📋 Tender Overview
Following is a question by the Hon Steven Ho and a reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology Mr Tse Chinwan in the Legislative Council today May 14
Question
It has been reported that a number of coastal provinces in the Mainland have set up interdepartmental coordination groups led by provincial governors to coordinate policies on marine economy However there are views pointing out that the development of marine economy in Hong Kong is taken forward in a piecemeal fashion without toplevel planning In this connection will the Government inform this Council
1 as there are views that development of marine economy involves various portfolios and it is difficult for a singlepolicy bureau to coordinate interdepartmental resources whether the Government will make reference to the experience of the Mainland and set up a dedicated team led by officials at the decisionmaking level to coordinate the development of marine economy if so of the details and the implementation timetable if not the reasons for that
2 as there are views that the existing policy focusing on regulation may hinder the development of marine economy how the Government will promote the development of maritime industries eg of the breakthroughs in terms of the introduction of the relevant legislative amendments and innovative policies as well as the enhancement of crossboundary cooperation and coordination and
3 apart from the three tourism projects currently being taken forward by the Development Bureau under the largescale landdisposal approach whether the Government will consider selecting more islands and coastal areas with potential for tourism development to implement the largescale landdisposal approach on a trial basis so as to bring in social capital for participation in infrastructure development and operation thereby enhancing the competitiveness of marine tourism in Hong Kong
Reply
President
International organisations and individual economies have different definitions for marine economy and there is no unified global standard on which industries fall under the scope of marine economy For Hong Kong having made reference to the breakdown of the industry classification of the Mainlands marine economy and roughly compared the industries covered therein with those in the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification Version 20 compiled by the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department and other known industry classifications the Government Economist considered that the marine economyrelated activities in Hong Kong can be broadly categorised into the following six categories
maritime transport and port industry
marine tourism
marine utilisation extraction production and related manufacturing
wholesale and retail of marine products
marine public administration and social services and
marine scientific research technology and information services
One of the six categories maritime transportation and port industry includes ports shipping and maritime commercial services In 2022 this sector contributed 42 per cent to Hong Kongs Gross Domestic Product GDP and accounted for 21 per cent of total employment Besides marine utilisation extraction production and related manufacturing along with wholesale and retail of marine products are partially related to capture fisheries and mariculture According to data from the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department AFCD the local capture fisheries and mariculture production in 2023 was approximately 87 000 tonnes with a total value of about 24 billion estimated to contribute less than 01 per cent to GDP As for the remaining three categories their valueadded contributions could not be estimated due to limited data
Having consulted the Deputy Financial Secretary the Transport and Logistics Bureau TLB Culture Sports and Tourism Bureau CSTB the Innovation Technology and Industry Bureau ITIB and the Development Bureau DEVB my consolidated reply to the question of the Hon Steven Ho is as follows
1 Given the extensive scope of the marine economy which encompasses a diverse range of industries and development models multiple policy bureaux and departments within the Special Administrative Region SAR Government are responsible for related areas Relevant bureaux and departments attach importance on these developments and have formulated and implemented strategies action plans or blueprints accordingly Each policy bureau and department in accordance with their professional functions introduces targeted measures to advance the development of marine economyrelated areas under its purview which are in line with the overarching policy direction strategies and pace of development This approach fosters synergies between marine economy development strategies and other initiatives within the respective bureaux and departments thereby more effectively achieving their policy objectives The Government believes that the current approach suits Hong Kongs circumstances Bureaux and departments will continue to review the development direction and progress of their respective areas working collectively to drive the growth of marine economy The SAR Government will also monitor progress across all fronts and if necessary explore ways to optimise the development approach
2 The development of marine economy in Hong Kong does not only focus on regulations For example the TLB has all along been promoting the development of Hong Kong as an international maritime centre and has been collaborating closely with the industry to implement various measures under the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy including strengthening regional collaboration and global connectivity to attract new cargo sources to Hong Kong Port while driving the ports digitalisation greening and adoption of smart technologies enhancing tax incentives for the maritime industry and introducing a halftax concession for commodity traders strengthening the highquality
