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Principal Officials of Sixth-term HKSAR Government appointed
The Central People’s Government (CPG), on the nomination of the Chief Executive-elect, Mr John Lee, approved the appointments of Principal Officials of the Sixth-term of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government on 19 June. Mr Lee expressed gratitude to the CPG for accepting and approving the 26 nominations made by him and thanked the CPG for its trust in and support for him and his governing team. Mr Lee stressed that his team and he will reach out, listen to and communicate with the public with sincerity. They will be proactive in winning the trust of the people and make policies that meet with demands. Mr Lee added that they are committed to serving the aspirations and concerns of the people, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of the administration and will build a better Hong Kong.
More details on the Principal Officials appointed here.
More details on the press conference on Principal Official appointment of Sixth-term HKSAR Government here. |
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Announcement of second batch of recognised medical qualifications under Medical Registration Ordinance
In accordance with the Medical Registration Ordinance, the Registrar of Medical Practitioners announced on 8 June the second batch of 23 medical qualifications recognised by the Special Registration Committee (SRC) which has taken effect on 10 June. Specified medical qualifications awarded by Australian National University, the University of Queensland, University of Adelaide, University of New South Wales and University of Sydney are among the recognised medical qualifications included in the second batch. Together with the first batch of 27 medical qualifications recognised by the SRC as announced in end-April, the SRC has so far recommended a total of 50 medical qualifications for recognition. Non-locally trained doctors who possess recognised medical qualifications, subject to their fulfilment of certain criteria, may apply for special registration to practise in the public healthcare institutions in Hong Kong. After serving for a certain period, obtaining recognised specialist qualifications and passing the assessment, they will be granted full registration to practise in Hong Kong. For non-locally trained medical graduates who possess the recognised medical qualifications but have yet to undergo internship outside Hong Kong, subject to their fulfilment of relevant criteria, they may take the Licensing Examination of the Medical Council of Hong Kong in order to apply for special registration to practise in the public healthcare institutions in Hong Kong. They may also obtain full registration after meeting the requirements applicable to all special registration doctors. The SRC is pressing ahead with the assessment of other non-local medical programmes, and medical qualifications that fulfil the stipulated criteria will not be excluded during the process.
More details here. |
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Pilot Scheme on Immigration Facilitation for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities
The Government on 1 June launched a Pilot Scheme to provide immigration facilitation for visitors participating in short-term activities in 10 designated sectors, namely medical and healthcare, higher education, arts and culture, sports, heritage, creative industries, innovation and technology, the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, aviation and international/mega events. It is an additional immigration facilitation scheme launched by the Government to facilitate business and raise Hong Kong’s international profile. Under the Pilot Scheme, host organisations authorised by the relevant government bureaux/departments can issue invitation letters to relevant non-local talents in their sectors. Invited persons may come to Hong Kong to participate in designated short-term activities as visitors, without the need to apply for employment visas/entry permits from the Immigration Department (ImmD). Invited non-local talents are talents in shortage or whose participation in designated short-term activities in Hong Kong is conducive to economic development or achieving relevant policy objectives. They may participate in the designated short-term activities for up to 14 days upon each arrival, and receive remuneration for the designated activities concerned. The Pilot Scheme will run for two years.
More details here.
See ImmD’s website for more information here. |
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Hong Kong ranked fifth in World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022
In the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) 2022 published by the International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong was ranked fifth globally, up from seventh last year. Among the four competitiveness factors in WCY 2022, Hong Kong continued to rank favourably in “Government efficiency” and “Business efficiency”, and its rankings in “Economic performance” and “Infrastructure” also improved. As regards the sub-factors, Hong Kong continued to top the ranking in “Business legislation”, and was amongst the top-three in “Public finance”, “Tax policy” and “International investment”.
More details here. |
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Online exhibition celebrating 25th anniversary of establishment of HKSAR launched
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, an online exhibition has been launched on 17 June, featuring the development of Hong Kong in the past 25 years and opportunities ahead through interactive presentation and contemporary design. The exhibition comprises five zones, namely “Basic Law”, “Hong Kong National Security Law and Improving Electoral System”, “New Paradigm for a New Future”, “Major Historical Events over the Past 25 Years” and “Interactive Photography”. Visitors will be guided by an animated robot to tour around each virtual space to experience and appreciate the rich content of the exhibition. Visitors can take part in a question-and-answer session to test their understanding of the Basic Law. There are also interactive elements and videos to enable visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the Hong Kong National Security Law and the improved electoral system.
More details here.
