TID / SUCCESS-supported Activities

I. Global Economic and Hong Kong’s Export Outlook in 2023 (Webinar)

(This webinar will be live-streamed on 5 January 2023)

This webinar is organised by the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation.  SUCCESS is one of the supporting organisations.  This webinar, under the theme of "2023 Global Economic and China Market Outlook with Major Currencies Trend", will explore global and Hong Kong export trade outlook, as well as Hong Kong e-commerce prospects and winning business strategies.  (This webinar will be conducted in Cantonese, English and Putonghua, without simultaneous interpretation.)

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II. Sustainability Trends in Manufacturing Industry (Webinar)

(This webinar will be live-streamed on 10 January 2023)

This webinar is organised by The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong.  SUCCESS is one of the supporting organisations.  In this webinar, experts will explain the global and local sustainable development trends and the driving force behind, as well as opportunities brought by the green and sustainable finance and case-sharing, with a view to assisting the manufacturing industry to formulate effective long term business strategies.  (This webinar will be conducted in Cantonese.)

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III. Webinar on Competition Ordinance

(This webinar will be live-streamed on 12 January 2023)

This webinar is organised by the Competition Commission.  SUCCESS is one of the supporting organisations.  In this webinar, representatives from the Competition Commission will provide an overview of the Competition Ordinance, dos and don’ts under the Ordinance, red flags of anti-competitive practices, Leniency and Cooperation Policies, and sharing on competition law case studies.  (This webinar will be conducted in Cantonese.)

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Meeting the "BRANDers" – Dr Ricky Szeto, CEO of Hung Fook Tong

To encourage and assist Hong Kong enterprises in developing their own brands and promoting their brands in the Mainland and overseas markets, the TID conducts interviews with representatives of local brands and experts so as to share their success stories and business strategies with the industries.  The TID has earlier on interviewed Dr Szeto to understand his philosophy in business management and the key success factors for brand development.

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Public consultation on Budget launched

The Government commenced the public consultation exercise for the 2023-24 Budget on 18 December 2022.

The COVID pandemic and geopolitical situation have led to global supply chain disruptions, high inflation, interest rate hikes and tightened monetary conditions.  Hong Kong's economy in 2022 is thus under relatively greater downward pressure, and is expected to contract by 3.2 per cent.  Looking to the year ahead, the external environment will still be complex and challenging; but as the connection and exchanges with the Mainland and the rest of the world resume normal gradually, Hong Kong's economy will likely gather steam again.  When preparing for the 2023-24 Budget, the Government will, on the one hand, continue to strive for stabilising and stimulating the economy as well as easing the pressure on members of the public and businesses; and on the other plan for Hong Kong's long-term development and allocate resources appropriately.  The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan invited members of the community to actively express their views on the coming Budget to join hands to paint a brighter future for Hong Kong.

Members of the public can share their views through various channels, including visiting the website https://www.budget.gov.hk/consultation23/eng/index.html or the dedicated Facebook page for the Budget (https://www.facebook.com/BudgetGovHK), or by email (budget@fstb.gov.hk), phone (2810 3768), fax (2147 5770) or post (Budget Consultation Support Team, 24/F, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong).

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202212/18/P2022121800008.htm.
 

Government relaxed certain social distancing measures with effect from 22 December 2022

The Government announced on 20 December 2022 earlier relaxation of certain social distancing measures with effect from 22 December 2022, taking into account the latest epidemic development and socio-economic needs, including:

(a) lifting the restriction on capacity for catering premises, bars/pubs and scheduled premises;
(b) lifting the headcount limit in banquet activities;
(c) lifting the requirements for patrons to conduct rapid antigen tests (RATs) pursuant to relevant regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599), i.e. (i) patrons of bars/pubs, (ii) patrons of clubs/nightclubs, (iii) participants in banquets, (iv) passengers of "cruise-to-nowhere" itineraries, and (v) participants in local group tours will no longer be required to conduct RATs; and
(d) allowing eating and drinking in (i) outdoor areas of places of public entertainment and event premises, (ii) outdoor areas of sports premises, and (iii) mahjong-tin kau premises.

