Director of Health Leads Delegation to Visit Beijing to Strengthen Collaboration on Chinese Medicine Standards and Testing Technologies

Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, led a delegation from the Department of Health (DH) to Beijing today (September 9) to pay a visit to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). In addition to exchanging information on the latest progress in promoting scientific regulation and innovation in drugs and medical devices, both sides also signed a co-operation agreement to further deepen collaborations and exchanges in testing technologies of Chinese medicine (CM) and the internationalisation of CM standards. On the same day, the DH and the Beijing Municipal Health Commission (BJHC) co-hosted the Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference, with a view to jointly advancing the high-quality healthcare development in Hong Kong.

Witnessed by the Commissioner of the NMPA, Mr Huang Guo, Dr Lam and the Director General of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the NMPA, Ms He Li, signed a co-operation agreement on research for CM testing and standards to further extend and deepen collaboration in this area, which has spanned more than a decade.

Under the co-operation agreement, both sides will strengthen exchanges and collaborations in the standards and technologies of CM covering research on and formulation of standards for Chinese Materia Medica, CM decoction pieces, proprietary CM and CM granules; the development of testing technologies; as well as safety tests and risk control for the quality of CM, through multiple channels such as expert meetings, seminars and training. Both sides will also deepen talent training and technical interfacing in accordance with the co-operation agreement, with a view to promoting CM standards and testing technology innovation in alignment with international standards.

Dr Lam thanked the NMPA and its affiliated institution, the National Institute for Drug Control (NIDC), for their longstanding support for CM development in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The permanent building of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute under the DH commenced operations late last year. The Chinese Medicines Herbarium inside has received professional technical guidance from the NMPA and the NIDC, and was endowed with more than 300 valuable and representative specimens of Chinese Materia Medica commonly used nationwide, enriching its collections and enhancing public understanding of CM.

Dr Lam remarked that the Outline of the National 15th Five-Year Plan has promulgated to advance the inheritance and innovation of CM and to promote its global expansion. The DH will actively leverage its technical strengths in CM testing and quality control to become an important anchor for CM going global, and to strengthen the exploration, utilisation and research of global medicinal resources. This co-operation arrangement will extend the longstanding close collaboration, and further enhance testing expertise level as well as quality and safety control of CM to promote the development of Hong Kong as a bridgehead for CM going global.

Regarding scientific regulation and innovative development of drugs and medical devices, Dr Lam also introduced the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation, the preparatory work for the 30th Global Harmonization Working Party Annual Meeting and Technical Committee Meeting scheduled for December this year, and the progress of the 2026 annual bilateral work plan, covering issues on strengthening cross-boundary drug regulation and enhancing training and exchanges between the two sides in different areas such as primary evaluation of new drugs and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) for clinical trials of pharmaceutical products.

In the afternoon of the same day, upon the invitation of the BJHC, the DH co-hosted the annual Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference during the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services. Other co-organisers included the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, the Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Beijing Municipal Disease Prevention and Control Administration, the Beijing Hospitals Authority and the Cross-straits Medicine Exchange Association. The theme of this year's conference is "Beijing and Hong Kong, Join Hands for a Shared Healthy Future", focusing on discussions of smart healthcare, transformation of scientific achievements, inheritance and innovation of CM and public health emergency response.

Dr Lam said that this year is significant as it marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. Under the principle of complementing each other in bringing about mutual benefits, the DH will continue to promote exchanges and collaborations with Beijing, actively integrate into and serve the overall national development, and implement a health-first development strategy to fully leverage Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of having strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world to contribute to a "Healthy China".

At the meeting, DH representatives shared how, under the framework of building a health big data ecosystem, Hong Kong's Electronic Health System (eHealth) connects the public and private healthcare sectors to enable realtime sharing of electronic health records, empower citizens to manage their own health, and optimise the allocation of healthcare resources through bigdata analytics. They also introduced Hong Kong's CM regulatory regime and the formulation of CM standards and advancing innovations in testing. Representatives also highlighted Hong Kong's commitment to strengthening primary healthcare under the guiding principle of "prevention first, community-based". The reform is being deepened through chronic disease co-care, intensified tobacco control, and the development of community networks. These measures aim to integrate health management into daily life and encourage citizens to take on the role of being the "first person responsible" for their own health.

During Dr Lam's stay in Beijing, he will also attend some activities on Health and Wellness Service at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, and pay a visit to related public health authorities.