To view the virtual exhibition here. |
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Updates on Hong Kong’s anti-epidemic measures
- The Government will largely maintain the existing social distancing measures but require all patrons of bars/pubs and clubs/nightclubs to present proof of a negative rapid antigen test result obtained within 24 hours before entering the relevant premises. The basic requirement for ordinary persons to enter premises applicable to Vaccine Pass is now three doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
- The Government announced the list of designated quarantine hotels (DQHs) for the eighth cycle of the Designated Quarantine Hotel Scheme.
- There are altogether 65 DQHs under the eighth cycle of DQH Scheme, providing around 24 000 rooms. The new cycle will run from 1 August to 31 October. Please see website for details regarding the latest list of DQHs.
- The following measures are implemented with immediate effect to prevent the scalping of hotel rooms -
- DQHs should require their partner travel agents not to block book the guest rooms without booking details of guests. Travel agents must provide relevant information of the guests to the hotels with full payment settled at the time they reserve the rooms;
- Hotels should ensure that all room bookings must be made under a real name and full payment must be settled in advance. At the same time, DQHs should develop a set of fair and transparent refund policy; and
- Hotels should ask the travel agents to itemise the fees charged on the receipt, and ensure that the hotel room rate is the same as the published rate listed on the Government website.
Read more at the Fight Against COVID-19 website. |
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Business Luncheon held in Sydney to celebrate 25th anniversary of establishment of HKSAR
HKETO and Business Sydney jointly organised a business luncheon in Sydney on 14 June to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR and share with the Australian business community the latest developments of green and sustainable finance in Hong Kong. Themed “25 Years and Beyond - How Hong Kong Continues to Grow as a Green and Sustainable Finance Hub”, the business luncheon was well attended by over 100 business leaders and executives. Addressing the event in a virtual keynote speech, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, shed light on the vibrant green bond market and the key initiatives to further enrich the green and sustainable finance ecosystem in Hong Kong. Mr Hui then participated in a question-and-answer session which covered a broad range of topics that were appealing to the Australian business community, including the global development trend of green finance and initiatives to continue developing Hong Kong into a green finance centre in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Prominent executives also participated in a panel discussion to share their valuable views on the development of green and sustainable finance and environmental, social and governance, and how businesses in Australia can drive awareness in these fields to grasp the opportunities. The Director of HKETO Sydney, Miss Trista Lim, added in her closing remarks that the National 14th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong’s development of eight international centres and emerging industries. Hong Kong will continue to be the prime partner for businesses to tap the vast business potential in the GBA, Mainland China and beyond.
Details here.
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Deputy Director of HKETO Sydney attended the “End of Financial Year and Green Monday” Seminar 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 “End of Financial Year and Green Monday” Seminar organised by the New South Wales Chapter of the Hong Kong Australia Business Association on 10 June. Mr Mak updated the participants the latest development in Hong Kong and highlighted the immense opportunities for Hong Kong under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, which expressly supports Hong Kong’s development of eight international centres and emerging industries, and promotes the continuing deepening of Hong Kong’s economic integration with Mainland China through the GBA. Mr Mak also added that this year is an important milestone for Hong Kong to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR. HKETO would organise a wide range of celebration events to showcase Hong Kong’s vibrant developments and enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international city. |
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International Arts Carnival 2022 (Hong Kong and online)
To be held from 8 July to 14 August, the International Arts Carnival 2022 offers a wondrous taste of performing arts for children and families. It presents fun-filled performing arts covering dance, musical, drama, puppetry, music, interactive exhibition and multimedia performances from local and overseas artists including the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR celebration highlights: Hong Kong Ballet crafts a new production of Cinderella to reinterpret a classic fairy tale with fun and humour. Why Why Tell Me Why – A Music Carnival by Ksana Productions uses songs to answer the curiosity and free our imaginations. And Stalker Theatre brings an entire forest from Australia to Hong Kong with an immersive and interactive installation reimagining natural Australian habitats and animals. Enjoy all the performances including online and in-person workshops in the hopes, dreams, and memorable occasions!
More details here. |
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The Big Eight — Dinosaur Revelation (Hong Kong)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, the Hong Kong Science Museum will specially present a large-scale dinosaur exhibition from 8 July to 16 November, showcasing eight original specimens of the most iconic fossil skeletons together for the first time. These specimens are extremely rare and have a high level of completeness. With novel curating strategies, the exhibition introduces the latest scientific discoveries in palaeontology, uncovers the revelation of the extinction of prehistoric species, highlights the challenges under global warming, extreme weather events and biodiversity loss, and hopes to inspire you to take appropriate action to help conserve our biodiversity and live sustainably.
More details here. |
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