Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected dangerous drugs worth over $5 million
Hong Kong Customs on August 30 seized about 13 kilograms of suspected ketamine, with an estimated market value of over $5 million, at Hong Kong International Airport.
Through risk assessment, Customs on that day inspected an air parcel, declared as swimming pool sanitisers, arriving in Hong Kong from Spain via France. Upon inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected ketamine inside four plastic buckets in the parcel.
After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation yesterday (August 31) and arrested a 23-year-old local man suspected to be connected to the case in Kwai Chung.
The arrested person has been charged with one count of attempting to traffic in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court tomorrow (September 2).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking 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 suspected dangerous drugs worth over $5 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
China Chengxin Green Finance expands Hong Kong business for go-global enterprises with enhanced ESG fintech services
Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced that China Chengxin Group, one of the Chinese Mainland's longest-established and largest credit rating agencies, is expanding its business in Hong Kong. Under this expansion, its green finance and environmental, social and governance (ESG) arm, China Chengxin Green Finance (CCXGF), today (September 1) entered into a strategic merger with leading Asian sustainability tech platform MioTech to form "CCX-MioTech". The new entity will offer a dedicated ESG and sustainable development services platform for Mainland enterprises looking to expand abroad, further reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a launchpad for Mainland and international enterprises expanding overseas.
A launch ceremony for the CCX-MioTech merger, together with the debut of the entity's new AI system products, was held in Hong Kong today. Officiating guests at the launch ceremony included the Founder and Chairman of China Chengxin Group, Mr Mao Zhenhua; the Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy of the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, Mr Daniel Cheung; Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK Ms Loretta Lee; the Associate Director of International Affairs and Sustainable Finance of the Securities and Futures Commission, Ms Elaine Ng; the Head of Carbon and ESG Products of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Mr Ken Chiu; the Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association, Mr Philip Kam; the Senior Director, Asia Pacific of the International Capital Market Association, Mr Ricco Zhang; the Secretary General of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association Mr Tsun Chen; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Investor Relations Association, Dr Eva Chan.
Ms Lee, said, "Hong Kong is well positioned to meet the Mainland's huge demand for green transformation. Our common law system, robust ESG framework and leading professional services make the city an ideal platform for Mainland enterprises to expand overseas. We are delighted to see CCXGF using Hong Kong as its base and joining forces with MioTech to bring AI-powered Chinese ESG fintech services to the world, demonstrating Hong Kong's unique strengths as a 'super connector' and 'super value-adder'."
The Co-President of CCX-MioTech and Chief Executive Officer of China Chengxin Green Finance International, Dr Yang Junhao, said, "As Asia's sustainable finance centre, Hong Kong is ideally placed to capture the vast opportunities of both the Chinese Mainland and international markets. Its increasingly robust ESG governance framework also gives us an important edge as we position our sustainable finance business strategically. Since beginning operations here in 2022, we became a recognised external reviewer under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in 2023. Through today's strategic merger with MioTech, we will use Hong Kong as our go-global hub to take our standardised, technology-driven professional capabilities further into Southeast Asia and markets worldwide."
CCXGF is one of the earliest professional institutions on the Chinese Mainland to provide third-party green finance services, with a long-standing focus on green finance assessment and certification, ESG ratings and advisory, data services, and carbon neutrality research. MioTech, for its part, has consistently driven the deep integration of artificial intelligence, data and software into sustainability applications.
InvestHK provided one-stop support for China Chengxin Green Finance International's expansion in Hong Kong, including market intelligence, business matching, and connections with local and overseas industry stakeholders, helping to raise the company's industry profile and open up cross-regional market opportunities.
For more information about CCXGF, please visit www.ccxgfi.com/en/.
China Chengxin Green Finance expands Hong Kong business for go-global enterprises with enhanced ESG fintech services Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
China Chengxin Green Finance expands Hong Kong business for go-global enterprises with enhanced ESG fintech services Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
