Submissions and Reports

A clear and effective energy policy that is conducive to the reliability and stability of supplying power while also promoting affordability and environmental performance is vital. With regard to Government’s proposal to tighten emission allowances from 2022, a cost-benefit analysis would allow both consumers and businesses to make informed and meaningful assessments.

The Chamber has all along been supporting the Government’s initiative to embrace and adopt technology more widely to develop Hong Kong into a smart city. While the business sector would like to see prompt and concrete actions of a smart government, we therefore urge the Government to be more swift and resolute in breaking through the bureaucratic routine and take the lead to scale up the momentum immediately.

The Chamber welcomes the Government's proposals under the updated masterplan "Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030." It is encouraging that the Government is planning to build a green, smart and liveable city, but the Chamber worries about how various master plans such as “Hong Kong 2030+,” “Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint,” “Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2030+” and “Railway Development Strategy 2014” can be aligned with each other; and how labour supply and talent development can meet demand for our future development.

The Chamber supports the HKSAR Government’s proposal to mandate ocean-going vessels and river trade vessels to use compliant fuel with sulphur content not exceeding 0.5% by weight within Hong Kong waters from 1 January 2019 onward, and recommends adding a provision in the legislation to adopt the 0.1% requirement in the event that the Mainland Government decides to adopt a more stringent standard, so as to bring us in alignment with the emission requirement of the PRD’s Emission Control Area.

The Chamber supports the HKSAR Government’s initiative to embrace and adopt technology more widely as an accelerator to develop Hong Kong into a smart city, and emphasize the fundamental importance of Smart Government and Smart Citizen among the six themes for the development of an innovative and sustainable smart city.

The Chamber supports the Government’s initiative to embrace and adopt technology more widely as an accelerator to develop Hong Kong into a smart city (or a “livable city”), and the selection of Kowloon East to trial run some feasible initiatives.

Promotion of sustainable consumption of biological resources requires concerted efforts through a mix of effective tools and instruments of all stakeholders to facilitate fundamental changes of consumption patterns under definitive government leadership.

The Chamber welcomes HKSAR’s initiatives of developing the first five-year Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Hong Kong, and emphasizes the critical importance of providing certainty and predictability so that businesses can plan well ahead in response to any policy changes and new requirements.

The Chamber agrees that the Government should explore the notion of electronic road pricing (“ERP”) as a tool to control traffic but also feels that attention should be devoted to other issues that contribute to the chronic problem of traffic congestion in the Central District as ERP alone is not enough as to provide relief.

HKGCC has long been a supporter of a clean and effective energy policy to ensure a high level of energy reliability and stability, with full regard to affordability and environmental performance. While we appreciate the Government’s efforts to consult the public, we stress that changes are desirable only if certain objectives are achievable.