Hong Kong and Shenzhen Strengthen Environmental Collaboration at Joint Working Group Meeting

SEE attends Hong Kong-Shenzhen Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection meeting

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (November 4), led a delegation to Shenzhen to attend the second meeting in 2025 of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection.

The meeting reviewed the collaborative achievements of the Joint Working Group over the past year. Hong Kong and Shenzhen have strengthened the close collaboration of the Joint Working Group in the past year. Exchanges such as thematic discussions and exchange visits increased by more than half compared to the past. In-depth discussions covered topics including the water ecology of Shenzhen Bay, regional atmospheric environment, ecological conservation, and resources circulation, jointly building a beautiful bay area.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been continuously promoting various measures to improve air quality. The overall air quality in Hong Kong has been improving in recent years, with concentrations of major air pollutants continuously decreasing and remaining at low levels since Hong Kong's return to the Motherland. Electric vehicles have become increasingly popular in Hong Kong, with the number increased to about nine times of that six years ago. Currently, about seven out of every 10 newly registered private cars are electric, and the growth rate is among the highest in the world. With the further development of green transport, Hong Kong's air quality will continue to improve.

On water quality of Shenzhen Bay, through the joint efforts of both sides, a long-term significant improvement trend has been observed since the mid-2000s, with total inorganic nitrogen levels dropping by over 50 per cent compared with the period around Hong Kong's return to the Motherland.

The progress of carbon inclusivity of both sides was also discussed at the meeting. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that the Green$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme has over 1.1 million registered users, with an accumulative total of over 120000 tonnes of recyclables and food waste collected.

On ecological conservation, the HKSAR Government continues to strengthen the protection of the Wetland of International Importance in the Deep Bay area and is actively promoting the construction of the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park in the Northern Metropolis, actively supporting the development of the International Mangrove Center in Shenzhen at the same time. Hong Kong and Shenzhen will continue to exchange experiences on country parks management, public education, and relevant conservation efforts for species such as corals and butterflies, and promote hiking etiquette.

Representatives of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) shared at the meeting that through distributing promotional leaflets and engaging local and Chinese Mainland social media such as Xiaohongshu to promote safety tips on hiking to visitors and hikers, such as using designated trails, protecting the environment and ecology, avoiding disturbance or harm to wildlife, and "Take Your Litter Home".

Mr Tse expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts of various departments of the Shenzhen Municipal Government. He hoped that both sides will continue the joint efforts under the framework of the Joint Working Group, striving to achieve the dual carbon goals in pollution management and waste management, as well as to have greater achievements in developing biodiversity, building beautiful bays, and expanding environmental technology co-operation and development under the Belt and Road Initiative, continuously achieving new progress and breakthroughs.

The Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment), Mr Eddie Cheung; the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui; and representatives from the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the EPD and the AFCD also attended the meeting.

Mr Tse returned to Hong Kong this evening.

SEE attends Hong Kong-Shenzhen Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection meeting Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from April 16 to 20

The Transport Department (TD) today (April 1) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on April 16 (Thursday) to noon on April 20 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.

A spokesman for the TD said, "A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with 'HK' or 'XX' as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged."

Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:

(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by "iAM Smart+" equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered "iAM Smart" users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not "iAM Smart" users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.

(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using "iAM Smart+" or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.

(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.

(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of the email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:

completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and

making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Chequeor cash paymentis not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.

The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries.

Source: AI-found images