Intellectual Property Department: IP Training Programme “IP303 Case Sharing on Patent Box Regime”

(This course will be live-streamed and held at the VTC Tower, Wan Chai on 17 July 2026)

This intellectual property (IP) course organised by the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) is now open for registration.

“IP303 Case Sharing on Patent Box Regime” aims to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding on the tax implications and planning strategies related to IP and research and development (R&D) in Hong Kong.  It will place particular emphasis on the practical case sharing and illustrative examples regarding the claiming of tax concession under the Patent Box regime.  It will also introduce the patent system in Hong Kong.  (The medium of instruction will be Cantonese, supplemented with English terms.)

This course is free for members of the “IP Manager Scheme PLUS”. Enterprises registered in Hong Kong can fill out the online form to join the Scheme for free, getting priority in course registration and special offers for their staff joining the IP Training Programme. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the course.

More Details
Registration

2026 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area High-Value Intellectual Property Portfolio Competition is now open for application

The 2026 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area High-Value Intellectual Property Portfolio Competition is co-organised by the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation (Guangdong Intellectual Property Administration), the Intellectual Property Department of the HKSARG, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the People’s Government of Dongguan Municipality, with the theme of “Connecting Intellectual Property to Innovation and Industrial Chains and Empowering Integration with Digitalisation and Intelligence”. The Competition is now open for application until 31 August 2026.

More Details (Official website) and Registration (in Simplified Chinese only)

Government launches public consultation for 2026 Policy Address

The HKSARG has launched a public consultation for the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address on 29 June 2026.

"I strive to lead my team to drive reforms by adopting a 'result-oriented' approach, focusing on actions and delivery of results, and ensuring that policy measures are effectively implemented. My team and I have always been listening to the views from different sectors, driving economic growth, improving people's livelihood, with the aim to enable the public to share the benefits of development and enhance their well-being," Mr Lee said.

"The HKSAR Government is pressing ahead at full speed with the formulation of Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan and will spare no effort in taking forward the preparatory work. As a forward-looking, strategic and directional guiding document, the Plan will map out Hong Kong's economic and social development over the coming five years. The Policy Address will set out the Chief Executive's annual policy agenda, establish a number of specific targets to respond to the requirements and directions of the Plan, report on the progress of implementation, and introduce policy measures having regard to the actual situation of the year. The HKSAR Government will strive for a vibrant economy and pursue development to enhance the well-being of the public. Hong Kong will continue to leverage the unique advantages of having strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the 'one country, two systems' principle, consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international financial, shipping and trading centre, accelerate its development into an international innovation and technology centre, build an international hub for high-calibre talent, proactively seizing the major opportunities brought by the National 15th Five-Year Plan, and better integrating into and serving the overall national development."

"I invite you all to share your views on the 2026 Policy Address. My team and I will listen to and consider your views carefully. We look forward to receiving your suggestions. Let's work together to write a brighter chapter for Hong Kong."
 
During the consultation period, the Chief Executive and the Principal Officials will, as always, attend a number of online and face-to-face consultation sessions, and will also engage the community to extensively gather the views from all walks of life, including industry representatives, district organisations, political parties and members of the public.

Members of the public can offer their views through the Policy Address website (www.policyaddress.gov.hk), via the dedicated Facebook page for the Policy Address public consultation (www.facebook.com/PolicyAddressConsultation), by email (policyaddress@cepu.gov.hk), phone (2432 1899), fax (2537 9083), or by post (address: Policy Address Team, Chief Executive’s Policy Unit, 26/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong).

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/25/P2026062500814.htm.

Well-Being·Start-Up expands sevenfold over two years with programme entering new phase and becoming regularised to add more shop quotas and reopen applications to support young people in pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams

The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) held on 4 July 2026 the Well-Being·Start-Up 2.0: Start-up 2-gather Fun Sharing Session, announcing the regularisation and new phase of the programme. In addition to re-opening for applications, the HA will further increase its quotas for shops and pop-up stores, while referring suitable business proposals to commercial partners for business matching, thereby enabling young entrepreneurs to capture opportunities from all angles.

Since its launch in 2024, the Well-Being·Start-Up Programme has lowered the entry barrier for young entrepreneurs by providing rent-free or concessionary retail spaces. Building on the success of the initial phase, the HA launched the Well-Being·Start-Up 2.0 Programme in April 2025, linking the Housing Department with private organisations and fostering a collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem among the Government, the commercial sector and young people. This initiative not only supports youth development, but also injects sustained vitality into public housing retail facilities while enriching the shopping experience of residents.

