News Release - February 2021

Comirnaty vaccine arrives in Hong Kong
February 27, 2021 - The first batch of 1 million doses of the Comirnaty vaccine, jointly developed by Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, will be delivered to Hong Kong by two flights from Germany. A total of 585,000 doses of the vaccine has arrived in Hong Kong today and the remaining doses will be transported to Hong Kong in early March.

Hong Kong’s Exchange Fund at US$581.3 billion
February 26, 2021 - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,534.9 billion (US$581.3 billion) as at January 31, 2021. This is HK$34.1 billion (US$4.3 billion) higher than that at the end of December 2020. Foreign currency assets increased by HK$22.2 billion (US$2.8 billion) and Hong Kong dollar assets increased by HK$11.9 billion (US$1.5 billion).

“Financial results for the 10 months ended January 31, 2021
February 26, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today its financial results for the 10 months ended January 31, 2021.

“Greater Bay Area - Starting Line to a Bright Future” ceremony concludes successfully
February 26, 2021 - To mark the second anniversary of the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Outline Development Plan), the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government held a ceremony named “Greater Bay Area - Starting Line to a Bright Future” today with a theme of youth development. The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Xin (via recorded video); the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Caspar Tsui; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit; and the Vice-Chairman of the Youth Development Commission, Mr Lau Ming-wai, attended the ceremony.

COVID-19 Vaccination Program officially launched
February 26, 2021 - The COVID-19 Vaccination Program was officially launched today, with people belonging to the priority groups who have made appointments receiving the Sinovac vaccine at five Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and 18 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority (HA).

External merchandise trade statistics for January 2021
February 25, 2021 - The Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region released today the external merchandise trade statistics for January 2021. In January 2021, the values of Hong Kong’s total exports and imports of goods both recorded year-on-year increases, at 44.0% and 37.7% respectively.

Government announces 2021-22 Land Sale Program
February 25, 2021 - Hong Kong’s Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, today announced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s 2021-22 Land Sale Program.

Financial Secretary Unveils 2021-22 Budget
February 24, 2021 - Financial Secretary Paul Chan today announced in his 2021-22 budget wide-ranging measures to revive Hong Kong’s economy and help people overcome financial difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Chan said he expected a gradual recovery for the economy this year, but warned of financial challenges in the coming few years. The budget introduces counter-cyclical measures costing over US$15 billion.

COVID-19 Vaccination Program healthcare services arrangements
February 23, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced the latest information regarding arrangements of healthcare services of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (Vaccination Programme).

Government to relax group gathering measures under Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation and extend expiry dates of regulations under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance
February 23, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will gazette today amendments of various regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599) to relax the number of persons allowed in group gatherings in public places from two to four under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G), and extend the expiry dates of the relevant regulations to September 30, 2021. The relevant amendments will take effect at 0.00 am tomorrow (February 24).

Fintech Co-operation between the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates
February 23, 2021 - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) jointly announced today the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration on fintech between the two authorities, with a view to strengthening co-operation between the two jurisdictions in promoting innovative financial services and regulatory development.

Joint statement on Multiple Central Bank Digital Currency (m-CBDC) Bridge Project
February 23, 2021 - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), together with the Bank of Thailand (BOT), the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) and the Digital Currency Institute of the People's Bank of China (PBC DCI), today announced the joining of the CBUAE and the PBC DCI to the second phase of Project Inthanon-LionRock (Note), a central bank digital currency project for cross-border payments initiated by the HKMA and the BOT. This joint effort is strongly supported by the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub Centre in Hong Kong and the project has been renamed as “Multiple Central Bank Digital Currency (m-CBDC) Bridge”.

WTO to establish “panel” to consider dispute raised by Hong Kong in respect of US’ new requirement on origin marking
February 23, 2021 - The World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) agreed at its meeting on February 22 (Geneva time) to Hong Kong’s request to establish a “panel” to consider the dispute raised by Hong Kong with respect to the violation of WTO rules by the United States’ (US’) new requirement on origin marking for Hong Kong products.

