HONG KONG CONNECT


	Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises commenced full operation The Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) (www.oases.gov.hk) commenced full operation on 23 December. OASES is one of the new initiatives announced by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr John Lee, in his Policy Address in October 2022 to attract enterprises and investments more proactively and aggressively with a view to enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness and speeding up industry development. OASES is tasked with attracting representative and high-potential strategic enterprises from around the globe. The office will: target industries of strategic importance to Hong Kong, including life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, financial technology, advanced manufacturing, new materials and new-energy technology, draw up a list of target enterprises, reach out to them proactively and carry out negotiations; formulate attractive special facilitation measures covering such aspects as land, financing, tax and investment, and provide tailor-made plans to facilitate the setting up of the operations of enterprises in Hong Kong; and provide employees of target enterprises with one-stop facilitation services in areas such as visa application and education arrangements for their children. OASES has a staff of 18 in Hong Kong, and its Director-General is Mr Philip Yung. Enquiries can be made at +852 3755 2746 and enq@oases.gov.hk. The Dedicated Team for Attracting Businesses and Talents of HKETO Sydney will provide full corresponding support to OASES. For more details, please visit our website at https://www.hketosydney.gov.hk/eng/business_and_talent_attraction.htm. More details here.

	Talents Service Unit online platform commenced operation The Government launched the online platform of the Talents Service Unit (TSU) (www.hkengage.gov.hk) on 28 December to attract talents from all over the world more proactively and aggressively. The online platform enables them to obtain information on the various talent admission schemes and submit applications more easily. The various talent admission schemes announced in the Policy Address this year, including the newly introduced Top Talent Pass Scheme, are open for application from 28 December. The TSU online platform provides one-stop electronic services for talents from around the world. After entering the landing page, users can browse all kinds of practical information, including Hong Kong’s advantages and development opportunities, details of the various talent admission schemes, as well as information on the necessities of living in Hong Kong. Potential applicants can use the online platform’s Talent Admission Scheme Matching Tool (https://www.hkengage.gov.hk/en/how-to-apply-for-a-visa/) to find out the schemes they are eligible for, and then immediately proceed to the Immigration Department’s "e-Visa" platform (https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/index.html) connected by the TSU online platform to submit applications online. To the convenience of talents located outside Hong Kong, the subsequent payment and visa collection procedures can also take place online. More details here.

	Business of Intellectual Property Asia Forum held successfully The Business of Intellectual Property (IP) Asia Forum was held successfully on 1 to 2 December. This leading annual IP event attracted over 14 000 online and physical participants from over 40 countries and regions to share insights, network and explore business collaboration opportunities. More than 70 seasoned industry leaders and well-established speakers outlined proposals to build a sustainable IP ecosystem and analysed the effective implementation of IP strategies for business expansion, while exploring the business potential of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) through forums, plenary sessions, workshops and product showcases. Speaking at the Forum on 1 December, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Mr John Lee, said that the HKSAR will work to implement the international trade mark registration system and update the copyright regime to strengthen IP rights’ protection. He shared that the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster was ranked second in the world in the Innovation Index and it is a bright reflection of the boarder GBA and its determination to rise as one of the world’s great innovation and technology (I&T) centres, with Hong Kong playing a pivotal role in its progress. More details here. See the Chief Executive’s speech here.

	Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2022 concluded with great success The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2022 organised by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau was successfully concluded on 15 December. Cultural ministers and senior officials of 15 Asian countries participated in the Ministerial Panel and exchanged ideas and shared views on boosting cultural co-operation, enabling Hong Kong in unleashing our role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, and making Hong Kong a cultural hub connecting the country with the world. More details here.

	Global I&T Summit concluded with great success Organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Global I&T Summit was concluded with great success on 15 December, attracting over 600 participants, while underscoring Hong Kong’s accelerating development of I&T locally as well as its unique position in contributing to the global collaboration in science and technology. Under the theme of “Innovate for a Better World”, the event featured various keynote speeches, the Presidents’ Forum, an InnoHK session, two panel discussions and a “Dialogue with the Younger Generation”, providing a platform for international academics and industry leaders to exchange insights into I&T developments areas including life and healthcare technology, artificial intelligence and robotics technology. The Summit is one of the events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR. It brought together 30 world-class academics, scientists, presidents of renowned institutes and industry leaders from local and around the world to share their incisive insights into the latest I&T issues and trends, highlighting Hong Kong’s role as an international I&T centre. More details here.

