Hong Kong and Sichuan Enhance Healthcare Cooperation and Chinese Medicine Collaboration

Secretary for Health meets with Health Commission of Sichuan Province delegation

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with a delegation led by the Director-General of the Health Commission of Sichuan Province, Mr Deng Zhengquan, today (July 16) to explore ways to deepen healthcare co-operation and exchanges between Sichuan and Hong Kong.

Professor Lo welcomed the delegation and expressed gratitude to the Health Commission of Sichuan Province for its support in promoting exchanges and co-operation between Sichuan and Hong Kong. At the meeting, both sides engaged in extensive discussions across a number of key areas, including the promotion of the inheritance and innovation of Chinese medicine, the training of medical talent and the enhancement of healthcare service quality.

Professor Lo said, "Sichuan and Hong Kong have long maintained close ties across a number of healthcare areas, particularly in the fields of talent cultivation, academic exchanges, and scientific research and innovation of Chinese medicine. The two places have been continuously and proactively exploring new areas for healthcare collaboration. Going forward, we can further leverage Sichuan's strengths in Chinese medicine resources and Hong Kong's role as an international hub for Chinese medicine information exchanges and innovation to jointly promote the inheritance, innovation, and high-quality development of Chinese medicine in both places. This will thereby better align with the strategy set out in the National 15th Five-Year Plan Outline to advance the inheritance and innovation of Chinese medicine and promote Chinese medicine to go global.

"The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to medical exchanges with various Mainland provinces and will continue to deepen the co-operation between Hong Kong and Sichuan in the healthcare sector under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits, while fully leveraging Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the 'one country, two systems' principle, thereby jointly contributing to propelling the national strategy of 'Healthy China'."

Since the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Strategic Co-operation in Chinese Medicine in 2021, Sichuan and Hong Kong have continued to deepen the ties and exchanges, engaging in diverse forms of collaboration for the high-quality development of Chinese medicine, fully demonstrating the solid foundation of complementary advantages and co-ordinated progress in the field of Chinese medicine between the two places. The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong has also entered into collaboration agreements with the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ineye Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, respectively, further strengthening the foundation for collaboration in Chinese medicine between the two places.

Secretary for Health meets with Health Commission of Sichuan Province delegation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Secretary for Health meets with Health Commission of Sichuan Province delegation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs seizes live turtles of scheduled endangered species

Hong Kong Customs on June 25 seized 36 live turtles of a scheduled endangered species with an estimated market value of about $360,000at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point.

Through risk assessment, Customs that day intercepted an incoming lorry at the control point. After inspection, Customs officers found the batch of live turtles of a scheduled endangered species wrapped in plastic and concealed in socks in a carton box declared as carrying clothing.

Customs officers subsequently conducted a controlled delivery operation and arrested a local 53-year-old woman in Tuen Mun. The arrested woman has been released on bail pending further investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement actions against all kinds of smuggling activities through risk assessment and intelligence analysis.

Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586), any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of an 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.

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 seizes live turtles of scheduled endangered species Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases