Chongqing Hosts 2025 Environment Day; Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao to Organize 2026 Event

National Event on the Environment Day 2026 to be jointly organised by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao

The National Event on the Environment Day 2025 was held in Chongqing this morning (June 5). At the handover ceremony of the event, a relevant official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) announced that the National Event on the Environment Day 2026 will be jointly organised by Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), and the Macao SAR, and handed over the event flag to the government representatives of the three places, namely Vice-Governor of the People's Government of Guangdong Province Mr Zhang Shaokang; the Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Mr Tse Chin-wan; and the Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Mr Ip Kuong-lam.

In recent years, authorities including MEE and the Central Office of Spiritual Civilization Construction have joined local governments regularly to orgainse the National Event on the Environment Day, which has become an important platform for learning, promoting, and implementing President Xi Jinping's vision of ecological civilisation, showcasing achievements in promoting the development of a beautiful China across the country, and mobilising people from all walks of life to participate in the promotion of ecological civilisation.

Government representatives of the three places expressed at the event that organising the National Event on the Environment Day is the practical implementation and important window of practicing President Xi's vision of ecological civilisation, promoting the development of an international first-class beautiful bay area, and showcasing the landscape of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Under the guidance of MEE, the three places will learn from the experiences of previous organising cities, engage in effective collaboration with careful planning, and prepare diligently, striving to make the National Event on the Environment Day 2026 excellent and full of character. In addition, the three places will take this opportunity to further deepen communication and co-operation in the ecological and environmental field, jointly build an integrated and innovative beautiful bay area, and provide more concrete ecological support for transforming the GBA into a strategic fulcrum of new development patterns, a demonstration area for high-quality development, and a leading region for Chinese modernisation.

National Event on the Environment Day 2026 to be jointly organised by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Remarks by S for S at media session on Lai Chee-ying case

Following are theremarksmadebytheSecretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, at a mediasession on the Lai Chee-ying case thisafternoon (December 15):

Reporter: Firstly, regarding the verdict of this case, does this mean the cases surrounding Apple Daily have officially concluded and there will be no more prosecution in this regard? Secondly, regarding this case attracting heavy international media and political attention, are you worried that this verdict will draw further international sanctions towards Hong Kong, particularly from US President Donald Trump? Thank you.

Secretary for Security: First of all, I do not comment on individual suspects or organisations. For whatever criminal cases, including those relating to national security, if we have evidence, we will arrest (those suspects). If we have sufficient evidence, we will prosecute (suspects). No one is above the law. Regarding the international concerns of this case, I think a lot of foreign consulate staff attending the trial throughout are the witnesses of how open and fair this trial is.

I think this illustrates these kinds of activities, happening in any country, if someone uses the media to try to overturn a regime, I think this is not bearable by every government. I think this case illustrates how safe Hong Kong is and how we are able to interdict all the national security concerns and all the attempts to affect the national security. I think this is a good showcase to show that Hong Kong is safe and it is safe to do investments in Hong Kong.

Reporter: How do you make sure today's verdict does not affect freedom of the press in Hong Kong?

Secretary for Security: First of all, the verdict states very clearly that this is nothing to do with the freedom of press in this case. It is solely because of Lai Chee-ying's utilising of Apple Daily as a platform to advocate his hatred against the Government and his plot to try to overturn our CPG's (Central People's Government) regime.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)