The ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage) Highlight Tours, which brings the public and tourists to explore ICH items with ICH practitioners sharing their skills and stories, will open for registration on May 15 and 16.

As the highlight programme of the second Hong Kong ICH Month in June, the tours will expand to a total of 40 field trips this year, extending the coverage to eight districts, offering a total of nine different ICH-themed routes.

Each route will have two public tours in Cantonese, accommodating 20 participants per tour.

People interested in joining the tours can register online from 10.30am on May 15 to 6.30pm on May 16. Admission is free. In case of excess applications, all quotas will be allocated by ballot.

Successful applicants will receive a confirmation email by May 26.

Hong Kong ICH Month is presented by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department and organised by its Intangible Cultural Heritage Office (ICHO).

In addition, the ICHO collaborates with the Tourism Board to organise ICH Highlight Tours in Sham Shui Po and Happy Valley for tourists.

Special ICH Highlight Tours in Kowloon City and Sham Shui Po will also be arranged for students.

The Government today welcomed the passage, by the Legislative Council, of the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions, Concessionary Deductions & Allowances) Bill 2026, which allows implementation of the concessionary tax measures proposed in the 2025 Policy Address and the 2026-27 Budget. 

The legislation will be published in the Government Gazette on May 22.

The measures include increasing the basic allowance, the married person’s allowance, the single parent allowance, the basic and additional child allowance, and the basic and additional allowance for dependent parents/grandparents, as well as raising the deduction ceiling for elderly residential care expenses and extending the claim period for additional child allowance for newborns starting from the year of assessment 2026-27. About 2.09 million taxpayers will benefit, reducing tax revenue by about $5.51 billion per year.

A one-off 100% reduction of salaries tax, tax under personal assessment and profits tax for the year of assessment 2025-26 will also be granted, subject to a ceiling of $3,000 per case. This is expected to benefit about 2.12 million taxpayers and 170,000 businesses, with about 24% of the former and 18% of the latter not needing to pay tax for the year of assessment 2025-26. Government revenue will be reduced by about $5.78 billion.

The one-off tax concessions, increased allowances and deduction ceilings will be reflected in taxpayers’ final tax payable for the year of assessment 2025-26 and tax payable for the year of assessment 2026-27.

The Inter-departmental Task Force on Monitoring Fuel Supply today announced that the Government will waive 50% of the toll for commercial vehicles using government tolled tunnels, and the Tsing Sha Control Area, from May 17 to July 16.

Commercial vehicles include buses, goods vehicles, light buses and taxis registered with the Transport Department. Private cars and motorcycles are not eligible for the waiver.

The two-month measure aims to alleviate operating costs for commercial vehicles, and to assist drivers and operators in coping with rising fuel prices, the task force explained.

The department said it has steered the toll service provider to adjust the HKeToll system. Commercial vehicle owners only need to pay the reduced amount, as displayed via the system. Payment methods and time limits remain unchanged.

Separately, taxi passengers are reminded that they must continue to pay statutory tolls in full during the waiver period. Placards will be displayed in taxi compartments regarding the tolls. 

The Lands Department today announced that the tender for a site at Po Hong Road, Tseung Kwan O has been awarded on a 12-year land grant at a premium of $36,386,000.

Tseung Kwan O Town Lot No. 137 was awarded to Sinopec (Hong Kong) Petrol Filling Station Company, a subsidiary of Sinopec (Hong Kong) Petroleum Holding Company.

It has a site area of about 2,640 sq m and is designated for electric vehicle charging station purposes.

Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you, once again, for the opening of the Asia Summit on Global Health, the sixth edition.

You represent the full spectrum of the global health community. That includes medical professionals and government officials, also representatives of multinational pharmaceutical and health-tech enterprises, investors and entrepreneurs.

Your presence here in Hong Kong underscores a simple but powerful truth: in an age of complex health challenges, progress is powered by collaboration.

This summit makes collaboration easy, with more than 90 high-profile speakers from 15 countries and regions. They include Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry Prof Michael Levitt, who will speak at the Dialogue with Global Pioneer in Health session. And count on the latest medical developments and research, together with wide-ranging opportunities for networking and creative partnerships that make all the difference.

Your expertise and contributions are desperately needed. Today's world grapples with profound health challenges, with new threats continually emerging. We also face the pressing realities of ageing populations. There is the silent crisis of antimicrobial resistance. And there are persistent inequities in healthcare access – both regional and global.

That makes the theme of this year's summit, “Fuelling Healthcare Breakthroughs”, particularly relevant. The two-day programme highlights three key areas:

First, China opportunities in aligning with the 15th Five-Year Plan's health priorities. This includes innovative drug access, modernisation of traditional Chinese medicine, silver health, and the outbound expansion of Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

Second, frontier technologies. The programme covers global healthcare trends, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health, medical robotics and devices, and gene and cell therapies.

Third, health innovation and investment trends. You will see pitching sessions for startups. You will also find deal-making sessions that connect projects with capital.

Clinical collaboration with the Mainland

Let me now outline how Hong Kong, under the “one country, two systems” principle, is investing in healthcare and, in doing so, investing in the future of our people and our economy.

Our status as a leading hub for scientific innovation is unrivalled in Asia. And our strengths are magnified by our core position in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. That is the cluster city development integrating 11 dynamic cities in southern China. It boasts a collective economy that rivals that of the world's 10th-largest nation.

In pursuit of medical innovation, Hong Kong complements the strategies set out in the National 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan optimises an evaluation and approval mechanism for innovative drugs and supports their clinical application. The goal is to develop Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub.

Central to this ambition is the rapid expansion of our clinical trial capabilities, the vital engine that drives biomedical research and development (R&D) from the laboratory to the bedside.

That is anchored by the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute. It is wholly government-owned and operated by the University of Hong Kong's medical faculty. It is located in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.

The institute operates alongside its Shenzhen counterpart under an integrated “one institute, one centre” model. Together, they draw on the Greater Bay Area's combined population of more than 87 million, co-ordinating multi-centre, cross-boundary clinical trials. These trials meet both national and international standards.

By streamlining cross-boundary trials, the institute serves as a one-stop agency for medical R&D institutions worldwide. It accelerates the delivery of life-changing medical technologies to patients.

Last December, we launched the Greater Bay Area Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform. We also set up the Real-World Study & Application Centre. Both deepen our co-operation with Mainland partners.

The collaboration platform offers expert consultation on medicine, statistics, regulatory affairs and ethics. The application centre uses Hong Kong's medical data advantages to generate real-world evidence. This supports drug and device registration in Hong Kong and on the Mainland.

Drug and medical device regulation

We are also enhancing our drug and medical device regulatory regime. Our “1+” mechanism for new drugs' registration expedites patient access to life-saving therapies.

It allows new drugs to be registered in Hong Kong after approval from just one recognised reference authority – instead of the traditional two. Supporting local clinical data is required, of course.

This year is transformative for our regulatory landscape. In March, we began the phased implementation of “primary evaluation” for new drugs registration. That marks a milestone in our transition to a fully independent drug evaluation framework. We aim for full implementation by 2030.

I am also pleased to announce that the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation will be established by year's end. That will put Hong Kong on the map as a trusted hub for regulatory excellence.

Innovation research

InnoHK, our flagship innovation and technology initiative, was launched to develop Hong Kong into a global research collaboration hub. And to date, two InnoHK research clusters have collaborated with more than 30 world-renowned universities and research institutes from 12 economies.

They pool more than 3,000 researchers worldwide. Sixteen of the research centres focus on healthcare-related technologies – biomedicine, chemistry, engineering and AI.

We are also establishing the Life & Health Technology Research Institute. It will be located at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, with three branches to be established by local universities. We expect to complete the preparatory work this year.

We are strengthening the bridge between laboratories and the market through the Research, Academic & Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme, with funding of HK$10 billion, which is US$1.3 billion, allowing money to channel more support to local university research teams. We are focused on those with good potential to become successful startups, commercialising their R&D outcomes.

Health tech downstream industry

Downstream industry is central to supporting a thriving life and health technology sector. That is why we have launched the New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme, also with funding of HK$10 billion; that is US$1.3 billion.

It helps companies in life and health technology and other strategic fields to establish high-end smart production facilities in Hong Kong. To date, we have supported two enterprises focusing on pharmaceuticals and medical devices, with a total project cost of over US$120 million.

Another HK$10 billion, or US$1.3 billion, the Innovation & Technology Industry-Oriented Fund, will also be launched this year. It will encourage market capital to invest in five thematic areas, life and health technology among them.

We have long supported the University Grants Committee's eight funded universities. They carry out academic research in wide-ranging disciplines, including health and medicine. In the 2025-26 academic year, more than 200 research projects in medicine and biology received government support. Total funding exceeded US$32 million.

We are also nurturing PhD and postdoctoral talent. Publicly funded research postgraduate places grew from about 5,600 to 7,200 in two years, up to 2024-25; the increase is 28%. Places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme also rose by a third.

Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is committed to medical innovation. We have established vital infrastructure and productive policies. We have also created a dynamic network that turns research into tangible solutions.

True innovation requires deep collaboration and strategic partnerships that span the world and every sector of our industry. Through your interactions over the next two days, we may begin to unlock the next great breakthroughs in medicine and biotechnology.

Chief Executive John Lee gave these remarks at the Asia Summit on Global Health on May 11.

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki and Under Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Clarence Leung were in Ruijin, Jiangxi today to attend a launch ceremony for the Long March exchange, which involves youths from Hong Kong and Macau.

Mr Chan stated that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has always attached great importance to patriotic education.

He said: “In particular, we actively encourage young people to participate in exchange activities on the Mainland to fully understand the country's history, culture and latest achievements.

“The Long March holds great significance in the nation's development history. We hope that young people can gain an in-depth understanding of its history, learn from its spirit of perseverance and solidarity, and grow into a new generation with an affection for the country and for Hong Kong that is equipped with global perspectives. They should seize the immense opportunities arising from our country's new journey and proactively integrate into and contribute to the overall national development.”

In Ruijin, Mr Chan and Mr Leung also visited the Yeping Revolutionary Sites and the Central Revolutionary Base Area History Museum. These landmarks bear witness to the dedication and sacrifices of the country’s revolutionary forebears.

Mr Chan expressed a wish to strengthen co-operation with Jiangxi in the area of patriotic education and to arrange further exchange activities that allow young people from Hong Kong to visit historical sites, thereby strengthening their identification with Chinese culture and cultivating their sense of national identity.

About 120 youths from Hong Kong and Macau, along with Mainland youths, visited Ganzhou, Jiangxi, from May 8 to 11. They toured memorial museums and historical sites related to the Long March, and visited local research institutes, enterprises and heritage sites.

Mr Chan was due to depart for Hong Kong this afternoon.

The Government today invited public views on the proposed outline of the combined fourth and fifth reports under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

The Labour & Welfare Bureau said the reports will update the United Nations on Hong Kong’s implementation of the UNCRPD since the previous submission. They will also address concerns and recommendations raised by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in its 2022 Concluding Observations.

Once finalised, the reports will be submitted to the central government for incorporation into its periodic reports to the United Nations.

The consultation period will run until June 30.

The Labour Department will hold an industry-based job fair titled “Embarking on a New Journey” at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok on May 12 and 13 featuring more than 2,700 vacancies.

Over 60 organisations will participate, with around 30 booths set up each day. The event will primarily focus on catering, retail, construction and hotel industries, which together account for more than 2,500 of the available openings.

A wide variety of positions are on offer, ranging from technical roles like duty engineer, electrician and safety supervisor to service-oriented jobs such as cook, guest services officer and shop supervisor.

Approximately 79% of the vacancies are full-time positions, with most offering monthly salaries between $13,000 to $24,000. About 95% of the roles require an education level of Secondary 7 or below, and 54% are open to those without relevant work experience.

Job seekers can submit applications and may be invited for on on-the-spot interviews. Department staff will also be able available at a dedicated counter to handle enquiries regarding employment services.

The fair will run from 11am to 5.30pm at 1/F, MacPherson Stadium, 38 Nelson Street. Admission is free, with the last entry at 5pm daily.

In 2025, the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) cracked a case of illegal goat slaughtering. The premises involved were located in a remote rural area and concealed from view. Accordingly, a key factor in foiling the perpetrators was the use of aerial intelligence.

Officers used drones to capture footage, then cross-referenced this with aerial photographs taken by the Lands Department. This allowed them to identify suspicious locations.

The FEHD outlined that using drones to collect evidence reduces the need for manned patrols, boosts efforts to combat illegal slaughtering activities, illegal meat distribution centres and unlicensed food premises, and improves staff safety.

Expanded capabilities

Explaining the limitations of traditional methods, Food & Environmental Hygiene Department Senior Superintendent (Operations) Lo Chi-man remarked: “Relying solely on manpower-based patrols, plain-clothes operatives could only conduct surveillance in the vicinity of the target premises. Operatives also faced significant safety risks such as potential violence, aggressive dogs and structural hazards.”

After the introduction of drones, however, intelligence can now be gathered at high altitude, adopting a bird’s eye view. This allows operatives to clearly map entry or exit points, personnel distribution, suspicious vehicle locations and escape routes in advance.

