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Apr exports value down 13%

The value of Hong Kong's total exports decreased to $338.3 billion in April, down 13% on the same month last year, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.   The value of imports of goods decreased 11.9% to $374.9 billion for the same period.   A trade deficit of $36.6 billion, or 9.8% of the value of imports, was recorded in April.   Comparing the three-month period ending April with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of exports rose 15.4%, while that of imports increased 10.7%.   The Government noted that the value of merchandise exports declined further from a year earlier in April. Exports to the Mainland, the US and the European Union all shrank and exports to other major Asian markets recorded decreases of varying degrees.   Looking ahead, it added that the weakness in the advanced economies will continue to weigh on Hong Kong's export performance, though the expected faster recovery of the Mainland economy should

SJ to meet Legal Subsector

The Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections were held successfully yesterday. It signifies an important milestone in Hong Kong’s democratic electoral system.   I would like to extend my congratulations to all the elected members, including the 15 members from the Legal Subsector. They will be joined by the ex-officio members, nominees by eligible bodies and candidates who have been returned uncontested to form the new term of the Election Committee which is entrusted with the important task of nomination and election of the Chief Executive. They are also given two new functions in the electoral system - nomination of candidates for the Legislative Council election and election of 40 LegCo members.   Political security is fundamental to national security. I am very grateful to the National People’s Congress for swiftly making a decision on improving our electoral system in accordance with the law after carefully considering the actual situation of Hong Kong. It ensures the steadfast and successful implementation of “one country, two systems”, safeguarding the sovereignty, security and development interests of the country, as well as ensuring the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.   It has come to my attention that the turnover rate in the Legal Subsector is 100%, demonstrating that the legal sector has placed great importance to the elections. I will arrange for a meeting with all the Election Committee members from the Legal Subsector at the soonest possible so that we can jointly explore ways to seize the opportunities brought about by the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Greater Bay Area development and the Qianhai Plan, as well as integrate the needs of the country with the strengths of Hong Kong. We are determined to establish Hong Kong as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region so as to facilitate the long-term development of Hong Kong, the bay area as well as the whole country by proactively participating in the national development.   Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote this article and posted it on her blog on September 20.
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