Justice Secretary Discusses Sustainable Structural Reforms at APEC Meeting in Korea

2025-10-22 18:25 Last Updated At：20:33

SJ attends APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, attended the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea, today (October 22) and discussed with ministers from APEC member economies and representatives of international organisations the relevant legal and policy measures of how structural reform can help build a sustainable future.

Click to Gallery

SJ attends APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

More Images

SJ attends APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Under the theme "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow" for APEC this year, the meetings will focus discussions on topics under three priorities: "Connect, Innovate, Prosper". In the morning, Mr Lam and the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the joint session of the Finance Ministers' Meeting and the Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting to explore relevant policy measures, such as research and development, regulatory reform and talent development, in promoting digital transformation including artificial intelligence. Mr Lam then attended the Joint Working Luncheon of Finance and Structural Reform Ministers with the APEC Business Advisory Council, to exchange views with ministers from APEC member economies and Council representatives.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam attended the opening session and thematic sessions of the Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting. The Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting this year is themed "Future Direction and Role of Structural Reform in addressing emerging challenges". Speaking at the first thematic session on "How Structural Reform can contribute to Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper", Mr Lam said that Hong Kong, China stands firm in supporting a rule-based international economic order and is eager to build stronger ties with various economies and international organisations. In addition to assisting in the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation's headquarters in Hong Kong, China, the setup of a regional liaison office of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law in Hong Kong, China is also being explored. On innovation, Hong Kong, China has been making reference to the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records advocated by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and considering legislative amendments to facilitate digitalisation of trade documents. Relevant legislation will also be reviewed to support a wider application of artificial intelligence. Mr Lam expressed the hope that the member economies will connect, innovate and prosper, with a view to transforming challenges into opportunities.

The Law Officer (International Law) of the Department of Justice, Dr James Ding, also spoke at the meeting in the capacity of the APEC Economic Committee Chair.

In the second session, the participants shared views on how structural reforms can help enable fair and competitive markets and enhance the environment for doing business.

The two-day APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting is a milestone event held every five years to further APEC's structural reform efforts and set in motion the next five-year structural reform agenda of the Economic Committee.

In the evening, Mr Lam attended the welcome dinner of the meeting.

Mr Lam will continue to attend the APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting tomorrow (October 23).

Health Bureau Offers Extensive Medical Support for Residents Affected by Tai Po Fire

Latest figures of primary healthcare services provided by Health Bureau to residents affected by Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire

The Health Bureau (HHB) announced earlier the medical support provided for residents affected by the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. At present, the District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses (collectively referred to as DHCs) across all 18 districts in Hong Kong serve as hubs to co-ordinate various primary healthcare services as needed for the affected residents. The HHB announced today (January 15) the latest figures of these services:

DHC hotlines

Under the co-ordination of the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission), the DHCs across all 18 districts in Hong Kong have set up hotlines since December 1, 2025, (see Annex 1) to provide personalised case management services for affected residents, offering more convenient and comprehensive medical support. The support includes pairing the affected residents with free consultation services provided by private family doctors and Chinese medicine (CM) practitioners, co-ordinating arrangements for follow-up appointments and medication refills at the Hospital Authority (HA)'s Family Medicine Out-patient (FMOP) Services as necessary, and making referrals to necessary healthcare, nursing and medication services, as well as psychological support. The services co-ordinated by DHCs are not subject to district boundaries. For example, the Centres may assist affected residents in transferring HA FMOP follow-up appointments and medication refill service points, from the Tai Po District to another location, thereby sparing residents the need for travelling across districts. As of January 13, the DHCs hotlines across all 18 districts have received 320 enquiries in total.

Free consultations by family doctors and CM practitioners and free denture replacement services

The HHB introduced a free family doctor service scheme, free CM consultation services, and free denture replacement services on December 4, 15, and 23, 2025, respectively to support the primary healthcare needs of the affected residents until February 28 this year. Case managers of the DHCs will arrange for them to receive up to three free consultations by family doctors and CM practitioners respectively based on their individual situations and preferences, covering the provision of medication and related treatments; and at least one free dental consultation and one follow-up appointment (subject to clinical need), covering denture replacement and oral treatment services.

As of January 13, more than 300 private family doctors have participated in the free family doctor service scheme, covering more than 450 service points that include eight private hospitals. So far, 87 affected residents have been arranged to receive free family doctor consultations. As for the free CM consultation services, more than 360 CM practitioners have participated, covering more than 620 service points, and 45 residents have been arranged to receive the services so far. Regarding free denture replacement services, more than 110 private dentists have participated, covering over 150 service points, and 27 residents have been arranged to receive free denture replacement services so far.

HA's healthcare services

All individuals injured in the fire and admitted to public hospitals under the HA will receive full fee waivers for all necessary healthcare services (including drugs and medical devices) throughout the entire process of their treatment and rehabilitation. A total of 79 patients received treatment at various public hospitals due to the fire. As of January 13, 71 of them had already recovered and were discharged, and the remaining eight are in stable condition. Healthcare staff will continue to provide appropriate treatment and care to these patients.

Moreover, all residents of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court (including foreign domestic helpers) are eligible for full medical fee waivers until December 31 this year. The waivers cover in-patient services, family medicine and specialist out-patient clinics (SOPCs) services (including psychiatry SOPCs), accident and emergency services, day hospitals, day procedures, community services, and Chinese Medicine Clinics cum Training and Research Centres under the HA. As of January 13, the HA has provided necessary healthcare services to around 1 800 affected residents.

Mental health support

The 18111 - Mental Health Support Hotline immediately deployed additional staff and strengthened training for its call handlers on the day of the fire incident to cope with the emotional distress that the public may experience due to the incident. From the time of the incident to January 13, the hotline has received around 15 000 calls, 730 of which were related to the fire incident. The WhatsApp service has handled over 700 messages, with about 50 of them concerning the fire incident. The HA's 24-hour Mental Health Direct hotline, manned by psychiatric nurses, offers professional advice and support on mental health issues to callers, including provision of risk assessments and referrals to the HA's mental health services as appropriate. As of January 13, the Mental Health Direct hotline has received 95 calls related to the fire incident, with 35 of them coming from affected citizens.

The HHB will continue to provide comprehensive primary healthcare support to affected residents. The HHB also designed the relevant service workflow from the residents' perspective, allowing them to receive convenient and effective medical support simply through the DHCs (see Annex 2).

Justice Secretary Discusses Sustainable Structural Reforms at APEC Meeting in Korea