	Updates on Hong Kong’s anti-epidemic measures Hong Kong, like many other places in the world, has been progressively preparing for normalisation in an orderly and controlled manner including normalisation of travel, in view that the COVID-19 disease has caused less serious cases recently with many people being fully vaccinated. In Hong Kong, about 93% and 83% of the population have received two doses and three doses of COVID-19 vaccine respectively. Our residents are well-protected against COVID-19. From 29 December, the boarding requirements and testing requirements for inbound persons have been adjusted as follows: The nucleic acid test under the “test-and-go” arrangement on the day of arrival (Day 0) at the airport and on Day 2 after arrival at Hong Kong for inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan have been lifted The nucleic acid test on Day 2 after arrival at Hong Kong (and an additional nucleic acid test on Day 1 after arrival at Hong Kong for those who have stayed in any place on the List of At-Risk Places within the Mainland or Macao under the Return2hk / Come2hk Scheme) for inbound persons from the Mainland or Macao has been lifted The arrangement for inbound persons to obtain a Provisional Vaccine Pass has ceased All inbound persons are required to conduct a rapid antigen test (RAT) within 24 hours, or undergo a polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid test within 48 hour All inbound persons are advised to conduct daily RATs using self-arranged RAT kits during the period between Day 0 and Day 5 after arrival at Hong Kong The requirement for non-Hong Kong residents to be fully vaccinated for boarding a flight to Hong Kong from overseas places will remain unchanged for the time being From 29 December, all social distancing measures except mask-wearing have been lifted considering the latest epidemic development and citizens' aspiration for resuming normal daily lives, including the restrictions and requirements in relation to the operation of catering business premises and scheduled premises and restriction in relation to group gatherings in public places. The mandatory mask-wearing requirements will be maintained as wearing mask is an effective measure to prevent the transmission of various respiratory viruses while protecting the wearer and others. Citizens are required to continue to wear a mask in accordance with the existing requirements when they are on public transport carriers, in specified public places, and at catering business premises and scheduled premises under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F). Read more at the Fight Against COVID-19 website.



	Deputy Director of HKETO Sydney attended the Christmas Yum Cha organised by the New South Wales Chapter of the Hong Kong Australia Business Association The Deputy Director of HKETO Sydney, Mr Henry Mak, attended the Christmas Yum Cha organised by the New South Wales Chapter of the Hong Kong Australia Business Association on 8 December. Mr Mak shared with the participants the key initiatives announced in the Chief Executive’s 2022 Policy Address, particularly the proactive initiatives to attract enterprises, investment and talents. He highlighted that the Government will establish the OASES to attract strategic enterprises from around the globe with special facilitation measures and one-stop services. TSU will also be established to recruit and support talents, while the Top Talent Pass Scheme will be launched to attract talents of high salary and graduates of the world’s top 100 universities to pursue careers in Hong Kong. With the lifting of quarantine requirements for overseas visitors in Hong Kong, Mr Mak encouraged participants to visit Hong Kong as soon as they can to look at the exciting developments in the city.



	*Sydney Lunar Festival 2023 (Australia)* To share the joy of the Lunar New Year with members of the public in Australia, HKETO Sydney will participate in the Sydney Lunar Festival Dragon Boat Races at Darling Harbour on 28 and 29 January 2023. A “Hong Kong Team” will compete in the races on 29 January. A marquee will also be set up to promote Hong Kong during the two-day event. Free souvenirs with Hong Kong’s characteristics and information leaflets about Hong Kong will be distributed to the public. Come and support the Hong Kong Team at the races at Darling Harbour. Meanwhile, you will also find Hong Kong-themed banners with Lunar New Year greeting messages displayed in some key locations in Sydney during the Lunar New Year period. Find out more about Sydney Lunar Festival celebrations.

	*Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair (Hong Kong)* To be held from 10 to 11 January 2023, the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair offers a wide range of high quality wine and spirits, beer and other alcoholic beverages, as well as wine production, wine education, logistics and services to buyers from all over the world. More details here.

	*Asian Financial Forum (Hong Kong and online)* To be held from 11 to 12 January 2023, the Asian Financial Forum (AFF) is Asia’s premier platform for global leaders in government, finance and business to exchange insights, intelligence as well as to explore business and investment opportunities. More than 66 700 viewers from 80 countries and regions had participated the AFF 2022 for thought leadership and business networking, and to experience the latest fintech innovations and next-generation business ideas. More details here.

	*The Odysseys of Art – Masterpieces Collected by the Princes of Liechtenstein (Hong Kong)* Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Liechtenstein Princely Collections, the exhibition will be held till 20 February 2023 in Hong Kong. Formed over the past four centuries, the prestigious collections of the Princes of Liechtenstein rank among the largest and most important private art collections in the world. Presenting more than one hundred masterpieces from the Princely Collections, the exhibition revisits the most significant moments that have shaped the Collections from the 17^th century up to the present day. It also highlights nearly 40 masterpieces by two of the most important European painters of the Baroque period, Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) and Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). More details here.

	*Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now (Hong Kong)* To celebrate its first anniversary, M+ is staging the Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now, till 14 May 2023. The exhibition is the largest retrospective of Yayoi Kusama in Asia outside Japan, featuring more than 200 works of various art forms across six themes: Infinity, Accumulation, Radical Connectivity, Biocosmic, Death, and Force of Life. More details here.

Updates on Latest Situation in Hong Kong