The programme is open for applications with effect from 6 July 2026. Interested young entrepreneurs are invited to submit their business proposals to the HA by 30 September 2026. Submissions will be assessed by the HA based on their innovativeness, feasibility, market potential, social impact, financial arrangements and team management capabilities, and the HA will then match suitable shop premises for selected applicants. Details are available on the HA website (www.housingauthority.gov.hk).

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202607/04/P2026070300384.htm.

Northern Metropolis Development Bill gazette

The Government gazetted the Northern Metropolis Development Bill on 3 July 2026 with a view to further streamlining planning and lands procedures, expediting construction works, and facilitating industry operation for the Northern Metropolis (NM). The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council (LegCo) for first and second readings on 8 July 2026.
 
The NM has entered the phase of full-scale construction and enterprise establishment. The Government has to expedite development and respond swiftly to meet the needs of enterprises. The nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly supports accelerating the NM's development, which fully demonstrates the high importance that the country attaches to the NM, and the NM’s strategic role in integrating Hong Kong into and serving overall national development.
 
The Bill will specify six policy areas to facilitate the NM's development, and empower the Chief Executive in Council (CE-in-C) to enact subsidiary legislation in those six areas to formulate the implementation details of the relevant policy measures. The specification of policy areas by primary legislation, with subsidiary legislation regulating the implementation details, will provide the Government with the flexibility to adjust the implementation details to meet the evolving development needs of the NM in a timely manner as necessary. Together with the Bill, the Government has submitted the draft of the first batch of subsidiary legislation for LegCo’s preview. It should be emphasised that the draft subsidiary legislation at this stage is submitted for reference by LegCo members only, enabling members to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the details of these facilitation measures when scrutinising the Bill. The Government will formally submit the first batch of subsidiary legislation to LegCo after passage of the Bill.
 
For details of the Bill, please refer to the LegCo Brief.
 
For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202607/03/P2026070300863.htm.

DoJ launches GBA Legal Information Platform

The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced the official launch of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Legal Information Platform on 30 June 2026. The Platform aims to provide basic legal and policy information related to business operations, employment and daily life within the GBA, with a view to facilitating residents of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and those who are interested in doing business and living in the GBA, and promoting the construction of the rule of law in the GBA.

One of the key features of the Platform is its focus on the common issues faced by residents of the three places when doing business, working, and living in the GBA. It facilitates public access to integrated legal and policy information across six major areas: housing, business, work, education, family and healthcare.

In addition, the Platform provides updates on the developments of the construction of the rule of law in the GBA, including the latest information about the GBA standards such as GBA lawyers, "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law", "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose Hong Kong as the seat of arbitration", and GBA mediation.

The establishment of the Platform is one of the concrete measures to implement the initiative of promoting the interfacing of mechanisms among the three places outlined in the Policy Address and the DoJ's Action Plan on the Construction of Rule of Law in the GBA. The DoJ expressed its sincere gratitude to members of the GBA Task Force and its Advisory Group of GBA Lawyers for their invaluable opinions on the Platform's content and design.

The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, highlighted that the Platform adheres to the principle of being "easy to use with practical information". It specifically adopts a "one question, three answers" format, focusing on common issues that residents encounter while working and living across the three places, to offer concise and practical basic legal and policy information. Dr Cheung expressed the hope that the information provided by the Platform would further facilitate the flow of people and economic and trade exchanges within the GBA. The DoJ will continue to optimise the Platform to deliver more comprehensive content.

The website of the platform is www.gbalaw.hk. People from various sectors are welcome to visit it. 

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/30/P2026063000547.htm.

Marine Department implements facilitation measures to encourage yacht visits to Hong Kong

The Marine Department (MD) announced on 29 June 2026 the implementation of cross-boundary facilitation measures for yachts.
 
A spokesman for the MD said, "The 2025 Policy Address proposed developing the yacht economy. The three measures introduced by the MD today (29 June 2026) will streamline vetting procedures and enhance port formality efficiency to facilitate the implementation of existing policies for yachts visiting Hong Kong, thereby attracting more yachts from the Greater Bay Area and around the world to choose Hong Kong as their destination and helping Hong Kong develop into a yachting hub in Asia."
 
