Financial Secretary Paul Chan Leads Hong Kong I&T Delegation to Spain and UK for Cooperation Opportunities

FS to visit Spain and the UK

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Europe in the early hours tomorrow (September 22). He will first visit Madrid, Spain, and then London, the United Kingdom (UK). For this visit, Mr Chan will lead a delegation from the innovation and technology (I&T) sector, comprising senior executives from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) and Cyberport, as well as heads of a group of startups engaged in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, green technology, Web 3.0, etc.

While in Madrid from September 22 to 25, Mr Chan will visit various local I&T institutions and enterprises, as well as meet with members from the political, business and I&T communities. The delegation will also attend a themed business luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) to promote Hong Kong's advantages to the local political, business, financial and I&T sectors, particularly Hong Kong’s burgeoning I&T ecosystem.

Mr Chan will visit London from September 25 to 28. There, he will participate in a series of events, including the Plenary of the Hong Kong-European Business Council (Note 1); the Hong Kong Dinner hosted by the HKTDC; a luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Association (Note 2), and a roundtable meeting hosted by Asia House, a think tank based in the UK. On these occasions, he will share the latest developments and advantages of Hong Kong. He will also meet with members of the local political, business and financial communities.

While in Spain and the UK, representatives from the HKSTP, Cyberport as well as startups in the delegation will engage in exchanges with relevant institutions and members of local venture capital funds and I&T circles to seek cooperation opportunities.

Mr Chan will return from London in the evening of September 28 (local time) and arrive in Hong Kong in the afternoon of September 29. During his absence, the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will be the Acting Financial Secretary.

Note 1: The Hong Kong-European Business Council is a bilateral committee established by the HKTDC with Europe to foster high-level dialogue between Hong Kong business leaders and their local counterparts, promoting bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation.

Note 2: The Hong Kong Association is an organisation based in the UK aimed at promoting business and trading relationship between Hong Kong and the UK. The association has over 80 corporate members including global banks, international enterprises, the China-Britain Business Council, etc.

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and alternative smoking products

An incoming male passenger was sentenced to seven months and five days of imprisonment at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (April 3) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare to Customs Officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO), as well as for importing alternative smoking products, in contravention of the Import and Export Ordinance (IEO).

Customs officers intercepted a 38-year-old incoming male passenger at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) on February 6. About 34 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes and 12 000 alternative smoking products were seized from his personal baggage. He was subsequently arrested. Upon investigation, Customs officers also discovered that the passenger had arrived at HKIA on July 10, 2024, and had not yet claimed his personal baggage, which contained about 14 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes. As such, a total of about 48 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes and about 12 000 alternative smoking products, with a total estimated market value of about $239,000 and a duty potential of about $163,000, were seized in this case.

Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.

Under the DCO, tobacco products are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

Under the IEO, any person who imports an alternative smoking product into Hong Kong commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and alternative smoking products Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and alternative smoking products Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases