HKSAR Government welcomes the establishment of Accession Working Group under Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government welcomes the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to approve the establishment of an Accession Working Group (AWG) today (September 21)to commence the accession process for respective applicant economies including HongKong.
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, MrAlgernonYau, said, "The decision concerned is a pivotal step forward in enlarging the membership of RCEP. Hong Kong will actively cooperate and take part in the work of the AWG, including the relevant accession negotiations with RCEP members, with a view to completing all the required procedures as soon as possible".
He reiterated Hong Kong's full readiness for early accession to RCEP, leveraging Hong Kong's strengths to contribute significantly to both RCEP and the promotion of regional economic integration. At the same time, Hong Kong's accession will help consolidate and enhance its status as an international trade centre, generating synergies and creating a win-win outcome.
MrYau thanked in particular the Central People's Government, including the Ministry of Commerce, for their strong and enduring support of HongKong's early accession. He also expressed appreciation to RCEP members, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in support of the establishment of the AWG. During his attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Suzhou in May 2026 and his visit to KualaLumpur, Malaysia in August 2026, Mr Yau met many of the Ministers respectively to solicit support for Hong Kong.
The HKSAR Government will continue to work closely with the RCEP Support Unit and maintain close liaison with all stakeholders of RCEP members to foster favourable conditions for early accession of Hong Kong to RCEP.
The other applicant economies being admitted to the AWG are Bangladesh, Chile and Sri Lanka.
RCEP is the world's largest free trade agreement. Its fifteen member economies include the Chinese Mainland, the ten member states of the ASEAN (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam), Australia, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand. RCEP entered into force on January 1, 2022. The HKSAR Government submitted Hong Kong's accession request within the same month, being the first among the applicant economies.
Source: AI-found images
FEHD combats unlicensed hawking and obstruction at foreign domestic helpers' holiday gathering places
A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (September 21) that to safeguard environmental hygiene and food safety, the department has stepped up intelligenceled blitz enforcement actions targeting irregularities such as unlicensed hawking and obstruction of passageways at places where foreign domestic helpers gather on holidays across various districts over the past month.
During the first few weeks of the operation, the department conducted publicity and education activities. Over the past two weeks, FEHD officers arrested a total of nine persons at foreign domestic helper gathering places for suspected unlicensed hawking and causing obstruction in public places, and seized about 1.5 tonnes of goods, including cooked food, clothes, hats, shoes, handbags and cosmetics. The arrested persons comprised two men and six women of nonChinese ethnicity, and one Chinese man, aged 30 to 55. Among them, two men held recognisance forms prohibiting them from taking up employment, and one man held Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao. For all the arrested persons suspected of breaching their conditions of stay, the FEHD will notify the relevant law enforcement departments to follow up on the cases in parallel.
The FEHD has long been concerned about obstruction of passageways, environmental hygiene and food safety problems arising from unlicensed hawking at foreign domestic helpers' gathering places. The department earlier conducted a publicity and education campaign lasting several weeks in collaboration with staff of relevant consulatesgeneral in Hong Kong, distributing multi-lingual leaflets at places where foreign domestic helpers frequently gather across various districts to remind them that unlicensed hawking is illegal, and to appeal to them not to patronise unlicensed hawkers.
According to the relevant ordinances, unlicensed hawking is subject to a maximum fine of $10,000 and six months' imprisonment. If unlicensed hawking activities also cause obstruction of passageways, offenders may be fined $25,000 or imprisoned for three months. In addition, any person who sells restricted food (including frozen meat, sashimi and sushi) without permission commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment upon conviction.
The FEHD reaffirmed its commitment to relentlessly curbing unlicensed hawking activities, and stressed that foreign domestic helpers engaging in illegal hawking breach their conditions of stay. Employers are urged to remind their helpers to abide by the law and maintain environmental hygiene. Members of the public who come across suspected unlicensed hawking or other irregularities may report them to the FEHD.
FEHD combats unlicensed hawking and obstruction at foreign domestic helpers' holiday gathering places Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FEHD combats unlicensed hawking and obstruction at foreign domestic helpers' holiday gathering places Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FEHD combats unlicensed hawking and obstruction at foreign domestic helpers' holiday gathering places Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FEHD combats unlicensed hawking and obstruction at foreign domestic helpers' holiday gathering places Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FEHD combats unlicensed hawking and obstruction at foreign domestic helpers' holiday gathering places Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