Relevant requirements on the Vaccine Pass and mask-wearing are still maintained.  The Government will closely monitor the epidemic development and, on the premise of safeguarding public health, consider continuing to relax social distancing measures in order to resume citizens' daily lives to normalcy in an orderly manner.

Details on the restrictions under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) being in force during the period from 22 December 2022 to 11 January 2023 are set out in Annex.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202212/20/P2022122000646.htm.
 

Government promulgated Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint

The Government promulgated the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint (Annex) on 22 December 2022 to establish a clear development path and formulate systematic strategic planning for Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) development over the next five to 10 years, charting Hong Kong in moving full steam towards the vision of an international I&T centre.

The Chief Executive proposed in his 2022 Policy Address to dovetail with the National 14th Five-Year Plan and develop Hong Kong into an international I&T centre at full speed.  The Government has formulated the Blueprint from the perspective of top-level planning and design, and will take forward the Blueprint under four broad development directions, namely "to enhance the I&T ecosystem and promote 'new industrialisation' in Hong Kong"; "to enlarge the I&T talent pool to create strong impetus for growth"; "to promote digital economy development and develop Hong Kong into a smart city"; and "to proactively integrate into the overall development of the country and consolidate our role as a bridge connecting the Mainland and the world".

The Blueprint sets out eight major strategies under the four broad development directions, which are:

(1) To enhance the I&T ecosystem and promote interactive development of the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors
(2) To promote technology industry development and achieve "new industrialisation" in Hong Kong
(3) To diversify venture financing channels and support the development of start-ups and industries
(4) To promote I&T culture for all and enhance the overall I&T atmosphere in the community
(5) To enrich I&T talent resources and develop an international talent hub
(6) To accelerate the development of digital economy and smart city to enhance citizens' quality of life
(7) To deepen I&T co-operation with the Mainland for better integration into the overall national development
(8) To leverage Hong Kong's advantages as an international city to foster global I&T collaboration

The Blueprint also sets out the macro I&T development targets for Hong Kong in the next five to 10 years which cover reference development indicators over four areas, namely R&D, startups, talent and industry development, to facilitate the review of the implementation of the Blueprint.

The Government will also set up the new Committee on Innovation and Technology Industry Development to advise on strategic development issues under the Blueprint, with a view to enhancing the co-operation among stakeholders, and to reviewing the progress of the implementation of the Blueprint.  The Committee will be chaired by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry and will replace the existing Committee on Innovation, Technology and Re-industrialisation.  The membership will be announced later.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202212/22/P2022122200213.htm.
 

Application for Funding Scheme for Youth Positive Thinking Activities to close at 17 February 2023 noon

The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Youth Development Commission (YDC) jointly launched the new Funding Scheme for Youth Positive Thinking Activities on 22 December 2022 to subsidise eligible non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to organise projects that are conducive to nurturing positive thinking among young people, particularly those projects which would involve cross-sectoral collaboration or be youth-led and could drive community building.

The Chief Executive stated in his 2022 Policy Address that the Government should create opportunities for the children to develop and flourish while nurturing a new generation of young people having an affection for the country and for Hong Kong and possessing global perspectives, who will contribute to the country and the city.  The HYAB has recently published the first edition of the Youth Development Blueprint (Annex) which outlines the principles, objectives and actions of the Government in pursuing youth development.  With a view to working towards the direction of the Blueprint, the HYAB and the YDC earmarked about $150 million under the Youth Development Fund to launch the Funding Scheme which aims to subsidise NGOs to promote the awareness of young people's physical and mental well-being, nurture positive thinking among them and cultivate their positive values; and enable them to become a new generation possessing a sense of responsibility and having an aspiration and willingness to contribute to the development of the country and of Hong Kong.  Given that positive thinking covers many aspects, the sponsored projects are required to have a clear objective and direction, for example, enhancing positive values such as young people's sense of belonging to the country and society, and the advancement of the rule of law, etc.

