Hong Kong Commits to ISSB Standards at AIIB Meeting, Enhancing Financial Transparency and Investor Confidence

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said during a side event at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) today (June 25) that Hong Kong shares the AIIB's mission of providing high-quality financial disclosures as a reliable player that builds trust with stakeholders.

Speaking at the side event on "Implementing the International Financial Reporting Standards - Sustainability Disclosure Standards (ISSB Standards) from the Ground Up: The AIIB Journey", Mr Hui noted that while the AIIB is one of the first multilateral development banks to adopt the ISSB Standards, Hong Kong was also confirmed by the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation earlier this month as among the initial set of jurisdictions having set a target of fully adopting the ISSB Standards.

He said, "By aligning with a global standard, we ensure international comparability of our data. This not only boosts investor confidence but also creates a strong foundation for new opportunities. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to work in collaboration with financial regulators and stakeholders to support the pragmatic implementation of the ISSB Standards through enhancing capacity building and promoting the use of technological solutions."

This afternoon, Mr Hui also spoke on "Fostering Development and Infrastructure Connectivity" at the Governors' Business Roundtable. He shared with delegations from other member states Hong Kong's efforts in fostering development in sustainable finance as well as developing diverse and innovative financial products. The latter includes the roll-out of the Infrastructure Bond Programme and the issuance of infrastructure loan-backed securities by the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC) with the AIIB as an anchor investor. He told the delegations that a third issuance by the HKMC can be expected this year.

At the AIIB President's Reception and the Special Session of the Board of Governors' meeting held yesterday (June 24), Mr Hui met with the President of the AIIB, Mr Jin Liqun, and the President-elect of the AIIB, Ms Zou Jiayi. He also met financial officials of other member states to update them on Hong Kong's latest developments in green and sustainable finance, and the recent vibrant financial market situation.

In addition, Mr Hui held bilateral meetings separately with delegations from Egypt, Germany and Poland on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting to explore opportunities for further co-operation.

During his stay in Beijing, Mr Hui met with the President of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Mr Liu Jun, and the Chief Financial Officer of the China Construction Bank, Mr Sheng Liurong. He will return to Hong Kong tonight.

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SFST looks for more co-operation opportunities with AIIB member states at its 10th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

DH to expand scope of services and list of beneficiaries under Community Dental Support Programme next month and cover homeless individuals

The Department of Health (DH) today (December 17) reminded the public that, as announced on August 15, the Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP) will expand its scope of services starting from January 1 next year, adding new services, namely dental scaling, root canal treatment, removal of bridges and crowns, and fitting of removable dentures. The CDSP will also extend coverage to homeless individuals, further focusing on providing more subsidised preventive and curative dental services to the underprivileged in need.At the same time, the CDSP will also supplant the Community Care Fund Elderly Dental Assistance Programme (EDAP) that will cease to accept applications from January 1 next year.

With the expansion of the beneficiaries list of the CDSP to cover the homeless, social workers, through the service networks of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), will identify and assist eligible homeless individuals with the application documents and co-ordinate appointments with dental clinics. Eligible homeless individuals must be a holder of a Hong Kong identity card, be enrolled in the Electronic Health System (eHealth), and be a service user of any of the following services provided by the Social Welfare Department to street sleepers:

• Temporary Shelters;

• Urban Hostels for Single Persons;

• Integrated Services Teams for Street Sleepers; or

• Care and Support Networking Team (street sleepers only).

Additionally, each eligible service user may apply for subsidised dental services once every 180 days currently, the scope of which includes preventive and curative oral health and dental care services. Subject to the assessment by the attending registered dentist, each participant will be provided with specified subsidised dental services, including oral health assessment, medication for dental pain relief (when necessary), X-ray examinations, dental fillings or extractions. With the expansion of the scope of services effective from January 1 next year, each participant can receive dental scaling services and root canal treatment for one tooth every 365 days, and removal of one bridge or two crownsevery 180 days. Regarding the fitting of removable dentures, each participant can receive the service up to two times, with an interval of at least five years in between. To ensure the proper use of limited resources to achieve greater cost-effectiveness and to allow the underprivileged to receive the most effective treatment services, removable dentures fitting service will only be available to eligible persons with fewer than 20 remaining teeth, who must first be assessed by a dentist as having difficulties in eating or chewing and whose eating ability could be effectively restored by the fitting of removable dentures.

The expanded CDSP will supplant the EDAP, which will cease to accept applications from January 1 next year. For details of the CDSP (including the administration fee and co-payment fee of services), please visit the designated website (www.communitydental.gov.hk).

In March 2025, the DH launched the Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents (PDCC), which serves as an interface with the School Dental Care Service by providing partial subsidies for dental check-up services for adolescents aged 13 to 17. It helps adolescents foster a long-term partnership with registered dentists in the private sector and enables them to build a lifelong habit of regular dental check-ups. Eligible adolescents can receive subsidised services once every calendar year. Currently, 572 private dentists are participating in the PDCC, with over 960 service locations. With school holidays approaching, the DH encourages adolescents to take advantage of the long holidays to participate in the PDCC and welcome the new year with good health and confidence. Members of the public may visit the PDCC webpage (www.communitydental.gov.hk/en/pdcc/introduction_of_pdcc.html) for more information.

The Government's oral health policy aims to enable all Hong Kong citizens to enhance their oral hygiene and lifestyles. By adopting the strategies of developing community-wide preventive primary oral healthcare while providing essential dental care services targeting underprivileged groups in formulating the dental services, the Government aims to assist citizens in practicing prevention, early identification, and timely intervention for dental diseases.The CDSP and PDCC have collectively benefited over 10 000 eligible individuals.

The Department of Health, Photo source: news.gov.hk