in July 2020 when the current LegCo term expires. That is a very positive response to the demands that we have heard. As for some of the other demands, let me come back to this very important principle of the rule of law. To demand the Government, without any investigation and checking with the law about whether offences have been made, that we should release everybody arrested, we should not take any follow-up action against some of the violent acts we have seen or even to grant an amnesty to all those involved in these protests, all these will not be in accordance with the rule of law. The rule of law is exactly what I have been talking tonight. I hope we all agree that this is something of paramount importance to Hong Kong and will continue to guide the Government's reactions and responses to social issues and to demands and aspirations of our people. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, July 2, 2019 Issued at HKT 7:43 NNNN

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Speech by CE at reception in celebration of 22nd anniversary of establishment of HKSAR

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201907/01/P2019070100238.htm

1.7.2019

Following is the translation of the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the reception in celebration of the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (July 1): Distinguished guests, fellow citizens, Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. Every year, July 1 gives us an opportunity to look back on our past and look forward to a new year ahead for the SAR. Two years ago, at the Inaugural Ceremony of the Fifth Term SAR Government, I solemnly pledged that in response to the new circumstances and conflicts in society at that time, I would do everything within my ability to identify the crux of the issues, to ease anxiety in the community, and to pave the way forward for Hong Kong. Over the past two years, the SAR Government has endeavoured to fulfil this pledge by implementing a host of policies and initiatives, large and small. However, the incident that happened in recent months has led to controversies and disputes between the public and the Government. This has made me fully realise that I, as a politician, have to remind myself all the time of the need to grasp public sentiments accurately. I am also fully aware that while we have good intentions, we still need to be open and accommodating. While the Government has to ensure administrative efficiency, it still needs to listen patiently. After this incident, I will learn the lesson and ensure that the Government’s future work will be closer and more responsive to the aspirations, sentiments and opinions of the community. The first and most basic step to take is to change the Government’s style of governance to make it more open and accommodating. We also need to reform the way we listen to public views. Such work should be carried out without delay and will start from me: I will make more time for meeting with individuals from different political parties, walks of life and backgrounds. This will enable me to maintain my political awareness and gauge the pulse of the community; I will actively reach out to young people of different backgrounds through various channels to listen to their thoughts; I will enhance the Government’s overall work in communicating with different people and carrying out more comprehensive, accurate and timely analysis on the community’s views on various government policies or issues of public concern in order to better gauge the public sentiments; I and my team will further strengthen communication between the executive authorities and the legislature. The objectives are to understand earlier the concerns of Members of different political affiliations when policies are being developed, and to discuss with them and gather their views at the different stages of policy formulation to facilitate constructive interactions; and I will ensure that in formulating policies, the Government itself will make critical assessment of the situation and make thorough deliberations. In implementing policies, there will be adequate co-ordination among departments to ensure that the policies bring benefits and convenience to the public. I know that the Government has a lot to improve. We will continue to listen to the community’s views and make continuous improvement to our work. At present, Hong Kong is facing a lot of problems. The external environment is unstable and the trade conflict between China and the United States is yet to be resolved. Hong Kong’s economy is facing greater downside risks. We should devote our energy to taking precautionary measures as well as making appropriate responses. The Government’s work cannot stop. Serving over seven million people in Hong Kong, we also have much to do in the future to improve people’s livelihood. We have to further improve education and healthcare, provide more opportunities for young people and increase social services such as elderly and child care services, as well as address the most challenging housing problem and more. Distinguished guests, fellow citizens, during the past 22 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, Hong Kong has experienced some changes, ups and downs, in the political, economic and social areas. Yet, Hong Kong has, generally speaking, remained stable and prosperous. Backed by the motherland and open to the world, Hong Kong has continued to leverage its unique advantages under “One Country, Two Systems”. Under “One Country”, Hong Kong has benefited from the country’s reform and opening-up and has enjoyed greater room for growth and development in social, economic and livelihood areas. On “Two Systems”, after its return to the motherland, Hong Kong is still internationally recognised as one of the freest economies in the world, with the basic rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people fully protected by the Basic Law. To successfully implement “One Country, Two systems” and capitalise on Hong Kong’s various advantages to develop our economy and improve people’s livelihood, we have to make plans together and work in concert. Every one of us in Hong Kong, though holding different views and assuming different roles, loves this place and treasures our long-cherished values. I and the SAR Government will double our efforts to restore people’s confidence and get Hong Kong off to a new start. Thank you. Ends/Monday, July 1, 2019 Issued at HKT 8:54 NNNN

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2019 Honours List

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201907/01/P2019062900825.htm

1.7.2019

The 2019 Honours List is published in the Government Gazette today (July 1). This is the 22nd full Honours List since 1997. The Chief Executive has awarded a total of 399 persons in this year's Honours List, including: Award Number ----- ------- (a) Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM) 2 (b) Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS) 11 (c) Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) 23 (d) Medal for Bravery (Silver) (MBS) 3 (e) Distinguished Service Medals 16 for the disciplined services and the ICAC (f) Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) 41 (g) Medal for Bravery (Bronze) (MBB) 7 (h) Meritorious Service Medals for 46 the disciplined services and the ICAC (i) Medal of Honour (MH) 96 (j) Chief Executive's Commendation 113 for Community Service (k) Chief Executive's Commendation 41 for Government/Public Service ------ 399 The Honours recipients are from different walks of life. They are given an honour or award in recognition of their significant contributions to Hong Kong or for their dedicated public and community service. The presentation ceremony for the awards is tentatively scheduled for early November 2019. The citations of the award recipients of the 2019 Honours List are provided in the Appendix. Ends/Monday, July 1, 2019 Issued at HKT 0:01 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Asian University for Women Gala Dinner

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/11/P2019061101052.htm

11.6.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Asian University for Women Gala Dinner this evening (June 11): Mr Ahmad (the Founder of the Asian University for Women, Mr Kamal Ahmad), ladies and gentlemen, Good evening. It really gives me great pleasure to join you tonight for Hong Kong's third Asian University for Women (AUW) Gala Dinner. Like countries and economies, institutions and individuals all over the world, Hong Kong has embraced the AUW, its vision, its inspiration and, in just over a decade, its resounding impact throughout the region. Like me, you are here this evening because you believe in the mandate of the AUW, and because you are heartened by the promise of its students, women largely from Asia's rural and economically marginalised regions. We are all exhilarated by their potential to become leaders in their countries and communities, and to have a voice that is heard and respected. Education plays a big part in unleashing women's potential. I grew up in a grassroots family, and my parents were uneducated. However, they attached great importance to my education and put me in the best school they could find in those days. Their decision has no doubt changed my life. I went on to study in the University of Hong Kong, and after graduation, I began my long public service career, starting out as a young Administrative Officer 39 years ago. In less than three weeks, I'll mark my second year as Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – the first woman to hold this office. I'm sure I won't be the last. I am definitely not the only woman who has benefited from Hong Kong's education. It's worth noting that, since the first female student was admitted to the University of Hong Kong in 1921, Hong Kong has achieved gender equality in education. Our female students are flourishing and excelling academically. Indeed, women today represent 54 per cent of the students enrolled in undergraduate programmes funded by our University Grants Committee. And more and more women in our universities are focusing on disciplines that were traditionally dominated by men. Just two decades ago, about 37 per cent of Hong Kong medical students were female. Today more than half of our medical students are women. Consider, too, engineering and technology majors. From about 14 per cent two decades ago, female students focused on those disciplines now count 30 per cent of the total. Gender equality in education has enabled our women to enjoy equal employment opportunities. In Hong Kong, women are protected by the same labour legislation as men are. Women now comprise nearly half of our solicitors and public accountants, compared to about one-third two decades ago. Over the same period, managerial positions in Hong Kong have gone from about 20 per cent filled by women to 35 per cent. Those percentages are very much similar to those in our Government. Today, more than one-third of Hong Kong civil servants at the directorate level, that is the most senior level, are women. Two decades ago, that percentage was just over 15 per cent. Still, working women do face a lot of challenges in striking a balance between their important role in their family and the development of their career. The participation rate of our female labour force last year was just under 51 per cent; for men it was 68.5 per cent. Clearly, we have some ways to go yet in creating a society that is as balanced in terms of careers as it is in educational opportunities. As Chief Executive, I can assure you that creating a level playing field for women in business is a high priority for my Government. That's why I proposed in my Policy Address last October a number of pro-women measures. These measures include expanding maternity leave from 10 weeks to 14 weeks, with the extra four weeks in maternity leave pay to be borne in full by the Government. We plan to introduce the amended legislation in the Legislative Council before the end of this year. We are also working on a variety of measures to enhance child-care services so as to enable women with young children to take up or stay in employment. We will provide more facilities for breastfeeding, and legislative amendments to prohibit discrimination against breastfeeding have been introduced to the Legislative Council. We will introduce in the coming school year free cervical cancer vaccination for school girls of particular age groups. We will also continue our efforts to raise the proportion of female members in statutory bodies and advisory committees, so that women's voices will be heard in policy making. By the way, our Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, which runs the very important stock market in Hong Kong, is now having its first-ever Chairlady, Mrs Laura Cha. We will together call on all listed companies to appoint more females as their board members. In short, we will create every opportunity we can for the women of Hong Kong. Equal opportunity, whether in work, education or any other sphere of society, is essential to creating a caring and inclusive community. And in enabling the ambitions of women – whether in Hong Kong, in Bangladesh or any other country or economy – we can ensure a thriving future for us all. The AUW is helping to realise that future. Since opening in 2008, AUW has graduated more than 800 students, including 100 who proudly received their degrees one month ago. Some 20 per cent of them will go on to graduate school at prestigious institutions all over the world. And when classes begin again in August, AUW will be home to some 950 women from 17 countries. And 90 per cent of those students will be there at the AUW campus in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on a full scholarship – thanks to you. Thanks to your understanding, your generosity, your unshakable determination to be a force for social change. That's a formidable force for good. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to support AUW for its wonderful mission. Thank you. Ends/Tuesday, June 11, 2019 Issued at HKT 23:43 NNNN

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Speech by CE at YASHK Inauguration Ceremony cum Science and Technology Forum

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/09/P2019060900619.htm

9.6.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK) Inauguration Ceremony cum Science and Technology Forum today (June 9): Professor Tsui (Founding President of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, Professor Tsui Lap-chee), Professor Law (President of YASHK, Professor Vic Law), members of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. I am delighted to join you this afternoon for the inauguration ceremony of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, created for today's young scientists, designed to inspire tomorrow's scientists. We've come a long, good way in a few short years. The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences was established just three and a half years ago, making today a milestone for both the Academy and its promising new chapter, the Young Academy. Under the leadership of Professor Tsui, the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences has made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology in Hong Kong, such as hosting the "Science and Technology Innovation Summit", organising the well-received "Distinguished Master, Accomplished Students Mentorship Programme" and the "Science, the way to my future" exhibition, as well as releasing a research report on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. And now there is the Young Academy, with its 31 brilliant and ambitious young men and women. They come from six of our universities, and from a great wealth of disciplines and research areas: the biological and life sciences, public health, physics and chemistry, mathematics and engineering, textiles and clothing, just to name a few. Thanks to the solid foundation established by the Academy of Sciences, I am confident that the Young Academy will blaze a trail of science and technology to capture the imagination of our primary- and secondary-school children. I'm delighted to hear of the Young Academy's involvement in the Distinguished Master, Accomplished Students Mentorship Programme as a co-organiser. The Academy of Sciences created this Programme so that scientists and engineers could serve as mentors for promising senior secondary students, offering advice and direction for up to two years. I have attended the launching ceremonies for both the first and second cohorts of the programme and am much impressed by what this mentorship could offer in terms of inspiration and encouragement. I see opportunity, too, between the Young Academy and the Government in promoting the development of science and technology. Innovation and technology, after all, is among the top policy priorities of my Government. In the past two years, we have invested more than HK$100 billion in I&T programmes and initiatives. These include the Innovation and Technology Fund which supports applied R&D projects that encourage scientific exploration and its commercialisation as well as additional research funding to universities. My Government has also introduced tax deductions of up to 300 per cent for local R&D work undertaken by private companies. Subject to Legislative Council approval, a $3 billion matching grant will be available to match private donations to universities in R&D. And we've launched a variety of programmes to attract, develop and retain I&T talents. On the infrastructure front, stage one of the Science Park expansion, as well as an on-site InnoCell and a Data Technology Hub and Advanced Manufacturing Centre at Tseung Kwan O will all be completed before 2022. In addition, there's Cyberport 5, which will accommodate more technology companies and start-ups, while a Microelectronics Centre is being planned to house smart production lines in support of Industrialisation 4.0. Looking ahead, a brand new technology park will emerge at the Lok Ma Chau Loop. We have, as well, set aside HK$16 billion to enhance or refurbish university campus facilities and provide additional facilities essential for R&D activities. Our goal is to create an optimal teaching and research environment for university students and career R&D specialists. We are also establishing two research clusters here at the Science Park, one focusing on healthcare technologies, the other on artificial intelligence and robotics. To date, we have received nearly 50 proposals from notable international universities eager to collaborate with our local post-secondary institutions. They include such top institutions as MIT, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and Institut Pasteur, just to name a few. We expect the first batch of research institutions to set up labs in the two new clusters at the Science Park before the end of this year. My Government also shares the Young Academy's goal of advancing the teaching of science and technology in Hong Kong. To that end, we have injected additional recurrent funds of at least HK$8.3 billion into the education sector since I assumed office in 2017. A substantial portion of that was allocated to improve basic education, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM in short, both in our primary and secondary schools. On top, we will inject another HK$500 million for the establishment of IT Innovation Labs and related activities in all publicly funded secondary schools. We hope to motivate student interest in science and technology in their early years, encouraging them to pursue a career in I&T. Like the Young Academy, my Government is equally determined to educate the public on science and technology issues. In this regard, I'm grateful that the Academy of Sciences and other like-minded institutions organise awards competitions and exhibitions, as well as I&T seminars and workshops. Later this year, the Government will present InnoFest, a series of events showcasing our latest I&T achievements while promoting I&T in Hong Kong. Highlights of the InnoFest will include the first "City I&T Grand Challenge," in which various sectors will be invited to tackle livelihood issues through I&T. Promising solutions will be tested in public organisations. The Young Academy and my Government also share a determination to see Hong Kong rise as a centre of scientific excellence. The founding, last month, of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, which connects Shaw laureates to a youth-centred, science-driven, Hong Kong-based programme, certainly demonstrates our commitment to promoting Hong Kong as an international I&T hub. As you all know, Shaw laureates are top scientists who have made outstanding international contributions in astronomy, life science and medicine, and the mathematical sciences. Of the nearly 80 Shaw laureates since the first awards in 2004, 12 are Nobel Prize winners, five are Fields Medalists and two are Abel Prize recipients. I am delighted that the majority of these outstanding laureates have already responded to my invitation and indicated their interest in participating in the first Hong Kong Laureate Forum scheduled for November 2021. It will certainly be a valuable opportunity for our brilliant youth and students to be enlightened and inspired. Talking about our brilliant students, let me say how pleased I am to learn that students of St Paul's Primary Catholic School, under the guidance of a University of Hong Kong research team from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, won a silver award at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. The students' award-winning innovation focused on a "SmartEat" education app. Other Hong Kong university research teams also fared well in Geneva, and a ceremony is being arranged to celebrate their achievements. We are working to ensure that our young scientists continue to get what they need to succeed. To that end, my Government has doubled funding support for State Key Laboratories, Hong Kong Branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centres, Technology Transfer Offices of designated local universities and the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities. I am confident, too, that our participation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will generate a continuing flow of career opportunities for Hong Kong's young scientists and technology specialists. The Greater Bay Area, with its vast and affluent population of 71 million, presents an outsized and readily available market for the innovative products and services that our young scientists will bring to this world. In this connection, the Youth Development Commission rolled out two new funding schemes in March this year to help our young people set up their business at the innovation and entrepreneurial bases in the Greater Bay Area. Likewise, the Guangdong provincial government will extend the eligibility for subsidies and support measures which are available to Guangdong youths to young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong in the Greater Bay Area. In short, ladies and gentlemen, the future could not look more promising for Hong Kong scientists, including the members of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences and the many young people to be inspired by this Young Academy. My Government looks forward to working with the Young Academy, and my best wishes for the Young Academy, particularly in their essential work of inspiring, in our youth, an irrepressible passion for innovation. I wish you all a memorable occasion and a very fruitful forum this afternoon. Thank you very much. Ends/Sunday, June 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:46 NNNN

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Speech by CE at IPCC Symposium

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/06/P2019060600441.htm

6.6.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the IPCC Symposium today (June 6): Anthony (Chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), Dr Anthony Neoh), Justice Tang (former Chairman of the IPCC and Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal Mr Justice Robert Tang), Professor Hayward (Dean of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, Professor William Hayward), distinguished guests, speakers, ladies and gentleman, Good morning. It is a great pleasure to join you today for this IPCC Symposium, organised in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Independent Police Complaints Council. The Hong Kong Police incidentally is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year and of course, the history of the police complaints system in Hong Kong goes well beyond 10 years; it can be dated back to the 1970s. A significant milestone took place in 2009 when the IPCC was transformed into a statutory body under the IPCC Ordinance. Justice Robert Tang, who chaired the IPCC before the transformation, will give us a keynote address later while three successive chairmen leading the statutory IPCC, namely Mr Jat Sew-tong, Mr Larry Kwok and Dr Anthony Neoh, will also share their experiences. May I take this opportunity to thank them all for their dedicated work, including the members, the observers and the staff, in enhancing public confidence in IPCC by thoroughly handling complaints against Police in an impartial and transparent manner. Effective handling of complaints against any agency is easier said than done, and in the case of the Police, is particularly delicate and sensitive as very often the complainants are subject to police investigation and enforcement. Particularly in the digital age we live in, information is transmitted to people, communities and the world in a matter of seconds. That reality can transform minor differences into disturbing incidents, public protests and much else. Coupled with threats from extremism and terrorism, it is increasingly difficult today for the Police and other law-enforcement agencies to strike the delicate and essential balance between safeguarding security and protecting personal liberties. It is against this complex background, one as global as it is local, that the work of monitoring bodies such as the IPCC becomes increasingly vital. The IPCC, I'm pleased to say, has responded commendably. In the decade since it became an independent statutory body, it has played a pivotal role in ensuring that reportable complaints against the Police are dealt with in a proper, fair and just manner. And for that, we are all very grateful. From 2009 to 2018, the IPCC received on average about 2 400 complaint cases a year. Among these cases of very different nature, I am sure the public would remember the IPCC's involvement in a number of public order event-related complaints which drew keen public interest. Unfazed by the controversies around those cases, the IPCC demonstrated its determination and ability to uphold the values of independence, impartiality and integrity in complaint handling. In 2015, the IPCC released a special report on a number of such cases, highlighting its meticulous approach in determining the outcome. Such transparency helps members of the public understand the work of the IPCC and boosts public confidence in the police complaints system. The contribution of the IPCC is not limited to looking into complaint cases. It also makes recommendations on improving police procedures and guidelines on police operations, all of which are made after thorough observation and engagement with stakeholders. For example, the IPCC has been conducting on-site observations at large-scale public order events, and has been meeting police representatives as well as the organisers of the events. These efforts help the IPCC gain a multifaceted perspective on these events without affecting its impartiality. They also help the IPCC make balanced recommendations which can address the needs and concerns of different parties. Over the past 10 years, the IPCC has made more than 140 recommendations to the Police. In 2017-18 alone, the IPCC made 26 recommendations regarding training for front-line police officers, police guidelines and practices. The majority of the recommendations made by the IPCC have been accepted by the Police and have helped enhance the Police Force's service quality. They have also worked to reduce reportable complaints, I'm delighted to note. In 2009, the IPCC received about 4 000 complaint cases. In the past couple of years, that number has dropped by 60 per cent to about 1 600 a year. I find it particularly noteworthy that there have been virtually no reportable complaints stemming from major public events over the past two years. Another key function of the IPCC is to enhance the public understanding and awareness of its statutory duties. Through such activities as the Youth Day held in March this year and the School Programme launched since 2016, the IPCC has been sharing with secondary and primary school students its work and functions, as well as listening to their feedback. I was told that over 50 school visits have already been made under the School Programme, reaching over 6 000 teachers and students. In addition, the IPCC engages other stakeholders and the general public through various means including seminars, website and publications, which is also very well received. The public clearly appreciates the work done by the IPCC and the performance of our Police Force. Confidence in the IPCC rose 17 per cent between 2016 and 2018, according to a survey done by the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Programme. Findings of the 2018 Police Service Satisfaction Survey and Public Opinion Survey, also conducted by Public Opinion Programme, were even more favourable, with net confidence towards our Police Force up 21 per cent over 2015 results. Public confidence in the IPCC and our Police Force is also reflected in Hong Kong's standing as one of the safest cities in the world. Since 2014, the crime rate here has dropped below 1 000 crimes per 100 000 people. The crime rate last year, at 728, is the lowest in nearly half a century. The people of Hong Kong have much to be proud of and much to take confidence in. The efficiency and effectiveness of our Police is internationally recognised. Last year, Hong Kong ranked sixth in "Reliability of Police Services" out of 140 economies in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report. There is more good news from the Gallup 2018 Global Law and Order Report, which ranked Hong Kong fifth among 142 countries and regions. And in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2017-18, Hong Kong stood fourth in the world in "Order and Security". These and other outstanding results put a deserved spotlight not only on our Police Force but also on the remarkable job the IPCC does, day in, day out, in enhancing the quality of our Police Force. If this 10th anniversary is reason for celebration of the excellent work done by the IPCC, it is also an opportune time to take stock, as well as to set new goals and higher standards. As we face new social challenges every day, it is essential for the IPCC, as a monitoring body, to continue to play its vital role in ensuring public confidence and trust in the police complaints system. Indeed, trust is the IPCC's currency - something it can never have too much of as it strives to live up to rising public expectations for an independent, fair and accountable police complaints system. The Government will no doubt do our part in supporting the IPCC. The IPCC's membership has grown by 50 per cent from 18 in 2009 to 27 to date. The size of the Secretariat has also doubled in terms of the number of staff. We will continue to provide the resources and support for the IPCC's operation and development in the future. And I am sure that the IPCC can benefit from the experience and insight of local and overseas professionals, practitioners and scholars. That is why I am happy to see the IPCC, together with Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong, hosts today's symposium. Under the timely theme of "Building Confidence and Trust - Role of IPCC in the Evolving Future", today's event features speakers from Hong Kong as well as Macao, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. I am sure it will be thought-provoking. My thanks to the organisers for this Symposium. I wish you all a very fruitful discussion and, for our overseas speakers and participants, an enjoyable and memorable stay in Hong Kong. Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare the IPCC Symposium open. Thank you very much. Ends/Thursday, June 6, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:54 NNNN

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Chief Executive appoints Harbourfront Commission members

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/28/P2019062800409.htm

28.6.2019

The Government announced today (June 28) the Chief Executive's appointment of 26 members to serve on the Harbourfront Commission (HC) for a two-year term commencing on July 1, 2019. Members who are reappointed include eight public officers, 12 organisation members and four individual members (i.e. Mr Hans Joachim Isler, Mr Karl Kwok Chi-leung, Ms Vivian Lee Ying-shih and Mr Tony Tse Wai-chuen). Two new members (i.e. Mr Mac Chan Ho-ting and Ms Angela So Wing-kwan) are also appointed. The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, welcomed the appointments and re-appointments. He said that the two new members are young professionals who would bring new perspectives to the work of the HC. He also expressed gratitude to the two outgoing members, Mr Chan Ka-kui and Mr Walter Chan Kar-lok, for their invaluable contribution in promoting harbourfront development in the past six years. "The HC has all along been the Government's close partner on harbourfront development and a strong advocate on harbourfront vitality and diversity. With the $6 billion earmarked in the Budget this year, we are going to further extend the connected promenade. The Government and the HC will continue to work together to build an even more attractive, vibrant, accessible and sustainable harbourfront for Hong Kong," Mr Wong said. The HC was established in July 2010 to advise the Government on harbourfront planning, design, management and other related matters with the objective of fostering and facilitating the development of the Victoria harbourfront. Following is the membership of the HC commencing July 1, 2019: Chairperson -------------- Mr Vincent Ng Wing-shun Vice-Chairperson ------------------- Secretary for Development Non-official Members (Organisations) ------------------------------------------ Business Environment Council Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong Friends of the Earth (HK) Charity Limited Hong Kong Institute of Architects Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects Hong Kong Institute of Planners Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong Society for Protection of the Harbour The Conservancy Association Non-official Members (Individuals) --------------------------------------- Mr Mac Chan Ho-ting Ms Kelly Chan Yuen-sau Mr Hans Joachim Isler Mr Karl Kwok Chi-leung Ms Janice Lai Wai-man Ms Christina Maisenne Lee Ms Vivian Lee Ying-shih Mr Alan Lo Yeung-kit Mr Ngan Man-yu Ms Angela So Wing-kwan Mr Tony Tse Wai-chuen Official Members ------------------- Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands) or her representative Commissioner for Tourism or his representative Commissioner for Transport or her representative Director of Civil Engineering and Development or his representative Director of Leisure and Cultural Services or her representative Director of Marine or her representative Director of Planning or his representative Secretary ----------- Principal Assistant Secretary for Development (Harbour) Ends/Friday, June 28, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:15 NNNN

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Appointments to Board of Ocean Park Corporation announced

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/28/P2019062800292.htm

28.6.2019

The Government announced today (June 28) that the Chief Executive has appointed and re-appointed the following persons to the Board of the Ocean Park Corporation (OPC) for a period of two years from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021. New appointments ---------------------- Mrs Bonnie Woo Chan Tak-chi Mr Enoch Lam Tin-sing Mr Paulo Pong Kin-yee Ms Stephanie Poon Re-appointments --------------------- Ms Joanne Cheung Shui-lin Ms Maureen Fung Sau-yim Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) (or representative) Commissioner for Tourism (or representative) "We are grateful to the re-appointed OPC Board members for their hard work in taking forward the development of Ocean Park and also welcome the four new members, namely Mrs Bonnie Woo Chan Tak-chi, Mr Enoch Lam Tin-sing, Mr Paulo Pong Kin-yee and Ms Stephanie Poon, for joining the Board. We are sure that, with the devotion and wide-ranging expertise of the Board members, Ocean Park will continue to grow as a world-class leading marine-themed recreational and educational park," a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said. "We would also like to express our gratitude to the outgoing members, Professor Eric Yim Chi-ming and Mr Ma Lee-tak, for their invaluable contribution to the Board over the past years," the spokesman added. The OPC is a statutory body established under the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance to manage Ocean Park as a public recreational and educational park. Ends/Friday, June 28, 2019 Issued at HKT 11:00 NNNN

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CE meets with Police Force Council Staff Associations

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/27/P2019062700841.htm

27.6.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met with the chairmen and vice-chairmen of four Police Force Council Staff Associations at Government House today (June 27). The Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Lo Wai-chung, also attended the meeting. The Police Force Council Staff Associations include the Superintendents' Association, the Hong Kong Police Inspectors' Association, the Overseas Inspectors' Association and the Junior Police Officers' Association. Mrs Lam expressed her heartfelt thanks to members of the force for fulfilling their duties with dedication during the disputes and clashes in society caused by the legislative amendment exercise, striking a balance between the public's freedom of expression and social order, and maintaining law and order in Hong Kong. She said she understands that members of the force and their family members have been put under pressure and that a small number of people even provoked the Police intentionally, which is not acceptable. She praised the force for its distinguished professionalism and restraint all along during this difficult time, carrying out law enforcement impartially against illegal activities and continuing to serve the community. Mrs Lam said that she and her governing team will continue to give their full support for the force. Apart from meeting with the Police Force Council Staff Associations today, Mrs Lam met with representatives of the education and religious sectors, senior civil servants and members of other sectors at Government House in the past few days to exchange views on the current social situation. She also met with a number of foreign consuls and representatives to explain to them the latest situation. Ends/Thursday, June 27, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:09 NNNN

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Decision on 2019-20 civil service pay adjustment

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/19/P2019061900408.htm

19.6.2019

The Civil Service Bureau announced today (June 19) that the Chief Executive-in-Council (CE-in-Council) has decided that civil service pay for 2019-20 should be adjusted as follows, taking retrospective effect from April 1 this year: (a) a pay increase of 4.75 per cent for civil servants in the upper salary band and the directorate, subject to the pay points referred to in (i) and (ii) below the dollar values of which should be as specified: (i) Master Pay Scale (MPS) 34 at $74,515 and MPS 35 at $75,265; and (ii) General Disciplined Services (Officer) Pay Scale (GDS(O)) 20 and Police Pay Scale (PPS) 36 at $74,390, and GDS(O) 21 and PPS 37 at $75,135; and (b) a pay increase of 5.26 per cent for civil servants in the lower and middle salary bands. In arriving at this decision, the CE-in-Council has thoroughly considered the staff side's response to the pay offers and all the relevant factors under the established annual civil service pay adjustment mechanism, including: * the net pay trend indicators; * the state of Hong Kong's economy; * changes in the cost of living; * the Government's fiscal position; * the pay claims of the staff side; and * civil service morale. The Government will submit the 2019-20 civil service pay adjustment proposal to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council for consideration as soon as possible. Ends/Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:56 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/18/P2019061800950.htm

18.6.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session this afternoon (June 18): Reporter: Mrs Lam, on Wednesday you personally said the distressing scene in Admiralty area was a blatant, organised riot and in no way an act of loving Hong Kong. So today are you backtracking on what you said on Wednesday, or are you deciding to stick with the Police Commissioner's statements? And number two, just now you said Hong Kong needs a government to deliver on social and economic policies, but do you realise that you are now leading a lame-duck government? And if you had a choice, would you choose to step down and not seek another term? Thank you. Chief Executive: First of all, the statement that I made on Wednesday evening was entirely based on the assessment and report on the ground. In other words, the Chief Executive has not, and should not, made her own assessment of the situation on the ground. There is no difference between myself and the Commissioner of Police, especially after his clarification last evening that the term "riot" was referring to the behaviour of some of those protesters, especially those who were using violence and trying to storm into the Legislative Council building. So throughout, whether it is on Wednesday evening or today standing here, my position is totally aligned with the Commissioner of Police. The second point, also related to governance, we have a lot of social and economic issues that we have committed to, let alone introducing more new initiatives to develop the economy and to improve the livelihood of the people of Hong Kong. In the next three years, while it is difficult, as I said the difficulty lies now perhaps not in the matter of ability and competence but in the trust amongst the people of Hong Kong, myself and my team will try our very best to rebuild their trust so that we can continue to implement these social and economic policies. As I said, my commitment is to doing all this important work in the next three years. Reporter: Thank you, Mrs Lam. You describe the protesters as being those who love Hong Kong, people who are part of families, they normally remain silent, but we know that they’ve made their demands very clear. They say they’d like you to resign and they want the extradition bill to be withdrawn completely. You say that you’ve listened to them very, very carefully, but can you tell them why today you are apparently ignoring their wishes because you are not resigning and this bill is not being withdrawn. Why? Chief Executive: I have been listening very carefully and attentively to the views expressed over this period, especially during the last two Sundays when a lot of people went out to the streets. I have responded to both. One was on June 15, I have announced that we will suspend the legislative exercise, and immediately that afternoon we put a stop to the legislative exercise by informing the Legislative Council that the bill will no longer proceed to second reading debate. I’m standing here to make a further commitment in recognition of the anxieties and the fears that have been caused by this bill in the last few months. I said, and I undertook, that if we do not have that level of confidence to address those anxieties and fears and differences in opinion, we will not proceed with the legislative exercise again. As some legislative members have pointed out, every legislative council has a term. The current term of the Legislative Council will expire in July next year. If, under a situation when we have no timetable, we will make sure that we could address those concerns and anxieties before we move forward, it is very unlikely that the bill will be able to make the deadline of the end of this term. Should that happen, the Government will accept the reality. As far as the other demand, I’ve said that I want another chance to deliver the many initiatives that will help Hong Kong’s economy and improve the livelihood of the Hong Kong people. I myself and my political team will continue to work very hard to achieve those objectives and to meet the aspirations of the Hong Kong people. Reporter: Mrs Lam, in your speech you said you want to mend the rift in society. You said you want people to trust the Government again. The legal definition of "riot" is that for people taking part in an unlawful assembly and that there is a breach of peace that would be a riot. I know the CP what he said. I know what you said you agreed with him. Trying to re-instil the trust in people, can you just say once and for all that everybody who took part in the June 12 protest would not be charged for rioting because that's the demand for people who took part in the rally on Sunday? The mending the rift part, would you take some advice from some people, let’s say Anson Chan, who want you to set up a commission of inquiry to look into alleged police brutality, so as to ease people's concerns about how the Police could kind of hide behind the scene? Because none of the officers actually had a number while they were allegedly attacking the protesters. Can you set up that inquiry so that there can be an investigation? Thank you. Chief Executive: Let me first answer the second question. Hong Kong has very well established mechanisms to deal with complaints against the Police. We have the CAPO, the Complaints Against Police Office, and we have an Independent Police Complaints Council, the IPCC. We should make the full use of these institutions to address any complaints that people, including the protesters, have against the actions of the Police during those events. And if I remember correctly, the Commissioner of Police has told us that there were a number of such complaints being lodged already. The second question actually is about lawfulness. Anybody who has committed an offence has to be brought to justice. I believe this is a common aspiration of Hong Kong people and also one of the core values of a place which is so proud of the rule of law. On June 12, if some participants, some protesters, have resorted to violence and there is sufficient evidence to prove that they have used violence, then of course the Police needs to take action. The action includes investigation, collecting evidence and then consulting the Department of Justice on the prosecution. Maybe the term "riot" has given rise to a lot of concern, so the Commissioner of Police has come out last evening to explain that the term "riot" was used to refer to certain people's behaviour during that day over a particular period. For other participants, peaceful participants and peaceful protesters, on the same day, on June 12, in the same place, that is around Queensway, but they have not used violence, then the Commissioner of Police's assurance is of course they will not be prosecuted for an act of riot because they have not participated or taken part in such acts of riot. And he went on to provide an assurance to the majority of the people who were peaceful, peaceful protestors, during June 12. Reporter: Sorry, that’s not the legal definition... Chief Executive: The legal definition has to be addressed by the legal people. Reporter: Your inability to say the word “retract”, to me at least, will continue to sow distrust in Hong Kong society, but you say that you want another chance here. Critics –not myself – but critics have said that you are a habitual liar, and that you need to cry today to be believed. To any person, that would be devastating to hear. How do you feel about that? Chief Executive: I do not accept that sort of description. Throughout my public service career, integrity and character are very important virtues – of myself and indeed for any public officer. I have explained in response to several questions on how we have dealt with this bill that has caused a lot of anxiety and worries in society. We have immediately stopped the bill on June 15, and I have furthermore undertaken that, because this bill over the last few months has caused so much anxieties, worries and differences in opinion, I will not- this is an undertaking- proceed again with this legislative exercise if these fears and anxieties could not be adequately addressed. For those who know the legislative rules of procedures, the current Legislative Council term will come to an end in July next year, and if the bill – because we have no timetable, we need more time to address those anxieties –did not make Legislative Council by July next year, it will expire, it will no longer have a validity and the Government will accept that reality. I think I have made this position clear and loud. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, June 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:56 NNNN

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Opening remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/18/P2019061800812.htm

18.6.2019

Following are the opening remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session this afternoon (June 18): Fellow citizens, During large-scale public processions over the past two Sundays, people have expressed in a peaceful and rational manner their concerns about the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and their dissatisfaction and disappointment with the Government - especially me. I have heard you loud and clear, and have reflected deeply on all that has transpired. The concerns over the past few months have been caused by deficiencies in the work of the SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government over the amendment exercise. I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility. This has led to controversies, disputes and anxieties in society. For this I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong. Some of those who joined the processions, as well as my police colleagues who maintained law and order, and media workers covering the incidents were injured in the conflicts. I am very saddened by this. During the several processions, we saw many people who love Hong Kong taking to the streets to make their views known to the Government. Parents took part for the sake of the next generation. Some who usually remain silent, and many young people, felt the need to express their opinions. I understand these feelings. To those young people who participated peacefully to express their views, let me say I understand you expect your Chief Executive to listen to different voices, and to respect and care for young people. "Connecting with Young People" was one of my commitments in the Election Manifesto. I know that we all want Hong Kong to be a caring and well-governed society with hope. I know you have different concerns and views about social issues, yet we share the same passion for Hong Kong. This incident has led me to realise that I need to do more. I have never spared any effort to serve the public, but this incident has made me realise, as the Chief Executive, I’ve still got much to learn and do in better balancing diverse interest, in listening more to all walks of life, in taking our society forward. I truly hope that those injured can fully recover soon, and that the rift in society could be quickly mended. Hong Kong is our home. It is only by walking together as one community and by staying closely connected that we can bring hope for Hong Kong. Thank you very much. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, June 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:21 NNNN

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Government response to public procession

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/16/P2019061600803.htm

16.6.2019

In response to the public procession today (June 16), a Government spokesman said the following: Over the past two Sundays, a large number of people have expressed their views during public processions. The Government understands that these views have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong. The Chief Executive clearly heard the views expressed in a peaceful and rational manner. She acknowledged that this embodied the spirit of Hong Kong as a civilised, free, open and pluralistic society that values mutual respect, harmony and diversity. The Government also respects and treasures these core values of Hong Kong. Having regard to the strong and different views in society, the Government has suspended the legislative amendment exercise at the full Legislative Council with a view to restoring calmness in society as soon as possible and avoiding any injuries to any persons. The Government reiterated that there is no timetable for restarting the process. The Chief Executive admitted that the deficiencies in the Government's work had led to substantial controversies and disputes in society, causing disappointment and grief among the people. The Chief Executive apologised to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledged to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public. Ends/Sunday, June 16, 2019 Issued at HKT 21:26 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/15/P2019061500858.htm

