In response to the deliberation by the National People’s Congress (NPC) of a draft Decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security (“the Decision”), the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, who is attending the opening ceremony of the third session […]
Yesterday the HKgov announced new exemptions on the quarantine arrangements currently in place in HK and the Mainland. Business people active in logistics could now be considered for exemption under certain conditions. Read all about it here: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202005/21/P2020052100437.htm
On 15 May the HKgov released the First Quarter Economic Report 2020, together with the revised figures on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2020.The Government Economist, Mr Andrew Au, described the economic situation in the first quarter of 2020 and the latest GDP and price forecasts for 2020. Read all about […]
For this article we must send a huge thanks to our colleagues of the Belgian Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Brussels. Thank you! The Covid-19 crisis has pushed the world economy into recession. Governments all over the world are developing stimulus plans to support companies that are forced to shut down and to provide safety […]
The Government announced the launch of the Employment Support Scheme (ESS) earlier under the “Anti-epidemic Fund” to provide time-limited financial support to employers to retain their employees, hence maintaining the strength of Hong Kong. Applications for the first tranche of wage subsidy under the ESS can be made from May 25 to June 14, 2020.YYou […]
On 4 May the HKgov announced a mechanism for Hong Kong enterprises with manufacturing operations in the Mainland to apply for exemption from compulsory quarantine arrangement upon returning to Hong Kong. The Trade and Industry Department (TID) has started processing applications from today. Please check the press release for all the details and how to […]
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (May 5). The value of total retail sales in March 2020, provisionally estimated at $23.0 billion, decreased by 42.0% compared with the same month in 2019. The revised estimate of the combined value of total retail sales in January and February […]
Late last month the HK Census Bureau released its Q2 data analyses. Please review the press release here (click), it contains links to all the data.
Today we received more information on the previously announced economic support initiative by the HKgov, called ESS (Employment Support Scheme). The new information provided now includes a starting date for applications: 25 May 2020. Generally speaking, with the exception of ineligible employers (mainly organisations whose employees’ salaries are not affected by the epidemic, for example, […]
Always nice to be alerted to our members showing up in the media. Here is an article by the New York Times featuring our BLCC member Liège Airport, it’s about the first cargo flight by the U.N. World Food Program leaving from Liège Airport providing vital medical supplies for developing nations especially vulnerable to the […]