Cheung Chau's Bun Carnival: Exciting Scrambling Final Set for May 5!

2025-01-08 12:00 Last Updated At：12:08

Bun Carnival in Cheung Chau to be launched soon

The annual Bun Carnival in Cheung Chau is coming soon. The Bun Scrambling Final, which is the exciting finale of the event, will be held at the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground at Cheung Chau on the night of May 5. Physically fit climbers aged 18 or above are welcome to take part in the event.

The Bun Scrambling Competition comprises three stages - training, selection of finalists and the Bun Scrambling Final. All applicants who have completed the safety training sessions to be provided on April 6 on bun tower climbing and prevention of falls can enter the finalist selection exercise on April 13.

The final selection exercise will consist of two rounds. Twenty-four contestants recording the shortest time in the preliminary round (including no fewer than six female participants) will be eligible to enter the semi-final on the same day to compete for 12 finalist places (including no fewer than three female participants).

The 12 finalists will enter the Bun Scrambling Final to be held from 11.30pm on May 5 to 12.45am on May 6.

The Bun Scrambling Final will comprise male and female races. All 12 finalists will compete in the same race by scrambling for buns, which carry different scores at different points, on the bun tower within a time limit. The highest scoring male and female finalists will be the winners. Moreover, the participant who bags the highest number of buns within the time limit will be the prize winner of "Full Pockets of Lucky Buns".

To acknowledge the outstanding achievements of the winners and enhance the appeal of the event, any male or female athlete who has been the champion three times in the Bun Scrambling Competition since 2016 will be the "King of Kings" or the "Queen of Queens" of the competition.

The Bun Scrambling Competition Invitation Relay, as before, will be held immediately after the individual competition. Local Cheung Chau organisations are invited to participate by forming three-member teams to compete in the relay.

Persons interested in participating in the competition should complete SmartPLAY user registration and identity authentication, and submit their electronic ballot applications from February 17 to 28 via the SmartPLAY website (www.smartplay.lcsd.gov.hk/home), the mobile app (My SmartPLAY) or Smart Self-service Stations. User registration at SmartPLAY is free of charge. To register as SmartPLAY users, please refer to the link (www.smartplay.lcsd.gov.hk/website/en/user-registration/how-to-register.html).

The maximum number of entrants for the Bun Scrambling Competition is 200. All places will be allocated by ballot via SmartPLAY. Applicants who live, work or study at Cheung Chau will be accorded priority in the ballot. Details are provided in the prospectus available on the 2025 Bun Carnival dedicated website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/bun/index.html) from today.

Besides the Bun Scrambling Competition, this year's Bun Carnival will also feature a wide array of activities, including the Student Drawing Competitions and the Climbing Carnival. The drawing competitions are open for kindergarten and primary school students in the Islands District, aiming to promote their understanding of the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival's tradition of bun scrambling and local customs.

For the Bun Tower Climbing Team Relay to be held on the morning of April 27, local tertiary institutions, Government Departments, public utilities and commercial and industrial organisations will be invited to take part in it. Members of the public are welcome to watch the game on-site and cheer for the contestants. At the Climbing Carnival to be held in the afternoon on the same day, there will be a bun tower climbing fun day, game stalls, handicrafts making and variety shows. A Wishing Bun Tower will also be set up, and the winning entries of the Student Drawing Competitions will be displayed. Members of the public are welcome to attend the carnival.

The 2025 Bun Carnival is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). For enquiries, please contact the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD at 2852 3220, or visit the 2025 Bun Carnival dedicated website.

Yau Advocates for Multilateral Trade System at APEC Meeting Amid Rising Protectionism

2025-05-15 17:08 Last Updated At：17:18

SCED urges APEC member economies to unite in defending rules-based multilateral trading system

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, stressed the importance of upholding the rules-based multilateral trading system at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Jeju, Korea, today (May 15).

Speaking at the session entitled "Connectivity through Multilateral Trading System", Mr Yau said that the recent upheaval caused by unilateral tariff measures poses a threat to the multilateral trading system, representing an imminent challenge to the global trade landscape. The substantive progress made at the high-level meetings between two economies, where both sides have agreed to significantly reduce their bilateral tariffs and continue discussions in a spirit of openness, continuous communication, co-operation and mutual respect, marked a pivotal step towards fostering stability in global trade and reinforces the shared commitment to advancing constructive economic relations within the APEC region and beyond.

He pointed out that, as a free port, Hong Kong has long championed free trade in the past and remains firmly committed to the rules-based multilateral trading system now and in the future. Hong Kong also remains committed to engaging in constructive dialogues to enhance the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s functionality, resilience and effectiveness.

Mr Yau called upon member economies to unite in defending the open, predictable and inclusive character of global trade and to collaborate closely to uphold and strengthen the system, thereby safeguarding global economic stability.

Meanwhile, Mr Yau encouraged member economies to intensify collaborative efforts to finish the unfinished business at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference, such as bringing into force the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, and incorporating the plurilateral Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement into the WTO legal architecture. Demonstrating concrete progress will assure the global community that the WTO remains vibrant, effective and capable of addressing contemporary trade challenges effectively.

At another discussion session entitled "AI Innovation for Trade Facilitation", Mr Yau said that digitalisation, coupled with AI, has been quickly transforming businesses, unlocking new opportunities, and redefining how goods and services move across borders these days.

He noted that Hong Kong is keen to embrace the transformative power of AI in trade. For instance, innovative technologies such as AI-powered tools have been adopted to ensure effective enforcement controls while streamlining customs clearance procedures. The final phase of the Trade Single Window will establish a highly automated cargo risk assessment engine to expedite clearance using AI.

Mr Yau said that while there are a number of ongoing discussions in international forums to discuss AI development, including rules setting and governance, there is much room for collaboration among member economies on AI in trade. He added that in the current era with rising protectionism and unilateralism, it has become even more important for APEC to showcase to the world that regional economic co-operation in the area of AI matters and can bring benefits to the people of the entire region. He added that Hong Kong is ready to contribute and collaborate with fellow member economies to harness AI for trade and to drive high-quality growth across the region.

On the margins of the MRT Meeting today, Mr Yau met with the China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr Li Chenggang; the Deputy Minister for Trade of Korea, Mr Park Jong-won; as well as the Minister for Trade and Investment of New Zealand, Mr Todd McClay, separately to exchange views on various issues of mutual concern.

Mr Yau also paid a courtesy call on the Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Mr Oh Young Hun, yesterday (May 14) to give him an update on the latest developments of Hong Kong and exchange views on promoting closer bilateral relations.

Mr Yau will continue to join the MRT Meeting tomorrow (May 16).