Smart inspections

Beyond intelligence gathering, the FEHD has been working with the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department since 2025 to study the feasibility of using drones to support street cleanliness inspections.

Under planned trials, drones will conduct automated aerial patrols along pre-set routes in order to detect accumulated rubbish, overflowing litter bins and damaged refuse collection facilities. The captured images will then be analysed using artificial intelligence, enabling the FEHD to arrange timely follow-up actions.

Food & Environmental Hygiene Department Senior Superintendent (Innovation & Technology) Kuan Man-hou highlighted that street cleaning inspections largely depend on frontline staff making in-person site visits. Officers are required to carry out visual checks and take photos to record conditions. However, some locations are remote and transport can be inconvenient, so the trips are often time-consuming.

With the automated inspection system, however, the FEHD will be able to analyse street cleanliness more quickly and accurately, enabling more effective deployment of manpower and resources.

Drone docking stations are expected to be installed on top of public toilets managed by the FEHD, serving as bases for take-off, landing and charging. The team revealed that flight tests for the project will commence soon.

Phased trials

Electrical & Mechanical Services Department Senior Engineer (Drones, Robotics & Automation) Vanessa Yau said her team is applying to the Civil Aviation Department for operational approvals.

”The trials will be conducted in two main stages. In the first stage, flights under visual line of sight and extended visual line of sight will be tested. Once stable performance is achieved, beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations will be tested for fully automated aerial patrols.”

The Security Bureau today said it was notified by Guangdong Province's Nuclear Emergency Committee Office of an operational event at Ling Ao Nuclear Power Station, in which an isolation valve remained closed longer than required.

This incident did not affect the safety of the power station’s Unit 1, the health of the workers, the nearby public or the environment, the bureau added.

On May 7, Unit 1 was undergoing a planned overhaul for refuelling. During routine testing, station staff remotely closed one of the cooling water isolation valves of the standby equipment from the main control room to adjust the cooling water flow, and restored it to normal status on the same day.

Since the isolation valve remained closed for a duration exceeding the requirement of the technical specification, this event was classified as a Level 0 deviation on May 8 in accordance with the International Nuclear & Radiological Event Scale and relevant nuclear safety regulations. 

The bureau stressed that Unit 1 remained in a safe condition throughout the event, while the three safety barriers remained intact and there was no release of radioactive substances.

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki will depart for a visit to Jiangxi tomorrow morning to attend the launch ceremony of the Long March exchange activity series for Hong Kong and Macao youth in Ruijin city on Monday.

Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong on Monday afternoon. During his absence, Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing will be Acting Chief Secretary.

The Government today announced the successful pricing of approximately HK$27.6 billion worth of green bonds and infrastructure bonds under its Sustainable Bond Programme and Infrastructure Bond Programme.

Denominated in Hong Kong dollars, renminbi (RMB), US dollars and euros, the bonds are expected to be settled on May 14. They will be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.

The Monetary Authority noted that the bonds were priced yesterday following a virtual roadshow.

The bonds have been assigned credit ratings of AA- by Fitch, Aa3 by Moody’s and AA+ by S&P Global Ratings.

The infrastructure bonds include a HK$3 billion 30-year tranche at 3.95%, an RMB6 billion 20-year tranche at 2.6%, an RMB6 billion 30-year tranche at 2.7%, and a US$500 million 5-year tranche at 4.052%.

A EUR750 million 8-year green tranche at 3.119% was also issued.

The offering attracted a wide spectrum of investors from more than 30 markets across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. It drew approximately HK$239 billion in orders, representing a subscription ratio of about 8.6 times. 

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said the Government has continued to issue longer-tenor HK-dollar and RMB bonds to meet institutional demand and foster the development of fixed income and currency markets.

“Issuance of RMB bonds will further enrich offshore RMB product offerings, improve the offshore RMB yield curve and promote RMB internationalisation,” Mr Chan said.

“The enthusiastic response from global institutional investors to the subscription reflects their confidence in the development prospects of Hong Kong,” he added.

From May 21 to 29, residents of the seven fire-affected blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po will be given the chance return once again to their units, in batches, to collect personal belongings, the Government announced today.

Access arrangements will be broadly similar to those previously implemented. On a staggered basis, 10 floors at a time will be opened within each block, starting from the lower floors. Residents will be able to return to their respective units at the time arranged for them.

Residents of Wang Yan House, Wang Sun House and Wang Tai House will be able to return on May 21, 22 and 23. Those of Wang Kin House and Wan Cheong House will be able to return on May 24, 25 and 26. May 27 to 29 are allocated for residents of Wang Tao House and Wang Shing House.