The first round of the Funding Scheme (2023-25) will last for around two years.  Each application may have a total budgeted expenditure of up to $5 million and, in general, not less than $3 million.  To ensure that the applicant organisations are capable of and committed to organising activities of scale, the applicant organisations are required to, on their own by way of matching funds, deploy their internal resources and/or obtain non-governmental funding and sponsorship to partly absorb the total expenditures of the approved projects ($1 of an organisation's resources for every $4 of the Government's funding support).  The application deadline for the first round of the Funding Scheme is noon on 17 February 2023.

The details of the first round of the Funding Scheme and its application form are available on the YDC's dedicated webpage (https://www.ydc.gov.hk/en/programmes/positive/positive.html).  Interested NGOs may browse the above webpage.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202212/22/P2022122200464.htm.

Public consultation on enhancing regulation of crowdfunding activities launched till 20 March 2023

The FSTB published on 19 December 2022 a consultation paper on the proposal to enhance regulation of crowdfunding activities, and launched a three-month public consultation exercise.

The consultation paper sets out various recommendations on enhancing the transparency and accountability of crowdfunding activities, which include requiring in-principle future crowdfunding activities to make application and obtain permission before commencement; and ensuring sufficient transparency to the public during and after the conduct of crowdfunding activities.  The paper suggests setting up a Crowdfunding Affairs Office (CAO) to centrally process regulatory and administrative matters related to crowdfunding activities.

Hong Kong currently does not have a clear mechanism in regulating the increasingly prevalent online crowdfunding activities, which poses risks to public interest and safety.  The consultation paper proposes building a comprehensive mechanism that can strengthen public confidence to participate in lawful and proper crowdfunding activities, and prevent lawbreakers from engaging in activities that are fraudulent, jeopardising public interest, or endangering public and national security in the name of crowdfunding.

Major features of the crowdfunding regulatory regime proposed in the consultation paper are as follows:

• all fundraising activities, online or offline, that raise funds publicly from individuals or entities of Hong Kong, or individuals or entities located in Hong Kong, are required to apply in advance to the newly proposed CAO, regardless of their purpose or location;
• when processing applications, the CAO will consider factors including the honesty, reputation and reliability of the applicant; proportionality of the purpose of the crowdfunding activity to its scale; as well as risks brought about by the activity to public interests, public safety and national security;
• the CAO will co-ordinate with relevant government departments with a view to streamlining procedures for fundraising activities which are subject to existing regulation, such as donation activities held physically in public places, or lottery sales;
• the new regulatory regime will not apply to commercial fundraising activities in the market which are already well regulated by financial regulators under existing legislation;
• exemptions and facilitation measures are proposed to facilitate smooth operation and timely commencement of crowdfunding activities which are widely recognised by the society and charitable crowdfunding projects which address sudden and urgent needs;
• fundraisers are required to disclose objectives and arrangements of their crowdfunding activities, use local bank account and keep proper records of fund movements;
• suggest consideration be given to setting up a registration system for online crowdfunding platforms; and
• empower law enforcement agencies to cease unlawful crowdfunding activities and prosecute offenders.

Public consultation on raising fixed penalty level for public cleanliness and obstruction offences launched till 19 January 2023

The Government launched on 19 December 2022 a one-month public consultation on the preliminary proposal to raise the level of fixed penalty for public cleanliness and obstruction offences under the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance (Cap. 570) (Fixed Penalty Ordinance).