Details of the three facilitation measures are set out below:
 
(1) Enhancing the Electronic Business System
 
The enhanced Electronic Business System (eBS) was launched today. The owner or master of a visiting yacht, without the need to engage local agents, can set up a personal account on the system, which allows one-stop submission of arrival information for the vessel, crew and passengers in advance, thus enabling preliminary vetting by the relevant departments (the MD, the Immigration Department and the Department of Health). The owner or master can complete port formalities for their vessels and settle the relevant fees via the system on their own.
 
The eBS' coverage also includes the following services:

• submission of a Pre-Arrival Notification to the MD for the purpose of applying for permission for the vessel to enter Hong Kong waters;
• reporting of the vessel's arrival;
• application for permission to navigate in Hong Kong waters and for the intended anchorage within designated anchorage areas for visiting yachts; and
• application for port clearance.

 For details of the enhanced eBS, please visit the MD's website.
 
(2)    Relaxing the requirements of berths for visiting yachts
 
The MD has improved the existing mechanism and developed a Dynamic Yacht Monitoring System, which allows visiting yachts to navigate safely and in an orderly manner in Hong Kong waters as well as to anchor in designated areas, without having to reserve berths at privately operated yacht clubs or piers. The five designated anchorage areas for visiting yachts are located at Stanley Bay, Tai Tam Bay, Repulse Bay, Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung, and Tai O, and are situated close to general navigation waters and popular recreational boating areas.
 
The Dynamic Yacht Monitoring System calculates the number and distribution of yachts permitted to anchor based on the actual size and draft reported by the yachts visiting Hong Kong, as well as the occupancy status of the anchorage areas, and provides real-time monitoring of the movements of visiting yachts within the designated anchorages. Visiting yachts using the designated anchorage areas must be equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) and a Very High Frequency (VHF) radio to enable the MD to monitor their movements in real time and communicate with the yachts via VHF radio when necessary.
 
(3) Facilitating masters of visiting yachts from the Chinese Mainland to obtain required qualifications
 
To safeguard the safety of visiting yachts and other port users, the operator of any visiting yacht planning to navigate in Hong Kong waters for leisure purposes is required not only to comply with the requirements of their flag state authority but also to pass an examination on local knowledge of Hong Kong waters. To facilitate operators of visiting yachts from the Chinese Mainland in obtaining qualifications for navigation in Hong Kong waters in advance, the MD has authorised the relevant Mainland authority to conduct Hong Kong Waters Local Knowledge Examinations on the Mainland. The MD has also approved seven training institutions to offer recognised training courses. Details of the training institutions can be found on the MD's website. The first batch of Mainland yacht masters has successfully passed the examination or received training in mid-June 2026. Details about the examination and training have been uploaded to the MD's website. The MD will expand the relevant arrangements to overseas regions in due course.
 
The MD has also produced promotional leaflets to enhance the understanding of visitors arriving on yachts and the general public about the three above-mentioned facilitation measures.
 
The spokesman added that the MD will closely monitor the implementation of these measures, step up publicity and education on safe and orderly navigation and anchoring in Hong Kong waters, and continuously review and enhance the arrangements. The Government will also maintain close co-operation with the relevant authorities on the Chinese Mainland as well as the tourism industry, with an aim to foster a healthy, sustainable, and competitive environment for the development of the local yacht economy.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/29/P2026062900573.htm.

Government launches public consultation on policy proposals relating to Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Deadline: 31 August 2026)

The Government launched on 29 June 2026 a two-month public consultation on policy proposals relating to the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

The Government has always been committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. It endeavours to ensure that consumers are well protected through the establishment of an effective, transparent, fair and just regime, while maintaining a favourable business environment. Over the years, the Government has actively enhanced relevant legislation and consumer protection measures in response to the latest consumer trends and market situations. The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) and the Consumer Council have also been combating unfair trade practices through enforcement actions and publicity and public education respectively.

Notwithstanding the diverse consumer protection measures currently in place, the Government has noted the prevalence of the pre-payment mode of consumption in the beauty and fitness services industries, which has given rise to problems from time to time. In recent years, the sudden business closure of a large chain fitness and beauty group also resulted in financial losses for many consumers, drawing widespread concerns in the community. This reveals the ongoing problem of the pre-payment mode of consumption in relevant industries and the considerable risks faced by consumers under unfair trade practices. In this connection, the Government has conducted a comprehensive review of the TDO, taking into account practices in other jurisdictions and various factors.

A Government spokesman stated, "Issues such as improper selling tactics and risks of the pre-payment mode of consumption are concentrated in the beauty and fitness services industries. Complaints involving the beauty and fitness services industries accounted for nearly 90 per cent among industries with the highest tendency for improper selling tactics. Consumers often enter into contracts of long duration involving substantial pre-payments under aggressive commercial practices and/or persuasion selling tactics.

"Meanwhile, complaints concerning wrongly accepting payment mainly stem from traders' inability to deliver the services to consumers in accordance with the commitments made after accepting pre-payment owing to various reasons (including business closure). Between the period of 2020 and 2025, beauty and fitness services took up the largest portion of complaints involving wrongly accepting payment at around 50 per cent. There are certain limitations under the existing TDO on the C&ED's investigation work, and situations of evading investigations could not be effectively prevented."

The spokesman emphasised, "With growing concern in the community regarding high-pressure and persuasion selling tactics, as well as the risks of the pre-payment mode of consumption, the Government has to step up its efforts to provide better protection to consumers, while respecting the freedom of contract to maintain a favourable business environment in Hong Kong. Therefore, the more pragmatic direction is to adopt a targeted approach, stipulating proportionate regulatory measures on industries that are most prone to improper selling tactics and specific contracts involving large amounts of pre-payments."

Based on the above situation and policy principles, the Government has put forward the following three policy proposals in the public consultation document:

(1) Stipulating a statutory cooling-off period on pre-paid consumer contracts for beauty and fitness services to provide consumers with room to reconsider their pre-payment decisions following the conclusion of contracts. The key proposals include:

*The proposed cooling-off period is seven calendar days, and the proposed refund period is 14 calendar days.

*A regulatory threshold based on the contract amount will be set up. The proposed thresholds for consideration include (i) $3,000 or above; (ii) $8,000 or above; or (iii) $15,000 or above. This would protect consumers while minimising the impact on small-value transactions.

(2) Imposing a statutory limit on contract duration and other restrictions on pre-paid consumer contracts for beauty and fitness services to reduce the risks of the pre-payment mode of consumption. The key proposals include:

*The proposed limit on contract duration is two years, providing a useful indicator for consumers to evaluate whether the pre-payment amount is reasonable, while minimising the impact on the majority of contracts bearing relatively more reasonable durations.

*It is proposed that traders be prohibited from entering into a contract with consumers that takes effect later than three months after the contract is entered into.

(3) Including Section 13I of the TDO pertaining to the offence of wrongly accepting payment into Schedule 1 to the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance to empower the C&ED with additional investigatory and enforcement powers, including prohibiting any person from dealing with a relevant property through a restraint order from the court. The proposal aims to handle cases involving wrongly accepting payment more effectively, and enhance the deterrent effect on unscrupulous traders.

The consultation document has been uploaded to the website of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) (www.cedb.gov.hk/en/news-and-related-information/consultation-papers.html), and the key points of the detailed proposals are set out in the Annex.

The Government will organise consultation sessions to brief the beauty and fitness industries on the details of the policy proposals and to listen to their views and suggestions. Members of the public and the trade may submit their views by email (tdo-review@cedb.gov.hk), fax (2869 4420) or mail (Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, 23/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong) on or before 31 August 2026.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/29/P2026062900356.htm.

Home Affairs Department publishes two guides for running holiday camps and "home-stay lodgings" in rural areas

To dovetail with the initiative announced in the Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address to promote local thematic immersive tours, the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the Home Affairs Department released on 29 June 2026 two guides to guesthouse licence applications, which facilitate individuals to apply for licences to operate holiday camps in rural areas or "home-stay lodgings" in village houses.

The two guides have been uploaded to the OLA's website:

Guide to Licence Applications for Guesthouse (Holiday Camp) Covering Building, Caravan & Tent Campsites:
www.hadla.gov.hk/filemanager/en/docs/holidaycampguide.pdf

Guide to Licence Application for Guesthouse in Village House:
www.hadla.gov.hk/filemanager/en/docs/villagehouseguide.pdf

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/29/P2026062900239.htm.

Extension of e-Appointment service to applications for registration of Enduring Power of Attorney in High Court Registry

The Judiciary announced on 26 June 2026 extending the e-Appointment service to applications for registration of Enduring Power of Attorney (EPoA) in the High Court Registry from 3 July 2026, for the booking of appointments from 6 July 2026.