Consumer Price Indices for January 2021
February 22, 2021 - The Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government released today the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for January 2021. According to the Composite CPI, overall consumer prices rose by 1.9% in January 2021 over the same month a year earlier, after a decrease of 0.7% in December 2020. The increase in January was mainly due to the low base of comparison resulted from the Government's payment of public housing rentals and waiver of two-thirds of rent for tenants of Group B estates by Hong Kong Housing Society in January last year. Netting out the effects of all Government's one-off relief measures, the year-on-year rate of change in the Composite CPI (i.e. the underlying inflation rate) in January 2021 was -0.5%, lower than that in December 2020 (0.0%). The decrease was mainly due to the decreases in the costs for meals bought away from home and the enlarged decreases in the prices of pork. 

Chief Executive appeals to public to get vaccinated against COVID-19
February 22, 2021 - Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, and a number of Principal Officials today took the lead to receive their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, developed and produced in the Mainland. They appealed to the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19 early to protect themselves and others, with a view to safeguarding public health in the community and restoring the local economy and people's livelihood to normal later.

Secretary shares insights on trade landscape under COVID-19 pandemic at Asia Trade Week 2021
February 22, 2021 - Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, gave a keynote interview at Asia Trade Week 2021, which is themed “Reviving trade: the way forward”, today, sharing his insights on the trade landscape under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scientific Committees under CHP publish consensus interim recommendations on use of CoronaVac vaccine in Hong Kong
February 20, 2021 - The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD) and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (SCEZD) under the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH) (JSC) published the consensus interim recommendations on the use of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac) by Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited (Sinovac) in Hong Kong.

Smooth arrival of first batch of COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong
February 19, 2021 - The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines is delivered smoothly to Hong Kong this afternoon (February 19), marking the beginning of a new stage in Hong Kong's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The delivery also has a significant meaning in reducing the impact of the disease on the society, economy and people's livelihood. 

Government responds to approval of vaccine by Sinovac for emergency use
February 19, 2021 - With regard to a media report casting doubt on the approval procedures for authorizing the vaccine by Sinovac and leading people to falsely believe that the Government has lowered the standards for authorizing the vaccine by Sinovac, the Government pointed out on February 18 that the relevant report is not truthful and provided a response as follows:

HKETO hosts virtual spring reception to celebrate Year of the Ox
February 19, 2021 - For the first time, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO) has hosted a virtual spring reception to celebrate the Chinese New Year with an audience across ten states. More than 180 attended the event, which was held on February 18.

Volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade in December 2020
February 18, 2021 - Further to the external merchandise trade statistics in value terms for December 2020 released earlier on, the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government released today the volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade for that month.

Unemployment rises to 7%
February 18, 2021 - According to the latest labor force statistics (i.e. provisional figures for November 2020 - January 2021) released today by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 6.6% in October - December 2020 to 7.0% in November 2020 - January 2021. The underemployment rate also increased from 3.4% in October - December 2020 to 3.8% in November 2020 - January 2021.

COVID-19 vaccine by Sinovac authorized for emergency use in Hong Kong
February 18, 2021 - Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health (SFH) authorized today the COVID-19 vaccine by Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited (Sinovac) (i.e. CoronaVac COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated) for emergency use in Hong Kong in accordance with the Prevention and Control of Disease (Use of Vaccines) Regulation (Cap. 599K).

Government announces 2019 COVID-19 Vaccination Program
February 18, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today the arrangements for the territory-wide COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.

Enhancing testing capabilities to tie in with strengthening of anti-epidemic measures
February 17, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been refining its anti-epidemic strategies in accordance with the development of the epidemic, including following the three key principles of “compulsory testing on a mandatory basis, targeted testing on an obligatory basis and testing on a voluntary basis” to conduct large-scale COVID-19 testing for groups of different risks with a view to achieving “early identification, early isolation and early treatment”, and cutting the transmission chains in the community as far as possible.  Having regard to the recent higher risk of transmission and infection in different premises or groups and the strengthened anti-epidemic measures for the resumption of various economic and social activities, the Government encourages or requires people of various groups to undergo testing, and is further enhancing the supply of testing services to cope with the increasing demand for testing in order to meet anti-epidemic goals and make it as convenient as possible for the public.

