Posts

Feb exports value down 0.8%

Image
The value of Hong Kong’s total exports decreased to $284.1 billion in February, down 0.8% on the same month last year, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.   The value of imports of goods fell 1.8% to $325.7 billion for the same period.   A trade deficit of $41.7 billion, or 12.8% of the value of imports, was recorded in February.   Comparing the three-month period ending February with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of exports rose 5.5%, while that of imports also increased 3.3%.   The Government noted that taking the first two months of the year together to remove the volatility caused by the difference in timing of the Lunar New Year, the value of exports posted a 16.6% growth against a very low base of comparison a year ago.   Exports to the Mainland and the US rose notably, while those to the European Union fell. Those to other major Asian markets recorded a mixed performance.   Looking ahead, the Gove

BidVertiser

HK backs sustainability reporting: CE

Image
It is a great pleasure to be here, to have this welcome opportunity to speak to you, at the opening of the One Earth Summit.   The theme of this global gathering, “Planetary Crossroads: Investing in Innovations for a Sustainable Future”, highlights the importance of the challenges we face. For each and every one of us, for our families, companies and institutions, for the economies and countries we call home, for the world at large.   So it is reassuring to know that the speakers, as well as more than 500 attendees of this global summit, are internationally respected leaders and high-profile professionals in their fields. You have world-class expertise in the wide-ranging realm of sustainability, from finance and technology, to urban infrastructure and development, as well as agriculture, energy transition, new materials, industrial decarbonisation and more. Each of these sectors, and the critical challenges and boundless opportunities they present, are on today’s agenda, and w

Art@Harbour 2024 opens Mar 25

Image
Large-scale outdoor art project “Art@Harbour 2024” will be held on both sides of Victoria Harbour between March 25 and June 2, bringing the public and tourists a new inspirational and sensory experience.    Through outdoor art installations and digital art facades, the project will integrate art, science and technology, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department said.   Speaking at the project’s opening ceremony today, Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki noted that “Art@Harbour” was first launched in 2022 as an innovative integration of art, science and technology. The project was so well received in Hong Kong and all over the world that it was brought back this year with more partners and international artists involved.   “This year’s edition features many playful creations on both sides of Victoria Harbour. They include the ‘teamLab: Continuous’ exhibition, which consists of two large-scale, art-and-sound installations - one featuring hundreds of brilliant egg lights, the ot

Bernadette Linn to visit GZ

Image
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn will depart for Guangzhou tomorrow afternoon to attend the Mainland & Hong Kong Construction Forum 2024 due to be held the next morning.   Upon arrival in Guangzhou, Ms Linn will meet representatives of the major organisers.   The forum themed “Deepening the Collaboration of the Construction Industry in the Mainland & Hong Kong, Building a High Quality Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Taking Forward the Belt & Road Initiative Together”, is jointly organised by the Centre of Science & Technology Industrial Development of the Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD), Guangdong Province’s Department of Housing & Urban-Rural Development and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, under the steer of the MOHURD, the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Development Bureau.   Ms Linn will return to Hong Kong on Tuesday afte

Civil service exams set

Image
The Government today announced that sittings of the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) and the Basic Law & National Security Law Test (BLNST) have been tentatively scheduled for June 1.   Enrolment for the CRE and the BLNST will open tomorrow and close at 5pm on April 5. Prospective applicants for civil service posts at degree or professional level can apply.   The Civil Service Bureau said those who plan to apply for such posts in the near future are required to have valid CRE results and are advised to enrol for this round of examination.   The pool of eligible candidates for civil service jobs requiring an undergraduate degree has been expanded to students in their third year of undergraduate studies in a four-year curriculum.   This means that those eligible to sit the examination includes holders of degrees or of professional qualifications meeting the entry requirements of posts, and university students graduating in the 2023-24 or 2024-25 academic years.

Govt invites charging station tenders

Image
The Government announced today the sale of a site in Sha Tin for conversion into a quick charging station (QCS) for electric vehicles (EVs) through public tendering, with the tender invitation closing on May 31.   The land put up for sale at Shan Mei Street in Fo Tan, or Sha Tin Town Lot 646, has a site area of 369.9 square metres and is designated for a QCS purpose.   The Government will establish the price ceiling adjustment mechanism for the charging of electric taxis (e-taxis) and electric public light buses (e-PLBs) at designated QCSs.   The operators of designated QCSs cannot charge a price that is higher than the ceiling price to be announced by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on a monthly basis.   The Environment & Ecology Bureau noted that the move aims to encourage owners of taxis and PLBs to expedite the adoption of e-taxis and e-PLBs, and by reference to the current arrangement of dedicated liquefied petroleum gas filling stations.   Th

PRH income, asset limits set

Image
The Housing Authority’s Subsidised Housing Committee today endorsed the proposed income and asset limits for applicants of different household sizes for 2024-25. The adjusted limits will take effect from April 1.   The committee endorsed freezing the income limits for one-person and four-person households at the existing levels, while adjusting upwards the income limits for households with two persons, three persons and five persons or above.   The authority said the adjustments were made after taking into account such factors as the current economic outlook and previous practices in reviewing the income limits. As regards asset limits, they will be adjusted upwards by 3% for all household sizes.   Public rental housing income limits are derived using a household expenditure approach, which takes into consideration housing costs and non-housing costs, plus a 5% contingency provision. The asset limits, meanwhile, are adjusted with reference to movements in the Consumer Pr