15.6.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session this afternoon (June 15): Reporter: Mrs Lam. Is this really, as you suggest, about a misunderstanding? Are so many Hong Kong citizens really that easily confused? Or is this more about a problem that the people of Hong Kong deeply distrust the Central Government in Beijing, and many of them see your government as not really representing them, but representing the interests of the Central Government in Beijing? Thank you. Chief Executive: First of all, as you will notice, I have not used that term “misunderstanding”. I was saying that we have not done sufficiently to explain and allay fears and concerns. Of course it is difficult for me as the Chief Executive standing here to evaluate the causes of that resistance or fear or concerns about this bill. But I would confess, as I did in a statement on Wednesday, that in the past years or so we have seen this sort of situation where there’s major confrontation, and very often the issue that has given rise to that confrontation has a Mainland dimension. I’m sure you can name a few, and I can name a few. But no matter what, when there is that concern, that fear, I think everyone should be given an opportunity to increase their confidence, to allay their concerns, so that if it is a good thing for Hong Kong then we get it done. This is exactly what happened to the co-location legislation last year. We have a high-speed train, 26 kilometres, that is ready to go, but in order to achieve the effectiveness of a high-speed train in that sort of circumstances, we need co-location of the Mainland and Hong Kong CIQ (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine)facilities. That would necessitate Mainland law enforcement bodies to operate on Hong Kong territory. We went through a very elaborate process, a three-stage elaborate process, to allay the original concerns and fears about that sort of situation where Mainland officers could come down to Hong Kong to enforce the law. You could say that I originally also harboured that sort of wish, that through intensive discussion and explanation and legal safeguards we could overcome that concern and get this good thing done, because the purpose and intent of the legislative amendment has been accepted by many people. I’m sure BBC, because you are very international, you must have been reporting on a lot of anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing. That sort of legal assistance on a mutual basis between jurisdictions is extremely important. On your second question about the position of the Chief Executive, again, if people have the perception about the Chief Executive’s institution – not Carrie Lam herself, but the institution of the Chief Executive – that he or she, being appointed by the Central People’s Government, will only obey the orders of the Central People’s Government, if that is the view then that is a view that does not sit well with the Basic Law - that’s not aligned with the constitutional role of the Chief Executive. Under the Basic Law the Chief Executive has dual accountability. She or he is responsible to the Central People’s Government, but at the same time responsible to the people of Hong Kong, and what is more important, that is in the Basic Law, every act of every person including the Government and the Chief Executive has to be lawful. Even in any sort of situation in a private enterprise, if your boss who pays your salary asks you to do something unlawful, you shouldn’t do it , and you wouldn’t do it. I hope that explains the relationship between the Chief Executive and the Central People’s Government, and I have been adhering faithfully to that constitutional characteristics of this position of the Chief Executive. Reporter: After all the intense and some would say unprecedented opposition and conflicts we've seen over the past week because of the extradition bill initiated by your government, do you think that you are still fit to govern the city as the Chief Executive? And will any government officials take the responsibility for this crisis and resign from their position? And secondly, hundreds of thousands of people took to the street asking your administration to withdraw the bill unconditionally. Do you really think that simply by suspending the bill, the people of Hong Kong could be pacified and do you think that suspending the bill will help restore people’s confidence in the Government? Chief Executive: About the first point, as I have repeatedly said and I hope people will appreciate, in doing this legislative exercise, myself and my colleagues were driven by our passion for Hong Kong. We want Hong Kong to do well. If Hong Kong’s justice system and mutual legal assistance regime have some major deficiencies, it is our responsibility to rectify those deficiencies so that Hong Kong could do better when another situation arises. It is also driven by our empathy for the people of Hong Kong. We could easily ignore Mr and Mrs Poon - said sorry, we are very sorry about the death of your girl - but we have empathy for them. We just ask ourselves if the situation happens to my son, John Lee (the Secretary for Security)'s child, what will we do? This is what I call empathy. We have empathy for the people of Hong Kong. And this is not the only occasion as the Chief Executive that I displayed very strongly that empathy for individual people of Hong Kong. With that objective in mind, we have not done a good enough job to convince people and to ensure that this laudable objective could be met. But give us another chance, we will do this bill well if we, in our engagement of people, can get more diverse opinions, and if we can build broader consensus to do it, we'll do it. But we have other things to do. We have the economy to look after, we have livelihood issues to address. On the former especially we are expecting some downturn in Hong Kong’s economy. That's where we will continue to perform and deliver for the people of Hong Kong. The decision I made today is not as described as pacifying people or some people said restoring some of my damaged reputation. That’s not the purpose. The purpose is very simple. People of Hong Kong want a relatively calm and peaceful environment and we did have that relatively calm and peaceful environment in the last two years since I took office. So this is the time, after what you describe as tension, conflicts and so on, for a responsible government, having looked at the situation and the circumstances, to restore as quickly as possible that calmness in society. That is my first consideration. The second consideration is in any confrontations that I have seen on Wednesday, it is very possible that when it recurs again, there will be even more serious confrontations. The 80 or so injuries, generally minor injuries that we have seen, may be replaced by very serious injuries to my police colleagues and to ordinary citizens, whether they are very fierce protesters or just ordinary students joining a protest. I don’t want any of those injuries to happen. Those are my considerations in announcing that we will pause and think and for the time being suspend and halt the legislative amendment process. Reporter: The question I have for you is: What took so long, given that you knew what public opinion was after the protest last Sunday? Why did you wait so long to come to this decision, and are you nervous about the march planned for tomorrow? Thank you. Chief Executive: Our decision has nothing to do with what may happen tomorrow. As I answered in another question, it has nothing to do with an intention, a wish, to pacify. Why take so long? Actually, if you remember what I said in my account, I acknowledge that last Sunday we had a large number of people coming out. It's very peaceful, generally orderly. This is part of Hong Kong – we do have that sort of protest from time to time. But it is on Wednesday that the polarization of views in society relating to this bill has given rise to violence, very serious confrontations, people being hurt, police on the ground being forced to take some of those measures. That's why I came to the view, I told myself that I need to do something decisively to address two issues: how could I restore as fast as possible the calm in society and how could I avoid any more law enforcement officers and ordinary citizens being injured. That was Wednesday to Saturday. Meanwhile, I met with people, because, as you know, in these sort of circumstances you have only one shot. I need to ask my advisors, I need to think through, our team has to deliberate it within ourselves, and this is my earliest opportunity. Although it is a Saturday, I did not wait until Monday to explain to you the deliberations leading to this decision. I hope you understand. Reporter: So, what details did you give in the emergency meeting with Han Zheng in Shenzhen and what did you tell him? And can you explain why you didn’t withdraw the bill but instead you suspend the bill? And also, why don’t you step down now? Thanks. Chief Executive: First of all, I could not comment on any meetings I have with anybody if it is not a public meeting. The Chief Executive has her own schedule every day, so I cannot confirm to you whether I have met a particular person during that day if it is not an official meeting that needs to be announced or publicised. If you’re interested in the Central People’s Government’s position and whether they have been informed about my decision, the answer is yes. Since all along they have taken such an understanding, supportive approach towards this local exercise, which is entirely within Hong Kong’s autonomy to do, I feel obliged to report to them that I have now considered all factors and I wish to announce today that we are making a change - we are suspending the legislative work in order to allow more time for communications, explanation, listening of opinions, and then decide on the way forward. I can tell you that the Central People’s Government adopts the same attitude. They understand, they have confidence in my judgement and they support me. As far as the difference between suspension and withdrawal, I have answered a few times. In very brief terms, it’s because this legislative exercise has very well-intended objectives. One is to deal with the Taiwan case, the other is to rectify the deficiencies in our current regime to deal with mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, and also to allow surrender of fugitive offenders with about 170 other countries and territories without long-term agreement. I hope nobody disputes those two objectives. With those two objectives in mind, withdrawing the bill seems to suggest that even those two objectives were erroneous in the first place, and I cannot accept that, because I think they are the needed objectives. If I may just elaborate a bit, especially for the international audience, to rectify the deficiencies in our regime is something that we have always been asked by the international community to do. One of these international organisations is the Financial Action Task Force on anti-money laundering, comprising the G7 countries, based in Paris. Hong Kong is a member in the name of Hong Kong, China. We are a member, amongst I think 37 members of this group, the FATF. The FATF came to look at our situation and said by and large we’re doing well on various aspects, but there is this aspect which we ranked very low – it’s because you have no extradition arrangement, no mutual legal assistance in criminal matters with the Mainland, Macao and Taiwan – they said you better do it as a matter of priority. That was on our agenda anyway – we have to do something. So at least now I can say I’ve made an attempt, I will tell the FATF next time they come I have made an attempt, somehow we could not deliver it yet, but we will try it again if circumstances permit. The difference between suspension and withdrawal could be explained in that context. As far as myself and my team, we will continue to work very diligently and hopefully to achieve the same effect that we have seen since July 1, 2017, that generally society is more peaceful, there’s less tension, people are focusing on the economy and livelihood matters. Although I would say that even on livelihood matters, especially housing, we have not been doing the best we could to meet people’s aspirations, we will continue to work very hard. Reporter: This bill has spread fear and sparked some of the worst violent protests on this city's streets since the handover. Are you going to apologise to the people for the damage that you and this bill has caused? Chief Executive: I have repeatedly said in my opening statement and also in response to some questions that this bill has very laudable objectives, not only domestically but also internationally. The enactment of this bill will help to raise Hong Kong's international profile and also demonstrate that we are a place with excellent rule of law, not only for our own citizens but also in contribution to the combatting of serious crime on a cross-border and transnational basis. With those very laudable objectives, I confess that we have not been as effective as we would like to communicate with the people to justify these very good objectives that are worth doing. And at the same time there are other factors and other circumstances that have given rise to some anxiety and fear and concern. So the best way forward is to pause and think and to find opportunities and time to see whether we could still reach those good objectives as laid down in the bill. That is the approach that I have taken. Reporter: Thank you very much, Chief Executive. Where we were in the protests on Wednesday, we saw excessive police force being used. Someone right next to our team was actually hit in the head, it seemed that the Police were actually targeting protesters in the head and in the torso. Organisers for tomorrow’s protest have been calling for you to say that they are not rioters and that they want the people who have been arrested to be released. Will you do this? Chief Executive: Hong Kong is a very lawful society. I have just mentioned in response to another question that even as the Chief Executive (CE), I have to act lawfully. So I cannot override the law enforcement bodies to decide who should be arrested, who should be released - that is totally unlawful. And if I were to do this, I don't think many people or investors will continue to trust Hong Kong, because the CE could do anything – to arrest somebody or detain somebody or release somebody. So, no way, I’m not going to interfere into the investigations by the law enforcement bodies and also the prosecution and the judicial proceedings – everything has to be done lawfully. Especially for prosecution and judiciary decisions, they are independently discharged as provided for under the Basic Law. As the Chief Executive I cannot breach the law, let alone the Basic Law, which is such an important constitutional document. On your reference to the use of force, I think everybody who watched the TV news on that day will notice that the Police were doing defensive protection of the Legislative Council Building. What you have been told by the Commissioner of the Police is some – I wouldn't say all, definitely not all, because we are talking about 40 000 people maybe – some of protesters were quite violent. If you have looked at some of the weapons that the Police had seized, they were not the sort of equipment that one would deploy in a peaceful protest or a peaceful assembly on a social issue. Have you looked at the bricks? Large numbers of bricks, throwing at the Police. Have you looked at some of the cars deliberately being placed in the middle of the road to obstruct traffic? Did you know that one of my Principal Officials was sort of detained for several hours on a road because of the blockade? So I hope that you can take everything into consideration before you come to a conclusion of what the incident was on Wednesday. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Saturday, June 15, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:24 NNNN

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Opening remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/15/P2019061500707.htm

15.6.2019

Following are the opening remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session this afternoon (June 15): Fellow citizens and members of the media, In February last year, a murder case in Taiwan shocked and saddened many Hong Kong people. A young Hong Kong lady was killed, and the suspect fled back to Hong Kong. The case caused deep sorrow to the victim’s parents, while at the same time revealed a clear loophole in our regime with respect to mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and the surrender of fugitive offenders. The deficiencies in our regime include, first, with the “geographical restriction” in the current law, it is not possible to transfer a suspect to Taiwan or our neighbouring Mainland and Macao. Secondly, there is no workable arrangement for the surrender of fugitive offenders with some 170 jurisdictions which have not entered into a long-term agreement with Hong Kong. As a responsible government, I feel obliged to find a way to deal with the Taiwan murder case so that justice can be done for the deceased, her parents and society, while at the same time address the deficiencies in our system so that Hong Kong will not become a place for criminals to evade legal responsibility. These are the two original purposes of the Government in putting forward the legislative proposal to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance. After careful examination of the relevant laws and the practices of other jurisdictions, the legislative amendment exercise started in Hong Kong in February this year. Our proposal is based on the existing legislation, with the relevant human rights safeguards and procedural safeguards, including the role of the court and the fair and impartial judicial system of Hong Kong, being fully maintained. Relevant colleagues have been discussing with various sectors of the community in a rational manner and listening to their views on our legislative proposal. As the suspect in the Taiwan case, who has been in jail on other charges, may be released soon, we have been trying to get the bill passed within the current legislative year, that is, before the Legislative Council summer recess in July this year. As a matter of fact, after listening to the views of society, we have introduced amendments to our proposal on two occasions. The first occasion was before the introduction of the bill, when we took out nine categories of offences from the list of offences subject to surrender, and lifted the threshold for punishment of the offences from imprisonment for more than one year to more than three years. The second occasion was after the introduction of the bill in the Legislative Council, when we increased the threshold from more than three years to not less than seven years, as well as introduced a number of additional human rights safeguards that are in line with international standards. The amendments were made to ease the concerns of society, while securing more support for the bill. My relevant colleagues and I have made our best efforts. But I have to admit that our explanation and communication work has not been sufficient or effective. Although many people agreed with our two original purposes, there are still supporting views and opposing ones on the bill, and their stances are very often polarised. Furthermore, many members of the public still have concerns and doubts about the bill. Some find it difficult to understand why the urgency, and are unhappy with the process of the amendments. We have made many attempts to narrow differences and eliminate doubts. In the last week, tens of thousands of people took part in protests and gatherings. Serious conflicts broke out in the early hours on Monday after the public procession last Sunday and during the protest in the Admiralty area on Wednesday, resulting in a number of police officers, media workers and other members of the public being injured. I am saddened by this, as are other citizens. As a responsible government, we have to maintain law and order on the one hand, and evaluate the situation for the greatest interest of Hong Kong, including restoring calmness in society as soon as possible and avoiding any more injuries to law enforcement officers and citizens. I am grateful for the views of many pro-establishment legislators and leaders of various community sectors conveyed to me over the last few days either openly or in private, that we should pause and think instead of resuming the Second Reading debate on the bill at the Legislative Council as scheduled. This would prevent dealing a further blow to society. In fact, in consideration of the overt and clear expression by Taiwan repeatedly that it would not accede to the suggested arrangement of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in the transfer of the concerned suspect, the original urgency to pass the bill in this legislative year is perhaps no longer there. After repeated internal deliberations over the last two days, I now announce that the Government has decided to suspend the legislative amendment exercise, restart our communication with all sectors of society, do more explanation work and listen to different views of society. I want to stress that the Government is adopting an open mind to heed comprehensively different views in society towards the bill. The Secretary for Security will send a letter to the Legislative Council President to withdraw the notice of resumption of the Second Reading debate on the bill. In other words, the Council will halt its work in relation to the bill until our work in communication, explanation and listening to opinions is completed. We have no intention to set a deadline for this work and promise to report to and consult members of the Legislative Council Panel on Security before we decide on the next step forward. I would like to thank all the pro-establishment legislators and members of the public for their support all along for our legislative exercise, as well as the people and organisations that have expressed their views in a peaceful and rational manner, even if they do not support the bill. As a free, open and pluralistic society, Hong Kong needs such a spirit of mutual respect and harmony in diversity. Lastly, as the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I want to stress that the original purposes of the exercise stem from my and my team’s passion for Hong Kong and our empathy for Hong Kong people. I feel deep sorrow and regret that the deficiencies in our work and various other factors have stirred up substantial controversies and dispute in society following the relatively calm periods of the past two years, disappointing many people. We will adopt the most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements so that we can continue to connect with the people of Hong Kong. Thank you very much. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Saturday, June 15, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:54 NNNN

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Appointments to Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/14/P2019061300347.htm

14.6.2019

The Government announced today (June 14) that the Chief Executive has appointed Dr Thomas So Shiu-tsung as a member of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. The Chief Executive has also re-appointed Ms Anita Fung Yuen-mei as a member of the Commission. "The two members will serve for a two-year term, starting from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021," a Government spokesman said. Mr Stephen Hung Wan-shun, a serving member of the Commission, will retire from the Commission on June 30, 2019. "We wish to express our gratitude to Mr Stephen Hung Wan-shun, for his invaluable advice rendered to the Commission during his term of office, and for his contribution to upholding Hong Kong's judicial independence," the spokesman said. The functions of the Commission are to advise or make recommendations to the Chief Executive regarding the filling of vacancies in judicial offices, representations from a judicial officer concerning conditions of service referred to it by the Chief Executive, and any matter affecting judicial officers which may be prescribed or which the Chief Executive may refer to it. Other members of the Commission are the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal (ex-officio Chairman); the Secretary for Justice (ex-officio member); Mr Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung; Madam Justice Carlye Chu Fun-ling; Mr Philip John Dykes, SC; Pamela Chan Wong Shui; and Professor Liu Pak-wai. Ends/Friday, June 14, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:00 NNNN

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Re-appointment of Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee members

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/14/P2019061300345.htm

14.6.2019

The Government announced today (June 14) that the Chief Executive has re-appointed Mr Ip Kwok-him and Dr Lam Ching-choi as members of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee for three years starting from July 1, 2019. "Mr Ip and Dr Lam have been tendering valuable advice to the work of the Committee. We look forward to their further contribution to the Committee in the coming three years," a Government spokesman said. Established in 1993, the Disaster Relief Fund provides a ready mechanism for Hong Kong to respond swiftly to international appeals for humanitarian aid in relief of disasters that occur outside Hong Kong. The Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee is responsible for advising on fund disbursement and monitoring the use of grants by the recipients. The membership of the Advisory Committee from July 1, 2019, is as follows: Chairman: Chief Secretary for Administration (ex-officio) Members: Mr Ip Kwok-him Dr Lam Ching-choi Dr Helena Wong Pik-wan Mr Kenneth Lau Ip-keung Dr Tik Chi-yuen Mrs Ann Kung Yeung Yun-chi Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury or representative (ex-officio) Secretary for Labour and Welfare or representative (ex-officio) Ends/Friday, June 14, 2019 Issued at HKT 11:00 NNNN

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Remarks by CE

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/12/P2019061200966.htm

12.6.2019

Following is the translation of the remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam today (June 12): Fellow citizens, Throughout the day, you could all see the distressing scenes in the Admiralty area. These acts of rioting, which damage social peace and disregard the law, are intolerable in any civilised society that respects the rule of law. Clearly, this is no longer a peaceful assembly but a blatant, organised riot, and in no way an act of loving Hong Kong. This morning, some people in total disregard to public safety occupied and blocked carriageways, paralysed traffic and gravely disrupted order in society. Starting in the afternoon, some people repeatedly charged toward the police cordon line and carried out dangerous and even life-threatening acts, including setting fire, using sharpened iron poles and bricks to attack the Police and damaging nearby public facilities, thereby posing serious threats to the safety of the general public, the young people who intended to express their views peacefully, the reporters, police officers and civil servants. We must strongly condemn them. I understand that the amendment to the ordinance by the Government this time has drawn strong positive and negative opinions in society and the Government has actively responded and explained many times. The fact is that since the return to the Motherland, issues involving the Central Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Mainland and Hong Kong, will be used by some people to stir up controversies and disputes. Intense confrontation is surely not the solution to ease disputes and resolve controversies. I hope you can all calm down to consider that this is not the first time in recent years that we have seen such riotous scenes. Hong Kong is a free, open and pluralistic society that values different opinions on everything. However, there is a bottom line in regard to the means of expressing an opinion, be it a supporting or opposing view. If a goal can be reached by radical and violent means, such scenes will become more severe, which will definitely put Hong Kong in harm's way. I hope that society will return to order as soon as possible and I don't want any more people to get injured in the riot. I appeal to all citizens who love this place to stay away from violence. I believe that any problem can still be resolved in Hong Kong, a civilised society, in a peaceful, rational and law-abiding manner for the overall interests of Hong Kong. Ends/Wednesday, June 12, 2019 Issued at HKT 22:45 NNNN

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The Chief Executive's Question Time and Council meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/11/P2019061100770.htm

11.6.2019

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat: The Chief Executive's Question Time originally scheduled for tomorrow (June 12) at 11am has been rescheduled to a later date. Accordingly, the start time of the regular Council meeting tomorrow will be advanced from 11.30am to 11am. Ends/Tuesday, June 11, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:05 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/11/P2019061100564.htm

11.6.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session this morning (June 11): Reporter: Mrs Lam, because people are saying that they are only going on strike or boycotting class, they are not taking any violent actions. So what do you think of the possible impact? Are you worried about that? And what do you make out of the fact that people have to take these actions simply because the Government is refusing to listen to their calls? And in regard to the extra safeguards not being written into the law, what happen if other jurisdictions simply violate these so-called promises? Would the Government do anything or maybe like stop extraditing to these jurisdictions in the future? And at this point, do you think your Government still has credibility or the trust of the people? Chief Executive: First of all, I would not agree that we have not listened. As I said repeatedly over this exercise, we have been listening attentively to views expressed to us or in the public domain, and that’s why when we started off to do this exercise based on over 20 years of experience of implementing the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (FOO), we felt and it was also reaffirmed to us by some of our counterparties that the FOO contains sufficient procedural and legal safeguards to deal with request for extradition. But because we have listened so attentively, we decided that we need to make further amendments to the proposals, so we have introduced two sets of amendments - one before the introduction of the bill and one after the introduction of the bill, especially for the six measures introduced after the presentation of the bill which I have just elaborated. The one concerning human rights safeguards is a very important one because if you understand the process of dealing with this extradition or surrender of fugitive offenders request from a requesting party, the first step requires the Chief Executive to trigger the process by giving a certificate. What we are now saying is that before the Chief Executive triggers that process, that is to accept the requesting party’s request to surrender the fugitive offender, we will require the requesting party to undertake to guarantee a long list of human rights protections, and these human rights protections resemble very closely the international standards and the guarantees under the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). This is a very practical package that has struck the necessary balance between the protection of human rights, the allaying of public anxieties and concerns, and also the objective which I need not repeat - it is a very important objective to deal with such offenders to avoid Hong Kong becoming a haven for fugitives and also to discharge our international obligation. You asked if any of these guarantees are not met, what would happen. First of all, I want to draw your attention to the letter from the Secretary for Security to the LegCo President. Apart from these human rights safeguards, there is an additional measure which elaborates that the final authority to surrender or not to surrender rests with the Chief Executive. In other words, when the court agrees to surrender, then the Chief Executive could still be the gatekeeper of deciding not to surrender a fugitive offender taking into account several factors – the changing circumstances, the humanitarian grounds and so on. That is the moment that the Chief Executive could still re-examine the whole case and the changing circumstances to decide. But the important thing is, if the court decides not to surrender, even the Chief Executive could not overrule the court. To say that because somebody wants this offender and I will surrender – that is not possible, because if that’s possible, that means that the Chief Executive is above the law or totally disregarding the law, and that is something no Chief Executive could do in a highly civilised, rule of law society like Hong Kong. Thank you very much. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, June 11, 2019 Issued at HKT 14:04 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/10/P2019061000710.htm

10.6.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session this morning (June 10): Reporter: Mrs Lam, the demands of one million protesters were very clear – they want the bill withdrawn, they want you to step down. How much more clear do you need them to be? Is it that you think you can ignore them so that there would be escalated action, such as people going on strike or even further radical actions? Chief Executive: First of all, let me say that I and my team have not ignored any views expressed on this very important piece of legislation. We have been listening, and listening very attentively and very humbly, to views expressed by various sectors. We have already made two sets of amendments to our proposals, one before the introduction of the bill and one after the introduction of the bill. The reality is, after these additional measures have been introduced, and many of them concern human rights safeguards over and above what is now contained in the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, we were told, we received feedback, that these additional measures are effective in addressing the concerns of the stakeholders. We will continue to do so. There's no question of us ignoring views expressed in society. But Hong Kong has to move on, there are severe deficiencies and gaps in our existing system to deal with cross-border crimes and transnational crimes. There is a very difficult area to understand – why Hong Kong cannot have any mutual legal assistance on criminal matters with our closest neighbours, that is the Mainland of China, Taiwan and Macao? We have to plug that loophole and rectify that deficiency for the long-term benefit of Hong Kong because nobody wants Hong Kong to be a fugitive offenders' haven; nobody wants to see Hong Kong people committing crimes outside of Hong Kong and then return to Hong Kong as if they have not done anything wrong. So, this work has to continue to be done. As for myself, I have been the Chief Executive of Hong Kong for about two years. I have spent every moment of my time to work for the benefit of Hong Kong – every aspect, it's not just on improving the justice system; it's also on pushing Hong Kong's economic development and addressing livelihood issues, like housing and poverty and so on. I think I will continue to do this in my utmost ability and to address the issues and concerns of Hong Kong people, especially at a time when our economy is going to undergo some very severe challenges because of the external uncertainties. I think it is all the more important for us to have a stable team to rise to the challenges and to resolve many of the difficult areas that we are going to face. Reporter: Mrs Lam, if I may, one million peaceful protesters came out on the streets yesterday, they want the law to be scrapped. That's unambiguous. They don't want extra safeguards. They have expressed a lack of trust and confidence in the Chinese legal system. Are you categorically saying now at this moment that you will not consider scrapping the law? And when you took office, you pledged to everyone in Hong Kong that you would heal divisions, that you would express the views of the Hong Kong people to Beijing. Have you attempted to persuade Beijing to postpone or scrap this law in all your meetings including the emergency crisis meeting last night after the protest with Chinese officials? Chief Executive: First of all, as we have said in the Government's response issued last night, the bill will resume its Second Reading on June 12 and we appeal to members of the Legislative Council to discuss and debate on the bill in a calm and rational manner. I hope that similar appeal will go to organisations in society which may be planning other actions including perhaps some radical actions. On your second question, I must first correct what you said. There was no emergency meeting with the Central People's Government last night. There was not even an emergency meeting with my team because we have been communicating the whole day, monitoring the situation, so there is no such thing as an emergency meeting with the Central People's Government. You have to substantiate that if you want to make that categorical allegation. Second thing is this bill is not just about the Mainland jurisdiction. This bill is about putting in place a special surrender arrangement that is a case-by-case arrangement with all the other jurisdictions that Hong Kong has not yet had a long-term arrangement and the number of such jurisdictions that Hong Kong has is a mere 20. So there must be over 170 other jurisdictions that we have no (workable) legal basis to entertain a request for the return of a fugitive offender, somebody who has committed a very serious crime in that particular jurisdiction but has fled to Hong Kong and we can't do anything about it. The same applies to our neighbours, Mainland China, Taiwan, Macao, we can't do anything about it because there isn't any arrangement for the surrender of fugitive offenders, there isn't even any arrangement for mutual legal assistance on criminal matters. This bill is not about Mainland alone. This bill is not initiated by the Central People's Government. I have not received any instruction or mandate from Beijing to do this bill. We were doing it and we are still doing it out of our clear conscience and our commitment to Hong Kong. We want Hong Kong to fare well. We realise that Hong Kong has some major deficiencies which have been criticised by overseas bodies. If you have a chance to look at the Financial Action Task Force, which is coming from the G7, Western democracies, what did they say in their review on Hong Kong on money laundering and terrorist financing? They said we had a significant deficit, which is undermining international collaboration. So as responsible officials standing here, we are duty-bound to address that deficiency. It is not Beijing, but if you care to read the paper that we issued on May 30 to the Legislative Council Security Panel, there were two paragraphs talking about relationship between the Hong Kong SAR and the Central Government. Because in the course of doing this exercise, I realised, S for S (Secretary for Security) realised, that the focus unfortunately or understandably was on the Mainland because of trust issues, because of the differences in the legal systems. So I did reflect faithfully to the Central People's Government about these concerns and anxieties. And in the additional safeguards that we have introduced, you will notice that some were specifically related to the Mainland, for example, if we need a central authority to trigger that request, that central authority has to be Supreme People's Procuratorate. I can't do this without indication from the Central People's Government that this is acceptable. And then we said that after conviction, if a Hong Kong person prefers to come back to Hong Kong to serve in Hong Kong's prison, because then they would be easier to be visited by families, it needs to amend the ordinance because at the moment the sentenced prisoners return ordinance again excludes the Mainland of China. So I have to tell the leaders that I need that assurance in order to assure the people of Hong Kong. So whatever they did, as I have said in those two paragraphs, which I wrote for him (the Secretary for Security) because I was the person to communicate directly with the Central People's Government, the Central People's Government understands the difficulties and the controversies in Hong Kong and the Central Government supports and respects the views of the Hong Kong SAR, particularly myself, the Chief Executive, and so they have agreed everything in the additional safeguards that concern the Mainland of China. Reporter: Do you have any plans and intention to delay the process just to communicate better with the Hong Kong people? And what's your message to those outside of Hong Kong watching this development? Chief Executive: As I have repeatedly referred to what the Government's response said last night, the bill will resume its Second Reading Debate on June 12, and we appeal to members of the Legislative Council and various organisations and groups in society to continue to participate in the discussion in a calm, rational and peaceful manner. Since early February when we first announced our intention to do this legislative amendment after months of research and international study, the intensity of discussion in these four months is quite unprecedented for a bill proposed by the Government. I would say that while we will continue to do the communication and explanation, there is very little merit to be gained to delay the bill – it will just cause more anxiety and divisiveness in society. But once the bill is passed, as I said, we will regularly report to the Legislative Council the implementation of this bill. And after all, if you are in possession of the numbers, every year we are talking about five such cases, because since 1997, the Hong Kong SAR Government has only surrendered slightly over 100 cases, and the majority were to the United States of America. We can explain and account for each of these cases dealt with under the ordinance, especially under the proposed special surrender arrangement, to the Legislative Council. I don't think it is an appropriate decision for us to now pull out this bill because of the very important objectives that this bill is intended to achieve. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Monday, June 10, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:12 NNNN

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CE officiates at "Safer Living 2.0" Kick-off Ceremony

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/10/P2019061000644.htm

10.6.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, officiated at the Kick-off Ceremony for "Safer Living 2.0" this afternoon (June 10). Accompanied by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, and the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Ricky Lau, Mrs Lam also visited the first thematic exhibition jointly held by the organisers of the campaign. "Safer Living 2.0" is a year-long inter-departmental public education campaign comprising a series of exhibitions, seminars, tours and competitions. It aims to enhance public understanding of natural disasters. Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Lam said that "Safer Living 2.0" is not simply a continuation of "Safer Living". The campaign this time also includes self-help tips on natural disasters such as landslides, flooding, storm surges and falling trees, thus raising community resilience to natural disasters. Other guests attending the ceremony included the Director of Drainage Services, Mr Kelvin Lo; the Director of Fire Services, Mr Li Kin-yat; the Acting Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Dr Cheng Cho-ming; the Head of the Geotechnical Engineering Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, Mr Pun Wai-keung; the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute, Dr Donald Li; and the Chairperson of the Community Resilience Strategic Committee of Hong Kong Red Cross, Mr Stephen Ma. "Safer Living 2.0" is jointly organised by the Development Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Fire Services Department, the Hong Kong Observatory, the Drainage Services Department, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute, the Hong Kong Red Cross and others. The first thematic exhibition jointly held by the organisers will be open to the public at PMQ in Central from tomorrow (June 11) to June 19. Admission is free. Ends/Monday, June 10, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:30 NNNN

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Opening remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/10/P2019061000615.htm

10.6.2019

Following are the opening remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session this morning (June 10): Chief Executive: Let me say a few words in English. First of all, I want to say that the march yesterday on the Government's amendments to two pieces of ordinance has been conducted in a generally peaceful and orderly manner, and I think this fully reflects the degree of civilisation in Hong Kong society and reaffirms that the rights and freedoms of individuals, of journalists, etc, are fully protected and safeguarded under the Basic Law. In a way I hope this incident also helps to refute any worries and allegations that these rights and freedoms have been eroded in recent years. I think they clearly demonstrate that these rights and freedoms are as robust as ever. Of course, we were very sad to watch the TV after midnight that there was some violence undertaken by a few hundred protesters, including attacking the Police, obstructing the roads, etc. As a result, several police colleagues and at least one reporter and maybe some other people have been hurt. I want to extend to them my warmest sympathy and hope that they will recover as soon as possible. The Police, as mentioned by the Commissioner of Police earlier this morning, are taking very serious actions against those breaches of the law, because Hong Kong is a very lawful society. While we respect and uphold the freedoms of expression, we also expect every citizen to obey the law. Coming back to the substance of the march and the protest, I fully understand that during the march many of the participants have expressed worries and concerns and anxiety about the Government's attempt to amend the legislation. I have also heard from the political parties who have issued statements after the march that while reaffirming their support for the Government's action, they also have put forward some constructive suggestions. I'm responding in the following four areas of work. One is we realise that our communication and explanation work has to continue, whether throughout the Legislative Council scrutiny process or even after the enactment of the bill, because this is a very important piece of legislation that will help to uphold justice and also ensure that Hong Kong will fulfil her international obligation in terms of cross-boundary and transnational crimes. The explanation will focus on the additional safeguards that we have introduced, especially on May 30 by the Secretary for Security. Those six measures will provide some of the very reassuring human rights safeguards that we have heard some people, especially from the legal sector, who have put those proposals to us in the earlier part of the consultation. Our experience is as long as there is a chance for us to interact and to explain and answer questions directly face to face, normally it will have a very positive effect on the other stakeholders to improve or enhance their understanding of what we are doing. The second area of work that we will do is, coming back to the additional human rights safeguards that we have announced on May 30, I heard that there was some worry that they were just statements made by a government official, and they are not particularly reassuring. I'm telling you here that in this area of work, we will make sure that all these additional safeguards, and there is a long list of those additional safeguards, which resemble very closely the international standards and the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)minimum guarantees, they will have a legal binding effect on the Government because we will put them into a very solemn policy statement to be delivered by the Secretary for Security when the bill resumes its second reading in the Legislative Council. If one cares to go into the bill itself, there is a very specific provision that says that as long as we ask for these safeguards from the requesting party and put them into some sort of agreement, then they will, of course, restrict or confine the executive's ability in the surrender of fugitive offenders. In short, these human rights safeguards have binding effect, and we will only surrender a fugitive requested by a requesting party when these guarantees are being fully met. The third area of work is in response to a suggestion from some political parties late last night, that is, if the bill were passed, those political parties suggested that the Government should provide regular reports to the Legislative Council about the implementation of this sort of case-by-case surrender arrangement, in terms of the jurisdictions involved, the nature of the cases and whether the human rights safeguards and procedural safeguards that we have been talking about are being fully implemented. I have to stress again that we said at the very beginning of this exercise that this special surrender arrangement, that is, a case-based surrender arrangement, is a supplementary arrangement. It's a sort of stop-gap arrangement because we do have a very serious gap and deficiency in our justice system. The long-term arrangement, or the long-term goal, is still to enter into long-term agreement on the surrender of fugitive offenders with as many jurisdictions as possible. We now have 20 such agreements. We should increase these bilateral agreements as far as possible, so I will accord priority to this area of work and will immediately enhance the staff resources in the Security Bureau and the Department of Justice to enable them to catch up on the work and to start the negotiations on these long-term agreements, including negotiations with the Mainland of China, Taiwan and Macao. Finally, I want to say to every citizen in Hong Kong who has expressed a view on these amendments, whether you are agreeing or not agreeing with us, whether you are supporting the work that we are doing or objecting to the work that we are doing, I want to thank every one of you, because the concern of every citizen about the work that the Government is doing, and this scrutiny of our work, is an important factor to enhancing good governance in Hong Kong. Thank you very much. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Monday, June 10, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:59 NNNN

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Opening ceremony for Reconstruction of the Sharp Island Pier under Signature Project Scheme of Sai Kung District held

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/09/P2019060600628.htm

9.6.2019

An opening ceremony for Reconstruction of the Sharp Island Pier under the Signature Project Scheme (SPS) of Sai Kung District was held at Sharp Island Pier in Sai Kung today (June 9). The Government earmarked a provision of $100 million for each District Council under the SPS to implement signature projects upon its endorsement, so as to enhance district administration and better address local needs. Reconstruction of the Sharp Island Pier is one of the two projects endorsed by the Sai Kung District Council (SKDC). The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah; the Chairman of the SKDC, Mr Ng Sze-fuk; and other guests officiated at the plaque unveiling ceremony, signifying the official opening of the new pier. Sharp Island is part of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. With the significant increase in the number of tourists visiting Sharp Island in recent years, the capacity of the old pier had become insufficient to cater for the needs. In view of this, the SKDC proposed to reconstruct Sharp Island Pier through the SPS by extending the length and depth of the berth, and improving the berthing facilities of the pier for convenient access by tourists. The new pier provides two berthing locations and basic marine facilities such as mooring dolphins, fenders and navigation lights. It is also equipped with ancillary facilities including a shelter, lighting, railings and chairs for the convenience of tourists. Other officiating guests of the opening ceremony included the Director of Home Affairs, Miss Janice Tse; the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Ricky Lau; the Chairman of the Signature Project Scheme Committee under the SKDC, Mr Francis Chau; and the District Officer (Sai Kung), Mr David Chiu. Ends/Sunday, June 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:03 NNNN

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CE meets Director of Palace Museum

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/08/P2019060800525.htm

8.6.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, accompanied by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, met with the Director of the Palace Museum, Dr Wang Xudong, at Government House at noon today (June 8). The Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Mr Henry Tang, and the Chairman of the Board of Stewards of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Dr Anthony Chow, attended the lunch that followed. Mrs Lam welcomed Dr Wang's visit to Hong Kong at her invitation shortly after his assumption of office in April to learn more about the city's latest developments in arts and culture, which is a testimony to the importance he attaches to the development of such matters in Hong Kong and his support for them. Mrs Lam thanked the Palace Museum for arranging a number of large-scale exhibitions in Hong Kong in the past and its staunch support for the establishment of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, thus enabling the display of valuable artefacts of the Palace Museum for long periods in Hong Kong. In addition, the Palace Museum, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, has organised the Beijing Palace Museum Conservation Internship Programme each summer since 2017. The programme, which helps broaden participants' horizons and enrich their knowledge of heritage conservation and appreciation, has been well received by young people in Hong Kong. Mrs Lam expressed the hope of exploring further collaboration with the Palace Museum to enhance Hong Kong people's understanding of Chinese arts and culture. After the meeting, Mrs Lam witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Dr Leung Siu-fai, and Dr Wang, under which pieces of timber seized and confiscated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department during anti-smuggling enforcement operations will be donated to the Palace Museum for the repair and restoration of cultural relics and historic buildings. Ends/Saturday, June 8, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:07 NNNN

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Appointments to Advisory Committee on Post-office Employment for Former Chief Executives and Politically Appointed Officials