The Government was committed to enhancing the environmental hygiene and cityscape of Hong Kong.  In the past few months, the District Matters Co-ordination Task Force led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration has taken measures on various fronts to endeavour to enhance environmental hygiene in Hong Kong in a short period of time.  The Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address that the next steps of the Task Force include conducting a comprehensive review on the existing statutory powers and penalties relating to environmental hygiene to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and deterrent effect of enforcement actions against thorny environmental hygiene problems.  The first stage is to consult the Legislative Council in 2022 on the proposal to increase the fixed penalty level.  Other proposed legislative amendments will be put forth in mid-2023.

At present, there are nine scheduled offences under Schedule 1 of the Fixed Penalty Ordinance.  The level of fixed penalty has remained at $1,500 since June 2003.  On the other hand, the Government Programme on Tackling Hygiene Black Spots commenced in August 2022 has achieved some initial success.  In order to sustain, consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's environmental hygiene in the long run, the Task Force considers it necessary to raise the statutory penalties of environmental hygiene offences to increase the deterrent effect and strengthen the law-abiding value of the public.  To complement the raising of fixed penalty, the Government will continue to carry out publicity and education and promote community participation.

The proposal is to raise the fixed penalty for seven scheduled offences, which involve the conduct of individual members of the public including disposal of waste and spitting at public places, country parks or into the sea, to $3,000; and raise the fixed penalty for two scheduled offences mainly related to shopfront extension and illegal disposal of construction waste or a large amount of other wastes to $6,000.

The consultation paper can be downloaded from the website of the Environment and Ecology Bureau (https://www.eeb.gov.hk/food/en/press_and_publications/consultation/index.html).  From now until 19 January 2023, members of the public may send their views by post (addressed to the Environment and Ecology Bureau, 17/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong), by fax (2136 3282), by email (fixed_penalty_review@eeb.gov.hk) or using the e-form in the public consultation document.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202212/19/P2022121900256.htm.
 

Support Measures relating to Liquidity

Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund)

The TID rolled out enhancements to the BUD Fund on 7 November 2022.

The cumulative funding ceiling per enterprise of the BUD Fund has been raised from $6 million to $7 million and the maximum number of approved projects per enterprise has been increased from 60 to 70.

The HKPC as the BUD Fund implementation partner regularly organises seminars/webinars in order to enhance enterprises’ understanding of the BUD Fund.  For more details of the BUD Fund, please visit its website (https://www.bud.hkpc.org/en) or contact the HKPC at 2788 6088. 
 

Corruption Prevention Advisory Service (CPAS) of ICAC

A good governance system is vital for SMEs' effective operation, and can help sustain their company image and hence counterparts' confidence in doing business with them.  The Corruption Prevention Department of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has launched the Corruption Prevention Advisory Service (CPAS).  The CPAS is a specialised unit dedicated to providing tailor-made, free and confidential corruption prevention advice on system control in common business areas such as procurement and staff administration.  Enterprises can access its user-friendly web portal (https://cpas.icac.hk/EN/) for details of the services and to get timely and useful resources on corruption prevention such as staff code of conduct, corruption prevention guides and tools, case studies, quick tips and red flags.

To receive regular updates on corruption prevention, please click here to subscribe to the CPAS e-news.
 

Free IP Consultation Service

The Intellectual Property Department (IPD), supported by the Law Society of Hong Kong, now provides FREE One-On-One IP Consultation Service for SMEs.  To obtain more information and/or apply for the Service, please visit IPD's dedicated website "Hong Kong – Regional IP Trading Centre": https://ip.gov.hk/en/home/consultation-service/index.html.
 

The Road to Net Zero: Choosing the Green Route (Webinar)

(This webinar will be live-streamed on 27 January 2023)

This webinar is organised by the HKTDC. With the importance of sustainable development being highlighted by the COVID-19 epidemic, carbon emission reduction and other climate change mitigation measures are becoming significant factors that affect business decisions.  Many businesses are recalibrating their supply chain strategies and shifting to a more sustainable approach by incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations.  This webinar will focus on how enterprises can evaluate and recalibrate their supply chain strategies to better balance sustainable development and business profitability.  (This webinar will be conducted in Cantonese.)

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