Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung (right) and Joe Wong Chi-cho, permanent secretary for culture, sports and tourism, attend a media briefing to discuss the 2023 Policy Address on Oct 29, 2023.  (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said on Sunday the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will allocate more manpower to accelerate the industrialization of creative industries, and introduce new funding programs to support local productions entering the Chinese mainland.

At a news briefing discussing culture-related initiatives of the 2023 Policy Address, Yeung said that the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency will boost its manpower by up to 40 percent. The organization, which was designed to further promote creative industrialization, will be restructured from the existing CreateHK Office. The new agency was part of a plan to hasten the development of local cultural and art projects, a plan released in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s second Policy Address on Wednesday.

Yeung said the agency will assist professionals spanning eight major creative industries in seeking promising projects, deepening collaboration with various sectors, and expanding their global markets through overseas exhibitions and conventions.

Yeung also confirmed that the government will establish a filming financing program and use it to boost investments in Hong Kong productions, with priority given to those targeting the mainland market — another initiative unveiled in the Policy Address.

Joe Wong Chi-cho, permanent secretary for culture, sports and tourism, said the new funding initiative will benefit more professionals — directors, scriptwriters, and actors and actresses — with opportunities to engage in high-quality productions. He said that current funding programs for local films focus mainly on small-scale films.

Wong said the program will also help extend Hong Kong productions’ influence on the mainland — a major international film market.

Sources said the government plans to fund 20 films in the next two to three years, with each project receiving a HK$10 million ($1.28 million) subsidy. The funded films must be directed and produced by Hong Kong permanent residents, and the cast must include at least two permanent residents.

Going green

In a separate news conference on Saturday, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said his department will draw up tailor-made strategies for the green transition in the road-, sea- and air-transportation sectors, accompanied by optimized laws and regulations to hasten the construction of associated infrastructure.

The government is studying fiscal incentives to help public transportation operators move to electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. It seeks to build 200,000 chargers for electric vehicles in public and private venues by 2027, including some chargers to be added to gas stations.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said suppliers and operators will be invited to submit letters of interest for green transportation projects in East Kowloon and Kai Tak next year.

He said that the Action Plan on Modern Logistics Development, slated to be announced on Tuesday, will include measures to realize smart development, modernization, green and sustainability, internationalization and facilitation, with a view to promoting high-quality and development of the logistics industry. 

Better medical services

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on a local radio program on Sunday that a government body will be set up and authorized to approve applications for the registration of drugs and medical devices based on clinical data, without relying on other drug regulatory authorities.

Lo said the move will help improve the efficiency of the registration process and attract more overseas enterprises to develop drugs and medical devices in Hong Kong.

The medical services provided in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay will accumulate clinical data and help Hong Kong get recognition from international medical authorities.

The new platform will also enable foreign pharmaceutical companies to test their products in Hong Kong and help introduce the eligible products to the rest of the Greater Bay Area, he said.

To reduce the waiting time of local patients, the Policy Address also proposes procuring healthcare services from suitable institutions in the Greater Bay Area.

Lo said the government will collaborate with high-quality mainland medical institutions, initially focusing on low-risk projects like imaging tests and diagnoses. Once procedural and medical record hurdles are addressed, the authorities will procure more services from the mainland to further benefit Hong Kong patients.

Contact the writers at lindaxi@chinadailyhk.com