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, led a delegation from the Department of Health (DH) to Beijing today (September 9) to pay a visit to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and co-host the Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference with the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. Dr Lam (first left) met with the Commissioner of the NMPA, Mr Huang Guo (second right), to exchange information on the latest progress on promoting scientific regulation and innovation in drugs and medical devices. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, led a delegation from the Department of Health to Beijing today (September 9) to pay a visit to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and co-host the Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference with the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. Dr Lam (left) and the Director General of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the NMPA, Ms He Li (right), signed a co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines as witnessed by the Commissioner of the NMPA, Mr Huang Guo (centre). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, led a delegation from the Department of Health to Beijing today (September 9) to pay a visit to the National Medical Products Administration and co-host the Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference with the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. Photo shows Dr Lam speaking at the Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port

The redeveloped Huanggang Port will open at 6.30am tomorrow (October 12). The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, officiated at the opening ceremony at the Mainland Port Area of the Huanggang Port today (October 11) alongside the Director of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, Mr Huang Chuping; the Standing Committee Member of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and the Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr Jin Lei; the Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Mr Li Yun; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Mr Luo Yonggang; the Director General of the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, Ms Zhang Geping; the Director of Bureau III of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Zou Jinsong; and the Deputy Director of the Department of Border Security Check of the National Immigration Administration, Ms Mo Haiying.

The National 15th Five-Year Plan proposed consolidating and enhancing the role of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an engine for high-quality development, as well as strengthening regional infrastructure connectivity. The redevelopment of the Huanggang Port signifies the proactive alignment of the HKSAR Government with national development strategies, representing a key project through which Hong Kong actively integrates into and serves the overall national development. The Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan announced by the HKSAR Government last month explicitly set out to leverage the strengths of the redeveloped Huanggang Port, implement the co-location arrangement, and adopt the novel "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode. The official opening of the Huanggang Port signifies a major milestone achieved by Hong Kong and Shenzhen in enhancing the layout of boundary control points, and improving clearance efficiency, and facilitating cross-boundary flow of people.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Lee said that the Huanggang Port redevelopment project is a landmark undertaking built upon the close partnership and concerted efforts between Hong Kong and Shenzhen for joint contribution and shared benefits. The official opening of the redeveloped port reflects that connectivity within the Greater Bay Area has reached a new height, serving as a faithful demonstration promoting "hard connectivity" in infrastructure, fostering "soft connectivity" of rules and mechanisms, and achieving "connectivity of hearts" between the residents of the Mainland and Hong Kong.

The redeveloped Huanggang Port is positioned as the most important 24-hour passenger land boundary control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The design flow of the redeveloped Huanggang Port is 200 000 passenger trips per day, and could be further increased to about 300 000 upon the future commissioning of the Northern Link Spur Line of the MTR Corporation Limited. With the staunch support of the Central Authorities, the Huanggang Port implements the co-location arrangement with clearly delineated Hong Kong Port Area and Mainland Port Area. The Huanggang Port is also the first land boundary control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen adopting the "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode, further enhancing passenger clearance experience and efficiency. Under this new clearance mode, clearance time will be significantly reduced from around 30 minutes at the original Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port, to approximately five minutes.

The 23rd Meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) passed the decision to authorise the HKSAR to exercise jurisdiction over the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas (Hong Kong Port Area) on June 26 this year. Subsequently, the State Council issued an Official Reply on July 8, stipulating the specific co-ordinates and area of the Hong Kong Port Area, and agreeing that the Hong Kong Port Area is to be commissioned beginning at 00.00 hours of July 31, 2026, and is to be subject to the jurisdiction of the HKSAR in accordance with the laws of the HKSAR. The Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Ordinance (Cap. 659), together with the relevant subsidiary legislation, came into operation on July 31.

Since the establishment of the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area on July 31, the HKSAR Government has been pressing ahead at full steam with the various preparatory tasks for the opening of the port, including conducting drills and tests of various scales, as well as continuously enhancing detailed arrangements to prepare comprehensively for the opening of the port. Having confirmed that the port is ready for safe, smooth and efficient operation, Hong Kong and Shenzhen issued a joint statement on October 9, announcing that the redeveloped Huanggang Port will officially open at 6.30am of October 12, 2026, providing 24-hour clearance services for passengers and passenger vehicles.

Officials of the HKSAR Government attending the ceremony included the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse; the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming; the Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok; the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Chan Tsz-tat; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip.

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attended the Opening Ceremony of Huanggang Port today (October 11). Photo shows Mr Lee (sixth left) and guests officiating at the ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, inspected the Huanggang Port Building Hong Kong Port Area today (October 11). Photo shows Mr Lee (third right) inspecting the departure hall. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, inspected the Huanggang Port Building Hong Kong Port Area today (October 11). Photo shows Mr Lee (front row, fourth right) inspecting the departure hall. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, inspected the Huanggang Port Building Hong Kong Port Area today (October 11). Photo shows Mr Lee (front row, centre) inspecting L2 Hall. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, inspected the Huanggang Port Building Hong Kong Port Area today (October 11). Photo shows Mr Lee (second right) inspecting the "joint one-stop" vehicle lane level. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, inspected the Huanggang Port Building Hong Kong Port Area today (October 11). Accompanied by (from left) the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; and the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, Mr Lee (fourth right) inspected the "joint one-stop" vehicle lane level. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases