30 Hong Kong Secondary Students Head to Young Astronaut Training Camp in China to Explore Aerospace Facilities and Meet Experts

30 secondary students to depart for Beijing and Hainan to join Young Astronaut Training Camp

Thirty secondary students who have been selected to participate in the Young Astronaut Training Camp 2024, jointly organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, will visit Beijing, Wenchang of Hainan Province and Jiuquan to receive a nine-day training camp from July 16 to August 3. A send-off ceremony of the training camp was held at the Hong Kong Space Museum today (July 16).

Addressing the send-off ceremony, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, said that upon the country’s plan to expedite its development to become the world’s leading space-faring nation, Hong Kong shoulders the responsibility as an international innovation and technology hub to contribute its own power to the country's aerospace endeavours. He encouraged students of the training camp to grasp the opportunity to learn in earnest, broaden their horizons and gear up themselves. He also encouraged them to learn from the country’s aerospace heroes as their role model and make greater contributions to the betterment of the country and Hong Kong in future.

Other officiating guests included the Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Dr Wang Weiming; the Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Dr Jonathan Choi; the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau; member of the Working Group on Patriotic Education of the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee Ms Melissa Kaye Pang; the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Douglas So; the Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Miss Eve Tam; Deputy Manager of the Science Technology and Innovation Division, Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre Mr Franky Chan; and Vice-Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Mr Charles Cheung.

Launched in 2009, the Young Astronaut Training Camp has entered its 13th year. A total of 360 students have participated in the programme so far. The recruitment of this year's training camp started in May and received an overwhelming response. After three rounds of the selection, which included a quiz on astronomy and space science, a three-day training camp and an interview, 30 students from Secondary Two to Secondary Six were selected as Young Astronauts out of around 200 applicants from more than 130 secondary schools.

The students participating in the nine-day training camp will visit various key astronomy and aerospace facilities. They will also have a chance to meet with aerospace experts and astronauts to learn more about the development of the country's aerospace programmes and distinguished achievements. This year's students will be among the first participants of the long-running programme to visit the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. Being China's most-advanced rocket launch facility, the site is primarily responsible for launching missions of the Tiangong space station modules and the Tianzhou cargo craft. After visiting the launch site, they will visit the Wenchang Aerospace Science Center, the Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Center, and more. The students will then travel to Beijing to visit the National Astronomical Observatories. At the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, they will experience astronaut training activities, including the donning and doffing of spacesuits, wilderness survival training and savouring space food. Their final stop will be the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which is responsible for launching manned spaceflights, and the National Time Service Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xian.

The training camp is jointly presented by the LCSD and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, in association with the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre. It is co-ordinated by the Hong Kong Space Museum and sponsored by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. For details of the training camp, please visit the website of the Hong Kong Space Museum at hk.space.museum/en/web/spm/activities/yatc.html or call 2734 2765.

The training camp is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.

30 secondary students to depart for Beijing and Hainan to join Young Astronaut Training Camp Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

30 secondary students to depart for Beijing and Hainan to join Young Astronaut Training Camp Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

30 secondary students to depart for Beijing and Hainan to join Young Astronaut Training Camp Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

30 secondary students to depart for Beijing and Hainan to join Young Astronaut Training Camp Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

30 secondary students to depart for Beijing and Hainan to join Young Astronaut Training Camp Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

30 secondary students to depart for Beijing and Hainan to join Young Astronaut Training Camp Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by SITI at NovaX Global Investmatch Carnival 2024

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the NovaX Global Investmatch Carnival 2024 today (August 28):

Clarence (Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Mr Clarence Ling), Raymond (Member of the All-China Youth Federation Mr Raymond Zhao), Steve (Executive Chairman of the Hong Kong Young Scientist Association and Member of the All-China Youth Federation, Mr Steve Gao), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It is my great pleasure to attend the NovaX Global Investmatch Carnival 2024. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Innovating Hong Kong for bringing together top-tier innovative companies, investment institutions, and industry experts from around the world to Hong Kong to explore technological frontiers and investment opportunities and shape the future of innovation.

Start-ups are the heartbeat of innovation. As I have mentioned in many occasions, funding is an essential element to support the growth and sustainable development of start-ups, as well as to enhance the global innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem. I am delighted to see that today's event provides a platform for start-ups to connect with investors, and innovation to meet with opportunity. This echoes our I&T development strategy to diversify venture financing channels and support the development of start-ups and industries.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to providing comprehensive support to start-ups at different stages of their development. Apart from the various entrepreneurship schemes and incubation programmes provided by the two I&T flagships in Hong Kong, namely the Hong Kong Science Park and the Hong Kong Cyberport, there are multiple fundraising channels available for start-ups from other government and private investment funds. We encourage the enrichment of venture financing channels and welcome more participation from the venture capitalists and business sector to build a more vibrant I&T ecosystem.

Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support from the motherland, and at the same time being closely connected to the world. By leveraging our role as a "super-connector" and a "super value-adder", Hong Kong can pool together innovation resources all around the world to promote I&T development and investment, also serve as the bridge linking the Mainland and the rest of the world, as well as the springboard for overseas enterprises to access the huge Mainland market and for Mainland enterprises to go global. This year, in the Global Innovation Index, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster continued to rank second in the world for the fifth consecutive year. We welcome start-ups, talent and investors to come to Hong Kong to explore the amazing I&T landscape with open arms.

Ladies and gentlemen, to foster a vibrant I&T ecosystem, we need to develop a sustainable I&T ecological chain through close collaboration across various sectors. Promoting collaborative efforts among the government, academia, research institutions, and the investment sector is of paramount importance. Let us join hands to embark on an I&T journey across borders.

In closing, may I extend my best wishes for the success of the NovaX Global Investmatch Carnival and a fruitful experience to all attendees present here today. Thank you very much.

Speech by SITI at NovaX Global Investmatch Carnival 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases