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.

DEMS attends International Railway Safety Council 2024 Conference

The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services (DEMS), Mr Poon Kwok-ying, attended the International Railway Safety Council (IRSC) Conference in Vienna, Austria from September 18 to 20 (Austrian time). The Conference was an annual forum for railway safety regulators, operators and relevant stakeholders worldwide to exchange knowledge, experience and lesson learnt on railway safety.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) gave presentations on four separate railway safety topics to share its experience in the applications of innovation and technology (I&T) for enhancing railway safety as well as the regulatory experience and preventive measures on handling catastrophic flooding.

At the closing ceremony of the Conference on September 20 (Austrian time), Mr Poon, together with the Administrator of the National Railway Administration, Mr Fei Dongbin, and the Operations and Innovation Director of the MTR Corporation, Dr Tony Lee, were handed over the "IRSC Triangle" by the Organising Committee Chairman of this year's Conference, symbolising that Hong Kong, China will be the host city of the next Conference.

Under the theme "Advancing Railway Safety through Innovations and Collaborations", the IRSC 2025 Conference will be jointly hosted by the EMSD, the National Railway Administration and the MTR Corporation. The delegates around the world will be invited to participate the Conference in Hong Kong, China to carry out in-depth exchanges on the issue of railway safety development and also personally experience the China's railway development in recent years. Over 300 internationally renowned railway experts from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and more are expected to attend the Conference.

DEMS attends International Railway Safety Council 2024 Conference Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases