Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho called on the State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office and the Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development on the last day of her visit to Beijing.
Ms Ho first met State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Deputy Director Nong Rong and reported the work of the Housing Bureau.
She told Mr Nong that to combat tenancy abuse, around 8,700 public rental housing units have been recovered so far.
Meanwhile, the bureau has been making good progress on constructing about 30,000 units Light Public Housing (LPH) by 2027. The intake of the first LPH project with some 2,100 units on Yau Pok Road in Yuen Long has been completed smoothly, whilst the project on Choi Hing Road in Ngau Tau Kok, with about 2,300 units, will commence intake in phases by the end of this month. The remaining projects are also pressing ahead at full speed.
She added that the Housing Bureau will introduce the Basic Housing Units Bill into the Legislative Council for the first and second readings in July, and strive to complete the legislative work within this year.
Ms Ho then called on Minister of Housing & Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong to introduce the bureau’s work, as well as share the adoption of advanced construction technologies from the Mainland in Hong Kong and the outcomes.
She highlighted that the bureau will organise a series of activities and visits this year, including an international symposium to be held in Hong Kong in November, to showcase the latest developments of construction technologies in the Mainland and Hong Kong. She also stressed that the bureau will fully capitalise on Hong Kong’s advantages of connecting with both the Mainland and the rest of the world, and play the role of a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”.
Concluding the visit, Ms Ho said: “The visit not only provided an opportunity to showcase the achievements of the collaborative development of Hong Kong and the Mainland construction industries to experts and scholars from different regions at the Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research 2025 Conference, it also strengthened exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland on smart construction, smart property management, community building and housing policies.
“In addition, echoing the Housing•I&T initiative of the Housing Bureau this year, this trip enabled us to gain a better understanding of the latest developments of advanced technologies on the Mainland.”
Furthermore, she encouraged the industry to use public housing as a testing ground for trials of new technologies, and to research and develop innovative construction technologies and smart management technologies that are locally applicable and globally accepted, in order to provide a better living environment for the people.
Ms Ho returned to Hong Kong last night.
