Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han (third right) calls on Deputy Director General of the Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce Liu Minqiang (third left) in Beijing to exchange views on the supervision, management and cooperation regarding labour to be imported to Hong Kong on May 8, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
HONG KONG – Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han started his visit in Beijing on Monday and called on central ministries to deepen cooperation and help further integrate Hong Kong in national development.
Accompanied by Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare Alice Lau Yim, Sun paid a courtesy call on Director General of the Department of Social Assistance Liu Xitang and Deputy Director of the Department of Elderly Care Li Yongxin of the Ministry of Civil Affairs to exchange views on social assistance policies, according to a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government statement.
The HKSAR government will soon launch a special program to import care workers for residential care homes (RCHs) for the elderly and persons with disabilities "on an appropriate scale" from June to address an acute manpower shortage and enhance services
“They also explored the way forward for integration into the national development, especially cooperation among cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” the statement reads.
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Sun said that follow-up work is under way to identify possible areas of collaboration in elderly and rehabilitation services to address challenges of the ageing population. The HKSAR government will also tap will also tap the Chinese mainland’s experience in targeted poverty alleviation.
Sun and his delegation also called on Deputy Director General of the Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce Liu Minqiang on Monday afternoon to exchange views on the supervision and cooperation regarding labor to be imported to Hong Kong.
Care workers
The HKSAR government will soon launch a special program to import care workers for residential care homes (RCHs) for the elderly and persons with disabilities "on an appropriate scale" from June to address an acute manpower shortage and enhance services.
Sun expressed his gratitude to the central ministries for their assistance in the implementation of the special scheme. The HKSAR government will maintain coordination with mainland departments to ensure the rights of imported workers in Hong Kong are protected.
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The delegation also met with Secretary General of the China Workers' Center for International Exchange of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Wang Zhoubo and paid a return visit to the China Disabled Persons' Federation after its visit to Hong Kong in mid-April, meeting its Vice-Chairman and Director of the Executive Council, Zhou Changkui.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han (back row, first left) speaks with university students in Beijing to introduce various enhanced talent admission initiatives in Hong Kong on May 8, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
Labor rights issues as well as ways to strengthen support for persons with disabilities to integrate into the community were discussed during the meeting, according to the statement.
Sun and his team then visited the first elderly meal delivery center, which started operations in early April, in Xicheng district of Beijing to take a closer look at nutritional meals for the elderly and how it connects with elderly service stations in the district to cater for the diverse needs of the elderly, including those with dementia and singletons.
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Sun also had a gathering with university students in Beijing on Monday evening and introduced various enhanced talent admission initiatives in Hong Kong and encouraged them to pursue development in the SAR. He will continue his visit in Beijing on Tuesday.