Financial Secretary Paul Chan Leads Hong Kong I&T Delegation to Spain and UK for Cooperation Opportunities

FS to visit Spain and the UK

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Europe in the early hours tomorrow (September 22). He will first visit Madrid, Spain, and then London, the United Kingdom (UK). For this visit, Mr Chan will lead a delegation from the innovation and technology (I&T) sector, comprising senior executives from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) and Cyberport, as well as heads of a group of startups engaged in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, green technology, Web 3.0, etc.

While in Madrid from September 22 to 25, Mr Chan will visit various local I&T institutions and enterprises, as well as meet with members from the political, business and I&T communities. The delegation will also attend a themed business luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) to promote Hong Kong's advantages to the local political, business, financial and I&T sectors, particularly Hong Kong’s burgeoning I&T ecosystem.

Mr Chan will visit London from September 25 to 28. There, he will participate in a series of events, including the Plenary of the Hong Kong-European Business Council (Note 1); the Hong Kong Dinner hosted by the HKTDC; a luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Association (Note 2), and a roundtable meeting hosted by Asia House, a think tank based in the UK. On these occasions, he will share the latest developments and advantages of Hong Kong. He will also meet with members of the local political, business and financial communities.

While in Spain and the UK, representatives from the HKSTP, Cyberport as well as startups in the delegation will engage in exchanges with relevant institutions and members of local venture capital funds and I&T circles to seek cooperation opportunities.

Mr Chan will return from London in the evening of September 28 (local time) and arrive in Hong Kong in the afternoon of September 29. During his absence, the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will be the Acting Financial Secretary.

Note 1: The Hong Kong-European Business Council is a bilateral committee established by the HKTDC with Europe to foster high-level dialogue between Hong Kong business leaders and their local counterparts, promoting bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation.

Note 2: The Hong Kong Association is an organisation based in the UK aimed at promoting business and trading relationship between Hong Kong and the UK. The association has over 80 corporate members including global banks, international enterprises, the China-Britain Business Council, etc.

Hong Kong's first multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly pig farming project to hold briefing session and accept applications

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) announced today (May 16) that a briefing session on application requirements and a site visit for Hong Kong's first multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly pig farming project will be conducted on May 27, introducing the details and the application requirements of the project to interested parties. The project will be open for applications from May 30.

An AFCD spokesman said, "The Environment and Ecology Bureau, in collaboration with the agriculture and fisheries industries, published the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries in 2023, outlining the Government's vision for the sustainable development of the local livestock industry in the future. The Blueprint proposed promoting the adoption of multi-storey, environment-friendly and enclosed livestock farming buildings operated in an intensive and modernised manner. Technology and automated equipment will be introduced to enhance farming efficiency and properly address the environmental issues arising from livestock farming. This initiative can also save land and achieve sustainable operations and development. Promoting the construction of multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly livestock farms is one of the policy initiatives in the 2024 Policy Address."

The Government has reserved a site of approximately one hectare in Sheung Shui for the development of the project. The site formation works are expected to be completed by 2026. The AFCD invites applications from organisations for the use of the site to construct and operate the first multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly pig farm. Applicants must submit detailed business plans, including plans to consolidate pig farmers affected by government development projects, and details on investment capital and financing arrangements, and pig production operations. The AFCD will select a suitable organisation for leasing the site to construct and operate the multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly pig farm based on criteria such as intensification capability, financial feasibility, and technical assessment.

The briefing session can be attended in person or online. For details about the briefing session and project application, please visit the AFCD website. ​