Starting from 6 July 2026, anyone who wishes to apply for registration of an EPoA at the High Court Registry is required to make an online appointment in advance via the e-Appointment System at www.judiciary.hk/en/court_services_facilities/hcr_index.html. For details, please refer to the Guidance Notes on the system's webpage. Walk-in applications without an appointment will no longer be accepted. Walk-in applicants will need to book an appointment for another day via the system, unless there are remaining timeslots in the afternoon of the same day.

Registered users of "iAM Smart" may use the auto form-filling function of "iAM Smart" to provide relevant personal data for making appointments.

The e-Appointment service aims at saving court users' time and enhancing the operational efficiency of court registries and offices. It has already been made available for a wide range of services, including those at the Appeals Registry of the Clerk of Court's Office of the High Court, the Apostille Service Office of the High Court Registry, the High Court Registry, the Probate Registry, the District Court Registry, the Family Court Registry, the Lands Tribunal Registry, the Labour Tribunal Registry and the Integrated Mediation Office. Details are available at www.judiciary.hk/en/court_services_facilities/es_index.html.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/26/P2026062600517.htm.

Government to introduce Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2026 into LegCo

The Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2026 was gazetted on 26 June 2026 to introduce a series of reforms to the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) (see Annex).

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau said, "The MCHK performs important functions such as accreditation of local medical school programmes and medical interns' training upon their graduation, registration of medical practitioners, Licensing Examination for non-locally trained medical practitioners, continuing medical education and formulation of professional codes and guidelines, and handling complaints concerning professional conduct of medical practitioners. They are the vital components in ensuring the high quality and high efficiency of the healthcare system in Hong Kong.

"To enhance the executive-led structure and promote good governance, the Health Bureau has proposed to amend the Medical Registration Ordinance (MRO) after a comprehensive review of the provisions, putting forward holistic and targeted reform measures to bring relevant legislations and the professional regulatory regime up to date, supporting the MCHK to discharge their statutory duties in a more effective manner in fulfilling its mission of ensuring justice, maintaining professionalism and protecting the public."

Detailed amendment proposals under the Bill include: (1) reforming the composition of the MCHK to diversify the professional views and include more lay members with healthcare professional backgrounds, maintaining professional autonomy and self-discipline while reflecting different angles in society and promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration; (2) enhancing the MCHK's complaint handling mechanism by making it more independent, fairer, more transparent and efficient, increasing support to the MCHK, and requiring the MCHK to devise and promulgate target timeframes for various stages of complaint handling; (3) strengthen protection for society, including immediately suspending the right to practise of medical practitioners convicted of serious offences; and (4) other relevant amendments to dovetail with the need for medical training, continuing medical education and talent attraction.

Professor Lo stressed, "Handling complaints and conducting disciplinary inquiries are important functions of the MCHK. When the professional competence or conduct of individual medical practitioners may fail to meet the required standard, the MCHK will decide through inquiries whether to impose disciplinary sanctions in accordance with its independent quasi-judicial functions empowered by the MRO. In the drafting of the Bill, the Government made reference to the review carried out by the MCHK upon request by the Government on their complaint handling mechanism, and the Ombudsman's direct investigation operation report on the relevant work of the Secretariat of the MCHK, and met with LegCo members who were concerned with the subject, patient organisations, medical training institutions, professional bodies of the medical profession and more. I would like to express my gratitude for their invaluable advice."

The Bill will be introduced into the LegCo for first reading on 8 July 2026.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/26/P2026062600618.htm.

Diesel Subsidy Scheme ended on 29 June 2026 as scheduled

The Inter-departmental Task Force on Monitoring Fuel Supply announced on 26 June 2026 the end of the two-month Diesel Subsidy Scheme at 11.59pm on 29 June 2026 as scheduled.
      
The Government will make announcement in due course on the arrangements of the other two time-limited measures, i.e. toll waiver for commercial vehicles and liquefied petroleum gas fuel subsidy.

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/26/P2026062600292.htm.