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/06/P2019060500804.htm

6.6.2019

The Government today (June 6) announced that the Chief Executive has appointed Mrs Margaret Leung Ko May-yee as a member of the Advisory Committee on Post-office Employment for Former Chief Executives and Politically Appointed Officials (Advisory Committee) for a term of two years from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2021. The Chief Executive has also re-appointed Professor Liu Pak-wai as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee, and Ms Susanna Chiu Lai-kuen, Mr Thomas Brian Stevenson and Mr Simon Ip Sik-on as members, for another term of two years to June 30, 2021. A Government spokesman said, "Under the chairmanship of Professor Liu and with the wealth of experience of its members, the Advisory Committee will continue to discharge its functions in a professional manner." The Government also expressed appreciation for the dedicated service of Ms Elaine Lo Yuen-man as a member of the Advisory Committee in the past six years. The terms of reference of the Advisory Committee are: (a) to draw up the principles and criteria to be adopted for the purpose of advising former Chief Executives and politically appointed officials on their post-office employment or appointment; (b) on the basis of the principles and criteria adopted, to consider and advise former Chief Executives and politically appointed officials on post-office employment or appointment; and (c) to consider and advise the Government on other cases which may be referred by the Chief Executive's Office. Ends/Thursday, June 6, 2019 Issued at HKT 16:30 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/04/P2019060400562.htm

4.6.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (June 4): Reporter: Mrs Lam, how would you reflect Hong Kong people through vindicating June 4th to Beijing? Do you agree with the Chinese minister’s views that the massacre is actually justified? And second question on the extradition bill – according to clause 24 of the bill, do you think you yourself or the courts can still act as a safeguard to and reject the request whenever it is necessary? Chief Executive: I try to repeat my answers to these two similar questions. First of all, Hong Kong is a very free society. We uphold and safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals in Hong Kong. So today, if there are public gatherings to express their views and feelings on a particular historic incident, we fully respect those views. About the extradition bill which is now under scrutiny in the Legislative Council, there has been this reference, and maybe worry or fear or even allegation that the Chief Executive will just follow the instructions given by the Central Government and surrender whatever fugitives that the Central Government wants. This is totally unfounded and deviates from the provisions in the law. There are very detailed provisions in the law that will not allow that sort of situation to happen. And on top of those, last week the Government announced six additional measures in response to public concerns in order to allay the fears and anxiety. Those additional measures are very much in line with the international rights for the protection of the individual, which we have heard over the past few months. We have imposed those additional safeguards as requirements to be met by the requesting party under a case-by-case extradition arrangement. If those requirements are not fulfilled, the Chief Executive will not trigger the process to deal with this particular request. If those requirements are fulfilled, the triggering of the process will have to go through the legal process and the courts will decide in the light of the evidence and the law whether a surrender order should be pursued, and then the case will come back to the Chief Executive for a decision. That is, I would say, a very robust process and I would really urge you to look into details of the process and all the legal provisions and safeguards in the existing legislation and also in the six measures that we have additionally provided. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, June 4, 2019 Issued at HKT 13:27 NNNN

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Sixth meeting of Chief Executive's Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development held

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201906/04/P2019060400485.htm

4.6.2019

The Chief Executive's Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development held its sixth meeting today (June 4) to continue to exchange views on the findings of the study on "Creating the Greater Bay Area of the Future - Opportunities for Hong Kong" (the Study) as well as on how Hong Kong may play a leading and active role in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Members also deliberated on the heightened tension between China and the United States (US) and its impact on Hong Kong. Members discussed the recommendations of the Study and focused on key areas of particular relevance to Hong Kong, namely innovation and technology development, youth development, financial services, ecological conservation, talent and facilitation of movement of goods and people across the boundary. Members appreciated the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's proactive role in terms of the Chief Executive making visits to individual Mainland cities in the GBA, seeking support measures from the Leading Group for the Development of the GBA, arranging discussions and study trips for the relevant sectors and conducting joint promotion by the three Governments overseas. "I fully agree with Members on the need for overall co-ordination and concerted efforts within the HKSAR Government. I am personally chairing a Steering Committee for the Development of the GBA, attended by all Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux, which has already met twice. At the working level, a dedicated GBA office will be established within the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau," the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, said. As regards the recent trade conflict between China and the US, members were briefed on the latest developments as well as what the HKSAR Government has done to mitigate and minimise the impact. Members noted that the trade dispute between China and the US is unlikely to be resolved in a short period of time and suggested that the Government should closely monitor the situation and provide timely assistance to the relevant sectors, particularly the small and medium enterprises. "The escalation of the China-US trade conflict will inevitably affect Hong Kong's economic outlook. The Government will continue to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to explore more opportunities for Hong Kong, leveraging on our unique advantages under the 'one country, two systems’. We will continue to actively forge more free trade agreements and investment agreements with our trading partners. In addition, we will actively attract foreign investors to Hong Kong, and grasp the opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development, in order to diversify Hong Kong's economy," Mrs Lam said. "The Government will closely monitor the China-US trade conflict and various external headwinds and their repercussions on Hong Kong's economy. With our sound fundamentals and strong fiscal position, we stand ready to introduce further support measures to counter any external shocks in order to stabilise the economy and sustain employment as and when necessary. The Government will also continue to invest to further Hong Kong's economic development," the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, added. The Council is a high-level body to advise the Chief Executive on Hong Kong's future development and strategies for driving innovation. It gives 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, provides guidance on evidence-based research and studies on related issues with a view to enhancing policy formulation to meet changing development needs, and advises on stakeholder engagement and public participation in the policy formulation and consensus building process. Ends/Tuesday, June 4, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:46 NNNN

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Speech by CE at "Israel-Hong Kong: Women-to-Women Bridge" forum

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/31/P2019053100400.htm

31.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the "Israel-Hong Kong: Women-to-Women Bridge" forum jointly held by the Consulate General of Israel in Hong Kong and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center this morning (May 31): Consul General (Consul General of the State of Israel in Hong Kong, Mrs Ahuva Spieler), Alice (Executive Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center, Ms Alice Mong), distinguished speakers, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. I am pleased to be here on this very special occasion - a woman Chief Executive speaking at a Women-to-Women Bridge forum between two exciting economies - Hong Kong and Israel. Let me first welcome to Hong Kong the five Israeli woman leaders who will speak today - about innovation, entrepreneurship and technology, about science and research as well as global finance. Along with nine like-minded professionals from Hong Kong, many of whom I know, each will present the singular perspective, experience and challenges that come with being a high-achieving career woman. As the Consul General noted, Israeli and Hong Kong societies are blessed with strong, determined, brilliantly accomplished women leaders and innovators - and in every profession, sector and societal role. This morning's speakers as well as those in the audience are surely testament to that. I know something about work and women, having begun my public service career in the Hong Kong Government since 1980. Come July 1, I'll have served as Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) for two years. Two of my Government's Principal Officials are women, the Secretary for Justice and the Secretary for Food and Health. Last year, we had the first woman chairman in the long history of our stock exchange - the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX). The exchange, by the way, is the world's sixth largest by market capitalisation. Last year also for the first time, two female eminent judges, one from Canada, the other from the United Kingdom, were appointed as non-permanent judges to the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. As the first female Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, I can tell you I was thrilled to witness these historic moments. Are we doing enough? Am I doing enough? Certainly not, but I can tell you that we are moving in the right direction. And we are doing so with speed and certainty and across different sectors in society. General societal trends, of course, have been moving in the right direction for quite some time now. Access to education and training are essential to empowering women to fully participate, and at the highest levels, in business and society. In that regard, we are doing remarkably well. Women now represent 54 per cent of students enrolled in Hong Kong undergraduate programmes funded by our University Grants Committee. The percentage of female students studying in traditionally male-dominated disciplines is also increasing. Take medicine, for example. Some 20 years ago, about 37 per cent of Hong Kong medical students were female. Today, nearly 52 per cent are. And among our engineering and technology majors, the percentage of female students has risen from 14 per cent two decades ago to some 30 per cent today. In the professions, women now make up nearly half of Hong Kong's solicitors and public accountants, compared to about one-third in each case 20 years ago. As for managerial positions, women hold about 35 per cent of them today, compared with only 20 per cent over the same period. Those percentages are much the same in the Hong Kong SAR Government. More than one-third of Hong Kong civil servants at the directorate level, that is the most senior level, are women. Just over 15 per cent were 20 years ago. Women in Hong Kong enjoy equal employment opportunities and are protected under the same labour legislation as men. That said, the female labour participation rate in Hong Kong was just under 51 per cent last year, compared to 68.5 per cent for men. This figure of 51 per cent female labour participation rate is lower than that of Israel, Singapore and the Mainland, which stands at about 60 per cent. So yes, there is considerable room for improvement. And we are, rest assured, working assiduously to expand labour force participation among the women of Hong Kong. Promoting gender equality, creating an enabling environment for women, is critical to the sustainable development of our economy. I am sure we have a lot of female talent in Hong Kong, and we do need all the talent we have in order to seize the vast opportunities ahead of us. It is true that the global economy is now facing considerable uncertainty amid the trade conflict and escalated tension between China and the United States, and we just saw OECD adjust the global economic growth forecast downward to 3.2 per cent last week. Being a highly externally oriented economy, Hong Kong will inevitably be hit, especially in the short term. But if we look further ahead, I am very confident about Hong Kong's future. It is because Hong Kong's success is built on very solid foundation. Possessing unique strengths under "One Country, Two Systems", we've been named the world's freest economy by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation for 25 years in a row. Earlier this month, Hong Kong was also named the world's most open economy in the inaugural Global Index of Economic Openness. The report, produced by the London-based Legatum Institute, analysed nearly 160 countries and economies, measuring how well each enables trade, competition and productivity. That Hong Kong came out on top is no surprise to the more than 8 700 overseas and Mainland companies that maintain an office here in Hong Kong, of course including Israeli companies. They're here because they take confidence in Hong Kong's level playing field for business, in our independent judiciary and rule of law that buttresses it. The rule of law and judicial independence are Hong Kong's core values. They are guaranteed under the Basic Law and are fully practised in Hong Kong. In rule of law, Hong Kong ranked 14th globally according to World Bank's Governance Indicators. In judicial independence, we ranked eighth globally according to the World Economic Forum, that is fourth among common law jurisdictions and number one in Asia. Earlier, I mentioned the two female judges added last year to our Court of Final Appeal. Well, there are actually a total of 14 eminent judges from other common-law jurisdictions including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom serving on our Court of Final Appeal as non-permanent judges. Their presence itself is a testimony to Hong Kong's judicial independence. International business also places a premium on Hong Kong's financial and investment services. In the latest Global Financial Centres Index, Hong Kong was ranked the world's third-most competitive economy, just behind New York and London. Global business also counts on our world-class communications and logistics infrastructure, as well as our deep and diversified pool of talent. Hong Kong's "One Country, Two Systems" framework makes a decided difference. It gives Hong Kong advantages that no other economy can claim unless, of course, they partner with Hong Kong or set up a business here. Those advantages include access to two national strategies of global significance - the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Our financial services strengths make Hong Kong a vital link for the Belt and Road Initiative. But there is more to our participation than capital raising. Down the road, we will also play a key role in resolving disputes among Belt and Road partners. Given that some 180 co-operation agreements and MoUs have already been signed under the Belt and Road, there will, from time to time, be disagreements among project partners and participants. These disputes will sometimes require legal intervention. Hong Kong's rigorous legal system and internationally respected arbitration and mediation laws and practice will help address the Belt and Road's dispute avoidance and resolution needs. Then there's the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a fast-emerging city cluster integrating Hong Kong, Macao and nine prosperous cities in southern China. The numbers are as outsized as its long-term promise. Together, this emerging city cluster embraces more than 56 000 square kilometres, takes in a population of 71 million people, and presents a collective GDP of US$1.6 trillion. The Greater Bay Area's Outline Development Plan, released in February this year, emphasises co-operation rather than competition among the 11 cities, giving full play to the strengths and expertise of each. The Plan calls for Hong Kong to drive, among other things, international finance, trade and transport for the Greater Bay Area. But to me, the most exciting part in the Outline Development Plan is the significant role Hong Kong is going to play in the Greater Bay Area's ambition and rise as an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub. With Hong Kong's strong R&D capability and financial prowess, as well as the world-beating manufacturing and services production in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, the potential is obviously there for all to see. This is where we can look to Israel for some good lessons and inspiration, and explore opportunities for collaboration. Which is why our Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, led the first high-level mission from Hong Kong to Israel last September. Accompanying him were corporate investors and venture capitalists, companies focused on financial technology, biotechnology, smart-city development and more. Also there were senior players from Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport, the two flagship institutions driving innovation and technology development in Hong Kong. Science Park, let me add, has organised three "Israeli Business Matching" sessions over the past several years. They've brought 32 Israeli and 115 Hong Kong companies together to explore business co-operation. And we are beginning to see that co-operation materialising. Last year, The Floor, a fintech innovation firm from Israel, set up here in Hong Kong. An Israeli start-up, Dr Gene, is working on genetic research in Cyberport. And a Cyberport incubatee, AT Services Ltd, also from Israel, is using blockchain technology to build financial decision-making systems. We look to Israel, because we are committed to Hong Kong's rise as an innovation and technology leader, and because Israel is an international leader in I&T development, a high-tech role model for Hong Kong and for the world. We share your spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, and I am confident we can be an ideal partner for Israeli companies looking to expand their presence in the Mainland - especially the Greater Bay Area - and throughout Asia. Allow me, for just a minute or two, to give you a bit of a background on where we are right now when it comes to innovation and technology. Our commitment is perhaps best illustrated by the resources we're putting into I&T development. Since I became Chief Executive 23 months ago, the Hong Kong SAR Government has invested some US$13 billion in I&T programmes and initiatives. They include two world-class research clusters, one focused on healthcare technologies, the other on artificial intelligence and robotics. In each case, we are committed to attracting prominent institutions from around the world to establish research centres and laboratories in these two clusters. The response to date has been more than encouraging. We've received over 40 applications, involving such top institutions as MIT, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and Institut Pasteur, just to name a few. We expect the first batch of research institutions to set up labs in the two new clusters at the Science Park before the end of this year. We welcome Israeli technology companies, especially those with healthcare, AI and robotics expertise, to join them in building the future. To incentivise private enterprises to invest in R&D alongside Government commitment, we are providing from this year onwards tax deductions for qualifying R&D expenditure incurred in Hong Kong. Specifically, the first HK$2 million - that's about US$255,000 - in R&D expenditure will enjoy a 300 per cent tax deduction - plus a 200 per cent deduction on the remainder. And there's no ceiling on the amount of deduction possible. Hong Kong start-ups, by the way, are thriving. At last count, there were more than 2 600 start-ups here. That's up 18 per cent, year on year. And the venture capital investment in our start-ups has also soared - from about US$163 million in 2014 to US$2.3 billion last year. It is worth noting that the start-up community is also highly international, with 35 per cent of founders coming from outside Hong Kong. And for technology companies including biotech firms seeking to raise funds through IPOs, the Hong Kong exchange has introduced new listing rules to meet their special needs last April. The results are encouraging but more are welcome. Actually, the HKEX hosted a second Biotech Summit two days ago to promote what Hong Kong can offer. We naturally welcome technology business in Israel to seek listing in Hong Kong. In short, ladies and gentlemen, whether you're a global technology leader or a brand-new start-up, Hong Kong has pretty much everything you want and will ever need to grow. We welcome our Israeli friends, men and women, to join us. Together, Hong Kong and Israel will excel. I know you will enjoy this extraordinary forum and the lunch. And for that, for your innovation and inspiration, my thanks to Consul General Ahuva Spieler and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. And for our friends coming all the way from Israel, I wish you a very pleasant stay in Hong Kong. Thank you very much. Ends/Friday, May 31, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:10 NNNN

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Speech by CE at 2nd HKEx Biotech Summit

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/29/P2019052900361.htm

29.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the 2nd HKEx Biotech Summit this morning (May 29): Laura (Chairman of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx), Mrs Laura M Cha), Charles (Chief Executive of HKEx, Mr Charles Li), distinguished speakers, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. I'm pleased to join you here today for the second edition of HKEx Biotech Summit. Based on the huge success of the first edition last year, I was told that HKEx has expanded the scale of the event this year. This second Summit is part of the inaugural HKEx Biotech Week. More than 1 000 related professionals - from biotech and pharma companies, to biotech investors and analysts, regulators, academics, health-related big-data companies and more - are here in Hong Kong this week from the Mainland and from all over the world. Let me first extend to all of you a very warm welcome. Hong Kong is now the world's second largest funding hub for biotech. I naturally hope to see one day we will become the world's number one. Hong Kong was ranked the world's freest economy by the Heritage Foundation and the Fraser Institute for many years, and more recently, Hong Kong took the global first position in terms of economic openness assessed by the Legatum Institute in its inaugural index. And Hong Kong stayed firmly as the world's number two in terms of competitiveness according to IMD's World Competitiveness Yearbook 2019 released yesterday. The same strengths in the rule of law, judicial independence, rights and freedoms as well as the favourable business environment and international connectivity that win us those laurels are equally conducive to the biotech industry development in Hong Kong. But I realise we need to adopt more specific measures. Innovation and technology (I&T) is, therefore, at the top of my Government's policy agenda. In less than two years since I took office, we have invested some HK$100 billion or US$13 billion, rolling out a variety of ground-breaking measures to fast-track our I&T sector and showcase it to the world. These measures range from infrastructure to talent admission, from the Government's own technology venture fund to providing super tax deductions for companies' R&D expenditure. Within the HKSAR Government, technology is now embraced through adopting a pro-innovation government procurement policy, opening up public data for research, encouraging departments to apply technology more aggressively. I am personally chairing a steering committee to ensure that these I&T initiatives are effectively implemented. Biotechnology is one area of I&T in which Hong Kong enjoys notable strengths. We're blessed with world-class universities, with four of them ranked among the world's top 60. We have two world-renowned medical schools, ranked amongst the world's top 50. They offer strong research capabilities in biotech, and they have vast experience and networks for creating partnerships with prominent universities, research institutions and technology-based companies from all over the world. This is evident from our recent work in the establishment of two world-class research clusters at the Hong Kong Science Park, our flagship technology centre. The establishment of these two research clusters, one on healthcare and the other on artificial intelligence and robotics, is one of our major initiatives announced last year to further enhance Hong Kong's research capabilities. The idea is to converge top-notch universities and researchers from all over the world here in Hong Kong to conduct world-class and impactful collaborative researches with our local institutions. I am pleased to say that the response to date has been encouraging. We have received close to 50 proposals, with more than half of them on healthcare technologies. They involve really top-notch institutions from around the world. We expect that the first research institutions will be setting up their laboratories here before the end of this year. My Government also funds biotech R&D through our Innovation and Technology Fund. At the end of January, more than 500 projects related to biotech had been approved by the Fund, receiving funding totalling about US$130 million. Project areas range from stem-cell therapy and molecular diagnostics to the modernisation of traditional Chinese medicine and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. We are also opening up government data to encourage R&D. One important data source is our Hospital Authority. As the major provider of public healthcare services in Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority serves around 90 per cent of in-patient needs and around 30 per cent of outpatient services in Hong Kong. Armed by its strong database with more than 280 terabytes of patient data accumulated over 25 years, the Hospital Authority is establishing a Big Data Analytics Platform to stimulate biotechnology research. It has recently set up a Data Collaboration Laboratory on a pilot basis, offering more flexible and interactive data sharing through the Hospital Authority. We are also playing an increasingly important role in conducting human clinical trials. Over the years, the Department of Health has put in place various facilitation measures to promote Hong Kong as a clinical trial hub, including streamlining and simplifying the application procedures and by providing advice throughout the application process. We also have strong support from the Mainland authorities in this regard. At present, the National Medical Products Administration of China recognises clinical trials data from over 30 specialties at the Queen Mary Hospital, the Prince of Wales Hospital, the Hong Kong Eye Hospital and the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital for the purpose of drug registration in China. This enables Hong Kong to serve as a platform for local and multinational pharmaceutical companies to venture into the Chinese market. The Government, including myself, will actively promote Hong Kong to pharmaceutical companies. Indeed, since I took office in July 2017, I have already met the senior management of a number of pharmaceutical companies, including Roche, Merck, GSK and Novartis. If there are other pharmaceutical companies in the audience, you can just give me a ring and I'm happy to meet. We are strengthening our co-operation with the Mainland authorities in this regard. Earlier this month, our Food and Health Bureau has signed a co-operation agreement with the National Medical Products Administration of China on regulation of drugs. The two parties will be in regular dialogue to explore collaboration in such areas as clinical trial and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Apart from clinical trial, we are working hard in the area of genomic medicine. Genomic medicine is an important sphere in contemporary medicine and scientific research, with huge potential in screening, diagnosis and precision medicine. To seize the potential, we established in late 2017 a Steering Committee on Genomic Medicine chaired by Professor Raymond Liang to lead the study on strategies for developing genomic medicine in Hong Kong. We have also decided to allocate about HK$1.2 billion to take forward a large-scale genome sequencing project, which would be named the Hong Kong Genome Project. The project will cater for future medical development in Hong Kong by establishing the genome data of the local population, testing infrastructure and talent pool. We aim to perform 40 000 to 50 000 whole genome sequencing in the next six years. The pilot phase would cover undiagnosed disorders and cancers, with clinical clues linked to possible hereditary genetic components. We have set up a working group comprising experts from the clinical, academic and research sectors to finalise the relevant framework. To ensure that we have the needed talent to sustain our I&T development, we have been providing and promoting science and technology education in our schools at every level, from primary and secondary through to our post-secondary institutions and technical colleges. We have also launched admission schemes to help our enterprises recruit talent from the Mainland and overseas. Our universities, our research capability and our talent that I mentioned just now will make Hong Kong a very good R&D centre, but for Hong Kong to become an international I&T hub, we need to provide an enabling environment for the transformation of R&D results and for entrepreneurship. It is exactly what we are trying to do here in Hong Kong. It helps that our financial market is among the world's most competitive. Hong Kong's free-enterprise economy and business-friendly environment also play a critical role in creating an attractive and enabling environment. The depth and liquidity of our capital market ensure that the I&T sector's financing needs can easily be met. With a market capitalisation of more than US$4 trillion, and proximity to the Mainland, our financial market offers great value to biotech investors and entrepreneurs. When it comes to IPO funds raised, HKEx has ranked first globally in six of the past 10 years. Last year, we raised US$36.6 billion through IPOs, while total funds raised exceeded US$69 billion. The biotech industry has distinct approval mechanisms for turning research into commercial products. That can make it challenging for biotech companies to meet the traditional revenue and cash-flow requirements for listing on the securities market. With that in mind, the HKEx conducted a thorough review to help biotech companies list in Hong Kong without compromising investor protection. That led, in April 2018, to revised listing rules which enable pre-revenue and pre-profit biotech companies to list on the HKEx, subject to appropriate safeguards. HKEx also established a biotech advisory panel to provide advice on listing applications from biotech companies. The new listing regime is the most significant revamp of our listing rules in two decades. The ultimate goal, of course, is to encourage research breakthroughs that lead to successful products and flourishing businesses, rewarding investors as well as the biotech companies, while boosting Hong Kong's status as a biotechnology centre. I'd say we're on our way. At the end of last month, that is one year after the launch of the new listing regime, seven pre-revenue and pre-profit biotech companies had listed on the HKEx, raising some US$2.8 billion through IPOs. They are part of the 40 new economy companies listed in Hong Kong in the past year. We are all very encouraged by the market reaction, and I look forward to more and more biotech companies joining us in the future. With the Government's strong commitment, and with the staunch support of HKEx and all of you here, I am sure the best is yet to come for biotech and overall I&T development in Hong Kong. After all, creating connections, helping people, businesses and institutions excel, is what Hong Kong has long been celebrated for. It's why you're here for today's HKEx Biotech Summit. My thanks to HKEx for organising today's Summit and the Biotech Week. I wish you all a very rewarding Summit and the best of business in 2019. Thank you very much. Ends/Wednesday, May 29, 2019 Issued at HKT 11:52 NNNN

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Speech by CE at AustCham Westpac Australia-China Business Awards Gala Dinner 2019

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/29/P2019052900021.htm

29.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the AustCham Westpac Australia-China Business Awards Gala Dinner 2019 on May 28: Andrew (Chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) Hong Kong, Mr Andrew Macintosh), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, It really gives me great pleasure to join you at the 2019 Australia-China Business Awards Gala Dinner. I understand this is the 26th edition of this very exciting event. Furthermore, I was told that this event was actually inaugurated in Hong Kong 26 years ago, so welcome back. The Chamber has asked me to speak on a subject which is very close to my heart, that is innovation and the Greater Bay Area, and has allotted me 25 minutes for a keynote address. I know it's now past eight and you are hungry, so as long as you do it quietly, you may eat, because I will make full use of my 25 minutes to promote this Greater Bay Area - the reason being AustCham is really at the forefront of promoting, welcoming and embracing the Greater Bay Area. AustCham has produced a position paper on the Greater Bay Area before the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was officially approved and promulgated by the Central Government of the People's Republic of China. Many of the things said in the position paper of AustCham reflected the views of a lot of international chambers in Hong Kong, because they have done some interviews of international enterprises in producing this position paper. I'm pleased to say many of the things said in the position paper are now incorporated into the Outline Development Plan, so I look forward to working very closely with AustCham and also with other international chambers in taking full advantage of this Outline Development Plan. In order for you to have a better understanding of why Hong Kong is so keen to participate or even to take a lead in the Greater Bay Area, I have to spend a few minutes to talk about Hong Kong's competitive strengths. I believe many of these things are very well known to you, otherwise we would not have such a strong Australian community in Hong Kong. We have the second largest Australian community in the world, and we have a very sizeable Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. So, the things that I'm going to say should be very familiar to you, but it's still worth reminding every one of you, including myself as the Chief Executive, that Hong Kong has a lot of competitive strengths in promoting our economy. The unique strength is of course the very unique practice of "One Country, Two Systems". Very soon we'll be celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. I can say that the principle of "One Country, Two Systems" has been implemented very successfully in Hong Kong, and that underpins Hong Kong's continuous success and prosperity. Hong Kong is one of the world's most competitive economies. The Institute of Management Development, which is based in Switzerland, in its world competitiveness report ranked us number two in 2018 after the United States of America. In terms of being a free economy, Hong Kong has been ranked number one for many years. For the US-based Heritage Foundation, Hong Kong has been ranked the freest economy in the world for 25 years in a row. Similarly, for the Canadian-based Fraser Institute, we have been number one since 1990. More recently, the Legatum Institute based in the United Kingdom has produced for the first time an index on economic openness, and Hong Kong again ranked number one in terms of economic openness. According to the World Bank, we are the world's number four in the ease of doing business. Let me just continue on our strengths, and this is something very, very important and something that I will safeguard fiercely in Hong Kong, especially we have distinguished judges in the audience. Governor Linda Dessau and Judge Tony Howard used to be our legal colleagues, many years ago of course. Hong Kong has highly regarded rule of law and judicial independence, and again this is being recognised worldwide. We are ranked the world's number 14 in terms of rule of law according to the World Bank's Governance Indicators, 13th in judicial independence according to the World Economic Forum, and in Asia, we are Asia's number one in terms of the independence of the judiciary. Judicial independence is not just practised here. It's being guaranteed under the Basic Law, which is our mini-constitution, and most important of all, by design, under the Basic Law one of the very essential features to demonstrate and to prove the independence of the judiciary is we continue to appoint overseas judges from other common law jurisdictions, especially to sit on our Court of Final Appeal. Prior to 1997, cases reaching final appeal were heard in the Privy Council in the United Kingdom. After 1997, final adjudication takes place in Hong Kong, and we have this Court of Final Appeal comprising not only distinguished local judges but also very distinguished overseas judges. We now have 14 such eminent judges from the common law jurisdictions of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. I'm very pleased to say and we are very honoured to have four eminent judges from Australia, including two former Chief Justice of Australia and former Chief Justice of the state of New South Wales. They are really very distinguished. I had the honour of meeting a couple of them when I was visiting Sydney a few years ago, and they spoke very highly of Hong Kong's rule of law and independence of the judiciary. Hong Kong has very excellent professional services, and I'm pleased to say some of these high-value professional services are delivered by Australian professionals. We are ranked number three in terms of being a global financial centre, only after New York and London. In terms of our securities market, in six out of the last 10 years, Hong Kong came first in terms of IPO fundraising. Last year, US$36.7 billion was raised through IPOs. We have the largest offshore Renminbi centre because, under "One Country, Two Systems", we have this advantage of being part of the People's Republic of China. Now 75 per cent of all offshore Renminbi transactions actually take place in Hong Kong. Over the past few years, partly because of the initiative to open up the Chinese economy, including the financial services, partly it's to help boost Hong Kong's financial markets, we have been given special initiatives in the form of Stock Connects. Our stock market is connected to the Shanghai stock market and the Shenzhen stock market. After I took office in July 2017, we have launched Bond Connect. We hope to have more Connects in time to come in insurance and private wealth management and so on. And we have a full range of legal and business services providers supporting the growth of all our economic sectors. We have very strong international connections, and this is something very unique in the Greater Bay Area. I would say that this is our unique advantage. We have our very important and world-renowned Hong Kong International Airport, which will have the capacity to serve as an international aviation hub for the Greater Bay Area. Last year we served 74 million passengers, which made us the world's number three. In terms of air cargo, Hong Kong ranked number one last year, looking after over 5 million tonnes of air cargo and airmail. We have a global business network supported by 13 of what we call Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs) all over the world, including the ETO in Sydney, and we are very blessed to have 8 700 Mainland and overseas companies setting up offices in Hong Kong. They are offices with their parent company still in their own country but they have a very important office in Hong Kong, either as a regional headquarters, a regional office or a local office. I'll give you the number of Australian companies later on. Another strength is we are a very safe city. For any investor to consider setting up office, taking their family to work and live in Hong Kong, public order and safety is very, very important. Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world. Last year's crime rate was 728 cases per 100 000 population, which is our lowest since 1970, and perhaps one of the lowest in the world. And we have a very efficient and clean government. Just last week, the World Justice Project (WJP) co-hosted a symposium with our Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong and Ms Elizabeth Andersen, the Executive Director of the World Justice Project, had this to say: "Absence of corruption is a real strength (of Hong Kong)" and "Overall, Hong Kong performs very well in our (rule of law) index across all factors". This is a testimony of the clean and efficient government and private sector in Hong Kong. Let's come to the Greater Bay Area - a little bit of facts about the Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area comprises the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao and nine cities in the Guangdong Province. Guangdong has more than nine cities, of course, but these are the more affluent cities in Guangdong and they all are in the proximity of the Pearl River Delta. The Greater Bay Area is an area of about 56 000 square kilometres, a population of 71 million, but still growing, and a combined GDP of US$1.6 trillion, which is bigger than the whole of Australia. This is really a very important part of the People's Republic of China. Some of the characteristics about the Greater Bay Area - It has very distinctive geographical advantages because it has a very intensive cluster of ports and airports, right at the Pearl River Delta. It has very robust economic strength, particularly in the Mainland cities in Guangdong. It has a high concentration of key factors in innovation. I understand some of our Australian friends have been brought to Shenzhen, so you have a good feel of this innovation in Shenzhen. And we have advanced level of internationalisation, particularly because of Hong Kong. Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao have always had very close co-ordination since 1997. The Governor of Guangdong and myself, as the Chief Executive, co-host the annual high-level meeting every year. The one for 2019 has actually just taken place last week. This solid co-operation foundation helps us to easily put ourselves into gear in delivering the Greater Bay Area. And most important of all, we have systemic strengths under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. I'm sure you know that there are other great bay areas in the world. I'll give you a little bit comparison about this Greater Bay Area with the other three bay area economies in the world. They are the Tokyo Bay Area, the New York Metropolitan Area and the San Francisco Bay Area. In terms of size, we are the largest. In terms of population, we are the greatest. In terms of GDP, we are lagging slightly behind New York and Tokyo Bay, but I am sure that we will catch up very soon - not because of Hong Kong, but because of the about 6 per cent growth in the Mainland of China, including Guangdong. I have mentioned about the geographical distinctive advantages. If you look at our port and airport combined, we have I think really the busiest airport clusters and port clusters. In terms of air passenger traffic, we look after over 200 million passenger trips a year. In terms of port throughput, it's 66.5 million TEUs, because of several important ports which are amongst the world's top 10 ports. The Greater Bay Area is now a national strategy. It's not just Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao coming together to co-operate. It has been elevated to a national strategy with a mission to do two things. One is it will be a new attempt to break new ground in pursuing opening on all fronts. Secondly - it's also unique to the Greater Bay Area which is unavailable in the Shanghai area or in the Beijing area - it will be regarded as a further step in taking forward "One Country, Two Systems". After over 20 years, the Central People's Government is very devoted and committed to "One Country, Two Systems", but we feel that there is room for taking this principle of "One Country, Two Systems" to the next level, where it will bring a lot of advantages to both Hong Kong and Macao. The objectives of the Greater Bay Area development are, first, to promote co-ordinated regional economic development; Second, to give new impetus to the development of Hong Kong and Macao - that's what I mean to take forward the "One Country, Two Systems"; Third, to build a new system of open economy; and fourth, to provide a role model for high-quality development. In order to achieve the mission and objectives, this Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan has set for us at the outset several important guiding principles. One is we should fully and faithfully implement "One Country, Two Systems". Secondly is we should deepen mutually beneficial co-operation, and thirdly we should support the nation's innovation-driven development strategy. And here I would pause and remind our Australian guests that the Australian Chamber's position paper has this very important phrase which I like a lot. It says that Hong Kong's advantages lie in "One Country, Two Systems" and it is very important for Hong Kong's continued success to uphold "One Country, Two Systems". But this continued implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" as well as Hong Kong taking advantage of the commercial opportunities in the Greater Bay Area are not mutually exclusive. We could, on the one hand, uphold and even bring to new height the "One Country, Two Systems"; and at the same time take full advantage of the opportunities available under the Greater Bay Area. So, any worry and rumour and speculation that once we co-operate and take a greater part in the Greater Bay Area economy, Hong Kong will lose unique characteristics, the "One Country, Two Systems" principle will be eroded, there's absolutely no truth in that sort of statement. I just want to reassure you that that is how we are going to take forward the Greater Bay Area. Some important milestones in the Greater Bay Area development - On July 1, 2017, that is the day when I took office, as witnessed by President Xi Jinping himself, the three Governments of Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong together with the National Development and Reform Commission signed the Framework Agreement setting out the parameters and principles for the Greater Bay Area. We then took almost 18 months to craft out this very important Outline Development Plan. At the same time, we made a request to the Central Government that since it is a national strategy and since we envisage that as we take forward the Greater Bay Area with innovation, we will need some breakthroughs in Central Government policies, and we will need the Central Government to have a mechanism to listen to our views and also to respond to our needs. So Vice Premier Han Zheng is now chairing a Greater Bay Area development leading group, comprising over 20 ministries in the Central People's Government, myself and the Chief Executive of Macao. This is indeed the first time since reunification that the Hong Kong Chief Executive has a role in a central leading group on a very important initiative. As a result of the first meeting held last August, we have one key deliverable - the Greater Bay Area will develop an international innovation and technology hub. On February 18 this year, this Outline Development Plan was finally promulgated and, a few days later, the three governments hosted a major symposium - I think the Consuls General and the Chambers were all invited to this symposium - to talk about the Outline Development Plan. The leading group chaired by Vice Premier Han Zheng hosted the second plenary meeting on March 1 this year and as a result we announced eight measures to facilitate the flow of people and goods in the Greater Bay Area, including two very innovative tax measures. I notice in the Australian Chamber's position paper, tax occupies a very prominent position as expected. These two tax measures are very innovative. One is despite the difference in tax rate, for example for income tax between Hong Kong and Guangdong, every of the nine cities in Guangdong under the Greater Bay Area could offer subsidies to talents in order to make up the difference. So if we charge in Hong Kong the highest tax rate - 15 per cent for income tax, Mainland maybe 30, 40, the difference will be paid by the city government if you are a talent or a sought-after professional. Each city will define and come up with their own list of talents. I am sure they would be very flexible and very generous because they do need talents to do many of the things they want to do. Another tax measure is very interesting. With the proximity between Hong Kong and this Greater Bay Area, I can imagine a lot of professionals, whether you are a doctor, an accountant and a lawyer, will have to go to the Greater Bay Area, like Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan, to do your daily business. In normal taxation terms, once you cross the border, that is counted as one day. If you stay for over 183 days in the Mainland, then you'll be liable to Mainland tax. This tax measure that we have got is if you stay less than 24 hours during that day, it is not a day. That means you could continuously commute between Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. I wouldn't go into detail here - I would welcome you to go to our Greater Bay Area website of the Hong Kong SAR Government. The Outline Development Plan has listed seven areas of development. But the most important one at the forefront is the technology side. It's innovation and technology. But at the same time, ecological conservation is also very important and we need a lot of talents and expertise from Australia on how to do ecological conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy and so on. Hong Kong's key roles in the Greater Bay Area actually cover many aspects, and in many of the aspects we are happy to work with overseas professionals and providers. One is financial services. I don't need to go into detail on that. The second would be transport and logistics, especially in high-end logistics - air cargo, maritime services. I want you to look at this map. This is a very interesting map of the Pearl River Delta. In order to have a one-hour living zone within the Pearl River Delta, we need more connections. This is across the Pearl River Delta. This red line is the high-speed train that we have just opened last September. The Hong Kong section is only 26 kilometres but then it connects to the extensive high-speed railway network of Mainland which now spans 29 000 kilometres. It now only takes less than 20 minutes to go to Shenzhen and 43 minutes to Guangzhou. And across the east side and the west side of the Pearl River Delta, there are several bridges. The bottom one is the one we opened last October - the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which has shortened the distance between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao from four hours to 45 minutes. Nowadays we don't need to take a hydrofoil to Macao - you can drive to Macao. Above this one is another tunnel and bridge infrastructure under construction - that is called the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link. It would be ready in 2024. Above it is a very old bridge call the Humen Bridge. And above it is a bridge just opened two months ago called the Nansha Bridge. Nansha is a very important special economic region in the city of Guangzhou, in which we are going to have a new university from Hong Kong - the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is going to build a brand-new campus in the city of Nansha. Again in innovation and technology, we are doing a lot in the last two years. I can talk for an hour on this subject alone but I will not, so you don't need to worry. Except to share with you that we have invested heavily in this area. Since I took office, I have allocated HK$100 billion in innovation and technology from hardware to training to research funding and so on. Legal services is very important. There are a lot of lawyers from Australia who are welcome to participate in the dispute resolution services in the Greater Bay Area. Other sectors include our high-quality medical services, higher education and creative industry. I will finish by talking about Hong Kong and Australia. We have indeed very close trade relations. Australia was Hong Kong's 20th largest merchandise trading partner and Hong Kong was Australia's 12th. Bilateral trade amounted to HK$54 billion last year and with a year-on-year 3.7 per cent growth. Part of the trade between Mainland China and Australia also routed through Hong Kong, but it is not a large part because you could now go directly into Mainland with all the ports and airports. Australia was Hong Kong's seventh largest trading partner in services. There are 172 Australian companies in Hong Kong by our survey. I'm sure AustCham, with 1 400 members, will come up with a much bigger figure; but our survey, done by Invest Hong Kong, shows that there are 172 Australian companies. Half of them are actually using Hong Kong as their regional headquarters and regional offices, and the trades cover various areas It is in bilateral investment that I was very surprised when I did this PowerPoint. Australia was Hong Kong's 17th source of inward direct investment and our eighth destination, but if you look from Australia's point of view, Hong Kong is Australia's fifth source of inward investment. I have not shown the figure here. Last year (2018) Hong Kong investment in Australia is 118.8 billion (Australian) dollars. I could not believe that figure, so I asked my colleagues to double-check: Is that right, 118.8 billion (Australian) dollars in a year of Hong Kong money invested in Australia? They came back and said, yes, this is the figure. So just to give you an idea of the potential that we can do more. People-to-people bonds are very strong, whether in our respective emigration, a large number of Australians are living in Hong Kong, and also young people exchanges through the Working Holiday Scheme. Looking ahead is even more exciting because last year we have negotiated and this year we have signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and related Investment Agreement between Australia and Hong Kong by my Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Edward Yau, with Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment, Mr Simon Birmingham. Now with the general elections over, Michaela (Consul-General of Australia to Hong Kong and Macau, Ms Michaela Browning) was just assuring me that the ratification of the FTA should be very smooth because there is no change in the Government. This negotiation took place very expeditiously. Amongst many of our FTAs, this was a very fast one, 18 months. And this was a very high-value one. It is a Doha-plus type of FTA, so we are very pleased with that. And I'm sure it will bring a lot more opportunities to Hong Kong and to Australia. Finally, the Greater Bay Area provides plenty of opportunities, not only for Hong Kong, Macao and the other nine cities in Guangdong, but also for the whole of Mainland and overseas countries. So I have advocated this joint promotion overseas. Last June we went to Paris to do a first attempt in overseas promotion of the Greater Bay Area, but that was before the Outline Development Plan was promulgated. After the plan was promulgated in February this year, we took the whole thing to Tokyo, Japan. I, myself, the Governor of Guangdong, and the Secretary for Administration and Justice from Macao, the three of us, went to Tokyo. It was attended by over 1 000 senior representatives from Japanese enterprises, and we are very pleased with that outcome. Our next destination, I'm pleased to announce, will be Australia. I have mentioned this to Michaela when two former Prime Ministers came to have tea with me, Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd, a few months ago. I am announcing here because I have already got the agreement of the Guangdong Governor at the meeting earlier this month that Governor Ma Xingrui thought that it's a very good idea to host the next overseas promotion of the Greater Bay Area in this wonderful country of Australia. Thank you very much for your attention and have a wonderful evening. Ends/Wednesday, May 29, 2019 Issued at HKT 1:28 NNNN

