Hong Kong Customs seizes illegally imported live birds of suspected scheduled endangered species
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 9) seized two illegally imported live birds of a suspected scheduled endangered species, with an estimated market value of about $5,000, at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point.
Customs officers intercepted an incoming 46-year-old local female passenger at the Arrival Hall of the said Control Point yesterday. Upon examination, the two live birds were seized from her backpack. Officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) attended the scene for inspection and confirmed that the two live birds were of an endangered species listed in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance in Hong Kong. The case was handed over to the AFCD for follow-up investigation.
Customs reminds the public not to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong.
According to the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.
Under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Regulations, it is an offence to import any bird unless it is accompanied by a valid health certificate. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $25,000.
Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account(crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 9) seized two illegally imported live birds of suspected scheduled endangered species, with an estimated market value of about $5,000, at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point. Photo shows the live birds of suspected scheduled endangered species seized. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Results of monthly survey on business situation of small and medium-sized enterprises for June 2026
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (July 10) the results of the Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for June 2026.
The current diffusion index (DI) on business receipts amongst SMEs decreased from 44.4 in May 2026 in the contractionary zone to 44.0 in June 2026, whereas the one-month's ahead (i.e. July 2026) outlook DI on business receipts was 47.0. Analysed by sector, the current DIs on business receipts for some surveyed sectors dropped in June 2026 as compared with previous month, particularly for the real estate (from 49.3 to 45.6) and logistics (from 40.7 to 39.5).
The current DI on new orders for the import and export trades increased from 46.0 in May 2026 to 46.4 in June 2026, whereas the outlook DI on new orders in one month's time (i.e. July 2026) was 47.2.
Commentary
A Government spokesman said that business sentiment amongst SMEs remained cautious in June, in view of the uncertain development of the Middle East conflict. Both the current and outlook diffusion indices on business receipts for SMEs edged down slightly from the preceding month. Meanwhile, the overall employment situation continued to hold steady.
Looking ahead, the sustained expansion of the Hong Kong economy should provide support to business sentiment. Nevertheless, the global conditions remain fluid. In particular, any re-escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East could weigh on business confidence. The Government will remain vigilant to the evolving external environment.
Further information
The Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises aims to provide a quick reference, with minimum time lag, for assessing the short-term business situation faced by SMEs. SMEs covered in this survey refer to companies with fewer than 50 persons engaged. Respondents were asked to exclude seasonal fluctuations in reporting their views. Based on the views collected from the survey, a set of diffusion indices (including current and outlook diffusion indices) is compiled. A reading above 50 indicates that the business condition is generally favourable, whereas that below 50 indicates otherwise. As for statistics on the business prospects of prominent companies in Hong Kong, users may refer to the publication entitled "Report on Quarterly Business Tendency Survey" released by the C&SD.
The results of the survey should be interpreted with care. The survey solicits feedback from a panel sample of about 600 SMEs each month and the survey findings are thus subject to sample size constraint. Views collected from the survey refer only to those of respondents on their own companies rather than those on the respective sectors they are engaged in. Besides, in this type of opinion survey on expected business situation, the views collected in the survey are affected by the events in the community occurring around the time of enumeration, and it is difficult to establish precisely the extent to which respondents' perception of the business situation accords with the underlying trends. For this survey, main bulk of the data were collected around the last week of the reference month.
More detailed statistics are given in the "Report on Monthly Survey on the Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises". Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080015&scode=300).
Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact Industrial Production Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7246; email: sme-survey@censtatd.gov.hk).