Morning sessions will run from 9am to 1pm, and afternoon sessions from 2.30pm to 6.30pm. Four residents per unit will be able to enter their building at a time. Residents will be able to stay for up to three hours and make multiple trips.

Under the “one social worker per household” arrangement, social workers will notify households of their allocated timeslots, and assist with pre-registration.

On access days, pre-registered individuals will be instructed to proceed to Kwong Fuk Community Hall to check in and collect safety gear before going to their units. 

The Global Mediation Summit, the first international conference organised by the International Organization for Mediation, or IOMed, was held at the Convention & Exhibition Centre today, with Chief Executive John Lee officiating.

Speaking at the event, Mr Lee noted that the National 15th Five-Year Plan has expressed support for IOMed, and emphasised that this backing ensures Hong Kong will play a key role in the peaceful resolution of international disputes through mediation in the long term.

“As IOMed’s headquarters, Hong Kong is at the very heart of global dispute resolution and its promising future,” Mr Lee said.

“The National 15th Five-Year Plan, I am pleased to note, has expressed support to IOMed. That ensures that Hong Kong will play a key role in the peaceful resolution of disputes by mediation, long down the road,” he added.

“Hong Kong will continue to build on our partnership with IOMed. Together, we will work to develop Hong Kong as a global mediation centre, and we invite governments, companies, investors and others to make optimal use of the mediation services provided by IOMed.”

Mr Lee also highlighted that since its inauguration last October, the number of signatory states to the IOMed Convention has climbed from 37 to 41, while the number of contracting states has risen from eight to 13.

The summit drew over 400 leaders, senior officials and professionals from 48 countries and regions to share their experience and insights on international mediation.

IOMed Governing Council Vice-chairperson Willy Bett noted that establishing the headquarters in Hong Kong significantly bolsters the trust of many countries.

“IOMed's positioning or location in Hong Kong, and the support the Hong Kong SAR and the People's Republic of China in general, has made IOMed gain confidence with many countries,” he said.

“And Hong Kong has a lot of experience in handling international matters. And therefore, even the location of Hong Kong in itself being at the heart of Asia and the Pacific, it puts it in a unique position to be a more central place to settle most of these disputes,” Mr Bett added.

Another speaker, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Conciliator Panel Member Wolf Von Kumberg, who is an independent arbitrator and mediator himself, said Hong Kong is well positioned to become a global mediation capital.

“For mediation to work, you have to ensure that the parties feel comfortable in going to a particular venue that is both stable and also is a safe place to go,” he noted.

“Hong Kong is very well placed because for decades, Hong Kong has been a commercial hub where investors could come from all over the world into a very stable environment,” he added.

“By putting a mediation institute here, it is a place that is recognised by global stakeholders to help them then to resolve these disputes.”

With the support of the Department of Justice and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy as the key sponsors, the summit concludes Mediation Week 2026.

The event has explored international cross-cultural mediation, financial and investment dispute resolution and the development of a global mediation ecosystem.

The Development Bureau today announced that the Government, following approval by the Chief Executive, has appointed Jeffrey Lam to be Chairperson of the Board of Directors at the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company.

The Government also appointed five official and five non-official members of the board.

The appointees will serve a three-year term starting from June 1.

The five official directors are the Secretary for Development, the Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury, the Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry, and the Secretary for Transport & Logistics.

The five non-official directors are Wingco Lo, Sunny Tan, Wai Chi-sing, Albert Wong and Kenneth Wong.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn remarked that Mr Lam is a veteran industrialist with extensive experience in public service and administrative management, and brings an extensive network in the industrial and commercial sectors.

“He will certainly be able to effectively lead the company in attracting high-value-added manufacturers to establish a foothold in Hung Shui Kiu, and bringing in technology, employment opportunities and economic output.”

Ms Linn highlighted that the non-official directors named have backgrounds and experience in new industries, innovation and technology, engineering and finance, and can help the company to draw on expertise from outside the Government. She added that the Government will participate directly in major decision-making by the company through the official directors.

“I firmly believe that, with Mr Lam’s leadership as well as the advice and insights of the other directors, the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company will be able to formulate a forward-looking development positioning and strategy, whilst better integrating market forces with the adoption of public-private partnerships, so as to lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of the industry park.”

The Development Bureau will seek the Legislative Council's approval to inject $10 billion in equity into the company, and will also complete recruitment for a Chief Executive Officer as soon as possible, such that the company can start operating mid-year.