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Speech by CE at 25th anniversary celebration of Genting Cruise Lines - Greater Bay, Greater China, Greater Opportunities

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/24/P2019052400905.htm

24.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the 25th anniversary celebration of Genting Cruise Lines - Greater Bay, Greater China, Greater Opportunities today (May 24): Tan Sri Lim (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genting Hong Kong, Mr Lim Kok Thay), YK (Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dr Pang Yiu-kai), ladies and gentlemen, Good evening. I am delighted to be aboard World Dream once again. As this is the first time I share a public occasion with the new chairman of Hong Kong Tourism Board, may I extend a very warm welcome to Dr Y K Pang and thank him for taking on this important task to promote Hong Kong's tourism. As some of you may know, I was here some 18 months ago for World Dream's christening ceremony. I'm pleased to be back, and for several exciting reasons. Unfortunately, taking a leisurely cruise aboard World Dream is not among one of those exciting reasons because I just could not afford that. Not yet, anyway. It's not the money, it's the time. Tonight, we formally celebrate the 25th anniversary of Genting Hong Kong. The company pioneered the cruise business throughout the region, beginning in 1993 with Star Cruises. As Genting grew, so, too, did the Hong Kong Government's plans to build a modern cruise terminal. That was realised in the middle of 2013, with the opening of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, which today welcomes a world of vessels, including World Dream. Indeed, ship calls to Hong Kong are buoyant. They've increased from less than 100 in 2009 to 210 in 2018, while passenger throughput has gone from 187 500 to 875 000 over the same period. These are heady times for Hong Kong's cruise business, and Genting's remarkable progress has been a central reason behind our cruise tourism development. Last month, Genting launched a new "One Day Greater Bay Cruise", taking passengers between Hong Kong and Nansha aboard World Dream. The new offering fits swimmingly with the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Released in February this year, the plan calls for the progressive development of international cruise terminals in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, three of the Greater Bay Area's 11 cities. It also calls for an increase in international liner routes as well as suggesting other streamlining measures for cruise ships and passengers in order to promote cruise travelling in the region. Genting, of course, has long championed cruise destinations throughout the Greater Bay Area and surrounding region. And I'm confident the new venture will help boost regional cruise culture, while buoying cruise co-operation throughout the Greater Bay Area. My Government is working closely with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the trade to fast-track our cruise business. In the current financial year, we're providing HK$20 million in additional funding to the Tourism Board to expand our cruise tourism. New measures include a "rail-cruise" promotion to tap into the huge market potential created by the opening of the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge last year. To seize these opportunities ahead, Genting Hong Kong has visionary plans, and we're here to unveil one of them. In 2021, Genting Hong Kong will debut its first Global Class ship. At more than 200,000 tonnes and over 340 metres long, this luxury liner is expected to accommodate some 5 000 passengers in 2 500 cabins. This evening, we get to launch one of them – a show cabin designed to give us a taste of tomorrow's Genting luxury. I look forward to seeing the cabin, but I am looking even more forward to welcoming this liner to Hong Kong in the future. I am very grateful for our unsinkable partnership with Genting Hong Kong over more than a quarter of a century now. Let's join hand and make continuing progress together on the welcoming seas of the Greater Bay Area. Thank you very much. Ends/Friday, May 24, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:28 NNNN

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Speech by CE at opening ceremony of 7th ICAC Symposium

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/22/P2019052200399.htm

22.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the opening ceremony of the 7th ICAC Symposium today (May 22): Chief Justice Ma (Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Geoffrey Ma Tao-li), Secretary General Wen (Secretary General of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Wen Hongwu), Deputy Commissioner Zhao (Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR, Mr Zhao Jiankai), Simon (Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Mr Simon Peh), Ms Andersen (Executive Director of the World Justice Project, Ms Elizabeth Andersen), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. I am honoured to be here to open the 7th ICAC Symposium, jointly organised by the ICAC and the World Justice Project. Through their concerted efforts, the symposium has attracted well over 500 professionals from more than 50 countries and regions. We have here today anti-corruption experts and law enforcers, judges, prosecutors and legal practitioners, regulators, compliance offers, auditors and academics. Despite their different backgrounds, they all share a deep-rooted commitment to fighting corruption, to building a fair, prosperous and inclusive society for all. This symposium is also a welcome opportunity to acknowledge the 45th anniversary of the ICAC, and to pay tribute to the Commission's critical role in helping to realise today's Hong Kong, one of the most law-abiding societies in the world. Corruption was once part of the everyday lives of the people of Hong Kong. Bribery and extortion were rife. To quote from the ICAC's own history: "Ambulance crews would demand tea money before picking up a sick person ... Offering bribes to the right officials was also necessary when applying for public housing, schooling and other public services. Corrupt police officers offered protection to vice, gambling and drug activities ... Corruption had become a major social problem in Hong Kong, but the Government at the time seemed powerless to deal with it." But that was history. In response, the ICAC was born. From its beginnings, in February 1974, it made a difference, and a very significant one. Over the years, it has brought about a profound transformation in our day-to-day lives. The Commission has wiped out systemic and syndicated corruption in the civil service and reduced overall corruption to minimal levels in business and the larger community. No less laudatory, its anti-corruption standards and best practices for business organisations are commended and applied worldwide. Today, Hong Kong boasts a vibrant international economy underpinned by the rule of law and free enterprise. Indeed, Hong Kong has been ranked the freest economy in the world for the past 25 years in a row by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation. In Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, Hong Kong is consistently ranked among the cleanest economies in the world. In the 2018 Index, Hong Kong placed 14th out of 180 countries and territories, alongside Austria and Iceland, and ahead of such countries as Belgium, Ireland, Japan, France and the United States. In the latest Rule of Law Index, published in February by the World Justice Project, Hong Kong was ranked 16th among 126 countries and territories for its overall rule of law performance. We placed ninth, overall, in the "absence of corruption" category. All these rankings show that we've come an extraordinarily long distance - from a hotbed of vice to one of the world's least-corrupt societies. There are clear and compelling reasons behind this sweeping change. First, since its establishment, the ICAC has operated with an independent status ensured, initially through the colonial government, and since 1997, by the Basic Law. And, from the beginning, the ICAC adopted an anti-graft strategy combining law enforcement, corruption prevention and public education. That strategy, I'm pleased to say, is time tested and remains effective to this day. These efforts, however, would have been futile without our unwavering adherence to the rule of law, the defining ideology of Hong Kong, and a formidable system of checks and balances. They include an independent judiciary, independent advisory committees monitoring the ICAC's work and a free and enterprising press. No less vital, the people of Hong Kong have, from the beginning, spoken out against corruption. Today, they treasure the core values of honesty and wholeheartedly support Hong Kong's anti-corruption efforts. In that regard, I believe that the ICAC's wide-ranging public education initiatives make a significant difference. It begins with our civil service, which is 190,000-strong. The ICAC's Ethical Leadership Programme brings together more than 150 Ethics Officers from all government departments and bureaux. Through regular integrity training, the Commission reached over 32,000 government officers at all levels last year. Then there's the Business Ethics Development Centre, established in 1995 under the ICAC's Community Relations Department. It works with 10 local chambers of commerce. Last year, the Commission's preventive education programmes reached some 44,000 employees at every level. The ICAC also develops education programmes for our youth and at every stage, from kindergarten right through to university. Such online platforms as Instagram, YouTube and Facebook have been used to promote anti-graft messages. Last year, the Commission launched a multi-language publicity programme to communicate our probity culture to ethnic minorities and new arrivals in Hong Kong. There's a great deal more to the ICAC's public education programme. But to take just one additional example, the Commission produces TV drama series based on completed cases. These are used to educate the public about corruption and enlist their support in preventing it. The latest drama series was broadcast from April into this month and I have heard positive comments about it. The ICAC's annual household survey conducted by independent polling institutions consistently finds that the Hong Kong public is highly intolerant of corruption. In last year's survey, on a scale of zero to 10, with zero representing total rejection and 10 total tolerance of corruption, the mean score came in at 0.5. In addition, 98.4 per cent of the respondents said they had not personally come across corruption in the past 12 months. That, ladies and gentlemen, makes a powerful statement about the lack of corruption in Hong Kong. With our success, the ICAC is prepared to share its experience with its counterparts. In fact, from its early days, the ICAC has attached great importance to establishing and maintaining rapport with overseas anti-corruption and law-enforcement agencies. The accession of Mainland China to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in 2006 opened up new communications opportunities for the ICAC. Under the Convention, the Mainland has designated the ICAC as the agency in Hong Kong to assist other state parties in building anti-corruption capacity. Since 2017, the ICAC has stepped up its efforts in anti-corruption training for Belt and Road countries, particularly the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations within the United Nations Convention. That's what I refer to as capacity building, and we've made it one of Hong Kong's contributions to the Belt and Road's people-to-people connectivity. Indeed, the ICAC has initiated communication already with more than 40 Belt and Road countries. To date, it has provided four tailor-made training programmes for more than 100 participants - from Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Similar training arrangements for the anti-corruption agencies of Bhutan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Serbia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste are in the pipeline. In addition, over the past two years, the ICAC has presented a Chief Investigators' Command Course to some 60 participants. They came from 12 overseas countries, many also along the Belt and Road, and from the Mainland, Macao and Hong Kong. Corruption remains a global issue today and is affecting all countries, rich and poor, north and south. The World Economic Forum estimates that the global cost of corruption is at least US$2.6 trillion. That's 5 per cent of the world's gross domestic product. And the World Bank tells us that businesses and individuals pay more than US$1 trillion in bribes each and every year. In the words of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, corruption robs societies of schools, hospitals and other vital services, drives away foreign investment and strips nations of their natural resources. The global efforts in fighting corruption must therefore continue. This symposium is an excellent opportunity for the ICAC and other anti-corruption agencies all over the world to exchange experience, ideas and initiatives, and will help enhance the effectiveness of this global fight against corruption. I wish you all a very rewarding three days at the Symposium and, for our guests from overseas and the Mainland, a very pleasant stay in Hong Kong. Ladies and gentlemen, I declare the 7th ICAC Symposium open. Thank you very much. Ends/Wednesday, May 22, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:32 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Hong Kong Laureate Forum launching ceremony

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/14/P2019051400808.htm

14.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Hong Kong Laureate Forum launching ceremony today (May 14): Commissioner Xie Feng (Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), the Honourable Andrew Leung (President of the Legislative Council), Professor Timothy Tong (Chairman, Council of Hong Kong Laureate Forum, Professor Timothy W Tong), members of the Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, distinguished Shaw laureates, consuls-general, scientists, students, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. I am delighted to welcome you all to Government House. Today, we come together, from so many disciplines and professions and aspirations, with one happy purpose: to celebrate the founding of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum. On this auspicious occasion, I'm pleased to welcome four Shaw laureates, each of whom has made a profound impact on our lives through transformative research. They're here from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, to pledge their personal support for the Hong Kong Laureate Forum. For that, I am much encouraged and extremely grateful. I am also grateful, as we all are, for Hong Kong's "One Country, Two Systems" principle, which creates opportunities available to no other economy. As Chief Executive, my goal is to make use of this singular advantage to develop Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub. To that end, innovation and technology has topped my Government's policy agenda since I took office in July 2017. To date, we have committed HK$100 billion, or about US$12.5 billion, to drive innovation and technology development in Hong Kong through a variety of policies and programmes. They include the establishment of two research clusters at the Hong Kong Science Park, one focused on health technology, the other on artificial intelligence and robotics, where our local universities and renowned overseas institutions will do collaborative research. At the same time, we are strengthening R&D through direct government funding and matching grants for scientific research in our universities as well as tax incentives for local enterprises to invest in R&D. We have launched talent nurturing and admission schemes to ensure we have a sustainable pool of researchers to work in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's leading efforts in R&D are timely and essential to the aspiration for developing an international innovation and technology hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Comprising nine prosperous cities in Guangdong Province, together with the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, this city cluster has a total population of 71 million and a collective GDP amounting to US$1.6 trillion, all in an area of 56 000 square kilometres. I would call that a global powerhouse economy in the making. The Greater Bay Area's Outline Development Plan released by the Central Government in February this year emphasises co-operation and complementarity, taking full advantage of the varying strengths of each city. The Plan also reaffirms one of the key targets of the Greater Bay Area, which is to develop an international innovation and technology hub. With the support of the Central Government, we will work with other cities of the Greater Bay Area to enhance basic research capability and cross-boundary co-operation, better integrate industries, academia and research, develop platforms for innovation and promote commercial application of technological achievements. However, if Hong Kong is to realise the compelling promise of innovation and technology, we must ensure a sustainable flow of talent. And that, ladies and gentlemen, means providing and promoting science and technology education in our schools at every level, from primary and secondary through to our post-secondary institutions and technical colleges. I believe, as well, that the surest way to build an interest and enthusiasm for science among our younger generation is by creating opportunities for direct exchange and inspiring dialogue with some of the brightest minds in science. Having attended the 2017 and 2018 Shaw Prize ceremonies, presenting awards to eight Shaw laureates, I came to realise that the answer was right here in Hong Kong, Asia's world city. That by linking the Shaw Prize and its laureates to a youth-centred, science-driven, Hong Kong-based programme, we could make an impactful difference. After all, the Shaw Prize is dedicated to recognising and rewarding outstanding international contributions in three scientific disciplines: astronomy, life science and medicine, and the mathematical sciences. Established less than two decades ago, the Shaw Prize has become a world-renowned award. Of the nearly 80 Shaw laureates since the first awards in 2004, 12 are Nobel Prize winners, five are Fields Medalists and two are Abel Prize recipients. With the support of the Shaw Prize Foundation, I wrote to each and every Shaw laureate in January this year. I told them of our plans for an annual Hong Kong Laureate Forum and invited them to take part in the first Forum, scheduled for November 2021. I'm delighted that, to date, more than two-thirds have indicated their interest in participating, and four of them are with us today. It is their commitment that has brought us together today to launch the Hong Kong Laureate Forum. Apart from the Shaw laureates, I'm grateful as well to the Lee Shau Kee Foundation, which has very generously agreed to support the Forum as its principal sponsor. My thanks, too, to the Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum led by Professor Timothy Tong. The Council's Board has been entrusted with the critical responsibility of organising the Forum on an ongoing basis, beginning in 2021. In short, this visionary venture could only have come together through cross-sector collaboration on both a local and global basis. The results of that extraordinary connectivity are clearly visible in our esteemed audience today. They are academics and scientists, council chairmen and university presidents, senior members of research institutions and science and technology organisations, Executive Council and Legislative Council representatives, as well as consuls general and their colleagues from all over the world. There are, let me add, nearly 60 young and ambitious scientists among us. More than a few are potential participants in the inaugural Forum in 2021. We all look eagerly forward to that. Ladies and gentlemen, let's join hands to make the Hong Kong Laureate Forum a shining example of furthering the understanding of science and its contribution to humanity. Thank you very much. Ends/Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Issued at HKT 19:22 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Hospital Authority Convention

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/14/P2019051400453.htm

14.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Hospital Authority Convention today (May 14): Vice Minister Wang Hesheng (Vice-minister of the National Health Commission); Professor John Leong (Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA)); Dr PY Leung (Chief Executive of the HA), doctors, nurses, health professionals, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. It's a pleasure to join you today for the opening ceremony of this year's Hospital Authority (HA) Convention, the 25th edition. While I attended previous HA Convention as Chief Secretary for Administration, this is indeed my first HA Convention as Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Let me first congratulate the Hospital Authority on reaching this milestone. For those who have heard me speak on the subject of health policy on previous occasions, you may recall my passion and compliment of Hong Kong's healthcare system. I'm proud to say that our healthcare system has been ranked as the most efficient in the world among the 56 economies covered by Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index published last September. It means that the people of Hong Kong can enjoy equitable access to quality healthcare services at affordable prices. Such impressive results cannot be achieved without the dedication and commitment of each and every colleague in the public health system, particularly the Hospital Authority which takes care of the lion's share of inpatient services, together with the support of the entire healthcare professional community. However, this valuable system much treasured by the people of Hong Kong is facing some formidable challenges. Along with our aging population and longer lifespan, we are dealing with a rise in chronic, lifestyle-based diseases. And access to health knowledge through the internet raises people's awareness of what they may look for from our service providers. That has created higher public expectations and surging demand for even better services, straining our healthcare system. My Government is committed to the sustainable development of our public healthcare system. In 2019-20, our estimated recurrent government expenditure on public healthcare services will increase by nearly 11 per cent to more than HK$80 billion. We are also committed to progressively increasing the Hospital Authority's recurrent funding under a new arrangement, responding both to population growth and demographic challenges. In the current financial year, the recurrent subvention provided for the Hospital Authority totals nearly HK$70 billion, representing an increase of 8.3 per cent over that of last year. I just heard John talking about the two bottlenecks in the delivery of healthcare services, which I totally agree. On the hardware side, I should add that the first 10-year hospital development plan, with a budget of nearly HK$200 billion, is in full swing. We are also working with the Hospital Authority on our second 10-year hospital development plan. It will cover another 19 projects, involving around HK$270 billion. While hardware and funding are important, it is our devoted team of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and supporting staff in the Hospital Authority that we treasure most. Since taking office, I have visited several public hospitals. Despite the heavy patient load and overcrowdedness in our hospitals, I was impressed by the staff's dedication and professionalism. Allow me to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude, on behalf of the Government and the people of Hong Kong, to Hospital Authority colleagues, especially the front-line staff, for their hard work in coping with the heavy workload. The Government is doing all we can to alleviate their pressure, but I would say that the manpower bottleneck is even more difficult than the hardware bottleneck. In addition to longer-term measures like increasing our medical student intake which would take time to realise its effect, we have pledged to give the Hospital Authority full support and facilitation for improving remuneration and promotion opportunities for its staff so as to attract and retain talent. We are also trying to bring in reinforcements. Over the past couple of weeks, stakeholders of the medical profession in Hong Kong have been actively working towards a common goal – to attract more non-locally trained specialist doctors to serve in Hong Kong to help address the manpower shortages in the public sector. We welcome the decision of the Medical Council of Hong Kong last week in waiving the assessment for non-locally trained specialist doctors before getting full registration, which is a good start. We will monitor the effectiveness of the measure, while at the same time continue our discussion with stakeholders to explore further options. Beyond increasing healthcare expenditure and enhancing our healthcare infrastructure, beyond ensuring a sustainable flow of fresh talent, we must recalibrate our long-term direction. In particular, we need to redirect our healthcare focus from treatment in public hospitals to prevention and management within the community itself. This is the reason why we are so keen to promote primary healthcare. When it comes to primary healthcare, we are focused on reducing hospital re-admissions, rectifying the common practice in which accident and emergency services are considered the first point of contact in medical consultation. We need, instead, to strengthen policy coordination and cross-sector collaboration service provision at the district level. Boosting the health consciousness of the community is essential to making this a reality. To that end, my Government is introducing a new District Health Centres' model. The objective is to enhance district-based primary healthcare through medical-social collaboration and public-private partnerships. The first District Health Centre, in our Kwai Tsing District, will begin operation in the third quarter of this year. It will provide a variety of primary healthcare services, but its emphasis will be on prevention. That means targeting health promotion and education, health assessment, chronic disease management and community rehabilitation. The hope is that this district model of health management will reduce the use of hospital services in the long run. Taking into account the experience gained from the first Kwai Tsing Centre, we will progressively, and hopefully quickly, set up centres in all other districts. Now let me turn to innovation and technology, which is also a focus of this year's Convention. Indeed, innovation and technology is having an impact on every aspect of our life, healthcare very much included. I believe that Hong Kong has what it takes to do well in innovation and technology, including our world-class universities and strong research and development capabilities. My Government has identified innovation and technology as a major policy priority, and has been doing all we can in promoting its development. Some HK$100 billion has been allocated for various policies and programmes since I became Chief Executive in July 2017. We have identified health technology as the focus of one of our major initiatives in setting up research clusters at the Hong Kong Science Park. That choice is obvious given our two high quality medical schools, centralisation of inpatient service in one single provider – the Hospital Authority, and hence good access to big data as well as accredited centres for clinical trials, etc. Data availability is one of the aspects I am giving a push within Government through the Steering Committee on Innovation and Technology that I chair. I am pleased to have the Hospital Authority as a partner in the provision of clinical data for healthcare-related research. In December 2018, the Hospital Authority launched its Data Collaboration Lab. It gives researchers a freer hand in exploring the Hospital Authority's patient data for research ideas and the testing of promising hypotheses. Researchers will also collaborate with the Hospital Authority in projects that improve clinical and healthcare services and promote innovation in healthcare. I am delighted to know that six projects, led by researchers from Hong Kong universities, have been selected in the plan's first stage, covering a number of diseases and clinical work, including stroke, hepatitis, hip fractures, the development of data-driven algorithms, etc. I am hopeful that these and other projects in the future will bring us fresh insight into healthcare and contribute to Hong Kong's research and development success. Genomic medicine is another medical discipline that warrants our attention. Given the huge potential of genomic medicine in screening, diagnosis and precision medicine, my Government has established a steering committee led by Professor Raymond Liang to study strategies for developing genomic medicine. I have also announced the introduction of the Hong Kong Genome Project in my Policy Address last year, under which about HK$1.2 billion would be allocated to perform up to 50 000 whole genome sequencing in six years. An expert working group is now examining the project framework, and we will set up the Hong Kong Genome Institute to coordinate the implementation of the project in partnership with the Hospital Authority, universities, research sectors and other key stakeholders. I am confident that with the Hospital Authority's full support for the project, patients could benefit from the scientific advancement in genome sequencing. The Hospital Authority is also working on a Strategic Service Framework for genetic and genomic services. And I'm pleased to say that Professor Sue Hill, NHS England's Chief Scientific Officer, will be offering her invaluable experience in this development. Professor Hill is the mastermind behind the genome sequencing project in the United Kingdom and genomic medicine services in the NHS. She will address this morning's plenary session, as well as tomorrow morning's Symposium on "Genomic Care in the Era of Big Data." Professor Hill is one of some 90 prominent speakers taking part in more than 50 sessions over these next two days of discussion, intelligence and insight. They will showcase the latest research excellence, while helping to boost healthcare for patients and the communities they live in. That will no doubt be for the benefits for all of us. Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a very rewarding Hospital Authority Convention and, for our visitors, a memorable stay in Hong Kong, where the world connects and excels. And this being the last Hospital Authority Convention convened by Dr PY Leung, who has been working with me since 30 years ago when we were in the health policy area, I wish to thank him on behalf of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and wish him every success in his future endeavours. Thank you very much. Ends/Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Issued at HKT 13:47 NNNN

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Speech by CE at House 1881 Grand Opening Ceremony

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/08/P2019050800831.htm

8.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the House 1881 Grand Opening Ceremony today (May 8): It gives me great pleasure to be here for the grand opening of House 1881. Since its opening in 2009, as the 1881 Heritage, this former Marine Police Headquarters building cluster has attracted a lot of local visitors and tourists. I hope that the rebranding of the heritage hotel as House 1881, through its different cultural activities, will enable visitors to better connect this historic destination and enhance community inclusiveness. As we all know, Hong Kong is a world city where East meets West. To leverage Hong Kong's unique history, the Government has all along been developing and promoting cultural and heritage tourism. Among others, the Xiqu Centre at the West Kowloon Cultural District has opened earlier this year, and will soon be followed by various performance and museum facilities such as the M+ museum, Hong Kong Palace Museum and Lyric Theatre Complex. These cultural facilities, coupled with the revamped 1881 Heritage, will no doubt enhance the tourists' experience. I wish the revamped House 1881 every success. Thank you very much. Ends/Wednesday, May 8, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:52 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Grand Opening of ASM Pacific Technology Hong Kong Office

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/06/P2019050600449.htm

6.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Grand Opening of ASM Pacific Technology Hong Kong Office today (May 6): Madam Livasiri (Chairman of ASM Pacific Technology, Ms Orasa Livasiri), Mr Lee (Chief Executive Officer of ASM Pacific Technology, Mr Lee Wai-kwong), ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. I am pleased to be here today for the grand opening of ASM Pacific Technology's new Hong Kong office and research and development (R&D) centre. Innovation and technology (I&T) is a sector dear to my heart and is among the key policy priorities of this term of Government. And central to building an I&T hub here in Hong Kong is a thriving R&D industry. I am therefore glad that ASM Pacific Technology opens its new R&D centre here today. A Hong Kong-based company, ASM Pacific Technology was founded in 1975. In those days, very few Hong Kong people talked about technology. After some 40 years, today the company counts more than 16 000 employees in over 30 countries. The new Hong Kong centre employs, I'm told, more than 600 R&D engineers and professionals, with more than 10 per cent of them holding a PhD degree. A world leader in semiconductor assembly, packaging equipment and materials, and surface mount technology applications, ASM Pacific Technology was named to Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Technology Leaders list last year, joining distinguished companies like Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft and other I&T giants. In short, ASM Pacific Technology is now a global industry leader – a role model for our start-ups and for our I&T sector as a whole. My Government is fully committed to promoting I&T. We have, to date, committed around HK$100 billion of resources to drive I&T development through a variety of policies and programmes. We have also set an ambitious target of increasing total R&D expenditure to 1.5 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product by 2022. But the Government can hardly do it alone. Investing in R&D by private enterprises is essential to achieving our goal and hence we have introduced a super deduction in profits tax for companies' R&D spending. Talent development is another major factor for a sustainable I&T sector. ASM Pacific Technology is certainly doing its part. The company has been collaborating with our universities and technical colleges, initiating joint projects in new technology R&D. It also offers internships and job placements for local engineering students and graduates. I understand that among the more than 600 engineers working in this new Hong Kong centre, nearly half are under the age of 30. That's both impressive and inspiring. I look forward to meeting some of them during my tour later and listening to their views on Hong Kong's I&T opportunities and challenges. Hong Kong's I&T future is, if I may say so, gathering momentum. It's finding shape and sustainability thanks to the confluence and connectivity of numerous critical variables, from our booming start-up sector and superlative educational institutions, to our growing alliances with leading international I&T companies and organisations. Thanks, too, to the offices and R&D centres set up by world-class businesses like ASM Pacific Technology here. I look forward to working with the company and other industry players in promoting I&T development in Hong Kong. Finally, I wish the company and its new Hong Kong office and R&D centre a long and flourishing future. Thank you. Ends/Monday, May 6, 2019 Issued at HKT 13:35 NNNN

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Speech by CE at official opening ceremony of Le French May Arts Festival 2019

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/04/P2019050400843.htm

4.5.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the official opening ceremony of Le French May Arts Festival 2019 today (May 4): Consul General (Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Mr Alexandre Giorgini), Andrew (Chairman of the Board of Le French May, Dr Andrew Yuen), Anthony (Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club; Mr Anthony Chow), ladies and gentlemen, Bonsoir. It gives me great pleasure to join you tonight for the opening ceremony of Le French May Arts Festival, one of Hong Kong's largest and most anticipated annual events, and certainly the most ambitious international showcase of arts and culture in our creative calendar. Nothing underlines that more than the exhibition featuring the works of the late Niki de Saint Phalle, one of the highlights of this year's Festival. As the first female Chief Executive of Hong Kong, I naturally admire Niki, one of the most significant female and feminist artists of the 20th century. Opening here at the Exhibition Gallery alongside the Festival itself, I am happy that the exhibition features nearly 100 works of art, including some of the artist's monumental "Nanas" sculptures – as famously flamboyant, original and utterly unforgettable as the artist herself. The same might be said of the Festival as a whole, which turns 27 this year. Despite its "May" title, it actually runs through the month of June, showcasing everything French from film and animation to theatre and music, including a spotlight on Hector Berlioz by the Paris Mozart Orchestra in honour of the 150th anniversary of the great French composer's death. There's the usual avant-garde French music, fashion and food in this edition, even an exhibition of French-inspired cheongsams. And speaking of fashionable food, Le French GourMay returns this year with an appetite and a thirst for the blessed bounty of the Loire Valley. In all, more than 120 events will be staged by the talent and artistry of some 350 performers and artists under the theme of "Voyage". It will, I have no doubt, prove a remarkable, and remarkably creative journey, once again enabling the people of Hong Kong and our many tourists and visitors to experience and indulge in authentic French culture. I'm equally grateful for Le French May's commitment to education and outreach. With the support of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Outreach and Arts Education Programme, the Festival offers internships and apprenticeships, while presenting guided tours, workshops, master classes, public rehearsals and post-performance events. It will provide participants with an invaluable opportunity to see, hear and learn from world-class artists. I should just add that my Government places a high priority on arts and culture as well, on creating here in Hong Kong an international cultural hub, a city that embraces art and culture, East and West, at every level, for every sector of our community. I'd say we're getting there thanks to exciting recent developments, including the opening last May of Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts and the Xiqu Centre in January this year, as well as the continuing progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District and the face-lifting of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Thanks, too, to such major events as Le French May, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the International Film Festival, the World Cultures Festival and a great deal more. Finally, I wish Le French May Arts Festival 2019 another memorable year full of drama and delight, insight, entertainment and joy. Thank you very much. Ends/Saturday, May 4, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:11 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/31/P2019053100402.htm

31.5.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session after attending the "Israel-Hong Kong: Women-to-Women Bridge" forum today (May 31): Reporter: Would the Taiwanese government be able to file any extradition request, and what do you say to the accusations that you are only entertaining requests from the business sector, but not the others? Chief Executive: As far as how we are going to deal with the Taiwan case, we have repeatedly said that the first thing is to establish a legal basis. With that legal basis, then we can entertain a request from the Taiwan authorities to provide mutual legal assistance and to surrender the fugitive offender. What we said yesterday is not just targeting the Taiwan case, because this piece of legislation has dual objectives - apart from providing the legal basis to deal with the Taiwan case, we also need to plug the loophole in the existing system of providing mutual legal assistance and in the surrender of fugitive offenders. We are providing additional assurance that since this is such a serious matter and it is going to be conducted on a case-by-case basis, we will request the requesting party to be at a very senior level - normally it will have to be at the central government level rather that at provincial government level. How it would actually work out with the Taiwan authorities, we cannot say at the moment, but we will certainly follow up. As far as whether we are favouring a particular sector, I would categorically say no. If you look seriously into the six measures under the three categories, they actually deal with concerns and ideas or suggestions raised by a cross-spectrum of bodies, including some from lawyers who want more assurances on the human rights front. I wouldn’t accept any accusation that this is done for the business sector. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Friday, May 31, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:18 NNNN

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CE meets Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/29/P2019052900909.htm

29.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, accompanied by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, and the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore, Mr Heng Swee Keat, at Government House this afternoon (May 29). Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and the Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, Mr Chee Hong Tat, also attended the meeting. Mrs Lam congratulated Mr Heng for his promotion as the Deputy Prime Minister and welcomed his visit to Hong Kong as part of his inaugural overseas visit. Noting that the commitments made under the Free Trade Agreement between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) among Hong Kong and five ASEAN member states including Singapore will enter into force on June 11, she expressed her gratitude to the Singapore Government for its long-standing support for the signing of related agreements between Hong Kong and ASEAN. She said she believes that, with the support of the Economic and Trade Offices in Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok established by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the development of Hong Kong and ASEAN will be further strengthened and relations between the two places will be taken to a new level. Mrs Lam said that the people-to-people exchanges and trade ties between Hong Kong and Singapore have always been close and that the two places share similar backgrounds and developments. Adding that both places are among the most competitive economies in the world, she said they have a lot to learn from each other. Pointing out that Hong Kong is committed to developing innovation and technology and has devoted substantial resources and rolled out a number of specific measures, she expressed the hope to explore more collaboration in areas such as biotech, fintech and start-ups with research centres, education institutes and enterprises in Singapore. Ends/Wednesday, May 29, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:06 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/28/P2019052800456.htm

28.5.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (May 28): Reporter: Mrs Lam, you've faced accusations about lying about whether China was originally purposefully excluded from extradition laws. Former officials Anson Chan and Chris Patten have said that they were. Would you now retract your claim? And secondly, many Hongkongers are remembering the Tiananmen massacre victims this week, ahead of the 30th anniversary of the crackdown. Would you express any criticism of Beijing's actions in 1989? Chief Executive: On the first question, what I told members of the Legislative Council and the Hong Kong community was based on what was recorded in official documents, including official documents of the Legislative Council, or what we called the Hansard. Those are very authoritative official documents. At that time - 1996 and 1997 - I was a middle-rank official, so I was not involved first-hand in this particular bill going through the Legislative Council. Myself and my colleagues could only refer to the official documents on both sides - on the part of the Government, why we put forward in those days, the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance; in the official records of the Legislative Council deliberations and the official record of the debate in the Legislative Council on what each member said in the debate. Actually, in those days, there weren't many members speaking on this bill. What the other persons that you have quoted said was not based on those records. If they have insider information, perhaps it is for them to prove that their insider information is something that we should know. But up till now, I think another month has lapsed, we have not seen the documentation or the substantiation of that insider information. As far as the second question, Hong Kong is a free society. As the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, I safeguard and uphold the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of gathering, so we respect whoever in Hong Kong wants to express whatever views on the subject matter. Thank you very much. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, May 28, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:29 NNNN

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CE visits Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School and Hong Kong Children's Hospital

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/27/P2019052700918.htm

27.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School and Hong Kong Children's Hospital in the Kai Tak Development Area (KTDA) this afternoon (May 27) to keep abreast of the area's development. Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Acting Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, first visited Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School, where she was briefed by Architectural Services Department architects on the school's design and architectural features, which are different from those of traditional school buildings. In keeping with the concept of sustainable development for the KTDA, the campus has adopted a low-rise design and open corridors to let in more daylight. The school also uses greening and sunshades to lessen the electricity burden for air-conditioning and is connected to the District Cooling System in the KTDA to conserve electricity, while rainwater is collected for irrigation of the school's garden. Mrs Lam then watched students take part in classes and extra-curricular activities such as campus TV production and STEM learning activities and exchanged views with the principal and teachers to learn about their teaching work and the school's development. She said she was delighted to note that the school's teaching staff and students are very pleased with the school's design and facilities, and stressed that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to providing a quality teaching and learning environment and promoting education quality. Mrs Lam then proceeded to Hong Kong Children's Hospital, which has opened in phases since last December. Accompanied by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, Mrs Lam was briefed by the Hospital Authority's Chairman, Professor John Leong, and Chief Executive, Dr Leung Pak-yin, as well as medical staff on the hospital facilities and toured the Haematology and Oncology Department, the Radiology Department, the hydrotherapy pool for child patients and the Newborn Screening for Inborn Errors Metabolism Laboratory. She also visited child patients to know about their situation and said she was pleased to note that both the patients and their parents were satisfied with the hospital environment. Noting that the hospital has top facilities to provide multidisciplinary management for complex, serious and uncommon paediatric diseases, Mrs Lam said it can complement the regional hospitals to form a co-ordinated and coherent paediatric service network, providing children-centred and family-friendly services for child patients. "The two facilities I visited today are among the projects in the KTDA which have completed in recent years. I also attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kai Tak Sports Park last month, which is another major project in the area. The Kai Tak Development incorporates community, housing, commercial, tourism and infrastructural purposes. I am very happy to witness the transformation of this project from a planning vision into a real one. I am expecting that Kai Tak will become a distinguished, vibrant, attractive and people-oriented community beside Victoria Harbour and complement the Energizing Kowloon East strategy to build the second core business district of Hong Kong with a view to boosting the city's economy and long-term competitiveness," Mrs Lam said. Ends/Monday, May 27, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:21 NNNN

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CE strongly objects to German asylum for two bail jumpers

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/24/P2019052400713.htm

24.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (May 24) told Germany's Acting Consul General in Hong Kong, Mr David Schmidt, that she strongly objects to, and deeply regrets, the reported granting of asylum to two Hong Kong residents who jumped bail to flee Hong Kong while awaiting trial on serious charges. Mrs Lam had requested the meeting with Mr Schmidt at the Chief Executive's Office this afternoon. The Director of Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, also attended the meeting. Mrs Lam stressed that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)'s rule of law, law enforcement agencies and judicial independence have long been held in high regard by local and international communities. In particular, independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication is guaranteed under the Basic Law. Relevant provisions in the Basic Law also provide for the invitation of judges from other common law jurisdictions to sit on the Court of Final Appeal. She said that 14 eminent overseas judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada currently sit on our Court of Final Appeal as non-permanent judges, which in itself is a testimony to the integrity of Hong Kong's rule of law and independent judiciary. That judicial system is fully practised and has been well respected for over 20 years since the establishment of the HKSAR. For example, she noted, the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report ranks Hong Kong first in Asia for judicial independence. Mrs Lam said anyone accused of breaching the law in Hong Kong would face an open and fair trial. She expressed deep regret and strong objection to the reported granting of asylum to the two bail jumpers by Germany, which had unjustifiably undermined Hong Kong’s international reputation in the rule of law and judicial independence. Mrs Lam expressed doubts as to whether the German authorities' decision had been based on the facts. She said the two men are facing serious charges including riot and assaulting police in relation to the Mong Kok riot in February 2016. The riot involved the hurling of bricks and wooden pallets, burning cars, attacking police, surrounding police vehicles, wounding others and destroying public property. She said the violent actions of the rioters had seriously jeopardised public order and safety, resulted in injuries to more than 80 Police officers and unsettled many people in Hong Kong. Given Germany's long-standing diplomatic presence in Hong Kong, such facts, which were on the public record and easily available, should have been duly taken into account by German authorities in determining the truth and voracity of any asylum claim. She said she was dismayed that apparently such a basic assessment of facts had not been made. She asked Mr Schmidt to convey her deep regrets and strong objections to the relevant German authorities. Ends/Friday, May 24, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:00 NNNN

