Speech by FS at National Day of Sweden reception 2026 (with photos/video)
Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the National Day of Sweden reception 2026 today (June 5):
Consul General Ms Louise Bergholm (Consul General of Sweden to Hong Kong), Deputy Commissioner Zhang (Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr Zhang Changwei, members of the diplomatic community in Hong Kong, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
It is a pleasure to be here today in honour of the National Day of the Kingdom of Sweden. And to be speaking to so many members of our industrious and enterprising Swedish business community in Hong Kong.
I'm sure today's reception will be followed by many family-and-friend gatherings throughout Hong Kong and well beyond.
And there's more to follow in Sweden this month. Two weeks from now, it's the Nordic Midsummer Celebration, featuring everything from ice baths to pickled herring - and more.
According to the Swedish Chamber in Hong Kong, Midsummer is, and I quote, "the one day when even the most reserved Swede will dance around a flower-covered pole pretending to be a small frog."
A country that has given the world Astrid Lindgren can do anything it wants. Lindgren was the author of many internationally celebrated children's books, including Pippi Longstocking.
Pippi, of course, was the strongest girl in the world, able to lift a horse with one hand. She was also kind and compassionate, a reflection of the author's longstanding beliefs that strength should go hand in hand with kindness. Lindgren once wrote, and I quote, "If you are very strong, you must also be very kind."
That is a message for children, and for their parents, no doubt. But it is also one that speaks to countries, economies and their leaders.
In today's fraught geopolitical world, a little kindness, openness to other beliefs and values, and willingness to appreciate their circumstances, can go a long way. After all, we know that differences exist between cultures, histories, ways of life and paths to good governance. But differences need not divide us; they can be a starting point for mutual respect, deeper understanding, and learning from one another.
Hong Kong, like our country, firmly believes in these values. We believe in keeping our doors wide open to the world - to economies, companies and talent, in trade and investment, as in arts, culture, education and the essential people bonds that underlie them all.
And I'm pleased to say that there is far-reaching opportunity in Hong Kong's good and growing ties with Sweden.
Our bilateral merchandise trade last year rose by a cheering 11.5 per cent over the previous year, to about US$950 million. Services trade, too, grew by nearly 8 per cent in 2024, to about US$900 million.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong is a strong testament to our enduring business ties. This year, the Chamber celebrates its remarkable 40th anniversary - 40 years of bringing Hong Kong and Swedish businesses together.
Hong Kong is proud to offer Swedish companies a favourable and dynamic business environment. The recent Business Climate Survey, conducted by Team Sweden in Hong Kong, points to a steady improvement in how Swedish companies perceive Hong Kong's business climate over the past three years. The survey also shows that 67 per cent of them use Hong Kong as a regional hub.
Our role as a gateway to the Chinese Mainland, our business potential, free market economy, and simple and low tax regime remain the most appealing advantages for Swedish companies here.
And I believe these advantages will only grow stronger in the time to come. The National 15th Five-Year Plan places strong emphasis on the country's high-level two-way opening up. Our country will continue to support more outbound investment, while welcoming more high-quality foreign goods and services into its market.
This is a process of further leveraging the complementary strengths among economic partners. And I am sure that more Swedish and European goods and services will be welcomed by the expanding and increasingly sophisticated consumer market on the Chinese Mainland.
And Hong Kong can certainly help Swedish enterprises seize the opportunities ahead.
The potential for our collaboration in innovation and technology is equally compelling. Hong Kong is rising fast as an international innovation and technology centre, supported by the accelerated development of the Northern Metropolis. Sweden has world-class innovation capabilities and industrial strengths. There is much we can achieve together.
Hong Kong attaches great importance to AI (artificial intelligence), for we believe in its transformative power.
There is much scope for collaboration with Sweden in AI - from research and application to education and talent development. A recent study by Statistics Sweden reports that 35 per cent of Swedish companies used at least one form of AI technology last year, well above the European Union average of 20 per cent.
Then there is life science and health technology. Sweden is a global leader in this field, which is also our priority development area. It sounds like a natural fit.
For example, Hetao - or the Loop - along the Shenzhen River is fast becoming a major hub for life and health technologies. Over there, we are enabling the cross-boundary flow of biological samples and clinical data. We are also working to host a branch of the Mainland's regulatory authority. That will facilitate quicker access of pharmaceutical products and medical devices to the Chinese Mainland market.
In fact, Mainland and overseas clinical trial institutions are already operating there. A number of world-class pharmaceutical companies have established their presence in Hetao.
Beyond business and investment, our partnership can extend to many other areas, from arts and culture to sports. Speaking of which, the world will soon be watching Sweden - and 47 other countries, playing in the FIFA World Cup, which gets going next week. Good luck, blue and yellow!
