According to the Financial Review of the Securities Industry for the year ended 2013 (the Review) published by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Category C brokers (i.e. brokers ranked 66th or after by monthly turnover on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong) recorded a total net profit of $1.758 billion last year, which was 3.95 times higher than that of 2012.
The Yuen Long office of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) District Council member KS Chong was officially opened today (March 24). Ms Florence Hui, Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Zhang Xiaoying, Deputy Director of New Territories Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Andrew Leung, BPA Chairman, and several distinguished guests officiated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Spring Dinner of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) was held today (6 March) in Beijing. More than 100 guests attended the dinner, including Mr. CY Leung, Chief Executive, Mr. Qiao Xiaoyang, Chairman of National People’s Congress (NPC) Law Committee, Mr. Yang Chonghui, Chairman of the CPPCC Subcommittee for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Compatriots and Overseas Chinese, Mr. Lu Xinhua, spokesman of the second session of the 12th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, Ms Yin Xiaojing, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Mr Zhang Rongshun, Chairperson of the Basic Law Committee, as well as NPC Deputies and CPPCC members and other HKSAR government officials.
In this year’s Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) session, four members of Business and Professionals Alliance (BPA) for Hong Kong raised a total of six proposals. Some of them are concerned with youth development, including the promotion of social mobility among youth, establishment of a unified academic accreditation authorities, as well as facilitating the tax system and policies for Hong Kong people who work in the three Special Economic Zones (namely Hengqin, Qianhai and Nansha) in China.
The Financial Secretary, Mr. John Tsang, in his Budget today highlighted for the first time the potential structural deficit. He also proposed a series of initiatives to strengthen Hong Kong’s competitiveness in several sectors. BPA endorses the Budget for being pragmatic and forward-looking, which will eventually enhance our competitiveness. The Budget aligns with BPA’s theme of the year – ‘Creativity and Upward Mobility-Brightening Hong Kong’s Future.’
The Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) today (27 January) organised a delegation to Guangdong. The objectives of the visit were to exchange views on issues of common interests through meetings with various Guangdong officials, and to deepen cross-border cooperation for the mutual benefit of the SAR and the Province. Mr Peter Lam, head of the delegation and BPA Council Chairman, welcomed joint efforts by Guangdong and Hong Kong to promote economic development and pointed out that “economic integration”, “fostering development” and “promoting stability” were the current priorities for Hong Kong, as well as the BPA.
In his concluding remark for of the Policy Address, the Chief Executive stressed that it was “imperative to pursue people’s livelihood and the economy in tandem”. This is a belief that is, to a large extent, shared by the BPA. It is however disappointing to note that the reference to economic development is not sufficiently reflected in the contents of the Policy Address, namely, the strategies for economic development are fragmented and piecemeal while the needs of the middle class and SMEs, who are the major contributors to Hong Kong’s economy, have been overlooked.
The Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) held its First Anniversary Dinner today (17 December). Mr John Tsang, Acting Chief Executive, and Mr Shen Chong, Director General of the Coordination Department, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, attended as the officiating guests.
The Social Welfare Department launched the “Guangdong Scheme” in October this year, under which eligible Hong Kong elderly people aged 65 or above who choose to reside in Guangdong Province may receive a monthly Old Age Allowance (OAA) and they are not required to return to Hong Kong each year. I have learnt that at present, Fujian Province is the place of origin of about 1.2 million Hong Kong permanent residents, and more and more elderly people have chosen to reside in Fujian Province in recent years. Yet, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare told the media a few months ago that at this stage, the Government had no intention of extending the coverage of the Scheme to provinces other than Guangdong Province…