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Senior judicial appointment: Chief Judge of the High Court

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/22/P2019052200278.htm

22.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, has accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC) on the appointment of the Honourable Mr Justice Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, as the Chief Judge of the High Court. Subject to the endorsement of the Legislative Council, the Chief Executive will make the appointment under Article 88 of the Basic Law. Mrs Lam said, "I am pleased to accept the JORC's recommendation to appoint Mr Justice Poon as the Chief Judge of the High Court. Mr Justice Poon is a highly competent judge of high integrity who commands respect within the Judiciary and from the legal profession. He is experienced in both civil and criminal appeals and possesses rich administrative experience. I am confident that Mr Justice Poon, if appointed, will discharge his duties as the Court Leader of the High Court with distinction." Article 90 of the Basic Law provides that the Chief Executive shall obtain the endorsement of the Legislative Council on the appointment of the Chief Judge of the High Court. The Government will seek the endorsement of the Legislative Council of the recommended appointment in due course. The curriculum vitae of Mr Justice Poon is in the Annex. Ends/Wednesday, May 22, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:00 NNNN

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Senior judicial appointment: non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/22/P2019052200273.htm

22.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, has accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC) on the appointment of the Right Honourable Lord Jonathan Sumption as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Subject to the endorsement of the Legislative Council, the Chief Executive will make the appointment under Article 88 of the Basic Law. Mrs Lam said, "I am pleased to accept the JORC's recommendation to appoint Lord Sumption as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Lord Sumption was a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom since January 2012 until he retired from the office in December 2018. He is a judge of eminent standing and reputation. I am confident that he will be a great asset to the Court of Final Appeal. "With the appointment of Lord Sumption, the panel of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions will consist of 15 eminent judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The presence of these non-permanent judges manifests the judicial independence of Hong Kong." The Court of Final Appeal is constituted by five judges when hearing and determining appeals. Since July 1, 1997, apart from very few exceptions, one of the judges has invariably been drawn from the list of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions to hear a substantive appeal on the Court of Final Appeal. Article 90 of the Basic Law provides that the Chief Executive shall obtain the endorsement of the Legislative Council on the appointment of judges of the Court of Final Appeal. The Government will seek the endorsement of the Legislative Council of the recommended appointment in due course. The curriculum vitae of Lord Sumption is in the Annex. Ends/Wednesday, May 22, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:00 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/21/P2019052100416.htm

21.5.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (May 21): Reporter: Mrs Lam, you have been questioned if it's appropriate not to wait until after the House Committee have a conclusion on how to deal with the situation. Can you justify why are you taking the matter to the full Council at this timing? Is it weakening the legislative power of LegCo and is it appropriate for the Liaison Office to ask delegates to support the fugitive laws? Chief Executive: First of all, let me reiterate the importance I attach to relationship between the Executive and the Legislature. This has been my guiding principle since I took office in July 2017, and I have been putting in practice what I preach by going more often to the Legislative Council to listen first-hand to views expressed by Members of the Legislative Council to address their concerns and to follow up on points they have raised with me. That work has been put on proper record because every time I try to respond by progress reports or replies to the Legislative Council. The decision that we have made which was conveyed by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, yesterday to invoke Rules of Procedure 54(5) to consult the Chairman of House Committee in order to put the legislative amendments to the Legislative Council for resumption of second reading on June 12 is a very difficult decision, seen in the context of that commitment to enhance relationship between the Legislature and the Executive. This is not an act of disrespect of the Legislative Council. This is an act which we have simply no option in order to break the deadlock and the impasse that we have seen now over the scrutiny of this particular piece of legislation, and up till now I have not heard any suggestions from the non-pro-establishment members on how we could resolve this deadlock. Both camps in the Legislative Council, apart from taking part in these very confusing meetings, have also had some private session to try to resolve it, but apparently every act up till now is futile. So the Executive has taken a very responsible act to try to break this deadlock by making the decision that I have just mentioned. I would not say that this is a sort of confrontation with the Legislative Council. This is more, I would describe, a responsible and decisive act of the Executive. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, May 21, 2019 Issued at HKT 13:25 NNNN

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CE continues Jiangmen visit

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/18/P2019051800882.htm

18.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, accompanied by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, continued her visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities in Jiangmen today (May 18). In the morning, Mrs Lam and Mr Nip visited China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd (CIMC) to learn about the business of its subsidiary, CIMC Modular Building Systems, which supplies construction components for the Construction Industry Council’s Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) Display Centre in Kowloon Bay. MiC allows most of the labour-intensive and time-consuming processes to be accomplished in an off-site prefabrication yard, minimising the duration of work on construction sites and the demand for construction workers, thus enhancing productivity. The technique also enhances on-site safety and project quality control and reduces adverse impacts on the environment. Afterwards, Mrs Lam and Mr Nip visited Xinhui tangerine peel village to find out the development of the trade. The production of aged tangerine peels in the city has a history of hundreds of years and is known across the country for the quality. Following years of evolvement, it has become a trade with an annual production worth billions of dollars. They then visited CRRC Guangdong Co Ltd to learn about the company's manufacture and maintenance of rolling stock as well as the services of related industries. They also toured the production base of the Lee Kum Kee Group in Xinhui, Jiangmen, to know its automated production technique and quality control measures. In the afternoon, Mrs Lam and Mr Nip departed for Panyu, Guangzhou, to visit Clifford Hospital, which was founded by a Hong Kong merchant. Launched in 2001, Clifford Hospital was the first hospital in China to be accredited by Joint Commission International, and provides medical services for many Hong Kong people living nearby. Mrs Lam said that after the assumption of office, she has already visited Macao and nine Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area, enhancing her knowledge of the characteristics and advantages of various cities. She added that Hong Kong will, in accordance with the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area promulgated by the Central Government in February this year, proactively strengthen collaboration with the cities to complement each other to develop together an international first-class bay area. In the evening, Mrs Lam attended the welcome dinner of the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area media summit in Guangzhou. She will attend the summit's opening ceremony tomorrow (May 19), where she will deliver a speech, and then conclude her visit and return to Hong Kong. Ends/Saturday, May 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 21:10 NNNN

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CE visits Zhaoqing and Jiangmen

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/17/P2019051700923.htm

17.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, continued their visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities in Zhaoqing and Jiangmen today (May 17). In the morning, accompanied by the Secretary of the CPC Zhaoqing Municipal Committee, Mr Lai Zehua, and the Mayor of the Zhaoqing Municipal Government, Mr Fan Zhongjie, Mrs Lam and Mr Nip first visited Xinghu Lake Wetland Park to learn about its water quality management, wetland ecosystem restoration and heritage conservation. As one of the largest lakes in Guangdong, Xinghu Lake is an important ecological and tourism asset in Zhaoqing. Afterwards, they went to Zhaoqing New District to find out more about its planning and related development proposals, as well as its underground tube system. Zhaoqing New District is one of the nine major innovation development platforms in Guangdong, and is aimed at developing innovative sectors such as digital economy, new energy vehicles and biomedicine. The new district has also taken the lead in introducing the underground tube system to integrate the electrical, communications, natural gas, water supply and sewage networks, which are being built simultaneously with the road system, thus enabling convenient future maintenance and the freeing-up of land for city development. Mrs Lam and Mr Nip also visited the Hong Kong-Macao Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base at Tus-City to learn about the services provided for start-ups including internship, exchanges, employment, setting up of businesses and daily living. They then went to the Zhaoqing East Station transportation hub to visit the transport interchange connecting the Zhaoqing East high-speed rail station and the Dinghudong intercity railway station, and to Station Square to learn about Zhaoqing's transport infrastructure and its advantages. This core area will continue to be developed as an integrated passenger terminal for high-speed railways, inter-city railways, highway transport and public transport. At noon, Mrs Lam and Mr Nip attended a lunch hosted by Mr Lai and Mr Fan before travelling to Jiangmen. They started their visit to Jiangmen at Inno Valley, an incubator for scientific technology enterprises from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and were briefed on the incubation services and co-working spaces for the enterprises. About 100 enterprises have set up a presence in Inno Valley to date, of which more than half are from Hong Kong. Inno Valley also collaborates with the higher education institutions in Hong Kong on transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Mrs Lam and Mr Nip then visited the Jiangmen Wuyi Museum of Overseas Chinese to learn about the culture and history of overseas Chinese and their contributions to the homeland after they had established businesses abroad. In the evening, they attended a dinner hosted by the Secretary of the CPC Jiangmen Municipal Committee, Mr Lin Yingwu, and the Mayor of Jiangmen Municipal Government, Mr Liu Yi. Mrs Lam will continue her visit tomorrow (May 18). Ends/Friday, May 17, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:05 NNNN

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CE expresses sorrow over passing of Mr I M Pei

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/17/P2019051700832.htm

17.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (May 17) expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Chinese American architect Mr I M Pei. "One of the world's most renowned architects, Mr Pei won numerous awards over the years including the Pritzker Architecture Prize, sometimes called the Nobel Prize of architecture, in 1983, along with many other highly recognised achievements. He lived in Hong Kong for a period of time when he was young. His works are widely known to Hong Kong people, including the iconic Bank of China Tower in Central and the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The former has become a landmark of the city and the pride of Hong Kong people. "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Pei. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family," she said. Ends/Friday, May 17, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:20 NNNN

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CE attends Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference and visits Foshan

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/16/P2019051600898.htm

16.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, arrived in Guangzhou this morning (May 16) to attend the 21st Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference. Also, Mrs Lam and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui, signed the 2019 Work Plan of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation and presented plaques in recognition of the entrepreneurial bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area at a presentation ceremony. At noon, she attended a lunch hosted by the Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Li Xi and Mr Ma. After attending the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference, Mrs Lam and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, departed for Foshan where they commenced their visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities in the afternoon. Accompanied by the Mayor of the Foshan Municipal Government, Mr Zhu Wei, Mrs Lam first viewed the planning of the neighbouring areas on the Haiyi Bridge and then visited the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Technology Exhibition and Exchange Center where she was briefed on the history and latest developments of Foshan. She also viewed the centre's co-working space to learn more about Foshan's policy measures to attract start-ups and ancillary facilities in the vicinity and chatted with young Hong Kong entrepreneurs at the centre. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Technology Exhibition and Exchange Center is a platform providing incubation space and entrepreneurial services jointly set up by the local government and a Hong Kong enterprise, and is one of the first such entrepreneurial bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Mrs Lam and the other officials then visited the Xiqiao National Arts Studio to learn about Foshan's policy measures to support the development of the film and television industry. The Xiqiao National Arts Studio, an investment project of a listed Hong Kong company, provides large-scale film and television programme shooting venues based on old Hong Kong street scenes and scenes from various other places. Some overseas films and television drama series are also shot there every year. In addition, the studio includes a sightseeing and recreational facility featuring a film shooting theme park, hotels and performance venues. Mrs Lam said that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced a series of measures in the Policy Address last year to support the development of Hong Kong's film industry. Given the relaxation measures agreed by the relevant Central authorities last month to further assist the entry of Hong Kong's film industry into the Mainland market, and hardware facilities such as the studio, Hong Kong's film industry has plenty of scope for development, she said. Mrs Lam and the other officials then visited the Tingyin Lake to learn about Foshan's cultural tourism development, as well as attending a dinner hosted by Mr Zhu. Mrs Lam departed for Zhaoqing in the evening and will continue her visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities tomorrow (May 17). Ends/Thursday, May 16, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:38 NNNN

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21st Plenary of Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference held in Guangzhou

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/16/P2019051600737.htm

16.5.2019

The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui, leading the delegations of the HKSAR and Guangdong Province respectively, co-chaired the 21st Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou today (May 16). The Chief Executive said, "This being the first plenary meeting held after the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Outline Development Plan), Governor Ma and I have set out clear directions and goals on the implementation of the Outline Development Plan and further collaboration between Hong Kong and Guangdong. I am delighted to see there are nine fruitful outcomes brought about by the joint efforts of both sides to strive for policy innovation and breakthrough under principles of complementarity and mutual benefits." These outcomes include: the signing of 2019 Work Plan of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation; the supply of part of the marine sand by Guangdong for the reclamation works of the Three-Runway System (3RS) of Hong Kong International Airport; presenting a plaque in recognition of the first batch of 10 entrepreneurial bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) at a presentation ceremony; Guangdong Province will announce, in the near future, details to implement the policy of allowing tertiary institutions and scientific research institutions in Hong Kong and Macao to apply for research funding granted by the Guangdong Province; the extension of the Single E-Lock Scheme (SELS) to Zhongshan, so that clearance points under the SELS would cover all nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area; further relaxing the accessibility policy of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), with organisations such as business associations, universities and scientific research institutions being the priority group of study for granting of quota; Guangdong Province is studying and formulating the details on allowing the open recruitment of Hong Kong and Macao residents by public institutions, which is expected to be issued in the second half of this year; jointly organising the first Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival; and jointly organising events on innovation and technology (I&T). At the meeting, both sides reached consensus on a range of areas of co-operation, and signed the 2019 Work Plan of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation, content of which is at annex. The Work Plan covers nine areas, namely cross-boundary infrastructure development and clearance facilitation; jointly developing an international innovation and technology hub; fostering co-operation in modern service industries; taking forward exchanges and co-operation in education, talents and youth; developing an internationalised business environment; jointly developing a quality living circle; jointly participating in the Belt and Road Initiative; taking forward the development of key co-operation platforms; and arrangement of a mechanism. Regarding the respective key areas of co-operation, the progress made and the directions for future co-operation are set out below: Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area The HKSAR Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government have been taking forward the development of the Greater Bay Area proactively. Concerning the eight policy measures facilitating people to develop in the Greater Bay Area promulgated after the second plenary meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on March 1, the HKSAR Government was glad to note that the following have been implemented: encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship in the nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area by the youth of Hong Kong and Macao; announcing details about the policy allowing tertiary institutions and scientific research institutions in Hong Kong and Macao to apply for research funding granted by Guangdong Province in the near future; expanding the implementation scope of the connection with the Speedy Customs Clearance between Customs administrations (also known as the SELS); and formulating the detailed measure to enable the open recruitment of Hong Kong and Macao residents by public institutions in the Guangdong Province. As for the remaining policies, including promulgating the definition of high-end talents and talents in short supply in the provision of tax relief by municipal governments to non-Mainland (including Hong Kong) talents by offsetting the tax differential between the two places, introducing immigration facilitation reform pilots schemes in the Greater Bay Area, and facilitating vehicles from Hong Kong and Macao entering and exiting Mainland ports, it was agreed that the implementation be expedited. The heads of governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao paid joint visits to Paris and Tokyo in June 2018 and April this year respectively, with a view to promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area to overseas countries. Very positive responses were received. In future, Hong Kong and Guangdong will continue to utilise Hong Kong's international connections and networks, organise similar symposiums, conduct overseas promotion on the enormous opportunities and advantages brought about by the Greater Bay Area, and attract capital and talents to the Greater Bay Area. Innovation and Technology To develop the Greater Bay Area into an international innovation and technology hub, both sides have launched measures in support of I&T co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland. The Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Finance of Guangdong Province have announced a new policy allowing tertiary institutions and scientific research institutions in Hong Kong and Macao to apply for research funding granted by Guangdong Province and to use them across the boundary in Hong Kong. This new policy, coupled with the Guangdong-Hong Kong Technology Co-operation Funding Scheme which has been in effective operation, will enable research institutions of both places to have access to more resources to carry out research and development work and develop closer co-operation. Moreover, the HKSAR Government will organise InnoFest 2019 in October and November this year. A series of events will be launched to deepen the understanding of our country and Hong Kong's development and achievements in I&T in society. The HKSAR Government will invite relevant parties in Guangdong to participate in InnoFest 2019 and consider organising I&T events in Guangdong during the same period, with a view to strengthening the synergy of I&T co-operation in the Greater Bay Area. The Guangdong Government will proactively support this initiative. Youth Development Both sides agreed that youth development, including youth entrepreneurship, exchange and internship, would be a focus of collaboration. On youth entrepreneurship, the HKSAR Government introduced in March this year two new funding schemes under the Youth Development Fund, namely the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area and the Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Greater Bay Area. After the meeting, a ceremony was organised by both sides to present a plaque to the first batch of 10 entrepreneurial bases to further promote youth innovation and entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area. Both sides hope that this batch of entrepreneurial bases will take the lead in providing incubation services and quality support that suit the need of the youth of Hong Kong in starting up their business. The HKSAR Government also expects that, with the support of both governments of Guangdong and HKSAR, an Alliance for Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases will be established in the Greater Bay Area within 2020. The Alliance will be premised on non-governmental organisations and youth entrepreneurial bases in the Greater Bay Area to serve as a one-stop information, publicity and exchange platform in order to better support innovation and entrepreneurship by the youth of Hong Kong in the Greater Bay Area. On youth internship, in 2019-20, the Home Affairs Bureau will provide funding of around $120 million through the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland (the Funding Scheme) to support 149 youth internship projects in the Mainland. It is expected that about 3 800 young people will benefit from the scheme. In particular, the Guangdong-Hong Kong Internship Programme under the Funding Scheme has been extended to cover all nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area this year, benefiting around 1 000 Hong Kong young people. Clearance Facilitation In respect of the expansion of the SELS to the nine Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area, the HKSAR Government welcomes the setting up of a clearance point at Zhongshan Bonded Logistics Centre by the Guangdong Customs. The new clearance point has achieved readiness for SELS operation with Hong Kong Customs and for use by the industry. Accordingly, the number of clearance points in the Guangdong Province has been increased to 52, covering all nine Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. Co-operation in Professional Services For legal services, 11 partnership associations between Hong Kong and Mainland law firms have been set up in Guangdong Province, with 33 Hong Kong lawyers being seconded to the partnership associations. Hong Kong barristers and solicitors have also been retained as legal consultants by Guangdong law firms. The Ministry of Justice and the Department of Justice (DoJ) signed a record of meeting this January, agreeing in principle to further the liberalisation measures relevant to partnership associations. Starting from this March, the geographical scope of setting up partnership associations by Hong Kong and Mainland law firms has been extended from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai to the entire Mainland. The DoJ will continue to liaise with the legal sector and discuss with the relevant Mainland authorities to implement and further enhance the liberalisation measures under the framework of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), as well as to continue to explore the opportunities for the sector to provide legal services in Guangdong Province. The DoJ will also continue to liaise with the Central Government, relevant authorities of Guangdong Province and concerned stakeholders in Hong Kong to explore the introduction of pilot based initiatives by making use of the Greater Bay Area competitiveness, including allowing parties to civil and commercial cases in Guangdong Province to choose Hong Kong law as governing law and Hong Kong as a place of arbitration outside the Mainland, expanding the scope of practice of Hong Kong legal practitioners in the Greater Bay Area, study the setting up of the Greater Bay Area Mediation Centre, and more. On construction and related engineering services, the Development Bureau will continue to collaborate with Mainland authorities for the arrangements on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and the deepening of co-operation between Hong Kong and Qianhai, Nansha and Hengqin in accordance with the Agreement on Economic and Technical Co-operation under CEPA. Environmental Protection Guangdong and Hong Kong will continue with their exchange on the management of marine refuse and formulate a co-operation plan for the coming year, which will include reviewing the operation of the Notification and Alert System on Marine Refuse and the Hong Kong-Guangdong Cross Boundary Notification Mechanism on Marine Refuse; enriching and consummating the co-operation mechanism for handling cross-boundary marine environmental incidents; and exchanging and sharing experience in different aspects. To improve regional air quality, both sides will continue to implement various measures to reduce emissions. On January 1, the HKSAR Government implemented a new regulation which requires vessels to use low sulphur fuel within the waters of Hong Kong to reduce emissions and dovetail with the implementation of marine emission control areas in the Mainland. In recent years, both sides have also stepped up efforts to promote cleaner production, thereby contributing to improving the quality of the regional environment. To enhance the regional ecological environment, both sides will continue to explore the proposed development of a linked ecological corridor and collaborated conservation areas, promote the protection of coastal wetlands including mangroves in the Pearl River Estuary, as well as strengthen the management of and exchanges on conservation areas in the two places. Cross-boundary Infrastructure The Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) has been operating smoothly since its commissioning. The MTR Corporation Limited continues to make improvements to the operating arrangements. Passengers are also getting used to using the XRL as a cross-boundary transport mode. By the end of April this year, the average daily patronage for the XRL was over 54 000. Since the commissioning of the HZMB in October 2018, the operation has generally been smooth and the vehicular flow has been gradually increasing. The HKSAR Government has been discussing with the governments of Guangdong and Macao to gradually increase in an orderly manner the quota for cross-boundary vehicles to use the HZMB, to tie in with the development of the Greater Bay Area and to further utilise the HZMB. At present, the quota for Hong Kong/Guangdong cross-boundary private cars (for Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars) using the HZMB has reached 14 500. Separately, a quota of 33 000 Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars using the other four land boundary control points connecting to Shenzhen is allowed, on a trial basis for two years, to use the HZMB for travelling between Hong Kong and Zhuhai without additional procedures. The three governments will continue to increase the quotas gradually. The Hong Kong International Airport has an important strategic function in the development of a world-class airport cluster in the Greater Bay Area. The Outline Development Plan gave clear support to the construction of the 3RS. The construction of the 3RS has been smooth and received the Gaungdong Government's support. The Guangdong Government has been supportive of the 3RS project and will supply part of the marine sand for the reclamation works to facilitate the smooth implementation of this large-scale infrastructural project which will benefit Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area as well as the entire country. After the full operation of the 3RS, the capacity of Hong Kong in handling passenger and cargo throughput by air will be enhanced, further strengthening connections between our country's and the world's flight destinations. The Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point project is in progress. The new land port will link eastern Hong Kong with eastern Shenzhen, such as Longgang District. By then, the anticipated average travelling time between Tai Po in Hong Kong and Longgang in Shenzhen would be reduced from over 50 minutes to about 30 minutes, facilitating smooth and efficient people and cargo flows across the boundary and enhancing the "one-hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area, which are of strategic importance to Hong Kong's long-term economic development. The HKSAR Government is striving to complete the construction of this new boundary control point this year for early commissioning. Talent Development The HKSAR Government welcomes the Guangdong Province to actively take forward the promulgation of details of open recruitment of Hong Kong and Macao residents by public institutions. The Guangdong Province is formulating the relevant measure, which is expected to be announced in the second half of this year. Culture Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will co-organise the first Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival (the Festival) in June this year. During the Festival, the three places will present different arts and cultural programmes in the Greater Bay Area. Education Co-operation On education co-operation, the HKSAR Government supports post-secondary institutions of Hong Kong to offer education services in the Greater Bay Area and to give full play to the characteristics of Hong Kong's higher education sector and their strength in terms of internationalisation. This will help develop the Greater Bay Area as an international education base as well as open up collaborative innovation opportunities for students in Hong Kong and Guangdong. Following the establishment of Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College by the Hong Kong Baptist University and Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai in 2005, and the establishment of Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Shenzhen University in 2014, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is also in active preparation for its new campus in Guangzhou. The target is to commence operation in September 2021. With the development of the Greater Bay Area, it is expected that more Hong Kong residents will work and stay there. To cater for the increasing educational needs of their children, the Education Bureau is exploring the feasibility of setting up schools offering basic education with Hong Kong curriculum or additionally an international curriculum by Hong Kong school sponsoring bodies in cities in the Greater Bay Area. This will offer additional choices to Hong Kong residents or foreigners living in the Greater Bay Area. Creative Industries The development of the Greater Bay Area offers immense opportunities for creative industries in Hong Kong. Regarding the film sector, relevant Central authorities have agreed to launch five measures to further facilitate entry of the sector into the Mainland market, thereby providing more development opportunities to the industry and furthering the mutual growth of the sector in the two places. Furthermore, the "Zetta Bridge, Qianhai Shenzhen" design innovation hub actively taken forward by the Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations is scheduled for inauguration in 2019-20. The HKSAR Government will continue to sponsor suitable projects through CreateSmart Initiative to leverage this new platform to foster talent exchange, business matching and trade collaborations, as well as support Hong Kong’s young talent and start-ups to develop their career/business in the Greater Bay Area. Other Areas Apart from the above, Hong Kong and Guangdong have also made steady progress in other areas of co-operation such as CEPA, tourism, intellectual property rights, food safety, medical services, and social welfare. The 21st Plenary The 21st Plenary was co-chaired by Mrs Lam, and Mr Ma. Officials of the HKSAR Government attending the meeting included the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip; the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah; the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin; the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, and other relevant officials. The Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Song Zhe, and the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Mr Yang Jian, also attended the meeting as special guests. Ends/Thursday, May 16, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:55 NNNN

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CE meets Secretary of CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/15/P2019051500994.htm

15.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the Secretary of the CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee, Mr Lu Xinshe, at Government House this afternoon (May 15). The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip; and the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, were also present. Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Lu's visit to Hong Kong to attend the Presentation on Guangxi Integrating the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area-Hong Kong 2019 held this morning to introduce the investment environment and the latest development of the Guangxi Province, which she was pleased to be invited to attend and deliver a speech. She said that the adoption of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as the theme of the presentation fully reflects the readiness of Guangxi to seize the opportunities brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area. Pointing out that Hong Kong is one of the core cities of the Greater Bay Area and will play an active role in its development, she said that Hong Kong is willing to deepen co-operation with Guangxi to jointly advance the development of the Greater Bay Area. Mrs Lam said that Guangxi is an international passage linking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and that the opening-up of the New Land-Sea Corridor provides a faster passage for the flow of goods between the nation and Southeast Asia as well as Northwest Asia and Europe. She said that Hong Kong, an international maritime and logistics centre, could strengthen co-operation in relevant areas with Guangxi to seize together the opportunities brought about by the New Land-Sea Corridor. In addition, as Hong Kong is also an international aviation hub which is actively taking forward the airport's Three-runway System, the high-end logistics centre and the SkyCity development projects, Mrs Lam said she looks forward to enhancing co-operation in aviation services with Guangxi. Ends/Wednesday, May 15, 2019 Issued at HKT 21:05 NNNN

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Hong Kong Laureate Forum launching ceremony held today

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/14/P2019051400804.htm

14.5.2019

The Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum (the Council) held a ceremony today (May 14) at Government House Ballroom to celebrate the launch of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum. The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, attended the ceremony as the Guest of Honour. The Forum aspires to be a world-class academic exchange event to connect the current and next generations of scientific leaders, and to promote understanding and interests among the young generation in Hong Kong and around the world in science and technology. The inaugural Forum will be held in November 2021 in Hong Kong and applications to attend the Forum are expected to start in 2020. The Forum aims to inspire young scientists from around the world through participation in a week-long programme comprising world-class seminars, dialogues, workshops and more. The Forum will also provide ample opportunities for exchanges between Shaw laureates and young scientists. In his welcoming remarks, the Chairman of the Council, Professor Timothy W Tong, said that the Council was determined to make the Forum an international platform to foster cross-cultural scientific dialogue that will contribute to furthering the understanding of science and enriching humanity. Mrs Lam said innovation and technology has topped her Government's policy agenda since she took office on July 1, 2017. "If Hong Kong is to realise the compelling promise of innovation and technology, we must ensure a sustainable flow of talent by providing and promoting science and technology education in our schools at every level, from primary and secondary through to our post-secondary institutions and technical colleges," said Mrs Lam. Mrs Lam pointed out that the Hong Kong Laureate Forum could build an interest and enthusiasm for science among the younger generation by creating opportunities for direct exchange and inspiring dialogue with some of the brightest minds in science. At the launch ceremony, Professor Tong signed a sponsorship agreement with the Director of Lee Shau Kee Foundation, Mr Martin Lee. The Lee Shau Kee Foundation is the Forum's principal sponsor, and has pledged full sponsorship to the Forum for five years, starting in 2019. Professor Tong also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Shaw Prize Foundation Chairman, Mr Raymond Chan, to foster collaboration and exchanges among laureates of the Shaw Prize and young scientists from Hong Kong and all over the world. The two signing ceremonies were witnessed by the Chief Executive. Four Shaw laureates, namely Professor Steven A Balbus, Professor John F Hawley, Professor E Peter Greenberg, and Professor Simon D M White attended the ceremony to pledge their support, as well as sharing their scientific experience and insights at a panel discussion. Over 150 guests including the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, members of the Executive Council and Legislative Council, council chairmen and presidents of universities, academics, scientists, senior members of research institutions, consuls general and nearly 60 young scientists, attended the ceremony. While the Forum was conceived by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, it will be organised by the Council formed by distinguished personalities and academics of Hong Kong. The Council is a non-profit making organisation. Its membership is as follows: Chairman ----------- Professor Timothy W Tong Members ---------- Mr Raymond Chan (representing the Shaw Prize Foundation) Dr Moses Cheng Mrs Rita Fan Mr Henry Fan Dr Victor Fung Dr Colin Lam (representing the Lee Shau Kee Foundation) Mr Martin Lee (representing the Lee Shau Kee Foundation) Mr Carlson Tong Professor Tsui Lap-chee Mr Joseph Yam Professor Kenneth Young The Council has invited Dr Kan Tai-keung, an acclaimed local designer, to design the Forum logo. The three spheres of the logo symbolise the diversity and broad horizon of science, while the three arcs represent the forces of science while also resembling the shape of a laurel wreath, symbolising eminent Hong Kong scientists in discussion with young scientists, thereby creating an continuous drive to pursue science. For details about the Forum, please visit its website at ( hklaureateforum.org/en/ ). The Chief Executive's blog of April 22 also gives an account of the launch of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum. Ends/Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Issued at HKT 19:32 NNNN

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CE to attend Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference and visit Greater Bay Area cities

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/14/P2019051400433.htm

14.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will lead a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government delegation to attend the 21st Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou on May 16. She will then visit three cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, namely Foshan, Zhaoqing and Jiangmen, and attend the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area media summit. On arrival in Guangzhou, Mrs Lam will attend the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference together with the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip; the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, and the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang. This being the first Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference held after the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, both sides will deliberate on the implementation of the Outline Development Plan and further collaboration between Guangdong and Hong Kong, with a view to setting out clearly the way forward and goals. In the afternoon, she and Mr Nip will start the visit to the Greater Bay Area cities, during which she will meet with leaders of the Foshan, Zhaoqing and Jiangmen Municipal Governments, as well as conducting visits to youth innovation and entrepreneurship bases and facilities of various industries including innovation and technology, medical services and culture. She will also learn about the urban planning of the cities and inspect transportation infrastructure during the visit. Mrs Lam and Mr Nip will attend the opening ceremony of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area media summit in Guangzhou on May 19 and return to Hong Kong the same day. During Mrs Lam's absence, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will be Acting Chief Executive until Mr Cheung returns to Hong Kong in the afternoon on May 16, when he will take over the role. Ends/Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Issued at HKT 13:16 NNNN

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CE chairs Commission on Poverty Summit 2019

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/11/P2019051100571.htm

11.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, chaired the Commission on Poverty Summit 2019 (Summit) today (May 11). The theme for the Summit this year was "Building Coalition to Tackle Poverty Through Innovative Means". Representatives from the business and social welfare sectors who have participated in poverty alleviation projects involving cross-sector collaboration were invited to share their views and experience at a panel discussion. Over 400 guests attended the Summit. In addition to members of the Commission on Poverty (CoP) and its Task Forces, stakeholders from political, business and academic sectors as well as think tanks, non-governmental organisations and concern groups were present. Relevant Principal Officials and Heads of Departments also attended the Summit. In her opening remarks, Mrs Lam said that broad participation is needed to address social issues effectively by making good use of the resources from corporations and the market. Through collaboration in the community in using new ideas and new service models, sustainable solutions could be identified. In terms of poverty alleviation, the Government will actively promote cross-sector collaboration to pool adequate resources to address various livelihood issues, thereby building a harmonious society. She hoped that the Summit could help raise the awareness and concerns about poverty alleviation work, and to inspire more new ideas to take the poverty alleviation work to a new stage. At the ensuing panel discussion moderated by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Mr Chua Hoi-wai, representatives from the business and social welfare sectors participating in cross-sector poverty alleviation projects exchanged views and experience on how to implement and promote innovative poverty alleviation initiatives through cross-sector collaboration. The speakers were the Convenor of the Our Hong Kong Foundation's Business for Social Good platform, Mr Bernard Chan; the President of the Lee Hysan Foundation, Ms Cecilia Ho; the Managing Director of Hip Shing Hong (Holdings) Company Limited, Mr David Fong; and the Chief Executive Officer of St James' Settlement, Ms Josephine Lee, together with the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong. There were lively exchanges amongst the speakers and Summit participants and many useful comments were raised on how to further promote and expand the cross-sector collaboration among the community, business and the Government in poverty alleviation. After the panel discussion session, the Chief Secretary for Administration and Chairperson of the CoP, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, together with the Chairperson of the Community Care Fund Task Force, Dr Law Chi-kwong, and the Chairperson of the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund Task Force, Dr Jane Lee, gave an account of the achievements of the CoP and the Task Forces in the past year. These included the key poverty alleviation measures, the implementation of youth societal engagement programmes such as the "Be a Government Official for a Day" Programme and the "Future Stars" Programme, filling the gaps of existing assistance programmes through the Community Care Fund and promoting social innovation through the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund. In the second half of the Summit, Mrs Lam and Mr Cheung, together with Dr Law; the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan; the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung; and the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, exchanged views with the participants on the policies, measures and directions of poverty alleviation. Participants from various sectors were enthusiastic on giving views on the CoP's work and the way forward on alleviating poverty in Hong Kong. The "Commission on Poverty Progress Report 2019" and publications on the "Future Stars" Programme, the "Life Buddies" Mentoring Scheme, the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund and the Community Care Fund distributed at the Summit have been uploaded to the CoP's dedicated website ( www.povertyrelief.gov.hk ). Ends/Saturday, May 11, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:09 NNNN

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CE meets Secretary of CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/09/P2019050900824.htm

9.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the Secretary of the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee, Mr Guo Yonghang, at Government House this afternoon (May 9). The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau; and the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, were also present. Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Guo's visit to Hong Kong. She said that she visited cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area including Zhuhai in late March last year, during which the trips to the rapidly developing Hengqin and the Zhuhai section of the then yet-to-open Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge were the highlights. She said that the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has substantially reduced the travelling time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai, opening up more aspects for co-operation and creating extremely favourable conditions for the development of the Greater Bay Area. In particular, enhancing the synergy between Hong Kong International Airport and Zhuhai Airport which is managed by the Airport Authority Hong Kong and strengthening their strategic co-operation in passenger and cargo traffic will be conducive to the development of a world-class airport cluster in the Greater Bay Area, she said. In addition, Mrs Lam encouraged Zhuhai to leverage Hong Kong's advantages in innovation and technology, higher education and healthcare services and deepen co-operation with Hong Kong to add new impetus to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Ends/Thursday, May 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 19:49 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/07/P2019050700445.htm

7.5.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (May 7): Reporter: Mrs Lam, is there anything you possibly can do to resolve the deadlock now, because you have said time and again that you want to improve your relationship with the LegCo and the atmosphere of society. Is it worth it to destroy everything you have built up because of the extradition laws? Chief Executive: If I may put it the other way, improving or enhancing the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature, and between myself and all the members of the Legislative Council, especially the non-pro-establishment members, remains my objective. But that doesn't mean that I will refrain from dealing with contentious issues or I will accommodate the wishes, no matter how unreasonable these wishes are, from the non-pro-establishment members, in order to appease them or establish a good relationship, because my responsibility is to the people of Hong Kong, and of course also to the Central People's Government. As you all know, I have dual accountability, so I am doing things in the overall public interest. But, if there is any desire to sit down and discuss with us that we can have better ways and provisions and arrangements to achieve the dual objectives of this particular legislative amendment, and if my personal intervention does help, then of course as the Chief Executive of Hong Kong I will not turn down that request. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, May 7, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:58 NNNN

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CE meets Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201905/02/P2019050200847.htm

2.5.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met with the visiting Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, Mr Keiichi Ishii at Government House this afternoon (May 2). The Ambassador and Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong, Mr Mitsuhiro Wada; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau; and the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, also attended the meeting. Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Ishii's visit to Hong Kong, noting that Hong Kong and Japan enjoy close ties and that she had visited Japan twice since assuming office. She said that her visit last October had laid a solid foundation for co-operation between the two places in various aspects, while the trip early last month was the first joint overseas promotion by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao after the promulgation of Outline Development Plan for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and is testimony to the importance Hong Kong attaches to relations with Japan. Pointing out that 2019 is "Hong Kong-Japan Tourism Year", she said she had also participated in tourism promotion activities during her visit to Japan last year. She expressed the hope that more Japanese tourists will visit Hong Kong and other Greater Bay Area cities on multi-destination itineraries. Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong has always invested heavily in infrastructure to improve the livelihood of the general public and maintain the long-term competitiveness of the city. Given the high quality of their work, their advanced technology and their concern for industrial safety, she encouraged Japan's construction companies to actively participate in Hong Kong's works projects. She added that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has set up the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund and would promote the wider adoption of innovative construction methods and technology by the construction industry to meet the challenges presented by labour shortage and an ageing workforce in Hong Kong. Ends/Thursday, May 2, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:11 NNNN

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Speech by CE at dedicated session on Hong Kong at thematic forum on sub-national co-operation of second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/25/P2019042500719.htm

