Secretary Sun Dong Opens 2nd Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference and Xiangjiang Nobel Forum 2025

2025-04-13 17:16 Last Updated At：17:28

Speech by SITI at Opening Ceremony of 2nd Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference and Xiangjiang Nobel Forum 2025

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Opening Ceremony of 2nd Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference and Xiangjiang Nobel Forum 2025 today (April 13):

尊敬的劉光源副主任（中央人民政府駐香港特別行政區聯絡辦公室副主任）、徐曉蘭常委（第十四屆全國政協常務委員會委員）、林建岳主席（香港貿易發展局主席）、李然會長（香港北京高校校友聯盟會長）、各位嘉賓、女士們、先生們：

大家下午好！我很高興出席第二屆「香港世界青年科學大會」開幕式，再次與一眾世界頂尖科學家、青年學者和企業家們匯聚香江。接下來，我先以英語歡迎現場來自海外的嘉賓、朋友們。

First of all, a very warm welcome to our distinguished guests and friends from aboard, including the Nobel Laureates and Academicians, for joining us at today’s event, which is one of the highlights of the BIT Week (Business of Innovation and Technology Week) 2025.

Science is more than just discovery. In particular in a world of uncertainties and rapid technological shifts, the role of scientists and scholars has become even more critical in providing clarity, unravelling mysteries and fostering global collaboration. Hong Kong, as an international hub for highly skilled professionals and higher education, is blessed with five world’s top 100 universities and many renowned scholars and scientists, providing a solid foundation for our outstanding R&D (research and development) achievements and our ambition to be an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre.

I&T talents and enterprises are the core elements for Hong Kong’s I&T development. Hong Kong has spared no effort to promote international I&T exchanges by fully leveraging its two-way platform role as an important bridge connecting the Mainland and the rest of the world. Today’s World Youth Science Congress best demonstrates Hong Kong’s unique advantages in attracting global talents and enterprises. We will continue to support world-class science and technology exchange events in Hong Kong, such as the WIC (World Internet Conference) Asia Pacific Summit, which our Chief Executive mentioned earlier, and the International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum of the Boao Forum for Asia 2025 Hong Kong. Thank you again for coming and I wish you all a wonderful experience here in Hong Kong. Now allow me to switch back to Chinese.

今天在場的除了一眾科學界的佼佼者，還有超過60家來自京津冀的優秀科創企業代表。我非常高興見證他們落戶香港科學園、數碼港等，展現了這些企業選擇香港作為「出海」平台的認同和重視。我還記得我在上一屆的活動中提出要促進政、產、學、研、投的高效協作以推動香港的創科發展。在當今風雲變幻的國際政經環境中，跨領域、跨地域的多邊合作尤為重要。香港憑藉高度國際化環境和自由港地位，在「一國兩制」下更突顯香港作為「出海」平台的重要價值。未來，我相信會有越來越多的國內的企業選擇香港作為他們國際化部署的重要據點，香港也將會協助更多國內企業揚帆出海，做大做強。

最後，我感謝主辦方香港北京高校校友聯盟再次籌辦這場匯聚了世界頂尖科學家和青年學者的科學盛宴，強化了香港作為國際創科交流中心和國際高端人才集聚高地的角色。我祝願第二屆「香港世界青年科學大會」暨「香江諾貝論壇」活動圓滿成功，在座各位身體健康，謝謝大家。

Asia Cultural Forum 2025: Ministers Collaborate on Arts and Cultural Development in Hong Kong.

2025-04-22 20:54 Last Updated At：22:28

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation

Key event of the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025, Ministerial Panel, has been held this afternoon (April 22). Participating cultural ministers and senior officials from 17 countries joined the Panel. They exchanged views and shared experience on policies and measures to promote arts and cultural development. Organised in Hong Kong, the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 further strengthens Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

The theme of the Forum is "Connect, Create, Engage: Bridging Cultures for All". Officiating at the Panel opening today, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, highlighted that the world has undergone rapid and vigourous changes and technological advancement is something inevitable. A people-oriented approachshould be adoptedto promote the arts and cultural development, i.e. to connect more with people, to create more for people and to engage more people. Making good use of Hong Kong as an East meets-West centre for international cultural exchange and the largest art trading centre in Asia, Hong Kong will surely continue to work hard to make our name card more shiny and tell good stories of Hong Kong.

In addition to the speeches given by Miss Law and Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Gao Zheng in the Panel, participating cultural ministers and senior officials from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam also took turns to speak.

The Acting Chief Executive, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, hosted the gala dinner for the delegations as well as local cultural leaders. Local musicians, all-inclusive orchestra and a cappella choir were invited by the forum to perform in the dinner, showcasing a blend of Chinese and Western traditional and contemporary music, demonstrating to the guests the diversified and vibrant of art and culture scene in Hong Kong.

In his speech at the dinner, Mr Chan pointed out that the Government has been actively fostering the city's development into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange with the clear national support in the National 14th Five-Year Plan. With its unique advantage of blending Chinese and Western cultures and its extensive international connections, Hong Kong will become a "super connector" and "super value-adder" between the Mainland and the rest of the world.

The delegations attending the forum visited the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Oil Street Art Space (Oi!) yesterday (April 21). They will attend the plenary session and visit the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District tomorrow (April 23).

The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum has been held since 2003 with the aim of promoting cultural co-operation and exchanges among regions. Drawing on the success of past forums, this year's forum is themed "Connect, Create, Engage: Bridging Cultures for All" and has expanded its scale. In addition to inviting more Asian countries to participate, Belt and Road countries outside of Asia are invited to participate for the first time to further promote cultural exchanges with countries in the region.