"E-commerce Innovation Expo 2026 - Expanding Brand Horizons" held from 25 to 26 June 2026

With support from the CEDB, the HKPC's SME ReachOut and the TID held the "E-commerce Innovation Expo 2026 - Expanding Brand Horizons" (Expo) for two consecutive days from 25 to 26 June 2026 to assist SMEs in developing cross-border e-commerce business, keeping abreast of the latest market trends and broadening their e-commerce sales network.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, said that the Government has long attached great importance to the development potential of e-commerce and is proactively driving local enterprises to seize the opportunities brought about by the digital economy by utilising e-commerce business to explore diversified markets, thereby enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in external trade and injecting impetus into economic development. To support such development, the Government announced a series of targeted initiatives in last year's Policy Address, including the implementation of the Creativity • E-commerce - Beyond Limits programme, with the Expo being one of the key events.

He added that amid the ever-changing global trade landscape, the Government has been fully supporting SMEs in exploring emerging markets and announced a series of measures, including injecting a total of $1.63 billion into the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund), raising the funding ceiling of "Easy BUD" under the BUD Fund by 50 per cent to $150,000 per application, providing more targeted funding support for enterprises in AI applications, and expanding the coverage to eight more economies, including emerging markets such as Kazakhstan, to assist enterprises in expediting overseas business expansion. The Government has also set up the Economic and Trade Express to proactively organise overseas business missions for local enterprises.

Mr Yau encouraged SMEs to leverage Hong Kong's advantages as an international trade and business hub to explore overseas markets through e-commerce, with a view to enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong brands and products on the global stage.

The Expo consisted of five thematic zones, namely Cross-border E-commerce Experience, New Retail Tech Application, Brand x IP Value-added, Smart Operations, and E-commerce Go-Global Support. The Expo also featured over 10 thematic seminars, where experts shared practical e-commerce strategies and applicable technology solutions, enabling SMEs to address various challenges of going global via cross-border e-commerce in one go.

Operated by the HKPC under the support of the Government, SME ReachOut has been in service since 2020, offering capacity-building services to SMEs and assisting them in identifying suitable government funding schemes. As at the end of May 2026, SME ReachOut has handled around 40 000 enquiries from SMEs, organised or participated in 16 exhibitions and 75 seminars/workshops, and conducted over 350 outreach activities through visiting various chambers of commerce, commercial and industrial buildings, and co-working spaces.

Details of the Expo are available at ecommexpo2026.com. For details of SME ReachOut, please visit smereachout.hkpc.org/en.

For enquiries, please contact SME ReachOut (Tel: 2788 6868).

For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/25/P2026062400356.htm.

Fourth round of Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector - Aviation Industry accepts applications (Deadline: 15 July 2026)

The Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector - Aviation Industry (Scheme) is now open for a fourth round of application. 

As with the first three rounds of applications, importation of labour is allowed for the 10 frontline non-supervisory job types facing the most acute manpower shortage, covering passenger services officers, ramp services agents, cabin workers, aircraft maintenance mechanics/technicians, tractor drivers, warehouse operators/cargo handlers, equipment/loader operators, customer services agents, aircraft tug drivers and maintenance technicians. Applicants of the Scheme must be registered business entities which possess a contract/licence/franchise/passenger handling permit with the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) to operate their business at Hong Kong International Airport. Applicants are also required to make a lump-sum payment to the AAHK of $400 per month for each imported worker. Meanwhile, the AAHK will contribute an equivalent amount to the total sum paid by applicants annually, and the combined funds will be used to fund the transport subsidies for local frontline airport staff. 

The application procedures and operational details of the Scheme are similar to those of the first three rounds of applications. Applicants shall submit the completed application forms together with other required documents to the AAHK between 2 and 15 July 2026. An interdepartmental liaison group comprising representatives from the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB), the Labour Department and the AAHK will consider the applications, and approval decisions will be made by the Permanent Secretary for Transport and Logistics. The approval process will be completed in approximately two weeks from the application deadline.

The TLB and the AAHK will continue to engage in regular meetings with the stakeholder consultative group to listen to the views of stakeholders, including employers and labour representatives, on the Scheme. 

The application forms and Scheme details have been uploaded onto the TLB website (www.tlb.gov.hk/eng/highlights/transport/labour_importation_scheme_aviation_industry.html). For enquiries, please contact the AAHK at 2188 6603.

Premised on safeguarding the employment of local workers, the Scheme was introduced in 2023 to allow the aviation industry to suitably import labour with a view to relieving the acute manpower shortage and supporting the continual development of Hong Kong's aviation industry.
 
For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202606/24/P2026062400544.htm.

 

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Overseas Market Regulations

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