25.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the dedicated session on Hong Kong themed "Belt and Road: Hong Kong IN" at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this afternoon (April 25): Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), I welcome you all to this "Hong Kong IN" session. Hong Kong is not only one of the most competitive cities in the world, but also a multicultural city in the heart of Asia. Under the unique "One Country, Two Systems" principle and enjoying unique strengths and advantages, we are a key link and a prime platform for the Belt and Road. For the past few years, the Hong Kong SAR Government has been playing the roles of "facilitator" and "promoter" in taking forward the Belt and Road Initiative, and we are pleased that various sectors in Hong Kong are all very enthusiastic to join this challenging and worthy cause. Today's session will be moderated by Mrs Laura Cha, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, and joined by six delegates from Hong Kong who are among the most accomplished in their respective sectors. Over the next 40 minutes, they will share their insights on our city's position as the Belt and Road hub in many aspects - ranging from finance and investment, legal and dispute resolution services, business and trade, professional services and capacity building to cultural exchange - as well as on how to leverage Hong Kong's strengths and advantages in professional services and international expertise in enhancing regional co-operation. In short, today's session will shed light on how Hong Kong can contribute to the Belt and Road, and hopefully will give you an extra boost of confidence in partnering with Hong Kong. Before I pass back to Laura, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organisers of this thematic forum - the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality. My thanks also go to ministries and departments that have rendered us strong assistance, in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. I wish you all a very rewarding session of the "Belt and Road: Hong Kong IN". Thank you very much. Ends/Thursday, April 25, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:38 NNNN

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Speech by CE at thematic forum on sub-national co-operation of second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/25/P2019042500575.htm

25.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this afternoon (April 25): Madam Li Xiaolin (President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries), Mayor Chen Jining (Mayor of Beijing), your excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to attend today's forum on regional co-operation, and to share a few thoughts on Hong Kong's position as an international gateway for Belt and Road regional co-operation. Hong Kong is Asia's world city. We are one of the most competitive cities in the world, and faithfully practise a free and open economy. Our strategic geographical location as a bi-directional gateway connecting the Mainland and other Belt and Road countries and world-class infrastructure have underpinned Hong Kong as an international financial, transportation and trade centre as well as an international aviation hub. Moreover, under "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy in conducting its external affairs and has established extensive and strong overseas connections. We strongly believe that these unique advantages well position Hong Kong to play a pivotal role in enhancing international and regional co-operation in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. In terms of trade and economic co-operation, Hong Kong has been actively seeking to forge stronger ties by, for example, signing Free Trade Agreements and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements with our Belt and Road partners. The Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement scheduled to take effect later this year and our three Economic and Trade Offices in Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok will surely deepen our co-operation in the Southeast Asian region. But Hong Kong is not only about business. Hong Kong also offers a platform for cultural exchanges between East and West, and can play a key role in enhancing people-to-people bonds. Our arts development, architecture, traditions, cultural heritage, cuisine and religions are a testimony of the harmonious integration of different cultures. We encourage our people to reach out to the diverse cultures, such as by sponsoring arts performance and youth exchanges through different funding schemes, and providing scholarships to encourage outstanding students from Belt and Road countries to study in Hong Kong universities. And as a well-developed city with rich experience in city management, Hong Kong is prepared to share our knowledge and expertise with our Belt and Road counterparts in a variety of fields, such as airport management, railway operation, emergency services, green and sustainable development, etc. Indeed, I have made capacity building one of Hong Kong's contributions to the Belt and Road's people-to-people connectivity. To give you some examples, our world-renowned Independent Commission Against Corruption has connected with over 40 Belt and Road countries to provide training and other forms of assistance to their anti-corruption agencies. Our disciplined services departments, such as the Police and the Fire Services Department, are offering training programmes for their overseas counterparts. Our MTR Corporation, which has a long history of providing safe, reliable and efficient railway services, established the MTR Academy in 2016 for training personnel in railway management and operation worldwide. In 2017 and 2018, over 400 executives from 22 countries attended its programmes. Likewise, our Airport Authority, which manages one of the best airports in the world, established the International Aviation Academy in 2016 to train local and regional air transport management talents. So far, participants from eight Belt and Road countries have joined a master programme in air transport management offered by the Academy. We will continue our efforts, with a view to further strengthening our ties with other Belt and Road economies. As today's forum is on regional co-operation, I must mention the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development. Featuring "one country", "two systems", "three customs territories", "three legal systems", etc, the Greater Bay Area development is an ideal example of how economies with different characteristics can work together to achieve a win-win outcome. For those who are less familiar with the Greater Bay Area, it is the most vibrant region of China covering an area of 56 000 square kilometres. It brings together the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao as well as nine flourishing cities in the Guangdong Province. Collectively, they represent a population of over 70 million people and a combined GDP of US$1.6 trillion. As a national development strategy, the Greater Bay Area is destined to be a key engine for regional co-operation and joint development. According to the Outline Development Plan of the development promulgated by the Central Government in February this year, the Greater Bay Area is set to provide solid support for the Belt and Road Initiative. Hong Kong will for sure leverage on our strengths and advantages that I just mentioned and make the best contribution to these two initiatives. Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is geared up to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. We look forward to working with you all, with a view to achieving inclusive and sustainable growth for all. Thank you very much. Ends/Thursday, April 25, 2019 Issued at HKT 16:35 NNNN

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Speech by CE at thematic forum on financial connectivity of second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/25/P2019042500373.htm

25.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the thematic forum on financial connectivity of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this morning (April 25): Minister Liu Kun (Minister of Finance), Governor Yi Gang (Governor of the People's Bank of China), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. It's an honour for me to lead a Hong Kong delegation to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and a privilege to be invited to speak at this financial connectivity thematic forum. Belt and Road is a vision that is driving changes and spurring development across the world. As a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China blessed with "One Country, Two Systems" and well established international links, Hong Kong aspires to play an active role in this Initiative. With the support of the Central Government, we entered into an Arrangement with the National Development and Reform Commission in December 2017 for advancing Hong Kong's full participation in and contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative, and in February last year, we hosted a seminar entitled "Strategies and Opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative - Leveraging Hong Kong's Advantages, Meeting the Country's Needs" at the Great Hall of the People here in Beijing. In my view, the single most relevant advantage of Hong Kong that could best meet the country's needs is our financial services given our status as a global financial centre. According to the Global Financial Centres Index, Hong Kong is ranked number three globally, right behind New York and London. Many Belt and Road economies aspire to draw foreign investments in infrastructure that underpins core economic activity and improves people's livelihood. Asian Development Bank estimates a funding demand of US$1.7 trillion each year in developing countries in Asia alone between 2016 and 2030. Infrastructure investments are among the most complicated asset classes. Funding of cross-border or regional projects becomes even more challenging. While multiple public financing mechanisms have been put in place, financing the enormous funding needs in the long run calls for private sector involvement. To attract more private capital for projects requires deep experience and expertise to assess and manage risks. On this front, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority set up an Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office (IFFO) in 2016 aiming to bring together like-minded partners with the necessary expertise to improve operational efficiency and reduce project risks. By generating demonstration effect for the market, we believe IFFO would help draw in greater private capital participation on a broader scale. In a similar light, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority launched the Belt and Road Insurance Exchange Facilitation platform last December to pool together key stakeholders to exchange intelligence on risk management and insurance, forge alliances and facilitate networking. Hong Kong can also help in many other ways, given our status as a global financial centre. Under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, Hong Kong has maintained its market-based financial system, underpinned by the rule of law and internationally aligned regulatory regimes. We have a deep capital market, with our stock market boasting the world's sixth largest capitalisation at US$4.2 trillion, which is over 11 times our GDP. Last year, we topped the world for the sixth time in 10 years in initial public offerings, taking in some US$37 billion. We also have one of the largest bond markets in the region, and are developing into a regional hub for green finance. In addition, we are Asia's second largest international banking centre behind only Japan. Our asset and wealth management sector manages about US$3.1 trillion, two-thirds of that coming from non-Hong Kong investors. We are, as well, the biggest offshore Renminbi centre in the world, processing more than 75 per cent of global offshore Renminbi payments. We have vast experience in connecting the Mainland's capital markets with the rest of the world, where our various mutual market access schemes and recognition of funds have all continued apace to strengthen connectivity that facilitates the two-way flow of cross-border funds. In short, Hong Kong is a one-stop destination of choice to serve as a premier financial and risk management centre for Belt and Road's big-ticket projects. With an unprecedented share of about 65 per cent of world's population and 40 per cent of global GDP, the Belt and Road will create abundant work, business and investment opportunities in the region. To realise this potential, investment in infrastructure today will lay the foundation for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth. Hong Kong is prepared to work with other economies in the region to make a palpable difference in the joint pursuit of shared win-win economic development. I wish you all a very rewarding Forum. Thank you very much. Ends/Thursday, April 25, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:25 NNNN

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Article by CE on the Birth of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum

pdf/20190422_HKLF.pdf

22.4.2019

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Speech by CE at Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong Chai Wan Campus opening ceremony

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/18/P2019041800825.htm

18.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the opening ceremony of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) Chai Wan Campus today (April 18): Dr Roy Chung (Chairman of the Vocational Training Council), Professor Christina Hong (President of THEi), Mrs Carrie Yau (Executive Director of the Vocational Training Council), students, teachers, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here today for the opening of the brand-new Chai Wan Campus of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, or THEi, as the Institute is so smartly known. It is particularly delightful to attend this grand opening, just a few months after my attendance at the opening of another new Vocational Training Council facility, the International Culinary Institute in Pok Fu Lam. I understand that there is one person behind both projects of VTC who is unable to join us this afternoon, that is the Honourable Dr Andrew Leung, the predecessor of Dr Roy Chung's predecessor . For infrastructure projects like this, minimally you would require almost a decade of conceiving the project, planning the project, getting the approval and so on, so may I suggest we also give Andrew a big round of applause. THEi was launched in 2012 in Tsing Yi, offering innovative, self-financed degree programmes. As Roy noted, it has gone from a modest half-a-dozen offerings, and only about 200 students, to 20 degree programmes catering to the interests of more than 3 000 students today. And it will continue to expand to 22 degree programmes in the 2019/20 academic year. There are good reasons behind its soaring growth. THEi's close collaboration with the Hong Kong workforce is certainly one of them. At last count, more than 300 industry partners were associated with THEi, taking full advantage of its enviable flow of talented young graduates who are well equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge for employment upon graduation. Its bachelor's degree in horticulture and landscape development, for example, is Hong Kong's very first horticulture programme, graduating professionals in arboriculture, horticulture and tree and landscape management. Capitalising on its collaboration with industry, THEi also supports research activities, equipping graduates with leading-edge knowledge to meet the challenges of today's and tomorrow's workplace. The opening of this Chai Wan Campus showcases our Government's ardent support of vocational and professional education and training (VPET) institutions. Beyond the subvented programmes provided by the Vocational Training Council, we have, in recent years, promoted self-financing institutions, including THEi, through a variety of initiatives that enable their development and provision of quality programmes. These include the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors and the Non-means-tested Subsidy Scheme for Self-financing Undergraduate Studies. In the current academic year, THEi offers 12 programmes under the Study Subsidy Scheme, in disciplines such as architecture and engineering, creative industries and computer science. It also provides 28 programmes under the Non-means-tested Subsidy Scheme, covering disciplines ranging from the culinary arts and management to fashion design. In short, self-financing post-secondary institutions now play a significant role in offering and promoting VPET programmes. We are committed to supporting the sustainable development of the self-financing sector, and the Education Bureau is studying in detail the recommendations of a review on self-financing post-secondary education made by a task force led by Professor Anthony Cheung. We are no less committed to VPET in higher education to ensuring that our young people can choose from multiple pathways in gaining the education they need for the future they want. VPET is central to those options, not only because of its focus on technical education and practical training. Equally essential is VPET's whole-person development, the IT expertise and innovation it delivers and the soft skills and international exposure it imparts. Last April, my Government set up a Task Force on Promotion of VPET. It has been considering how VPET can better respond to the diverse abilities and interests of our young people, as well as create closer ties with business to meet the manpower needs of Hong Kong through this century of boundless opportunity. Next month, the Task Force will conduct a public consultation on its preliminary recommendations. Roy is the chairman of the task force, so I look to you to provide me with your recommendations after the public consultation. The grand opening of THEi's new Chai Wan Campus takes us another vital step forward in the development of VPET in higher education and training. I had, just now, a quick tour around the campus, and was impressed by its many purpose-built facilities as well as the public space which will no doubt provide an innovative and sustainable learning environment for the students. I am grateful to all those who have contributed to the development of this dynamic campus. I wish THEi, its students and faculty the best of education and a flourishing future. Thank you very much. Ends/Thursday, April 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 19:27 NNNN

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Speech by CE at International Dispute Resolution Conference 2019

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/17/P2019041700390.htm

17.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the International Dispute Resolution Conference 2019 today (April 17): Commissioner Xie (Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Xie Feng), Deputy Director General Ye (Deputy Director General of Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Commerce Mr Ye Jun), Dr Law (President of the Hong Kong Mediation Centre, Dr Francis Law), the Honourable Mr Justice Poon (Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, Mr Justice Jeremy Poon), ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I'm pleased to welcome you to today's International Dispute Resolution Conference, jointly organised by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, the Hong Kong Mediation Centre and the International Dispute Resolution and Risk Management Institute. Given our status as a leading international dispute resolution centre in Asia Pacific, I believe that Hong Kong is indeed the ideal location for this event, which brings together 500 professionals from various sectors to exchange ideas on the settlement of disputes. The theme of today's conference is "New Era of Global Collaboration". It is a timely theme, for we need global collaboration more than ever to tackle the daunting challenges faced by the world. Uneven growth, diverging trade policies, financial instability and trade and investment disputes are rife worldwide. Indeed, the United Nations 2019 World Economic Situation and Prospects report notes that last year saw an upswing in trade tensions and a steep escalation in the number of disputes raised under the dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization. Beyond the more visible trade disputes, climate change and biodiversity challenges all call for global solutions. An increase in international trade and investment disputes seems to be inevitable given the growth in cross-border economic activities and transactions, especially in Asia. Buoyed by domestic demand, Asia's GDP is expected to grow 6.1 per cent a year on average between now and 2023. Hong Kong is taking full advantage of that growth. Nine of our top 10 trading partners are from Asia, and they accounted for almost 80 per cent of our merchandise trade in 2017. Given the Free Trade Agreement and related Investment Agreement between Hong Kong and the ASEAN, which were signed in 2017 and are expected to come into force later this year after the necessary ratification process, trade and investment in this region are bound to flourish in the years and decades to come. Hong Kong, as a founding member of the World Trade Organization and a staunch supporter of free trade, would no doubt welcome trade growth. The key is to manage and settle the increasing number of disputes that come with it. In this regard, conventional litigation alone will not prove sufficient. Arbitration, given its established international conventions, rules and norms, has long been used to settle international disputes. And mediation is gradually sharing arbitration's spotlight in international dispute resolution. Mediation's attractions are many. It works to achieve an amicable resolution, given that settlements must be reached voluntarily. And that, of course, is conducive to maintaining business relationships among the parties involved. That said, the lack of an effective method for enforcing mediated agreements has been an impediment to its international development. In that regard, I am pleased to note the approval, last year, of the Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation and its subsequent adoption by the United Nations General Assembly. The Mediation Convention, with its enhanced enforceability, is expected to boost mediation, particularly investment mediation, as a global means of dispute resolution. Hong Kong is actively preparing for that reality, providing dedicated training for investment mediators. The first Investment Law and Investor-State Mediator Training in Asia took place here last October. More than 50 dispute resolution practitioners and government officials from Asia and beyond took part. As an international legal and dispute resolution services centre in the Asia Pacific region, Hong Kong will continue to follow closely the development on international mediation and arbitration, while embracing the immense opportunities that may emerge. Thanks to our "one country, two systems" framework, Hong Kong maintains our common law system, underpinned by an independent judiciary and a deep and varied pool of legal practitioners from all over the world. Hong Kong's judicial independence is recognised internationally and is ranked eighth among 140 economies. According to World Bank's World Governance Indicators, Hong Kong's percentile ranking in the rule of law has improved from 70 per cent in 1996 to 94 per cent in 2017, showing that the rule of law in Hong Kong has continued to improve over the years. Let me add that 14 eminent judges from other common law jurisdictions, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, currently sit on our Court of Final Appeal as non-permanent judges, which in itself is a testimony to our rule of law and independent judiciary. Our economic system is no less attractive. We maintain a free-market economy, offering a simple and low tax regime and a level playing field for companies. The Heritage Foundation has named Hong Kong the world's freest economy for the past 25 years in a row. The Fraser Institute also ranks us consistently the first in economic freedom. Those are our traditional strengths, and we are also developing new ones. In particular, innovation and technology is a policy priority of my Government, and Hong Kong is catching up quickly on that front. We are encouraging the application of technology in almost every aspect of our economy and society, including justice for cross-border disputes. A representative from our Department of Justice is chairing a Working Group in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which has developed a framework for the online resolution of cross-border, business-to-business disputes. It will cut costs and overcome the geographical distance between parties involved. It will also promote the use of dispute-resolution services internationally. To support APEC's work, non-governmental organisations here are creating an electronic Business Related Arbitration and Mediation system, or eBRAM in short. eBRAM is being developed as a secure and cost-effective deal-making and dispute-resolution online service for cross-border commercial and trade disputes, including those relating to projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. My Government is providing close to US$20 million to support eBRAM's development and initial operation. We hope that eBRAM could facilitate business operation and achieve better access to justice by providing easily accessible and affordable dispute resolution services. We also hope that it could demonstrate Hong Kong's unique competitiveness under the "one country, two systems" principle in addressing the service need of various jurisdictions with different legal traditions. In short, ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is determined, and my Government is committed, to Hong Kong's continuing rise as centre for international legal and dispute-resolution services. We look forward to your support. Before I close, my thanks to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, the Hong Kong Mediation Centre and the International Dispute Resolution and Risk Management Institute for organising this important conference. I wish each and every one of you a rewarding day at the conference and here in Hong Kong, Asia's world city. Thank you very much. Ends/Wednesday, April 17, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:09 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Internet Economy Summit 2019

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/15/P2019041500441.htm

15.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Internet Economy Summit 2019 today (April 15): Deputy Director Yang (Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Mr Yang Xiaowei), Mr Chen (Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee, Mr Chen Xinhua), Deputy Director Lu (Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Lu Xinning), President Ma (President of the China Internet Development Foundation, Ms Ma Li), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. I am delighted to welcome you to the Internet Economy Summit, our fourth edition. Launched in 2016, the Summit has fast become our flagship forum for tracking, and making sense of, the latest developments in the global Internet economy. Indeed, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Internet. Over the past 50 years, the Internet has evolved miraculously from a network of a few computers to one that connects billions of people, machines and devices around the world. The Internet is now the bedrock of innovation and technology. It's at the heart of cloud computing, big data analytics, the Internet of Things, fintech, blockchain, AI, robotics and so much more to come. The opportunities they create extend to every business sector, every societal issue, from health and ageing to education, sustainability and the environment. This two-day Summit will be an excellent opportunity for you to share insights into the latest digital technologies and the huge potential the Internet can bring about through transforming businesses, societies and economies. My Government believes in the promise of innovation and technology. Last year, at this Forum, I outlined our major innovation and technology policies and programmes. This is an opportune time for me to update you on some of our initiatives. Over the past year, we have introduced a super tax deduction of up to 300 per cent for R&D expenditure incurred by private enterprises starting from the 2018-19 fiscal year. We have also set up an Innovation and Technology Venture Fund to co-invest in local start-ups. We have committed HK$10 billion to establish two research clusters that focus respectively on healthcare technologies and artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. We have also injected HK$20 billion into the Research Endowment Fund of the Research Grants Council to provide sufficient funding for R&D at universities. Taken together, these initiatives would considerably strengthen our innovation and technology ecosystem and provide a big boost towards our goal to double Hong Kong's R&D expenditure as a ratio to GDP to 1.5 per cent by the year 2022. For the two research clusters on health technologies and AI and robotics that I mentioned last year, we have been sounding out notable international companies, universities and research institutions. The response, I'm pleased to say, has been cheering. To date, we've received some 50 proposals, many of which are supported by an MOU signed with Hong Kong universities for undertaking joint R&D projects. We expect that the first research institutions will be setting up their laboratories at the Hong Kong Science Park before the end of this year. Our start-up scene, I'm pleased to say, is also flourishing. The number of start-ups in major public and private co-work spaces and incubators here in Hong Kong has grown 18 per cent to more than 2 600 at the end of 2018. Of the founders, some 35 per cent were from outside Hong Kong, showing that Hong Kong is an attractive place for talent and entrepreneurs from around the world. With the number of start-ups increasing, we're also sighting more unicorns here, with several of those begun at our flagship innovation and technology institutions - Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport. Speaking of which, Cyberport is now home to more than 1 200 companies and start-ups, but we want more. That is why we have announced in this year's Budget an allocation of HK$5.5 billion for the development of Cyberport 5. The expansion, expected to open in 2024, will add about 66 000 square metres of floor space to Cyberport. Our ability to attract institutions, start-ups, talent and investment from other countries is in no small part due to Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" framework. That gives us a clear and compelling advantage in the region. This is underlined in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development. The far-reaching development emphasises co-operative development, focusing on the distinct strengths of each of the Greater Bay Area's 11 cities, that is Hong Kong, Macao and nine prosperous Guangdong municipalities. One of our distinct strengths will definitely be our international network, established over the years under "one country, two systems". Beyond our international connectivity, Hong Kong offers top universities and scientists, a pro-business environment, the rule of law underpinned by an independent judiciary, and reassuring intellectual property protection. It helps, too, that our logistics and communications infrastructure is world-class. Add it up, and you know why the world looks to Hong Kong to connect and excel. An Outline Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area development was promulgated by the Central Government in February this year. It identifies Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou and Shenzhen as the four core cities, as well as the key engines for driving the regional development. Among others, the Plan expects Hong Kong to play a key role in the Greater Bay Area's emergence as an international innovation and technology centre. This is in line with the steer and support given by President Xi Jinping who, noting our solid science and technology foundation and a large pool of technological talent, considers Hong Kong an important force in implementing the nation's innovation-driven development strategy. Hong Kong is already at work in building an impressive foundation for our strategic role in the Greater Bay Area. The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, some four times the size of the current Science Park, is now under construction in Hong Kong, strategically close to Shenzhen. We are also enhancing R&D collaboration with other cities and research institutes in the Mainland, thanks to the relaxation of cross-boundary remittance for science and technology project funding. Financial technology is another important area, a growth sector we are committed to running with, for the Greater Bay Area and the Asian region as a whole. I know the Financial Secretary will be speaking tomorrow at the Summit's FinTech Forum, so I'll leave it to him to detail the considerable advances we're making, from our Faster Payment System to virtual banking, insurtech and a good deal more. But let me just say that, with innovation and technology being the focus of the Greater Bay Area development, and given Hong Kong's status as a global financial centre, the Greater Bay Area has all the potential to be both the Silicon Valley and the Wall Street of the East. Ladies and gentlemen, the theme of this year's Internet Economy Summit is "Digital Economy - Redefines our Future". With the encouraging developments that I have outlined just now, I would say that Hong Kong's innovation and technology is developing in the best of times. In particular, with a population of over 70 million and a combined GDP of some US$1.6 trillion, the Greater Bay Area opens up new development horizon for the region and provides Hong Kong with a huge opportunity to grow our economy and uplift the well-being of our people. It is up to us all to seize this opportunity. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Today's Summit is the first of the many events Hong Kong is organising to honour this significant milestone. There will be more to come, and I look forward to having you in our celebration events. Finally, I am very grateful to the Cyberspace Administration of China and the China Internet Development Foundation for their steadfast support for this annual Summit over the past three years. I wish you all a very rewarding Summit. And for those of you from overseas and the Mainland, I wish you a pleasant stay in Hong Kong, Asia's world city. Thank you very much. Ends/Monday, April 15, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:50 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Asian Universities Alliance Summit 2019 Presidents Forum

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/14/P2019041400360.htm

14.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Asian Universities Alliance Summit 2019 Presidents Forum this morning (April 14): Professor Qiu (President of Tsinghua University, Professor Qiu Yong), Mr Liao (Chairman of Council of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Mr Andrew Liao), Professor Shyy (President of HKUST, Professor Shyy Wei), consul-generals, university presidents, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. I'm delighted to welcome the Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) and its third annual summit to Hong Kong. Thank you for inviting me to join today's Presidents Forum, where great minds like yours come together to consider issues of concern to us, and issues of importance to Asia and the world. Hong Kong prides itself on connectivity, and we promote our city as Asia's World City, a perfect location in Asia for people to connect and excel. The focus of such connectivity ranges from finance to trade, from technology to culture, etc. This is why throughout the year, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government hosts or supports international and regional gatherings like the Asian Financial Forum, the Belt and Road Summit, the Internet Economy Summit (which by the way will take place tomorrow at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre) and the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum. I am therefore delighted that the AUA has chosen Hong Kong as the place to hold its third annual summit. Obviously the AUA also believes in the power of connectivity, which explains why since the Tsinghua University first proposed to establish the AUA in April 2016, it had only taken a year for all the preparatory work to be completed and for the AUA to be formally launched in 2017. Through the AUA, the 15 founding universities seek to jointly address regional and global challenges, specifically related to higher education and economic, scientific and technological development, by strengthening collaboration. In Professor Qiu's words, the founding of AUA marks a significant milestone in Asian higher education. It is a product of the common needs and shared expectation of the 15 founding universities. This growing connectivity within Asia is, in my view, both necessary and meaningful. The region already plays a pivotal role in the global economy and is destined to continue to provide the impetus for growth. In my former capacity as the Chief Secretary for Administration, I was invited to contribute a piece to a publication by the UK's Asia House released in 2016 entitled Asia 2025. In the book's Foreword, the Chairman of Asia House remarked that "it is not the abundance of opportunity that will fully confirm Asia's significance", but we will be seeing "a new phase of global development and underlining the value of educational links and shared scientific research". With its foresight, AUA and its founding universities are clearly embracing that shared value. At the government level, especially with the strong tradition of an open economy, Hong Kong embraces the importance of enhanced connectivity with other Asian economies. To name just a few of our specific initiatives, we have entered into a Hong Kong – ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and related Investment Agreement in late 2017, which subject to the necessary ratification should come into effect this year. We have opened a new Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok in February 2019, our third office in ASEAN after Singapore and Jakarta. We have plans for opening similar offices in Dubai, Mumbai and Seoul. Since taking office in July 2017, I and my colleague, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development have visited Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines. We have introduced Belt and Road scholarships for students from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar to study in our local universities. I should add that for over 20 years, the Hong Kong-based Asian Youth Orchestra has helped nurture music and friendship amongst young musicians in the region. The education links represented by the AUA are therefore a much-valued partner in this enhanced network that we are building. Let me now turn to the Presidents Forum today. Your forum agenda, with sustainable development and technological entrepreneurship as central themes, is as ambitious and welcome as the AUA itself. The central question at hand is this: what can our post-secondary institutions bring to these complex challenges, these compelling opportunities? The answers will go a long way towards realising a flourishing and inclusive future for our universities, our economies and the Asian region as a whole. Innovation and technology is a policy priority for my Government and an area of progressive growth and boundless promise for our universities. Hong Kong has what it takes to be successful in this field. To start with, we have world-class research capabilities. Four Hong Kong universities rank among the world's top 100. That includes the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, a founding member of the AUA. Let me add that this prestigious university is among the top young universities in the world, leading the way in science and engineering-related subjects. Hong Kong's technology research strengths include biotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics. To expand on these and other areas of excellence, we have in recent years put in place numerous policies and programmes to promote R&D at our universities. Our Innovation and Technology Fund, for example, supports both applied and forward-looking R&D projects undertaken by our universities. We also have the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities under the Fund, which enables university professors and students to start technology companies and commercialise their R&D results. In January this year, we launched the Partnership Research Programme under the Fund. It sponsors R&D projects undertaken by private companies in collaboration with local universities. There is also a dedicated programme which funds universities engaged in midstream research. On top of the above, our Innovation and Technology Fund assists universities in their technology transfer. And, I'm pleased to note, R&D results among our universities are encouraging. A start-up linked with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, for example, developed soft contact lenses and spectacle lenses that can retard the progression of myopia in children. Its related defocus-incorporated-multiple-segments technology won the Grand Prize at last year's International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. The research behind this breakthrough was funded by our Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities that I mentioned just now. By the way, I am thrilled to learn from yesterday's news and this morning's newspapers that this year's Geneva Exhibition of Inventions' Grand Prize also goes to a Hong Kong company, a start-up at Science Park, with a water-based manufacturing process to recycle and reuse lithium battery as its winning entry. Excellent work is also being done by the 16 State Key Labs and six local branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centres here, which are funded in full or in part by the Innovation and Technology Fund. Hosted by Hong Kong universities, their achievements include the new stress-tolerant soybean cultivar, and the world's first scientific model for predicting metal toxicity in marine environments and bodies of water. Let me add that Professor Dennis Lo, Director of the State Key Lab of Translational Oncology, was named among the "Top 20 Translational Researchers" for two consecutive years by the world-renowned journal Nature Biotechnology. Professor Lo developed a noninvasive prenatal diagnostic technology that has benefited millions of pregnant women around the world. And SenseTime, a home-grown technology company in the Hong Kong Science Park founded by Professor Tang Xiaoou has developed into the world's most valuable AI start-up in just a little over three years. It's all very encouraging, which is why we continue to expand our support – through facilitating policies and considerable investment at some US$12.5 billion in the past two years. This fiscal year, my Government doubled annual funding under our Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities. Each university now gets more than US$1 million a year. We've done the same for the technology transfer office of each university, which means a doubling of funding to more than US$1 million a year. As for our State Key Labs and the Hong Kong Branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centres, their annual funding has also been doubled to US$1.3 million. And to boost our impressive talent base, my Government launched the Postdoctoral Hub last August under the Innovation and Technology Fund. It funds universities and other organisations in their recruitment of post-doctoral talent for R&D work. The Researcher Programme also supports them in the hiring of local graduates to assist in R&D projects. Since February, the maximum time period for these two programmes has been extended to three years. Response is overwhelming with the Researcher Programme having sponsored over 3 800 local graduates to join the innovation and technology industry and the Postdoctoral Hub Programme having sponsored 360 postdoctoral talents to pursue a career in R&D. We are, in short, committed to helping our universities realise their full R&D potential. Our more ambitious goal, however, is to help build an international innovation and technology hub here in Hong Kong. That includes the establishment of two world-class research clusters at our Science Park – one targeting healthcare technologies, the other artificial intelligence and robotics. In each case, we are inviting renowned universities, research institutions and companies from all over the world to look to Hong Kong for their future. The response has been encouraging, and from such prestigious universities as Harvard, Stanford and Johns Hopkins in the United States, Imperial College and University College London in the United Kingdom, the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and the Institut Pasteur in France. From the Mainland of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Tsinghua University are amongst the active project proponents. In all, we've received nearly 50 proposals to date, and the first research institutions will be setting up their laboratories in two brand new buildings at the Science Park before the end of this year. We are also building unprecedented connections and opportunity through the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The city cluster comprises the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao and nine major cities in Guangdong, and each of the 11 cities will contribute their respective strengths. The Outline Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area was promulgated by the Central Government in February this year, and the goal of creating an international innovation and technology hub for the Greater Bay Area occupies a very prominent part of the Plan. To that end, we are strengthening our collaboration with the Mainland on the innovation and technology front under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. With the support of the Central Government, our local universities and research institutions are now eligible to apply for state funding on science and technology and the approved funds will be remitted to Hong Kong. Also in last year, we signed a co-operation arrangement with the Mainland's Ministry of Science and Technology, which serves as an action guide and framework for us to enhance co-operation in scientific research, nurturing of talents, transfer of results, etc. We also entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which will set up an affiliated institution here in Hong Kong to facilitate its research institutes to participate in the research clusters I mentioned earlier. And we've established a Bay Area academician alliance to promote co-operation among academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. They will help advise on the Greater Bay Area's technological development. We would like to see more world-renowned universities and research institutions joining us, both for the research clusters being set up in Hong Kong and for the Greater Bay Area development. That is why university visits are now almost a "must-see" on my official itinerary overseas. Last week, during my trip to Japan, I visited the University of Tokyo, a member of the AUA, and had a very fruitful meeting with President Gonokami. While we are all excited about science and technological innovation, we must not forget about sustainable development, or the broader humanity issues, without which there will be little social and ecological harmony. I am glad to note that sustainable development is also a main theme to be discussed at this Presidents Forum. Hong Kong definitely realises the importance of sustainable development. And the Government has rolled out various environmental blueprints and measures to tackle environmental degradation. I should add that there is also a dedicated chapter in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan entitled "Taking Forward Ecological Conservation". But time will not allow me to go into details this morning. Finally, I wish the AUA, and each of its member universities, continuing success, and all of you a rewarding Presidents Forum and Summit here in Hong Kong. Thank you very much. Ends/Sunday, April 14, 2019 Issued at HKT 11:51 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Symposium on Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Tokyo