Ladies and gentlemen, my heartfelt congratulations on your National Day. May the friendship between Hong Kong and Sweden continue to flourish, and may our partnership grow even stronger in the years to come. Thank you very much.
Speech by FS at National Day of Sweden reception 2026 (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by FS at National Day of Sweden reception 2026 (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Employers and employees should make work arrangements in times of rainstorm warnings
The Labour Department (LD) today (June 6) reminded employers to make prior work arrangements for employees during and after rainstorm warnings and extreme conditions as early as possible, including arrangements on reporting for duty, release from work, resumption of work and remote work (if applicable). These arrangements not only can ensure the safety of employees and smooth operation of organisations, but also are conducive to maintaining good labour-management relations.
"Employers should make prior work arrangements and contingency measures for staff which are reasonably practicable. In drawing up and implementing the work arrangements, employers should give prime consideration to employees' safety and the feasibility of employees travelling to and from their workplaces. Employers should also give consideration as much as possible to the different situations faced by individual employees, such as their place of residence and the road and traffic conditions in the vicinity, and adopt a sympathetic and flexible approach with due regard to their actual difficulties and needs," an LD spokesman said.
To avoid misunderstandings, disputes and confusion, employers should consult and engage employees when drawing up the arrangements and make appropriate updates or amendments based on the experience of each occasion and the needs of both employers and employees as well as the actual situations. The work arrangements should cover the following matters:
* arrangements in respect of reporting for duty;
* arrangements in respect of early release from work;
* arrangements in respect of resumption of work (e.g. the number of hours within which employees should resume duty after the warning concerned is cancelled or extreme conditions come to an end, when safety and traffic conditions allow);
* arrangements in respect of remote work such as work from home (if applicable) (e.g. duty and work arrangements during and after rainstorm warnings and extreme conditions);
* arrangements regarding working hours, wages and allowances (e.g. calculation of wages and allowances in respect of reporting for duty and absence); and
* special arrangements in respect of staff required to report for duty in times of adverse weather or extreme conditions.
"Employers should conduct a timely and realistic assessment of whether there is any need for requiring staff to report for duty at workplaces when rainstorm warning or extreme conditions are in force. In making the assessment, employers should take into account the safety of employees, the business nature, operational needs and urgency of service, with due regard to the manpower requirements, staffing establishment and individual situations of employees, and keep the number of staff at workplaces to the minimum as far as possible," the spokesman added.
If a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is issued during working hours, employees working indoors should continue to work as usual unless it is dangerous to do so. Supervisors of employees working outdoors or in exposed areas should suspend outdoor duties as soon as practicable. They should arrange for their employees to take shelter temporarily and resume duty only when weather conditions permit. If the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is still in force by the end of working hours, employees should stay in a safe place until the heavy rain has passed. A suitable area in the workplace should be made available by employers as temporary shelter for employees.
If the Government makes an extreme conditions announcement, apart from those required by employers to report for duty at workplaces, employees are advised to stay in the place they are currently in or in safe places when extreme conditions are in force, instead of heading for work. Employees who have already reported for duty at workplaces could continue to work as usual in a safe manner. If the workplaces are in danger, employers should release staff from work early under feasible conditions and in a safe manner or make available a safe place as temporary shelter for employees. If the working time ends while extreme conditions are still in force, employers can release employees from workplaces in a safe manner or provide a suitable area as temporary shelter for those still at workplaces.
If it is necessary for employees to report for duty at workplaces under adverse weather or extreme conditions, employers should discuss and agree with them in advance the duty arrangements and contingency measures. If public transport services are suspended or limited when the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or extreme conditions are in force, employers should provide safe transport services for employees travelling to and from workplaces, or grant them an extra travelling allowance.
The spokesman reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, Employees' Compensation Ordinance and Minimum Wage Ordinance.
"As natural calamities cannot be avoided, for employees who are not able to report for duty or resume work on time due to adverse weather or extreme conditions, employers should neither deduct their wages, good attendance bonuses or allowances, nor reduce employees' entitlement to annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days under the Employment Ordinance, or ask for additional hours of work from employees to compensate for the loss of working hours when they are unable to report for duty," he said.
Employers should note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance. If employees are required to work in times of tropical cyclone warnings, rainstorm warnings or extreme conditions, employers should ensure that the risks at work are reduced as far as reasonably practicable. Moreover, under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, employers are liable to pay compensation for injuries or deaths incurred when employees are travelling by a direct route from their residence to their workplace, or from their workplace back to their residence after work, four hours before or after working hours on a day when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or higher, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or extreme conditions are in force.
The LD has published the "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'", which provides the major principles, reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation on making work arrangements for the reference of employers and employees. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department's webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf).
Source: AI-found images
