The Consumer Council celebrated its 50th anniversary with a cocktail reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (25 April), with over a thousand guests coming together to honour the Council’s golden jubilee. Looking ahead, the Consumer Council will continue to fulfil its mission to protect consumer rights and interests, and to foster an even safer and more reliable consumption environment and culture.
The cocktail reception was officiated by The Hon John LEE Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Mr Clement CHAN Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council. They were joined by the Financial Secretary The Hon Paul CHAN Mo-po, the Secretary for Justice and former Council Chairman The Hon Paul LAM Ting-kwok, the President of the Legislative Council (LegCo) The Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen and LegCo Members, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration The Hon CHEUK Wing-hing, the Executive Council (ExCo) Non-Official Members, various Directors of Bureaux and Heads of Government Departments, as well as a number of former Chairmen, current and former Members and Chief Executives of the Consumer Council, along with representatives of consumer organisations from different regions.
In his welcome speech, Mr Clement CHAN Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, reviewed the consumer protection achievements in the half century past and pledged that the Council will continue its efforts moving forwards, “In the past 50 years, the Council has duly fulfilled its duties to protect the rights and interests of consumers in accordance with the functions conferred on it by the law. With rapid technological advancements, we have now come to an era of digital economy and borderless consumption. The Council will continue to safeguard consumers and deliver delightful surprises in user-friendly and down-to-earth formats, with boundless creativity, dedication and determination.”
The Guest of Honour, The Hon John LEE Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, acknowledged the work of the Council over the years during his speech, and emphasised that creating a safe and secure consumption environment is conducive to economic development, “The Consumer Council has established a professional, reliable and authoritative reputation in the past half century. I fully appreciate the work and effort of the Council, which has helped to foster a safe and reassuring consumption environment for Hong Kong, empowering both local consumers and visitors to shop with confidence. I anticipate that the Council will continue to keep pace with the times while serving consumers at large with an innovative spirit, so as to build an even better consumption environment to reinvigorate consumer confidence and the marketplace.”
The Cocktail Reception premiered a heartwarming video recounting the Council’s achievements in safeguarding consumer interests in the past years. To echo the theme of the 50th Anniversary – “Smart Consumption · Fuelling the Economy” – it was followed by a unique celebration ceremony featuring a specially-designed “Golden Jubilee Fortune Pig”, which symbolises wealth accumulation and auspicious blessings. Led by the Chief Executive The Hon John LEE Ka-chiu, and the Council Chairman Mr Clement CHAN Kam-wing, the guests on-stage inserted coins emblazoned with various daily life icons and smiley faces, representing smart consumption, into the Golden Jubilee Fortune Pig, a gesture signifying hopes that the collaborative efforts between the Council, Government departments and industries in society can reinvigorate consumer confidence and enthusiasm, so that Hong Kong’s economy may thrive and flourish. As the creative ceremony brought festivities to a climax, the guests on-stage gave a toast with high spirits, bringing the celebration to a close.
The Consumer Council has long been educating consumers through various channels. Its signature monthly publication CHOICE Magazine was launched in 1976, and over 16 million print and online copies have been sold since, making it a trusted and authoritative source for consumer information for the past half century. Responding to the public’s evolving reading habits and the way they search for information, as well as allowing more consumers to have direct access to consumption information, the Chairman Mr Clement CHAN Kam-wing announced during the cocktail reception that eCHOICE (the online version of CHOICE) will become free of charge starting from 2 January 2025. From then on, the public can view and download each issue’s content for free by entering the Council’s website. To cater to the needs of readers accustomed to reading in printed form, CHOICE Magazine will maintain a designated number of complimentary print copies for distribution to elderly centres, community organisations, public libraries, etc. The Council hopes that the new arrangement will enable more consumers to access the latest and objective consumption information handily, empowering them to make smart consumption choices as well as promoting and realising sustainable consumption.
Existing CHOICE subscribers will continue to receive the monthly magazine throughout 2024 while subscriptions that extend beyond January 2025 will be refunded. Affected subscribers simply need to complete the confirmation form, which will be sent to them via email, online download or by post, and submit it to the Council between 2 July and end of 2024. Refunds will be made based on the retail price of $12 per issue. All verified sums will be refunded to subscribers by cheque in phases starting January 2025 and before 31 March 2025. Please refer to https://www.consumer.org.hk/tc/2025-free-choice (available in Chinese only) for details of the subscription refund. The Council will also issue detailed notifications to subscribers in the coming month.
Having fruitful achievements in the past half century, the Council owes its gratitude to the support of the public and industry partners. Moving forward, the Council pledges to resolutely uphold its mission while continuing to evolve and adapt to the changing consumption environment, to foster a safe, fair, quality and sustainable marketplace and be the trusted voice of consumers.
- Guests at the autograph wall as they arrive at the cocktail reception venue in celebration of the Council’s 50th anniversary.
- Welcome speech by Mr Clement CHAN Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council.
- The Guest of Honour, The Hon John LEE Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR addresses the guests at the cocktail reception.
- Mr Clement CHAN Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, announces that eCHOICE will become free for the public starting from 2 January 2025 as guests on-stage applaud the arrangement.
- Guests insert coins into the “Golden Jubilee Fortune Pig” which symbolises wealth accumulation, echoing the theme of “Smart Consumption．Fuelling the Economy”.
- The Guest of Honour, The Hon John LEE Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR autographs the “Golden Jubilee Fortune Pig”.
- The Guest of Honour, The Hon John LEE Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Principal Officials, President of the Legislative Council, ExCo Non-Official Members, Directors of Bureaux and Heads of Government Departments, current and former Consumer Council representatives raise their glasses.