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/09/P2019040900615.htm

9.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Tokyo, Japan, today (April 9): Ambassador Cheng (Chinese Ambassador to Japan, Mr Cheng Yonghua), Governor Ma (Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui), Secretary Chan (Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms Sonia Chan), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to join you and to welcome you to this Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area jointly organised by the People's Government of Guangdong, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region. In case you are not aware, this is the first joint promotion overseas undertaken by the three governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao since the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan governing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in February this year. I hope that is an indication of the importance we attach to the third largest economy in the world and the friendship that we have established over the years which Ambassador Cheng has just talked about. We are much encouraged by this turnout this morning. I was told by my colleagues that we have an enrolment of 1 200 and 70 per cent are Japanese enterprise representatives. That is a very good indication of the interest of our Japanese counterparts in this regional development in the People's Republic of China. But this encouraging turnout would not be possible without the support of many organisations, and since I'm the first to speak on behalf of the three governments, let me extend my warmest appreciation and gratitude to these organisations. The first one is of course the special support offered by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Japan, especially Ambassador Cheng Yonghua himself. He hosted a lovely dinner for us last night and is coming today to give us a wonderful opening address. And we are thankful to quite a large number of supporting organisations in Japan, in Hong Kong and in the Greater Bay Area. They include the Japan Business Federation, the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Entrepreneur Union and the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, from which we have a strong delegation over there. They all wear the same tie so you can easily recognise these members from the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. And I want to especially thank one person who has helped us to achieve this great turnout and encouragement, and this is Dr Jonathan Choi, the President of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. And of course we are very grateful to Mr Nobuhiko Sasaki, Chairman of JETRO, Japan External Trade Organization, and State Minister Yoshihiro Seki, who will join us in a moment from METI, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Both of them will share a few words of wisdom with us later on. As I said, since I'm the first to speak on behalf of three governments, I will start with a little bit of background about this Greater Bay Area before I talk about Hong Kong's role in the development of the Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area occupies a very important part of the People's Republic of China at the southern part of it. The total area is 56 000 square kilometres. In terms of population, it now has 71 million, which is larger than the country of the United Kingdom or France which is about 66 to 68 million people. In terms of Gross Domestic Product, and that is the size of our economy, the Greater Bay Area amounted to US$1.6 trillion last year and that was 12 per cent of China's GDP and almost the same as the entire size of the economy of the Republic of Korea. This gives you a very good indication of the prospects and potential of this region. The characteristics of this Greater Bay Area is that, first, it enjoys very distinctive geographical advantages with the most intensive cluster of airports and ports in the world - I'll show you some figures to demonstrate that later on. It has enjoyed very robust economic growth. As you know, Guangdong is the fastest growing province in the entire People's Republic of China. Hong Kong is now a mature economy, so we grew by a smaller percentage - about 3 per cent real growth last year. But in the whole region, it is still full of vibrancy and vitality. It has a high concentration of key areas in innovation. We are talking about research and development, advanced manufacturing and the market development. We have an advanced level of internationalisation partly because of the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao, that over the years we have established very strong global connections. We have very solid co-operation foundations. Prior to this Greater Bay Area, there are mechanisms like the Hong Kong/Guangdong joint conference and the Guangdong/Macao joint conference, which meet annually to talk about mutual interest affairs, and that's why myself and Governor Ma are very good friends because Governor Ma used to be the Party Secretary of Shenzhen, which is a neighbour of Hong Kong and one of the most prominent cities in the Greater Bay Area. Most important of all, we enjoy "One Country, Two Systems". This unique arrangement is not available in other regional developments in the People's Republic of China, and I can assure you that in the development of the Greater Bay Area, we will be seeing more co-operation, more integration, but it will not dilute the principle of "One Country, Two Systems". In the Outline Development Plan, which you will get the copy of later on, one of the guiding principles as laid out in the Outline Development Plan is the importance of "One Country, Two Systems". In one of the public meetings, Vice-Premier Han Zheng said the development of the Greater Bay Area is not going to undermine the "One Country, Two Systems" nor dilute the "Two Systems". Our important mission is to find ways to grow this region, upholding this very important fundamental principle of "One Country, Two Systems". We are right now in another very important bay area in the world, so let me just give you a little comparison of this Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with the other three prominent bay area economies in the world. They are the Tokyo Bay Area, the New York Metropolitan Area and the San Francisco Bay Area. In terms of geographical size, of course 56 000 square kilometres is huge, and we are the largest in terms of size. We are also the largest in terms of population. In terms of annual airport freight turnover as well as annual port container throughput, because we have the largest cluster of airports and ports in the world, both figures are also the largest amongst the four bay area economies. In terms of Gross Domestic Product, we are slightly behind the Tokyo Bay Area and the New York Metropolitan Area at US$1.6 trillion, but with the high growth, especially with Guangdong taking the lead, I'm sure we will be able to catch up. The Greater Bay Area is a national strategy. It's not just the three governments coming together to do something that we want to. It is at the national strategic level mentioned by President Xi Jinping, and actually personally conceived and steered by President Xi himself and was featuring in the annual report of Premier Li Keqiang. The mission of this Greater Bay Area is two-fold. One is it is a new attempt to break new ground in pursuing opening up on all fronts. I am sure you know China has gone through remarkably 40 years of reform and opening up and our country is now entering another phase of further reform and deepening of the opening up and we want to find a new model full of innovation in order to press ahead with that new qualitative development. The second is a further step in taking forward the practice of "One Country, Two Systems". Hong Kong has been reunited with the Mainland of China for almost 22 years. We have successfully implemented "One Country, Two Systems", maintained stability and prosperity. But the time has come for Hong Kong to break new ground in order to take our economy to the next level and the Greater Bay Area provides us with that exceptional opportunity. The objectives of the national strategy in the Greater Bay Area development are: To promote co-ordinated regional economic development, so don't just compete but complement each other. Complementarity is going to be one key principle in the Greater Bay Area development. The second objective is to give new impetus, especially to the development of Hong Kong and Macao. The third objective is to build a new system of open economy. I'm sure you've heard a lot about the importance we attach to open economy and a rule-based system. The fourth is to provide a new model of high-quality development. There are several important milestones in the last two years in taking forward the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. I would say that the starting point is July 1, 2017, incidentally when I took office as the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Witnessed personally by President Xi Jinping, the three governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, signed jointly an agreement providing a framework - that is an outline for the Greater Bay Area development. And from that point onwards, the three governments, together with the relevant ministries in the Central People's Government led by the National Development and Reform Commission, worked diligently on the content of this Outline Development Plan. In addition, knowing very well that the three governments will have a lot of wishes that would require support and assistance from the central ministries, such as taxation issues, customs issues and trade and services issues, upon our strong request, the Central Government has set up a leading group chaired by the Vice-Premier Han Zheng. And the leading group met for the first time in August last year and as a result of that first meeting of the leading group, we now have a mandate from the Central Government to develop an international innovation and technology hub in the Greater Bay Area. The next important milestone is the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan by the Central Government on February 18 this year and a few days later the three governments joined hands again but this time was in Hong Kong to do a promotion, a similar symposium like today's, in Hong Kong to promote and explain the Outline Development Plan. And on March 1 this year, Vice-Premier Han Zheng chaired a second plenary meeting of the Greater Bay Area development leading group, and as a result of that, eight measures were announced after the meeting. I will not go through each and every of these eight measures. You can have a detailed look later on. But these are good examples to show you how we could maintain the "One Country, Two Systems", whether in terms of immigration, customs, tax and financial systems, but still manage to have greater integration to facilitate the free flow of people, capital, goods, information within the Greater Bay Area. The Outline Development Plan in front of you consists of seven substantive chapters. Apart from the guiding principles and the implementation strategy, it has seven important chapters covering the innovation and technology hub, the infrastructure connectivity, the modern industrial system, ecological conservation, a quality living circle for our people, our contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative and finally how we could take forward the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao co-operation platforms. Now I will spend a few minutes to talk about Hong Kong's role in the Greater Bay Area. I am sure Governor Ma and Secretary Chan will respectively talk about Guangdong and Macao situation. Hong Kong's competitive strengths lie in: We are an international financial centre. We are ranked the world's number three after New York and London. And we are an international aviation hub. Our international airport was serving 74 million passengers and 5.1 million tonnes of cargo last year. That made us the world's number one in terms of air cargo throughput. We are a very business-friendly society, ranked number four worldwide by the World Bank in terms of ease of doing business, and our business environment is deeply grounded in the rule of law with certainty and clarity. We are the freest economy in the world as ranked by the US-based Heritage Foundation, not for one year, not for two years, but for 25 successive years. We are also a business hub with over 8 700 overseas and Mainland companies in Hong Kong and many of them are using Hong Kong as their regional headquarters and regional offices. We have top-notch universities which make us very well positioned for doing innovation and technology. Four of our universities are among the world's top 100. Hong Kong's key roles in the Greater Bay Area include several areas. We cannot do every sector within the Greater Bay Area but I see Hong Kong playing an important role in financial services because we are an international financial centre, so we'll be able to provide a platform for investment and financing by enterprises within the Greater Bay Area. We can promote financial co-operation and development through connectivity within the Greater Bay Area. We will provide offshore Renminbi business. Right now, we are the world's largest offshore Renminbi business hub. We love to promote green finance because one of the chapters in the Outline Development Plan is about ecological conservation. While we propel our economy, we want to preserve the environment as well. And finally, we can provide quality insurance services to businesses and people within the Greater Bay Area. Our second key role is to be a hub in terms of transport and logistics. I've talked about the important role played by the Hong Kong International Airport, and we are also doing a lot of training for our own people as well as people in the region in aviation. Our port in terms of throughput is coming down a bit because of very fierce competition from ports in Guangdong like Shenzhen and Nansha. But we want to do high-end maritime services in leasing, financing, registration to ports within the Greater Bay Area and we have a mission to ensure the smooth cross-boundary flow of people and goods. Talking about logistics and transport, I'd love to show you this map of the Greater Bay Area. It shows both sides of the Pearl River Delta - the east and the west. All these lines are enhanced transport connectivity. I am sure many of you have heard about the high-speed train in China, now accounting for 29 000 kilometres of high-speed train. Our high-speed train in Hong Kong is only 26 kilometres, but it connects very well the West Kowloon Station in the heart of Hong Kong all the way to Guangzhou, which is less than 50 minutes, actually the fastest train without any stop in between is 43 minutes. I tried it. I am sure the Guangdong Governor has also tried this high-speed train. And across the Pearl River Delta, we need more transport bridges so that the people and goods flow could be facilitated. Of the four links, three have been opened. The lowest one is the very famous Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Above it is the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which is under construction and will be commissioned in 2024. Above it is a slightly older bridge called the Humen Bridge, which was opened in 1997. And the top is the Nansha Bridge, which was opened this month. With all these additional bridges and roads, it is a very well-connected area. The third role that Hong Kong wants to play is in innovation and technology. I wouldn't go into detail but I can say that Hong Kong looks to Japan to have greater collaboration in innovation and technology. I have met with the Japan Science and Technology Agency for three times already in Hong Kong and in Japan. And our distinguished universities will continue to contribute to the innovation and technology hub while the advanced manufacturing capability in Guangdong will provide the needed production capacity for the discoveries of innovation and technology. On our own, the Hong Kong SAR Government, especially since I took office about 21 months ago, we have rolled out a significant number of policies to grow the innovation and technology industry and invested a total of HK$100 billion - that is about US$12.5 billion - in innovation and technology from hardware to software, from research funding to talent nurturing. All these will continue in momentum in order to contribute to this innovation and technology area. We are a very important legal services hub within the Greater Bay Area. We also have an ambition to provide services for international legal and dispute resolution actually not only in the Greater Bay Area. We are aiming to become an arbitration and dispute resolution hub for Asia-Pacific. For the other sectors where our strength lies, we also will continue to contribute to the Greater Bay Area. That includes our quality medical services, our higher education and also our creative industries, especially in the film industry. We can see that there is huge potential for us to work with cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to take forward these important sectors. Finally, I want to end with this message: Hong Kong stands ready to connect Japan with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area because of very close ties between Hong Kong and Japan. Japan is Hong Kong's fourth largest merchandise trading partner and Hong Kong is Japan's eighth largest. There are close to 1 400 Japanese companies in Hong Kong. In fact, this makes Japan number one in terms of the number of overseas companies, slightly above American companies in Hong Kong. And what is significant is that of these 1 400 Japanese companies, about 40 per cent are using Hong Kong as their regional headquarters and regional offices, so they are rather sizeable companies. I am sure many of the Japanese enterprises represented here this morning have an office in Hong Kong. And we have very strong people-to-people links between Japan and Hong Kong. There are over 450 flights every week between Hong Kong and Japan to 15 destinations in Japan. In terms of tourists last year, 2.2 million Hong Kong passenger trips came to Japan. That is a very strong indication of the close links and friendship between Hong Kong and Japan. I made a very successful five-day visit to Tokyo last October and met with a lot of people, and attended meetings and seminars and so on. And as a result, this gives me added confidence that we should work together in concert and in complementarity, so I've come here a second time within six months. This gives me a lot of enjoyment - especially this is the season for cherry blossom so it is an added bonus to come to Japan at this point in time. So let's seize the opportunities in the Greater Bay Area development together and thank you once again for coming to this symposium. Ends/Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:37 NNNN

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Speech by CE at Hong Kong ICT Awards 2019 Awards Presentation Ceremony

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/04/P2019040400934.htm

4.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2019 Awards Presentation Ceremony this evening (April 4): Professor Tuan (Chairman of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2019 Grand Judging Panel, Professor Rocky Tuan), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good evening. It's a pleasure to be here once again for the annual Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology Awards Presentation Ceremony. This year marks the 13th edition of the event. Let me say upfront how much I enjoyed meeting the grand award winners earlier this evening. It was a welcome opportunity to see the faces behind Hong Kong's future. One among them will take home the "Award of the Year" honour, and I look forward to presenting that much anticipated award in just a few minutes. During my chats just now with the award winners, it struck me just how much the ICT Awards reflect Hong Kong's business and community life. The award categories include digital entertainment, fintech, start-ups, smart business, smart living, smart mobility, smart people and student innovation. In short, there is very little in the Hong Kong economy and community, in our business and social lives, that doesn't look to technology for its future and its success. That is why my Government has invested about HK$100 billion in innovation and technology (I&T) programmes and initiatives, from promoting R&D to boosting our research, technology and science infrastructure and nurturing talent. That commitment is slowly paying off, and this gala evening may just underline that. Tonight, the spotlight is on ICT, a critical I&T pillar and a key contributor to such sectors as fintech, healthcare, robotics and artificial intelligence. ICT is also a core component in many smart city applications. In the 2019-20 Budget, we allocated HK$6 billion to boost our ICT system's hardware and to develop talent. We also set aside HK$5.5 billion for the expansion of Cyberport, including its Smart-Space, which will offer more opportunities for start-ups. Actually, I recently paid a visit to Smart-Space 8. It's located in a revitalised industrial building in Tsuen Wan, created under the Government's Space Sharing Scheme for the Youth. There I had the pleasure of meeting a number of young entrepreneurs, and I'm pleased to see one of them among this evening's award winners. Rest assured, we will continue to create such facilities for our start-ups and, no less important, enhance R&D opportunities in our universities. This year's budget, let me add, allocated HK$500 million for the establishment of information technology Innovation Labs and related activities in all publicly funded secondary schools. Our goal is to stimulate students' interest in I&T, particularly in such areas as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing and data analytics, and encourage the talented students to pursue a career in those fields. Speaking of careers for young people, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will vastly expand career opportunities, especially for our young people in the coming years and decades. That includes the I&T sector. To start with, the Greater Bay Area, with a population of 70 million and a collective GDP worth some US$1.6 trillion, represents a huge market for our I&T innovations. Further, the Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area are renowned for their advanced manufacturing capability, while Hong Kong's deep and liquid capital market provides an excellent platform for raising funds. The Greater Bay Area will therefore be the perfect place for innovators to turn their idea into products and services. In addition, we have put in place various support schemes for our young entrepreneurs. Just last month, the Guangdong province announced that they would offer young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and Macao the same training, capital and rental support as those available to Guangdong young people. We are grateful to the Guangdong Provincial Government for this initiative, which will provide an extra incentive for our young people to pursue a career in the Greater Bay Area. In short, ladies and gentlemen, we are living in an era of opportunity. With their innovative products and services, this year's award winners have shown that they have all it takes to succeed. I challenge them to continue their commitment to I&T excellence, and create a better future for all of us. Finally, my thanks to the committees and judging panels of this year's ICT Awards. I am grateful as well to the organisers of the eight award categories and to many others for their considerable time and effort in making this year's Hong Kong ICT Awards a resounding success. I wish you all a very enjoyable evening. Thank you very much. Ends/Thursday, April 4, 2019 Issued at HKT 22:00 NNNN

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Speech by CE at 2019 ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Conference & Exhibition

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/03/P2019040300412.htm

3.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the 2019 Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Conference & Exhibition today (April 3): Martin (Chair, ACI World Governing Board, Mr Martin Eurnekian), Mr Lee (President, ACI Asia-Pacific, Mr Lee Seow Hiang), Dr Liu (Secretary General, International Civil Aviation Organization, Dr Liu Fang), Jack (Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr Jack So), Fred (Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr Fred Lam), Dr Dong (Deputy Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Dr Dong Zhiyi), ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. We are honoured to be hosting for the very first time the Airports Council International's World General Assembly, one of the highlights in the global aviation industry's annual calendar. This event brings to Hong Kong hundreds of the global aviation industry's leaders. On behalf of the Hong Kong SAR Government, let me extend to you a very warm welcome. Being the headquarters for ACI Asia-Pacific, which represents over 100 members operating nearly 600 airports in 49 countries and regions, Hong Kong is well placed for ACI's Annual General Assembly. Our world-class airport, the Hong Kong International Airport, is amongst the best in the world. Last year, our airport achieved recording-breaking performance by handling more than 74 million passengers and over 5 million tonnes of cargo and air mail. That made Hong Kong the world's busiest cargo airport for the eighth year in a row. We are, as well, the world's third-busiest international passenger airport. Aviation leaders are coming at a time when we are gearing up to play an even more important role in the airport business. The construction of a three-runway system for the Hong Kong International Airport began in August 2016, with commissioning of the third runway scheduled for 2022. Together with a new passenger building, a new automated people mover, a new baggage handling system and expansion of the existing Terminal 2 into a full-service processing terminal, this whole three-runway system will come into operation in 2024. When it's up and flying, the revamped airport will be able to accommodate 620 000 flight movements annually, welcoming about 100 million passengers and handling some 9 million tonnes of cargo a year. Realising those numbers will set the entire Hong Kong aviation sector soaring to unprecedented heights. No less important, it will benefit our entire community. Our Airport Authority expects that the three-runway system will create some 123 000 jobs directly, plus another 165 000 jobs either indirectly or through induced employment. Hong Kong International Airport connects with more than 220 destinations worldwide. That includes over 50 cities in Mainland China, one of the world's fastest-emerging aviation markets. Mainland aviation has been a particular focus here recently, thanks to the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area brings together a cluster of nine cities in the Guangdong Province, together with Hong Kong and Macao, the two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China. A collective economic powerhouse in the making, the Greater Bay Area currently has a population of 70 million and a combined GDP of US$1.6 trillion. The Greater Bay Area development is premised on the complementarity of the respective advantages of the 11 cities in the region. In Hong Kong's case, amongst other things, we will play the leading role as an international aviation hub. Blessed by the Outline Development Plan, as well as the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong will strive to maintain our airport's leading status in the region, and enhance our services through innovative measures, such as inter-modal code-sharing services. The recent expansion of the intermodal code-sharing arrangement will bring about plentiful opportunities in the years ahead. It enables travellers to use the same air ticket to continue with their journeys to different Mainland destinations or vice versa by ferries, coaches or trains. The Intermodal Transfer Terminal project, to be completed by 2022, will provide passengers with hassle-free connections from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to our boarding gates. Our airport is also embracing autonomous vehicles, robotic-serving devices, facial recognition technology and much more. It's determined, as well, to become the world's first airport equipped with a 5G communications network. Innovative technology demands equally innovative talent. In that regard, the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy, established in 2016, has already trained more than 10 000 industry participants. The programme, I should add, works not only with Hong Kong people but aviation industry students and practitioners around the world. In particular, the Academy can help train students from countries along the Belt and Road and contribute to their capacity building. With our airport sitting right at the heart of the "double gateway" connecting to the Greater Bay Area at one end and to the world at the other, Hong Kong offers seamless air-to-land and air-to-sea connections with a huge number of nearby destinations. It makes perfect sense to leverage on the unique advantage of our airport to foster a wider network of inter-related business activities. Indeed, our vision is to engineer our city's airport to become an Aerotropolis with high economic efficiency and diversified employment opportunities, so as to enhance Hong Kong's position as an international business centre. The development of this Aerotropolis is in line with worldwide trends, and we are embarking on various novel and exciting developments to make this happen. Our SkyCity is one of the key economic locomotives, which will spin off enormous opportunity with the infrastructural developments in the proximity. We envisage the SkyCity to become one of the largest commercial developments in Hong Kong providing a full suite of hotel, retail, dining and entertainment facilities. It is destined to be a destination of its own - serving local residents as well as visitors from overseas and the Greater Bay Area. There is more - this very facility where I am standing right now, the AsiaWorld-Expo, is exploring its next phase of development to meet the growing demand for exhibitions and events. A high-end logistics centre covering an area of approximately 5.3 hectares at the southern cargo area of the airport is also being developed, which is expected to be in operation in 2023. Looking further ahead, the topside of the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be put to good use. There will be tremendous synergies among these developments in the making of our visionary Aerotropolis. In short, ladies and gentlemen, there are exciting times ahead for our airport. I would invite you all to come visit again in future, and see for yourselves how we turn all these promises and visions into reality. My thanks once again to the ACI for choosing Hong Kong as the host for this annual assembly. I wish you all the best of business at the conference and a very enjoyable stay in Hong Kong. Thank you very much. Ends/Wednesday, April 3, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:32 NNNN

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Speech by CE at award presentation ceremony of Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award 2019

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/01/P2019040100785.htm

1.4.2019

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the award presentation ceremony of the Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award 2019 today (April 1): Bernard (Chairman, Awardee Selection Committee of the Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award, Mr Bernard Chan), Raymond (Group General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific, HSBC, Mr Raymond Cheng), Andy (Executive Director, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Mr Andy Ho), students and their university representatives, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. I am delighted to join you for the ninth annual Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award Presentation Ceremony. This is a happy occasion for all of us. Beginning, of course, with the 25 splendid young men and women who have been selected as this year's IT Scholarship Award winners. They are all undergraduates coming from six universities and a wide range of programmes in science, medicine and engineering. Their purpose, dedication and pursuit of knowledge have been recognised, and I have no doubt that this award will mark a fresh milestone in their quest for excellence. The universities are no less worthy of recognition. They serve the students with a distinction driven by commitment and pride. And, clearly, they have instilled in each of our award winners a culture of learning steeped in innovation and technology (I&T), grounded in scientific research and critical thinking. I am as delighted as anyone here, including of course the parents. After all, my Government is committed to nurturing Hong Kong's rise as an international innovation and technology hub. And we can't do that without our world-class universities and our world-class students. My Government's role is to help enable their success through our policies, initiatives and resources. We help, as well, by proactively pursuing desired goals for our economy and our community. Which is why, in my Policy Address last October, I pledged HK$20 billion to the Research Endowment Fund under the University Grants Committee. These funds will strengthen the research capabilities of our universities. My Government also set in motion a scientific research matching fund of HK$3 billion to further boost research funding through contributions from the non-public sector. We are also setting up two world-class research clusters at the Hong Kong Science Park. One will be dedicated to healthcare technology, the other to artificial intelligence and robotics. In each, internationally renowned institutions will establish research laboratories, collaborating with our universities and centres of research excellence. I look forward, as well, to proposals for the City I&T Grand Challenge. As outlined in my Policy Address, my Government has allocated HK$500 million over the next five years for this annual competition, which seeks to encourage our people, students included, to apply I&T to tackle issues and challenges related to our everyday lives. I'm sure many of our students here today have some smashing thoughts and grand ideas on improving our daily lives. Our Grand Challenge welcomes them. The bigger challenge, of course, is ensuring Hong Kong's continuing success in the years and decades to come. An international innovation and technology hub to be developed in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will help get us there, through supporting policies from the Central Government and efforts of the three governments. I am confident that the 25 young men and women we are honouring today will play a vital role in realising the promise of innovation and technology development in Hong Kong. My thanks to the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the organiser of the Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award since its inception in 2011. I am grateful, as well, to the Scholarship's supporters - the Innovation and Technology Commission and HSBC - and its I&T mentors and the companies providing internships for our award-winning students. In supporting the Scholarship, you help build Hong Kong's future. Finally, to the 25 inspiring young men and women whose lives and horizons are about to expand, I wish you all the success in your future endeavours. Thank you very much. Ends/Monday, April 1, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:49 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/30/P2019043000489.htm

30.4.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (April 30): Reporter: Mrs Lam, you are calling on lawmakers to make some constructive proposals to alleviate people's concern, but would there be any new proposals or changes from the Government to address people's concern, and whether you will meet pan-democratic lawmakers to discuss their concerns? Chief Executive: As far as meeting with Legislative Council members from across the political spectrum, as you will all recall, since taking office, I have taken a very forthcoming and positive attitude, not only in increasing my attendances at the Legislative Council to once or twice a month, but also welcoming meetings with different political parties, including of course from the pan-democratic camp. But I have to understand the purpose of their latest request for meeting on this particular subject, because if the meeting's main purpose is to pressurise me to withdraw the bill, then there is no purpose for that sort of meeting. But if the purpose of meeting is to go into the safeguards in the proposed legislation, then I think the best platform to do that is the Bills Committee of the Legislative Council and not a closed-door meeting with the Chief Executive. As far as new proposals, let me just make it very clear that we have taken quite a bit of time to come up with these latest legislative proposals since the matter came to surface early last year, because this is a very complicated matter. The policy team in the Security Bureau and the legal team in the Department of Justice have been working very hard to study our domestic legislation, to look at overseas jurisdiction's practice, before they present these proposals to the public and to the Legislative Council. But I of course cannot rule out the possibility of good proposals to be suggested by the Bills Committee. As I have said yesterday and repeated just now, we will listen very attentively to what the members have to say on the content of the bill, and if there are good suggestions, practical proposals that could allay the fears and the anxiety of some members of the public, but at the same time achieve the two objectives of this legislative exercise, then we will certainly follow up on that score. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, April 30, 2019 Issued at HKT 13:16 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session at Hong Kong International Airport

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/29/P2019042900943.htm

29.4.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session at the Hong Kong International Airport this afternoon (April 29): Reporter: Mrs Lam, what will you do if the amendment is not passed during the current legislative term? Would you consider using a sunset clause to deal with the Chan Tong-kai case on a one-off basis? And do you care about the opposition from almost 100 000 of people who protested yesterday? Chief Executive: The so-called "sunset clause" will not achieve the two objectives that I have just mentioned and repeatedly mentioned in public about doing this particular amendment exercise – that's point number one. Point number two is I realised at the very outset that this is not an easy task, it is going to be controversial and contentious, and that's why we have taken up this task with very serious attention, very comprehensive analysis before we present the legislative amendments to the Legislative Council. The third point I want to say is Hong Kong is a very free society. We respect the expression of opinions by the people of Hong Kong in an orderly manner, and we are always willing to listen to opinions in Hong Kong and see whether we could do more, explain more, to allay those concerns and anxieties. At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves whether we will continue to tolerate this loophole in our system on the return of fugitive offenders to the extent that we will be making Hong Kong a haven for all these offenders of serious crimes from all over the world. We remain very convinced and committed to doing this not-easy task and I hope that we will have the support of society and the understanding and co-operation of members of the Legislative Council. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Monday, April 29, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:45 NNNN

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HKAEE and HKGOC honour businesses for achieving environmental excellence

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/29/P2019042900463.htm

29.4.2019

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. Ends/Monday, April 29, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:30 NNNN

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CE attends opening ceremony of 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/28/P2019042800816.htm

28.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (April 28) attended the opening ceremony of the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition in Beijing. She visited the Hong Kong Garden and other gardens. Other government officials attending the opening ceremony included the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Jack Chan; the Director of Architectural Services, Mrs Sylvia Lam; and the Director of the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing, Mr John Leung. The theme of the Expo is "Live Green, Live Better". It will be held in Yanqing District of Beijing from tomorrow (April 29) to October 7. The exhibition covers an area of 503 hectares with multiple exhibition areas. The Hong Kong Garden, located in the Chinese Garden Exhibition Zone, has an area of about 2 000 square metres. The theme of the Hong Kong Garden is "City of Contrast". It reflects Hong Kong's contrasting urban and rural settings and raises people's awareness on urban greening. The Hong Kong Garden mainly comprises three components, namely the Architectural Pavilion, the Artistic Feature Wall and the Horticultural Garden. The steel-frame architectural feature and the intersecting greenery showcase the contrast of the hyper-dense cityscape and urban greening in Hong Kong. The unique cityscape of Hong Kong is expressed abstractly on the Artistic Feature Wall, enabling visitors to learn more about the iconic buildings in Hong Kong. The Home Affairs Bureau is responsible for co-ordinating the project. Planning and construction are led by the Architectural Services Department, while the Leisure and Cultural Services Department provides seasonal flowers for planting and display. Ends/Sunday, April 28, 2019 Issued at HKT 21:32 NNNN

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7th Hong Kong Games Opening Ceremony held

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/28/P2019042800737.htm

28.4.2019

The 7th Hong Kong Games (HKG) Opening Ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Coliseum this afternoon (April 28). The Acting Chief Executive, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, officiated at the ceremony and witnessed the official opening of the 7th HKG with an audience from the 18 districts. Addressing the ceremony, the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, said the biennial HKG provides a platform for competition and exchanges between athletes, enhances communication and fosters friendship among the 18 districts, and promotes sports culture in the community. The HKG can also identify young athletes with potential for further training to become elite athletes in future and bring glory to Hong Kong, he added. After the Acting Chief Executive's announcement of the official opening of the 7th HKG, an athlete representative from Yuen Long District, the overall champion of the 6th HKG, took an oath on behalf of all participating athletes of the 7th HKG. Mainland Olympic gold medallists Wei Qiuyue (women's volleyball) and Wang Zhen (men's race walking) and Hong Kong elite athletes Sarah Lee and Au Chun-ming held the torch to enter the venue and lit the cauldron of the Games. They were joined by former member of the Hong Kong Cycling Team Wong Kam-po, who led athletes of the 18 districts to take part and helped to raise the energy of the HKG. A number of Hong Kong elite athletes also participated in various performing sessions at the ceremony to show support for the 7th HKG. The ceremony's programme featured a variety of performances, including displays by winning teams of the 18 districts' cheering team competition in the pre-show to demonstrate the uniqueness and vitality of their districts. There were also dragon and lion dances; a grand dance show; demonstrations of artistic gymnastics, rope skipping, basketball and tai chi; and performances by pop singers. Highlights of the opening ceremony will be broadcast on TVB Jade between 10.30pm and 11.30pm tonight. Also officiating at today's ceremony were members of the Legislative Council Mr Ma Fung-kwok and Mr Lau Kwok-fan; the President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), Mr Timothy Fok; the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Cherry Tse; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li; the Commissioner for Sports, Mr Yeung Tak-keung; the Chairman of the 7th HKG Organising Committee, Mr David Yip; and the Executive Adviser of the 7th HKG Organising Committee, Mr William Tong. The 7th HKG comprises eight sports competitions, namely athletics, badminton, basketball, futsal, swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball. In order to boost the lively atmosphere of the Games, finals competitions will be held in the HKG Finals Fortnight on May 18, 19, 25 and 26. Members of the public are welcome to watch the competitions at venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and cheer for the athletes. To encourage more people to witness these exciting events, finals of the eight sports competitions will be webcast live. Four of the final competitions will be broadcast live on Radio Television Hong Kong TV 32, namely the swimming, volleyball, futsal and basketball finals to be held on May 18, 19, 25 and 26 respectively. Members of the public can also take part in community participation programmes like the Dynamic Moments Photo Contest and voting and guessing activities. Details of these programmes and the competition schedule are available on the HKG designated website www.hongkonggames.hk . The 7th HKG is organised by the Sports Commission and co-ordinated by the Community Sports Committee along with the 18 District Councils; the LCSD; the SF&OC; and relevant national sports associations as co-organisers. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is the Principal Contributor. Ends/Sunday, April 28, 2019 Issued at HKT 19:40 NNNN

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CE attends exchange session of All-China Women's Federation in Beijing

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/27/P2019042700609.htm

27.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, continued her visit to Beijing today (April 27), where she was invited to deliver a speech at an exchange session organised by the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and answered participants' questions. In the morning, Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, addressed some 300 participants, including leaders and staff of the ACWF, female university students and grassroots women's representatives at the exchange session organised by the ACWF on the vision and actions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. Introducing to them the HKSAR's unique advantage under "One Country, Two Systems" and its strengths, she said Hong Kong will continue to enhance its competitiveness in various aspects. She pointed out that the city will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and shared her experience in the participation in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in the last two days and in the promotion of the Greater Bay Area in Japan with the leaders of Guangdong and Macao at the beginning of the month. She also briefed the participants on women's education, employment and public office appointments in Hong Kong, as well as a series of support and family-friendly measures implemented by the current-term HKSAR Government. Mrs Lam then met with the ACWF's President, Ms Shen Yueyue, briefly after the exchange session and attended a lunch hosted by Ms Shen. In the afternoon, Mrs Lam met with the new Director of the Palace Museum, Mr Wang Xudong. Congratulating Mr Wang on assuming the office this month, she said she looked forward to the Palace Museum's continuous support under the leadership of Mr Wang for the establishment of the Hong Kong Palace Museum and collaboration with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to launch more projects on heritage conservation, research, exhibitions and education to enhance Hong Kong people's knowledge of Chinese arts and culture. She invited Mr Wang to visit Hong Kong later to learn about the city's latest development in arts and culture. In addition, Mrs Lam met with Dr Shan Jixiang, the former Director of the Palace Museum who had retired recently, earlier in Beijing to thank him for his support for Hong Kong during his tenure of over seven years. After leading a HKSAR delegation to participate in the thematic forums of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing on April 25, Mrs Lam attended the opening ceremony and the high-level meetings of the Forum with the Hong Kong delegates yesterday (April 26), and the welcome dinner hosted by President Xi Jinping and his wife for state leaders and senior officials with the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, in the evening. During the meetings in the last two days, Mrs Lam also met a number of participating leaders of the central ministries, regional governments and international organisations. Mrs Lam will go to Yanqing District tomorrow (April 28) to attend the opening ceremony of the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition and return to Hong Kong on April 29. Ends/Saturday, April 27, 2019 Issued at HKT 16:50 NNNN

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Appointment of members of Equal Opportunities Commission

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/26/P2019042600657.htm

26.4.2019

The Government announced today (April 26) that the Chief Executive has appointed three new members and re-appointed 11 incumbent members to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) for a term of two years with effect from May 20, 2019. The newly appointed members are: Mr Vincent Cheng Wing-shun Ms Anna Thompson Mr Gary Wong Chi-him The re-appointed members are: Professor Cecilia Chan Lai-wan Professor Andy Chiu Man-chung Professor Susanne Choi Yuk-ping Mr Mohan Datwani Miss Maisy Ho Chiu-ha Ms Elizabeth Law Ms Juan Leung Chung-yan Ms Shirley Marie Therese Loo Dr Henry Shie Wai-hung Dr Rizwan Ullah Miss Yu Chui-yee "We are grateful for the contribution of all incumbent members to the work of the EOC in the past two years. They have displayed enthusiasm and commitment in assisting the promotion of equal opportunities. They have also provided valuable input to the various areas of work of the EOC," said the government spokesperson. "The membership of the EOC continues to represent a balanced mix of expertise and sectors, including women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, members from the employment, social services, legal, accounting, academic and education sectors, and the community at large. Their experience and expertise will be instrumental to the work of the EOC in promoting equal opportunities. "We would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Holden Chow Ho-ding, Dr Trisha Leahy and Professor Joseph Lee Kok-long, who will be stepping down from the EOC after six years of service. We are grateful for their staunch support for the work of the Commission. "We look forward to effective collaboration of all EOC members under the leadership of the newly appointed Chairperson, Mr Ricky Chu Man-kin, to take new strides in implementing the four existing anti-discrimination ordinances through the promotion of equal opportunities and elimination of discrimination in the community," the spokesperson added. Brief background information on the newly appointed members is at Annex. Ends/Friday, April 26, 2019 Issued at HKT 11:00 NNNN

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Appointment of members of Equal Opportunities Commission

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/26/P2019042600220.htm

26.4.2019

The Government announced today (April 26) that the Chief Executive has appointed three new members and re-appointed 11 incumbent members to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) for a term of two years with effect from May 20, 2019. The newly appointed members are: Mr Vincent Cheng Wing-shun Ms Anna Thompson Mr Gary Wong Chi-him The re-appointed members are: Professor Cecilia Chan Lai-wan Professor Andy Chiu Man-chung Professor Susanne Choi Yuk-ping Mr Mohan Datwani Miss Maisy Ho Chiu-ha Ms Elizabeth Law Ms Juan Leung Chung-yan Ms Shirley Marie Therese Loo Dr Henry Shie Wai-hung Dr Rizwan Ullah Miss Yu Chui-yee "We are grateful for the contribution of all incumbent members to the work of the EOC in the past two years. They have displayed enthusiasm and commitment in assisting the promotion of equal opportunities. They have also provided valuable input to the various areas of work of the EOC," said the government spokesperson. "The membership of the EOC continues to represent a balanced mix of expertise and sectors, including women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, members from the employment, social services, legal, accounting, academic and education sectors, and the community at large. Their experience and expertise will be instrumental to the work of the EOC in promoting equal opportunities. "We would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Holden Chow Ho-ding, Dr Trisha Leahy and Professor Joseph Lee Kok-long, who will be stepping down from the EOC after six years of service. We are grateful for their staunch support for the work of the Commission. "We look forward to effective collaboration of all EOC members under the leadership of the newly appointed Chairperson, Mr Ricky Chu Man-kin, to take new strides in implementing the four existing anti-discrimination ordinances through the promotion of equal opportunities and elimination of discrimination in the community," the spokesperson added. Brief background information on the newly appointed members is at Annex. Ends/Friday, April 26, 2019 Issued at HKT 11:00 NNNN

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Hong Kong participates actively in second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/25/P2019042500518.htm

25.4.2019

Led by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, a high-level Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delegation comprising senior government officials and members of various sectors of Hong Kong participated actively in the thematic forums of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing today (April 25). Mrs Lam delivered keynote speeches at the opening sessions of the thematic forums on sub-national co-operation and financial connectivity. Addressing the international audience at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation, she highlighted Hong Kong's unique advantages, including its strategic geographic location as a bi-directional gateway connecting the Mainland and other Belt and Road countries, and the "one country, two systems" principle which enables Hong Kong to enjoy a high degree of autonomy in conducting its external affairs and establishing extensive and strong overseas connections. She added that as a well-developed city with rich experience in city management, Hong Kong is prepared to share its knowledge and expertise with the Belt and Road counterparts to contribute to people-to-people connectivity. These unique advantages position Hong Kong well to play a pivotal role in enhancing international and regional co-operation in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the thematic forum on financial connectivity, Mrs Lam pointed out that the single most relevant advantage of Hong Kong that could best meet the country's needs is its financial services given its status as a global financial centre. According to the Global Financial Centres Index, Hong Kong is ranked number three globally, just behind New York and London. She said that with its deep capital market, as one of the largest bond markets in the region and as the biggest offshore Renminbi centre in the world, Hong Kong is a one-stop destination of choice to serve as a premier financial and risk management centre for the Belt and Road's big-ticket projects. At the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation, there was a dedicated session themed "Belt and Road: Hong Kong IN". Mrs Lam delivered opening remarks and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Mrs Laura M Cha, served as the moderator of the session. The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Norman Chan; Senior Counsel Mr Rimsky Yuen; the Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, Dr Jonathan Choi; the Chairman of the Insurance Authority, Dr Moses Cheng; the Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr Fred Lam; and the Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Mr Henry Tang, joined the session as panellists. They shared their insights on Hong Kong's position as the Belt and Road hub in many aspects, ranging from finance and investment, legal and dispute resolution services, business and trade, professional services and capacity building to cultural exchange. In addition to attending the thematic forums on financial connectivity and sub-national co-operation, the Hong Kong delegation attended 10 other thematic forums on policy, infrastructure, trade and people-to-people connectivity, think-tank exchanges, clean silk road, digital silk road, green silk road, silk road of innovation, and economic and trade co-operation zone promotion. They also participated in the CEO Conference. Hong Kong delegates including the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau; Non-official Member of the Executive Council Mr Joseph Yam; Co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Maritime Silk Road Society Mrs Regina Ip; Mr Tang; Mr Yuen; the President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Professor Shyy Wei; the Chairman of the Esquel Group, Ms Marjorie Yang; Dr Choi; and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Dr Sunny Chai, were moderators or guest speakers at other thematic forums and the CEO Conference. They spoke with the forum participants on Hong Kong's contributions in respect of promoting global connectivity and win-win development, and Hong Kong's work in the Belt and Road. Mrs Lam, together with the Hong Kong delegates, will attend the opening ceremony and the high-level meetings of the Forum tomorrow (April 26). She will also attend the welcome dinner and cultural performance with the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and Mr Yau in the evening. Ends/Thursday, April 25, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:02 NNNN

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CE to visit Beijing

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/18/P2019041800654.htm

18.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will depart for Beijing on April 24 to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition. The theme of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation this year is "Belt and Road Cooperation, Shaping a Brighter Shared Future". Mrs Lam will lead a delegation comprising members of various sectors in Hong Kong including the political, business, professional services and innovation and technology sectors, as well as academics and people involved in public and community services, to attend the forum. She will participate and deliver opening keynote addresses in the thematic forums on financial connectivity and regional co-operation on April 25, and will attend the opening ceremony and the high-level meeting on April 26. Mrs Lam will depart for the Yanqing district on April 28 to attend the opening ceremony and related events of the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition. During her stay in Beijing, she will also visit the All-China Women's Federation on April 27 as invited to exchange views with relevant leaders. Mrs Lam will return to Hong Kong on April 29. During her absence, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, will be Acting Chief Executive. Ends/Thursday, April 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:10 NNNN

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HKSAR delegation to participate at second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/18/P2019041800577.htm

18.4.2019

The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing from April 25 to 27. The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will lead a high-level Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delegation to participate at the Forum. Under the theme of "Belt and Road Cooperation, Shaping a Brighter Shared Future", the Forum aims to bring about high quality Belt and Road cooperation. Development policy co-ordination, infrastructure connectivity, sustainable development and other topics of common interest will be discussed. Twelve thematic forums will be held, focusing on policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity, think-tank exchanges, clean silk road, digital silk road, green silk road, silk road of innovation, regional cooperation, and economic and trade cooperation zone promotion. The Hong Kong delegation comprises senior government officials and members from various sectors of Hong Kong, including the political, business, professional services, innovation and technology sectors, and academia as well as public and community services. They will participate at thematic forums and the CEO conference on April 25, and the opening ceremony and high-level meeting on April 26. Official members of the delegation include the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau; and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip. The delegation list is available in the Annex. "The Government attaches great importance to the work in taking forward the Belt and Road Initiative. Hong Kong's participation at the Forum will enhance our role and position as the prime platform and a key link for the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as foster our integration into the overall development of the country," Mrs Lam said. "I look forward to our delegates sharing with other Forum participants and the international community on Hong Kong's contributions in respect of promoting global connectivity and win-win development, and having proactive interactive exchanges on Hong Kong's work in the Belt and Road," she added. Mrs Lam will deliver the opening keynote address at the thematic forums on financial connectivity and regional cooperation, with the latter dedicated session on Hong Kong themed "Belt and Road: Hong Kong IN". The session will be moderated by the Chairman of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Mrs Laura M Cha. Six Hong Kong delegates, from the finance, legal and dispute resolution, business and commerce, risk management, infrastructure and cultural sectors, will have an in-depth discussions on how Belt and Road related countries and regions may leverage Hong Kong's professional services and international connections in participating in the Initiative and pursuing regional co-operation. Ends/Thursday, April 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 16:53 NNNN

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Report on the prohibition of the operation of the "Hong Kong National Party" submitted by the CE to the CPG

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/18/P2019041800429.htm

18.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (April 18) released to the public the report she submitted to the Central People's Government (CPG) on the prohibition of the operation of the "Hong Kong National Party" by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in accordance with the law and related circumstances. The CPG issued a letter to the Chief Executive on February 26, 2019, in support of the HKSAR Government's action to prohibit the operation of the "Hong Kong National Party" in accordance with the law. The letter reiterates that in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law, the HKSAR has the constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security in accordance with the law. It is the duty of the HKSAR Government, and the shared obligation of all Chinese people, including the compatriots in Hong Kong, to safeguard the sovereignty and unity as well as territorial integrity of the country. The CPG requested the Chief Executive to submit a report to the CPG regarding the prohibition of the operation of the "Hong Kong National Party" in accordance with the law and related circumstances. The Chief Executive submitted the report on the prohibition of the operation of the "Hong Kong National Party" and related circumstances to the CPG on April 16, 2019. Content of the report includes the case background and summary of the process, etc. Upon the advice of the Department of Justice, in order to avoid affecting any possible legal proceedings in future, the report released to the public today contains the main body of the report (see the English translation attached). Ends/Thursday, April 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:24 NNNN