Government begins to relax social distancing measures in gradual and orderly manner
February 17, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will gazette today directions and specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G) and the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I) to relax social distancing measures in a gradual and orderly manner. The above directions and specifications will take effect from 0.00am on February 18, 2021, for a period of 14 days till March 3 (the specified period).

Supplemental Arrangement Concerning Mutual Enforcement of Arbitral Awards between the Mainland and the HKSAR: Amendments proposed for Arbitration Ordinance
February 17, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Government will introduce legislative amendments to the Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609) to fully implement the Supplemental Arrangement Concerning Mutual Enforcement of Arbitral Awards between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Supplemental Arrangement) signed between the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Supreme People’s Court of the People's Republic of China on November 27, 2020.

Re-appointment of Executive Director to SFC
February 16, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today that the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, under the authority delegated by the Chief Executive pursuant to the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571), has re-appointed Ms Julia Leung as the Executive Director (Intermediaries) (ED(INT)) and the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) for a term of three years from March 2, 2021 to March 1, 2024.

Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines convenes meeting to review supplementary data and information submitted by Sinovac
February 16, 2021 - The Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines (Advisory Panel) convened a meeting today (February 16) to review the supplementary data and information submitted by Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited (Sinovac) on its COVID-19 vaccine. The meeting was chaired by convenor Professor Wallace Lau Chak-sing.

Extension of Banking Talent Program
February 8, 2021 - In view of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hong Kong’s economy and labor market, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today announced the extension of the Banking Talent Programme (the Program). The Program, jointly launched by the HKMA and the banking industry, will be extended to upcoming fresh graduates this year through offering six-month work opportunities and professional training starting September 2021 (2021 Program). The existing program for recruited graduates (2020 Program) can also be extended for a period of up to six months (i.e. till August 31, 2021) depending on the operational needs of the participating institutions.

Government announces Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035
February 8, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today announced the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035. Setting out the vision of “Waste Reduction‧Resources Circulation‧Zero Landfill”, the blueprint outlines the strategies, goals and measures to tackle the challenge of waste management up to 2035.

Government further tightens testing and isolation arrangements for exempted persons
February 5, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Regon Government today (February 5) announced that the testing and isolation arrangements for exempted persons, including air crew members, sea crew members of goods vessels entering Hong Kong for cargo operations and other exempted persons, will be tightened with effect from February 20 (Saturday).

Foreign currency reserves at US$493.5 billion
February 5, 2021 - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced today that the official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong amounted to US$493.5 billion as at the end of January 2021, compared with : US$491.8 billion at end-December 2020.

“LeaveHomeSafe” mobile app pilot scheme runs smoothly at government buildings on first day
February 4, 2021 - To better assist the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in epidemiological investigations and to further protect the health and safety of government employees and members of the public using public services, the Government launched a pilot scheme starting today, under which government employees and members of the public are reminded to use the “LeaveHomeSafe” mobile app at the entrances of government buildings or offices. The first phase of the pilot scheme covers the Central Government Offices and Tai Po Government Offices. The first day of operation was generally smooth. The Government would like to thank members of the public and employees for their co-operation on the relevant arrangements.

New smart identity cards replacement timetable set
February 3, 2021 - The Immigration Department (ImmD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today (February 3) that the Secretary for Security has made an Amendment Order to revise the call-up program for persons born in 1962 to 1963 to apply for new smart Hong Kong identity cards (HKICs), and announce the call-up program for persons born in 1973 to 1976, 2005 to 2007 and 2012 to 2018.

Government extends social distancing measures under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance
February 2, 2021 - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced on February 2 that it has gazetted directions and specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G) and the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I) to maintain most of the social distancing measures currently in place. The directions and specifications will take effect on February 4, 2021 for a period of 14 days till February 17, 2021.

Provisional statistics of retail sales for December 2020 and for the whole year of 2020
February 2, 2021 - The Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government released the latest figures on retail sales today (February 2).

Chief Executive thanks members of public for co-operating with compulsory testing operations
February 1, 2021 - Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today thanked the vast majority of the members of the public for co-operating with the compulsory measures adopted by the Government to prevent and control the spread of the epidemic, emphasizing that the Government will take stringent enforcement action against offenders.

Previous press release