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Exemption of waiver fee, rent and associated costs for land applications related to provision of transitional housing

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/18/P2019041800364.htm

18.4.2019

The Government announced today (April 18) that the Chief Executive (CE) in Council had approved the exemption of waiver fee, rent and associated costs for land applications related to the provision of transitional housing, with a view to facilitating more community initiated transitional housing projects to alleviate the hardship faced by families awaiting public rental housing or living in inadequate housing. According to prevailing policy, if non-profit-making organisations or social enterprises (collectively termed as NGOs) plan to utilise private non-residential sites or buildings for provision of transitional housing, the owners should submit waiver applications to the Lands Department for a temporary permit to use the sites or buildings for residential purposes and pay the waiver fees and associated costs if residential use is not permitted in the leases. Additionally, if the NGOs plan to use vacant government sites or premises for provision of transitional housing, they also need to apply to the Lands Department for Short Term Tenancy and pay the rents and associated costs. A spokesman of Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) said that the facilitating measure would lessen the financial burden of NGOs. The spokesman pointed out that if NGOs plan to provide transitional housing projects, they are required to seek policy support from the THB, and sign an agreement with the Bureau on operational details, including rental arrangement, management and service responsibilities, as well as the exit arrangement at the end of the project. This is a prerequisite for the Lands Department to consider exempting the fees and associated costs and to ensure that the rent is affordable to tenants and the project is self-financing as far as possible. So far, the transitional housing projects initiated by the community have provided over 600 units for needy families. Most of the units comply with the permitted land use and no application to the Lands Department is required. Subsequent to the CE's announcement in June 2018 on transitional housing, the Government has endeavoured to facilitate NGOs to utilise vacant government sites and buildings, and the conversion of private non-residential sites and buildings, to take forward more transitional housing projects. Since late 2018, the Government has taken various measures to facilitate the launching of transitional housing projects. These include (i) the pragmatic approach adopted by the Buildings Department in granting modification or exemption under the Buildings Ordinance for submissions in old domestic buildings and wholesale-converted Industrial Buildings (IBs) with genuine planning and design constraints; (ii) the Town Planning Board's agreement to treat transitional housing projects in permanent buildings for five years or less, including wholesale-converted IBs in designated zones in the urban and new town areas, as a temporary use always permitted under the relevant Outline Zoning Plans; and (iii) the exemption of waiver fees for not-for-profit transitional housing projects in wholesale-converted IBs. In addition, the Financial Secretary also announced on February 27 this year that another $2 billion would be set aside to support transitional housing projects. Ends/Thursday, April 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 15:00 NNNN

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CE meets Commander-in-chief of Hong Kong Garrison

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/17/P2019041700667.htm

17.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the Commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, Major General Chen Daoxiang, at Government House this afternoon (April 17). The Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, also attended the meeting. Mrs Lam welcomed Major General Chen's assumption of office in Hong Kong this month. She said that the Hong Kong Garrison has been performing its functions and responsibilities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in strict accordance with the Basic Law, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the HKSAR and other relevant laws, serving as a solid backup for maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of the HKSAR. She said that the Hong Kong Garrison has always been well-disciplined and law-abiding and actively participating in community and charitable activities as well as organising frequently such activities as open days for its military sites and summer camps for youths, which are well received by members of the public. She said she believes that the Hong Kong Garrison, under the leadership of Major General Chen, will continue to uphold its excellent tradition and contribute to the HKSAR. Ends/Wednesday, April 17, 2019 Issued at HKT 16:56 NNNN

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CE meets Secretary of CPC Hunan Provincial Committee

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/16/P2019041600740.htm

16.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the Secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, Mr Du Jiahao, at Government House this afternoon (April 16). The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, also attended the meeting. Welcoming Mr Du's first visit to Hong Kong in his capacity as the Secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee with a delegation, Mrs Lam said she was particularly pleased to know that Mr Du had chosen to take the high-speed rail for the round trip and will be able to go back to Changsha on a direct train from West Kowloon Station. She congratulated Hunan Province for the successful hosting of the 2019 Hunan-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Conference yesterday (April 15) and the signing of many investment projects for Hunan. She said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a key national development strategy covering not only enterprises in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, but also those further afield. She welcomed Hunan Province to host promotion week events with the theme of connecting Hunan Province and the Greater Bay Area to deepen economic and trade co-operation between them, seizing together the opportunities brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area. She encouraged Hunan enterprises to leverage Hong Kong's advantages as a highly open and international city with an open and facilitating business environment as well as quality professional services to develop businesses and "go global". She said that Hong Kong and Hunan Province have all along held close trade and economic ties, in particular with the Hunan Liaison Unit set up by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in 2016, and thanked Hunan Province for its staunch support for the work of the unit. She added that Hong Kong has strong complementarity with Hunan in a number of industries and looks forward to enhancing co-operation in areas including modern services industries, financial services, innovation and technology and tourism between the two places. Ends/Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Issued at HKT 18:42 NNNN

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CE meets Chairman of People First Party

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/16/P2019041600696.htm

16.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met with the visiting Chairman of the People First Party, Mr James Soong, this afternoon (April 16) at Government House. The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, was also present. Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Soong's visit to Hong Kong, which is the first stop of his trip to cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and wished his visit every success. She said the Greater Bay Area is one of the most open and economically vibrant regions of China with great development potential and will bring about immense opportunities. Pointing out that Hong Kong is one of the core cities of the Greater Bay Area and will play an active role in its development, she said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to promoting the development of high-end and high value-added financial, commercial and trading, logistics and professional services as well as advancing innovation and technology and establishing Hong Kong as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region. She encouraged Taiwan enterprises to use Hong Kong as a platform to explore the business opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. Ends/Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:51 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/16/P2019041600517.htm

16.4.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (April 16): Reporter: Mrs Lam, as you are trying to appeal to the lawmakers and everyone to support your fugitive proposal and also you are trying to explain to the public why it's necessary and that you are trying to help the family of the victim who died in Taiwan, we are running out of time. So what do you have to say to the family of the girl that if, because we are seeing a chance of the defendant walking free here in Hong Kong? And my second question is you mentioned that there is still room for discussion at LegCo, but you mentioned that there is something that you won’t change, could you further explain that? What's the line between things that you may give room for discussion and things that you definitely won’t change? Thank you. Chief Executive: On your first question, as I have said previously, we are very determined to do this exercise, partly because of the compassion and empathy that we have for the family of the victim. I have not only told the family through our colleagues, I have written to the family once we had a decision on how to proceed. What I want to say is the Government will try very, very hard in order to provide the legal basis for us to proceed. But if we do not have that legal basis,we simply could not proceed. Since we have already introduced the legislation to provide that legal basis, the question now is not entirely for us, it's for the Legislative Council to also display that same sort of compassion and empathy and try to speed up the legislative exercise to give us that legal basis to proceed. I think that is also the wish of the family. As far as the room for discussion, for any piece of legislation that the Government has introduced and put to the Legislative Council for scrutiny, of course our colleagues will interact with members of the Legislative Council, listen to their views and maybe also attend public hearings to receive broader views from the community. At the end of the day, what sort of amendments to the bill that we could accept, or what sort of amendments that we could not accept, is not a question of personal preference. It is whether we could achieve the same objectives of that particular piece of legislation. So I would leave the details to be discussed in the Legislative Council Bills Committee. Reporter: ... a little bit more about the film industry initiative, because there are lots of Hong Kong people who want Hong Kong filmmakers to make films that they love to watch, and not just to do movies with Mainland people. So how would you ensure that this scheme would also make sure of that? And, as other journalists have already asked, for extradition law, if this Taiwan murder case suspect walks free, do we still need to plug the loophole, so to speak, by July? Could you explain? Chief Executive: As we have said repeatedly in public, there are two purposes of amending the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance. One is of course to provide a legal basis for us to deal with the Taiwan case. The other is to plug a loophole in the existing arrangements for the return or the surrender of fugitive offenders. The first objective will have a very critical time element, and that's why we are operating under urgency to deal with this matter. But even in the very undesirable circumstances that we could not have the legal basis in time for us to deal with the Taiwan case, we still have to tackle the second objective, and that is to improve the current legal framework for us to discharge an international obligation that will help to safeguard and uphold the rule of law and justice in Hong Kong. We will continue to do that exercise since the legislation has now been introduced. About the film industry, the five measures that I have announced with the support of the Central Authorities are outstanding aspirations of the local film industry. We are responding to their aspirations and now managed to get the support of the Central Authorities. Hong Kong is very proud of our freedom of expression, and we welcome movie makers to make the best use of that freedom of expression to do a diversity of movies. But if these movies have to be screened or made in another jurisdiction, then of course they have to follow the rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Issued at HKT 14:25 NNNN

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Tech heavyweights gather at Internet Economy Summit

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/15/P2019041500635.htm

15.4.2019

The 4th Internet Economy Summit (IES), themed "Digital Economy Redefines Our Future", opened today (April 15). Over 70 renowned experts, industry leaders and government officials from overseas, the Mainland and Hong Kong are gathering at the two-day Summit to share their insights on global technology trends and business adoption in spurring the growth of the Internet economy. An attendance figure of more than 2 000 is expected for the Summit over the two days. There are six thematic forums this year, focusing on how data will fuel innovations in different technology sectors including FinTech, artificial intelligence (AI), smart manufacturing and cyber security as well as in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Emphasis is also put on the exchange of strategies and best practices of businesses. The IES today started with the opening remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam. The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Victor Lam; Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China Mr Yang Xiaowei; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Ms Lu Xinning; the President of the China Internet Development Foundation, Ms Ma Li; and Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee Mr Chen Xinhua also officiated at the opening ceremony. Today's IES programme featured two thematic forums, the Visionary Forum and the Chambers Forum. At the Visionary Forum, speakers enlightened the audience on the ways businesses and the community can stay ahead and resilient amid the technology disruptions. The General Counsel of Amazon Web Services, Mr Bob Kimball, talked about how cloud service is going to help business bloom, and the President of the Alibaba Global Business Group, Ms Angel Zhao, and the Vice President of Asia Pacific, Twitter, Ms Maya Hari, shared examples of how technology solutions can escalate business value chains to a new level and the power of real-time public conversations in driving economic development and solving tangible real-world problems respectively. The Government is actively taking forward various initiatives to build Hong Kong into a smarter city. Estonia is well known for deploying technology innovations to transform the nation into a digitally integrated and seamlessly connected country. The Global Affairs Director of Government Chief Information Officer Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia, Ms Sandra Särav, spoke to the audience today on Estonia's experience, especially in leveraging new and emerging technologies to maximise value in government processes. Other keynote speakers at the Visionary Forum included Professor Steven Weber from the UC Berkeley School of Information; the Chief Representative Officer, Greater China and Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, Mr David Aikman; and the EY Global Artificial Intelligence Leader, Dr Nigel Duffy. The Chambers Forum in the afternoon presented to the participants keynote speeches by representatives from Microsoft and Sino Group. Four panel discussion sessions were also staged, covering the new opportunities brought about by open data; practical tips for small and medium-sized enterprises to enhance logistics agility and operations with new technologies like AI, blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT); and innovation in the Greater Bay Area. The Summit will continue tomorrow (April 16) with the FinTech Forum, in which the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will give opening remarks. Prominent industry experts will dig into areas including virtual banking, InsurTech and blockchain. Three parallel sessions, namely the AI Forum, the Enterprise 4.0 Forum and the Cybersecurity Forum, will be held in the afternoon with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute as co-organisers respectively. This special arrangement is to prepare the participants for the new digital era when AI and smart manufacturing become the key technologies to transform enterprises and businesses, and revolutionise the way people live and work. Also, with IoT and data-related technologies widely adopted these days, cyber security is of paramount importance to tackle more frequent and sophisticated attacks. The dedicated forum will help participants gain a better understanding of the cyber security ecosystem and tactics to embrace related challenges. The Summit is not only an event for participants to learn from the heavyweights but also a precious chance for attendees to collaborate. A networking reception was held today. Participants can also join the various investor matching sessions and meet with representatives of venture capital funds tomorrow to look for new funding opportunities. The IES was organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, with the China Internet Development Foundation as the supporting organisation. Details of the Summit are available on the event website www.ieconomysummit.hk . Ends/Monday, April 15, 2019 Issued at HKT 19:19 NNNN

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CE meets President of Tsinghua University and Asian Universities Alliance

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/13/P2019041300493.htm

13.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the President of Tsinghua University and the Asian Universities Alliance (AUA), Professor Qiu Yong, at Government House at noon today (April 13) and hosted a lunch after the meeting for the 15 heads of the AUA member universities who will attend the annual AUA Summit in Hong Kong. The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, also attended the lunch. At the meeting with Professor Qiu, Mrs Lam welcomed further co-operation between Tsinghua University and higher education institutions in Hong Kong, in particular in innovation and technology (I&T) and its application, to contribute jointly to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an international I&T hub. She also thanked him for the arrangement made by Tsinghua University for her to speak at the institution to introduce the latest situation of Hong Kong during her trip to Beijing earlier. Addressing the lunch, Mrs Lam welcomed the visit of heads of AUA member universities to Hong Kong to attend the AUA Summit 2019 to be held tomorrow (April 14) at AUA member the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which she is also invited to attend. She said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government highly supports the strengthening of co-operation among universities in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas. The AUA brings together top universities in the region and provides an effective platform to promote various professional exchanges among member universities, enabling the enhancement of the quality of higher education and the capability in technological innovation in the Asian region. Mrs Lam said that the HKSAR Government is committed to promoting the development of I&T and establishing two world-class research clusters at the Hong Kong Science Park on healthcare technologies and artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. She encouraged the AUA to continue to deepen regional co-operation, including boosting exchanges among scientific researchers and collaboration in scientific research. Pioneered by Tsinghua University, the AUA was established in Beijing in 2017 with 15 universities from 14 Asian countries and regions. Ends/Saturday, April 13, 2019 Issued at HKT 14:30 NNNN

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Government appoints URA Board non-executive directors

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/12/P2019041200444.htm

12.4.2019

The Government today (April 12) announced that the Chief Executive has, pursuant to section 4 of the Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance (URAO), appointed Mr Chow Chung-kong as Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) Board for a term of three years with effect from May 1, 2019. The Chief Executive has also re-appointed/appointed 17 non-executive directors of the URA Board, including four official non-executive directors, for a term of three years with effect from May 1, 2019. The nine new non-official non-executive directors are Mr Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, Ms Ivy Chua Suk-lin, Mr Ho Wing-cheong, Dr Lee Ho-yin, Ms Elaine Lo Yuen-man, Professor Tang Bo-sin, Ms Judy Tong Kei-yuk, Mr Andy Tong Sze-hang and Mr Wong Yuen-shan. The four re-appointed non-official non-executive directors are Ms Judy Chan Ka-pui, Mr Roger Luk Koon-hoo, Mrs Cecilia Wong Ng Kit-wah and Mr Michael Wong Yick-kam. The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, welcomed the appointment. "Mr Chow Chung-kong has had a long record of public service and possesses vast experience in the business sector, and will be able to lead the URA to meet future challenges," he said. The Government is particularly grateful to the outgoing Chairman, Mr Victor So Hing-woh, who will soon have served for six years, for his outstanding contributions to the URA. "As Chairman of the URA Board, Mr So led the URA in undertaking urban redevelopment plans with a broader vision, which includes taking forward urban renewal efforts in Kowloon City under a district-based approach to bring about greater planning and social benefits. Under his leadership, the URA has commenced a number of strategic studies to explore the way forward for urban renewal with a forward-looking mindset. Mr So has also strived to ensure that the URA maintains financial sustainability, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of the URA," Mr Wong said. "The newly appointed non-official non-executive directors come from different sectors of the community. I am sure their expertise and experience in their respective fields will help contribute and provide valuable input to the work of the URA Board," he added. Mr Wong also expressed gratitude to the 10 outgoing non-official non-executive directors, namely Dr Ann Chiang Lai-wan, Mr Edward Chow Kwong-fai, Mr Laurence Ho Hoi-ming, Professor Eddie Hui Chi-man, Mr Nelson Lam Chi-yuen, Dr Gregg Li Ka-lok, Mr Laurence Li Lu-jen, Mr Timothy Ma Kam-wah, Mr David Tang Chi-fai and Mr Stanley Wong Yuen-fai. The new URA Board will comprise 19 non-official non-executive directors (including the Chairman), four official non-executive directors and three executive directors. All the non-official non-executive directors are appointed in their personal capacity. The membership of the URA Board is set out below: Chairman ------------ Mr Chow Chung-kong Non-Executive Directors (Non-official) ------------------------------------------ Mr Evan Au Yang Chi-chun Ms Judy Chan Ka-pui Mr Vincent Cheng Wing-shun Ms Ivy Chua Suk-lin Mr Ho Wing-cheong Dr Lee Ho-yin Professor Joseph Lee Kok-long Ms Elaine Lo Yuen-man Mr Roger Luk Koon-hoo Ms Alice Mak Mei-kuen Dr Lawrence Poon Wing-cheung Professor Tang Bo-sin Ms Judy Tong Kei-yuk Mr Andy Tong Sze-hang Mrs Cecilia Wong Ng Kit-wah Mr Michael Wong Yick-kam Mr Wong Yuen-shan Mr Wu Chi-wai Non-Executive Directors (Official) ------------------------------------- Director of Buildings Director of Lands Director of Planning Deputy Director of Home Affairs (2) Executive Directors ---------------------- Managing Director/Deputy Chairman Two Executive Directors Ends/Friday, April 12, 2019 Issued at HKT 14:00 NNNN

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Appointments to Process Review Panel in relation to Regulation of Mandatory Provident Fund Intermediaries

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/12/P2019040400364.htm

12.4.2019

The Government announced in the Gazette today (April 12) appointments to the Process Review Panel in relation to the Regulation of Mandatory Provident Fund Intermediaries (PRP). The Chief Executive has appointed Ms Grace Yu Ho-wun and Mr Allen Lau Kai-hung as members of the PRP. The appointments will take effect from April 12, 2019, until March 31, 2021, both dates inclusive. Welcoming the appointments, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, said, "I trust the new appointees will utilise their sound professional knowledge and expertise and contribute to the work of the PRP. "Under the distinguished leadership of Dr Eddy Fong, the PRP has played a vital role in enhancing the regulatory regime for the protection of Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme members by reviewing the operations of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) in relation to MPF intermediaries. I am confident that the PRP will continue to provide constructive and insightful suggestions to the MPFA with a view to continuously improving the effectiveness and enhancing the transparency of the regulatory regime for MPF intermediaries." Established in November 2013 following the commencement of the statutory regulatory regime for MPF intermediaries, the PRP is an independent panel tasked to review and advise the MPFA on the adequacy and consistency of its internal procedures and operational guidelines governing the actions taken and operational decisions made by the MPFA and its staff in the performance of its regulatory functions relating to the regulation of MPF intermediaries and associated matters. Following is the membership of the PRP with effect from April 12, 2019: Chairman ----------- Dr Eddy Fong Ching Members ----------- Miss Grace Chan Man-yee Mr Chan Yim-kwong Ms Agnes Choi Heung-kwan Mr Eugene Fung Ting-sek, SC Mr Hui Ching-yu Mr Allen Lau Kai-hung Mr James Lin Ms Nicole Yuen Shuk-kam Ms Grace Yu Ho-wun Ex-officio members ---------------------- Chairman of the MPFA Secretary for Justice (or her representative) Ends/Friday, April 12, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:00 NNNN

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CE meets Governor of Hebei Province

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/10/P2019041001053.htm

10.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the Governor of Hebei Province, Mr Xu Qin, at Government House this evening (April 10). The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, also attended the meeting. Welcoming Mr Xu's first visit to Hong Kong in his capacity as the Governor of Hebei Province with a delegation, Mrs Lam said she was pleased to meet him for the fourth time since she took office, which is a testimony to the importance the two places attach to their relations. She said she attended with him the Hebei theme promotion conference "Sharing new opportunities in national strategy, creating a new chapter in Hebei-Hong Kong cooperation" earlier today, where response to the promotion activities was overwhelming. Adding that she was pleased to learn that the delegation will sign co-operation agreements with enterprises, organisations and institutions as well as attend different business matching activities, she said she believes that collaboration in economic and trade affairs and investment as well as other areas between the two places would be further enhanced. Mrs Lam said that the Central Government promulgated the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in February, and Hong Kong will leverage its advantages in areas such as finance and innovation and technology to play an active role in the Greater Bay Area development. Pointing out that the Central Government is also committed to advancing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Cooperative Development in which Hebei plays an important role, she expressed the hope that Hebei will make use of Hong Kong as a platform to seek foreign investments and establish various kinds of support facilities to take forward its development blueprint and boost the cooperative development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Ends/Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Issued at HKT 22:37 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by CE at media session

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/10/P2019041000970.htm

10.4.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session after attending the Hebei theme promotion conference today (April 10): Reporter: Will you take the EU's advice and start the political reform again? Chief Executive: I think everybody knows very well the pain and the damage done by 79 days of Occupy movement, and we all know that this was the result of an attempt, and a very serious attempt, carried out by myself and my colleagues to try to implement universal suffrage for the selection of the Chief Executive in accordance with the Basic Law. I would be not very responsible if I judge that I have the necessary circumstances and conditions to restart an exercise which will continue to be very divisive in society and drag down Hong Kong. In the many things that I want to do as the Chief Executive, we have a lot of development opportunities - we have the Greater Bay Area, we have a lot of external affairs that we could carry out - in order to grow Hong Kong’s economy, to develop Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub. There is really no room for us to stir up more troubles in society. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:44 NNNN

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CE meets Princess of Thailand

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/10/P2019041000938.htm

10.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, accompanied by the Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council, Mr Bernard Chan, met with HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand and hosted a lunch for her at Government House today (April 10). The Thai Ambassador to China, Mr Piriya Khempon, and the Consul-General of Thailand in Hong Kong, Mr Asi Mamanee, also attended the meeting. Mrs Lam welcomed Princess Sirindhorn's visit to Hong Kong to participate in the Lui Che Woo Prize Council meeting. She said that the Lui Che Woo Prize, set up by Hong Kong entrepreneur Dr Lui Che-woo in 2015 to award individuals or organisations that have selflessly dedicated themselves to the nurturing and enrichment of world civilisation, is very meaningful and that she was the officiating guest of the prize presentation ceremony in her capacity as Chief Executive in the past two years. She thanked Princess Sirindhorn for her staunch support for the prize. Pointing out that Thailand is an important partner of Hong Kong, Mrs Lam said she has visited Thailand three times since she took office, including the trip to Thailand to officiate at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok (Bangkok ETO) at the end of February. She said she believes that with the establishment of the Bangkok ETO and following the completion of the ratification process of the Free Trade Agreement and the Investment Agreement signed between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the end of 2017, the relations between Hong Kong and Thailand as well as ASEAN will be deepened and more areas for collaboration will be explored. Ends/Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Issued at HKT 20:20 NNNN

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CE meets Prime Minister of Japan in Tokyo

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/09/P2019040900695.htm

9.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (April 9) met with the Prime Minister of Japan and delivered a keynote speech at the Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area jointly organised by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in Tokyo. At noon, Mrs Lam met with the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr Shinzo Abe. She thanked the Japanese Government for its arrangements and assistance, making it possible for her to have two fruitful visits to Japan within half a year. She said that the main objective of her visit this time was to attend the Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area held by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and that she was pleased that the response to the Symposium from various sectors in Japan had been overwhelming with more than 1 000 participants, which is a testimony to the interest of many Japanese enterprises and people in participating in the Greater Bay Area development. She said that Hong Kong and Japan enjoy close ties in trade, economic affairs and people-to-people exchanges and that the Japan Autumn Festival in Hong Kong, which has been held annually since 2016, is very well received by members of the public, attracting hundreds of thousands of participants each year. She added that she believes that both places could further enhance co-operation, in particular in the provision of elderly care services to respond to the challenge of an ageing population. Both sides also exchanged views on other issues including food safety at the meeting. In the morning, Mrs Lam, together with the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui, and the Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms Sonia Chan, attended the Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and they each delivered a keynote speech. Mrs Lam briefed the participants on the background and favourable conditions of the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as Hong Kong's competitive strengths and important role in the Greater Bay Area. Pointing out that the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has unprecedented advantages, she said that Hong Kong will play an active role in the Greater Bay Area development. Hong Kong will leverage its status as a highly open and international city with a business environment that is open and facilitating, as well as its top-quality professional services, to complement the advantages of the nine Mainland cities within the Greater Bay Area, such as the size of their market, their well-rounded industry system and their relative strength in technology, to take forward the co-ordinated development of the Greater Bay Area and to further enhance Hong Kong's status as an international financial, maritime and trade centre, as well as an international aviation hub. She encouraged Japanese enterprises to make use of Hong Kong as a platform to explore the business opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. She also expressed her hope for enhanced co-operation with Japan on innovation and technology. Mrs Lam concluded her visit to Japan and returned to Hong Kong in the afternoon. Ends/Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:14 NNNN

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CE encourages Japanese companies to leverage opportunities in Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/09/P2019040900595.htm

9.4.2019

​The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, called on Japanese businesses to seize the unique business opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area at a symposium jointly organised by the Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao governments in Tokyo, Japan, today (April 9). The Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is the first joint promotion held overseas by the three governments since the Central Government announced the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on February 18. Over 1 000 executives and leaders from various sectors attended. The event started with opening remarks by the Chinese Ambassador to Japan, Mr Cheng Yonghua, followed by keynote speeches by Mrs Lam; the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui; and the Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms Sonia Chan. The Chairman of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Union and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong, Dr Jonathan Choi, and the Chairman of the Japan External Trade Organization, Mr Nobuhiko Sasaki, as well as the guest of honour, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan, Mr Yoshihiro Seki, also gave remarks at the event. Mrs Lam told the audience that Hong Kong has a lot of strengths in terms of its international status and research capability. It is a global financial centre and aviation hub with an international business environment based on the rule of law, and has been named the freest economy in the world by the Heritage Foundation for 25 years in a row. The city has a global business network with 13 Economic and Trade Offices around the world and over 8,700 overseas and Mainland companies currently doing business in Hong Kong. Four of the city's universities are among the world's top 100, and many have strong research capability. She said that Hong Kong will contribute to the Greater Bay Area development by leveraging its multiple roles as an International financial, logistics and trading centre as well as a global innovation and technology hub and the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region. Hong Kong, Macao and the nine other cities will complement each other to promote co-ordinated economic development in the Greater Bay Area to develop an international first-class bay area. Mrs Lam added that the Greater Bay Area is a new engine to propel the close ties between Hong Kong and Japan. Japan is Hong Kong's fourth largest merchandise trading partner and Hong Kong is Japan's eighth largest. About 1 400 Japanese companies currently operate in Hong Kong, and 47 per cent of them have regional headquarters or regional offices in the city. There were 2.2 million visitors from Hong Kong to Japan and 1.29 million from Japan to Hong Kong in 2018. She called on Japanese companies to leverage Hong Kong's platform to take advantage of the business opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. Following the opening addresses was the morning panel discussion on the opportunities of the Greater Bay Area. Speakers included the Director (Special Duties) of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, Mr Tommy Yuen; the Executive Deputy Director-General of the Office of the Leading Group on Construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Deputy Director-General of the Development and Reform Commission of Guangdong Province, Mr Cao Dahua; the Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Professor Mi Jian; the Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Mr Tadashi Maeda; the Managing Director of the Japan-China Economic Association, Mr Sadahiro Sugita; the Vice President of Tencent and Head of Tencent Financial Technology, Mr Jim Lai; and the Managing Director of Hyakunousha International Limited, Mr Muneo Nishida. Two panel sessions in the afternoon have speakers focusing on innovation and technology and smart health trends. Speakers at the innovation and technology panel include founder of Appotronics Corporation Limited Dr Li Yi; the President of the Asia Pacific Business Group and Vice President of Strategy of SenseTime, Mr Jeff Shi; the President of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund, Mr Frederico Ma; the Executive Vice President of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and President of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd, Mr Kaoru Kusumoto; the Deputy President (Representative Director) of Mizuho Bank Ltd, Mr Takahiko Yasuhara; the R&D Director and General Manager of Synopsys Macao Ltd, Professor Ben U; and the Managing Director of Toyota Tsusho (HK) Corporation Limited, Mr Naohito Tsuji. Speakers at the smart health panel included the Chairman and President of Rohto Pharmaceutical, Mr Kunio Yamada; the Chairman and CEO of EPS Holdings Inc and Chairman of EPS China Group, Mr Yan Hao; the President of Ryukakusan Co Ltd, Mr Ryuta Fujii; the Senior Director of OIAA Division Pharmaceutical Business of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Mr Ueda Koji; the Chief Technology Officer (Health and Life Sciences) of Hitachi Vantara, Mr John Ma; and Co–president of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Biomedical Industry Promotion Association and Chairman of Infinite Capital Holding Company Mr Zhang Chaomin. The Greater Bay Area covers nine cities in Guangdong Province, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, as well as the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao. It is an enormous market with a population of 71 million and a gross domestic product of US$1.6 trillion. About Invest Hong Kong Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk . Ends/Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 16:53 NNNN

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Review on Civil Service Pay Level Survey and Starting Salaries Survey

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/09/P2019040900530.htm

9.4.2019

The Government announced today (April 9) that the Acting Chief Executive-in-Council (CE-in-Council) has decided that the recommendations of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service in relation to the review on the civil service Pay Level Survey (PLS) and Starting Salaries Survey (SSS) in its Report No. 59 should be accepted in full. This includes that the SSS will be conducted as and when necessary in future in response to specific circumstances. The Standing Commission's major recommendations include the continued adoption of the existing methodologies for the PLS and the SSS but with enhancements, covering the adoption of a more precise job family categorisation; an increase in the number of organisations to be surveyed; and the request to organisations participating in the surveys to provide additional pay-related data for entry-level positions. As regards the frequency for the conduct of the surveys, the PLS will continue to be conducted at a six-yearly interval, while the SSS is recommended to be conducted as and when necessary in response to specific circumstances instead of triennially. The Standing Commission also recommends the continued adoption of the holistic approach, which takes into account a basket of relevant principles and considerations in considering how the future survey results should be applied. As regards the SSS, in future, the Government will consider conducting it in response to specific circumstances including when the findings or observations of the PLS suggest that the conduct of the SSS is warranted; there are serious recruitment difficulties, severe deterioration in the appointment position or substantial changes to the regulatory framework of the entry ranks of the civil service grades under an individual Qualification Group (QG) or related QGs; or there are rapid and unforeseeable changes to the local economy that may have a significant and lasting impact on the employment market including the civil service in Hong Kong. The Government agrees that, instead of a mechanical application of future survey findings, the holistic approach should continue to be adopted. Consideration and balancing of the relevant principles and factors can thus be made flexibly. "The Government accepts the Standing Commission's recommendations in full, which will improve data sufficiency and representativeness of future surveys. The Government wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Standing Commission for having conducted the review on the two surveys, its in-depth analysis on the subject and the various insightful recommendations it has come up with. The Government is also grateful to all the stakeholders for their valuable input," a spokesperson of the Civil Service Bureau said. The Improved Civil Service Pay Adjustment Mechanism comprises three types of pay surveys (i.e. the annual Pay Trend Survey and the above-mentioned PLS and SSS). In April 2017, the Government invited the Standing Commission to conduct a review on the PLS and the SSS, having regard to the recommendations made by the Standing Commission in the context of the 2013 PLS and the 2015 SSS respectively. The Standing Commission submitted Report No. 59 on the review to the Chief Executive on December 17, 2018. Upon consulting the staff side representatives and relevant stakeholders on the findings and recommendations in the Report, the Civil Service Bureau sought the Acting CE-in-Council's decision on the way forward today. Ends/Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 17:30 NNNN

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Transcript of remarks by Acting CE at media session before ExCo meeting

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/09/P2019040900438.htm

9.4.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Acting Chief Executive, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (April 9): Reporter: Mr Cheung, on the "ding" rights under the Small House Policy, what do you mean by whether the Government is planning to appeal? Which grounds are they looking into? Secondly, UK has raised concern on the extradition law, so will the Government withdraw it? Lastly, the coming verdict on some occupy leaders, do you think that will affect public sentiment and how do you think about that? Acting Chief Executive: The first question, of course it's the Development Bureau in concert with the Department of Justice will very carefully consider and examine the arguments, the reasoning in the court ruling, as far as the so-called "ding" right (legitimate traditional interests of indigenous villagers) is concerned. So we will certainly make our decision clear later on. But in the meantime, we must have a little breathing space to study carefully the judgment before we come to a conclusion on the way forward. The second question is about what you mentioned about this extradition law and all that. I just want to make the point clear here. We are talking about really filling a void in the legal system. There is a big gap at the moment in terms of extradition with some countries, you know. We don't want Hong Kong to be a haven for criminals, for suspects. We have to make sure that we respect the rule of law, and Hong Kong is very proud to have judicial independence plus the rule of law. All the concerns in the public arena, in fact raised by international community, are not entirely warranted. If you look carefully into the entire thinking, we've got pretty clear safeguards before a decision is made to allow somebody to be extradited. And all these safeguards are real safeguards. They are not imaginary safeguards. We must not try to think of various scenarios which are not really real in real life. So what I am saying here is we've got clear safeguards, clear barriers, before we actually come to the decision to allow somebody to be sent back. You know, so all these safeguards are real safeguards, including the Department of Justice will be the gatekeeper, including we've got a lot of judicial review procedures in Hong Kong to provide protection, for example, habeas corpus. And finally we've got the Court of Final Appeal. The entire procedure is transparent. And Hong Kong is very proud because, judicial independence, we are number one in Asia, number eight in the world. All these are the factors we've got to consider. We look at the whole picture itself. Reporter: On the coming verdict of the occupying leaders and figures, what is your view? And do you think it will affect Hong Kong democracy? Acting Chief Executive: Well, we have to wait for the judgement to come out in first place, alright. It is premature for us to make any comment on that particular case. Thank you. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Issued at HKT 12:33 NNNN

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CE meets Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan in Tokyo

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201904/08/P2019040800947.htm

8.4.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (April 8) attended a lunch hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan in Tokyo. She also met with representatives of innovation and technology (I&T) enterprises, universities and academia and visited elderly care and medical facilities to learn more about the application and development of I&T in the relevant areas. At noon, Mrs Lam had lunch with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr Taro Kono. Thanking him for the arrangements made for her two visits to Japan within half a year, she said the five-day visit last year was fruitful, laying a sound foundation for further collaboration between the two sides. She said a joint statement issued after their meeting last time pointed out that Hong Kong would play an important role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and that Japanese enterprises are welcome to collaborate with Hong Kong to seize together the opportunities for development. She said the Central Government promulgated the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in February, setting out the directions guiding the development of the Greater Bay Area. Fully and faithfully implementing the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems' under which 'the people of Hong Kong govern Hong Kong' with a high degree of autonomy is the guiding ideology for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. She also said that the main objective of her visit this time is to attend the Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to be held by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao tomorrow (April 9), in which leaders of the three places will introduce the content of the Outline Development Plan and the development prospects. She expressed the hope that the interest of various sectors in Japan in participating in the development of the Greater Bay Area would be enhanced. She added that the Symposium is the first joint overseas promotion event by the three governments after the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan. On the issue of sanctions imposed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council against North Korea raised by Mr Kono, Mrs Lam reiterated that Hong Kong maintains a robust system of implementing UN Security Council sanctions in accordance with the law, and stays highly vigilant against suspected violations of UN sanctions. She added that the law enforcement agencies will continue to exercise their statutory authorities to follow up on all suspected cases seriously, without fear or favour. In the morning, Mrs Lam had a breakfast meeting with the Executive Director of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, Dr Yoshimasa Goto, and more than 10 others comprising members of the Agency as well as representatives of I&T enterprises and academia in Japan. She briefed them on the latest I&T environment in Hong Kong and various initiatives and supportive measures rolled out by the Government to promote I&T development. Pointing out that about $100 billion has been allocated by the current-term Government for I&T, including the establishment of two world-class research clusters specialising in healthcare technologies and artificial intelligence and robotics technologies at the Hong Kong Science Park, she encouraged Japanese enterprises and research institutions to actively consider setting up a presence in Hong Kong. After the breakfast meeting, Mrs Lam met the President of the University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Dr Makoto Gonokami, and visited the school's start-up support facilities and learned about the collaboration between the university and industry. Given that UTokyo is a world-renowned university and has established connections with various Hong Kong universities in areas of student exchange and academic research, she encouraged the university to deepen collaboration, in particular on the I&T front. Mrs Lam then visited two nursing homes, one of which is funded by the Japanese Government and broadly uses gerontechnology in its services. She learned about the operation of intelligent equipment in the nursing home to improve the communication and mobility of the elderly. The other nursing home is operated by the second biggest operator in elderly care services in Japan, Sompo Care, which is a subsidiary company of an insurance group. During the visit, Mrs Lam was briefed on the vision of the insurance group in running elderly care business, as well as the business model of and services provided by the nursing home. Stressing that both Hong Kong and Japan are facing the challenge of an ageing population, she said that there is much Hong Kong can learn from Japan's experience in the provision of elderly care services. Mrs Lam also visited the National Cancer Center Japan (NCC), where she received a briefing on the operation of the centre and toured the Biobank and the genome analysis section. The NCC is committed to promoting genomic medicine for cancer treatment. Holding that genomic medicine is an important sphere in contemporary medicine and scientific research, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government at the end of 2017 established the Steering Committee on Genomic Medicine to lead the study on strategies for developing genomic medicine in Hong Kong. Mrs Lam expressed the hope that the NCC and the Steering Committee would enhance exchanges and collaboration in the future. In the evening, Mrs Lam and the Chinese Ambassador to Japan, Mr Cheng Yonghua, witnessed together the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong and the China Enterprises Association in Japan to enhance collaboration and exchanges. Mrs Lam then attended a dinner hosted by Mr Cheng and thanked the Chinese Embassy for its continuous support for the work of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Tokyo), and the assistance offered to Hong Kong people in Japan. After arriving in Tokyo yesterday afternoon (April 7), Mrs Lam met with the Chairman of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mr Nobuhiko Sasaki. Mrs Lam congratulated Mr Sasaki on assuming the chairmanship this month and thanked him for accepting the invitation to be a guest speaker at the Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and for the long-standing support JETRO has given the HKSAR Government in its promotion work in Japan. Mrs Lam then officiated at a dinner hosted by the HKSAR Government to show appreciation to speakers and supporting organisations of the Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Some 30 guests including the Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms Sonia Chan, and the Deputy Director General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Mr Chen Yuehua, attended the dinner. Mrs Lam will continue her visit to Japan tomorrow and return to Hong Kong in the evening. Ends/Monday, April 8, 2019 Issued at HKT 22:09 NNNN

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