Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Entries invited for 2025-26 Hong Kong Awards for Industries
Category Adjudication in each award category will be carried out by a preliminary judging panel arranged by the relevant organiser. A final judging panel will be convened to decide the winners. One grand award will be presented to the most outstanding entry in each category. Other deserving entries will be presented with an award or a certificate of merit. All award winners are entitled to display the official logo of the HKAI and receive the HKAI trophy or certificate as a permanent memento of their achievement.
Entry forms and brochures are now available from the respective organisers. They can also be downloaded from the HKAI website at www.hkindustryaward.orgIssued at HKT 16:15
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
CEDD achieves four top accolades of gold medals with congratulations of jury at International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva The Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Michael Fong, today (March 15) was encouraged by the department’s remarkable achievements at the Exhibition this year. He said, “The department has been actively engaging in research and development and applying innovative technologies to enhance work efficiency and quality, as well as improving site safety. This achievement affirms the professionalism and innovative spirit of our colleagues.”
In the field of disaster prevention, the in-house team of the CEDD developed the fifth-generation AI Landslip Warning System, applying artificial intelligence and big data technology to analyse the rainfall and landslide data in Hong Kong. This significantly improves the accuracy of risk assessment and issuance of warning signals. In addition, the department also developed a number of intelligent safety management systems, including the occupational health and safety management and monitoring system for confined spaces that can achieve instant alerts and closed-loop management; the CANOPUS – Smart Safety Harness monitoring system focusing on safety for working-at-height which can ensure that safety harnesses are securely attached; and the pioneering multi-channel certification mechanism that can enable real-time tracking and predictive alerts of personnel and equipment. The above inventions all received the gold medals with the congratulations of jury at this Exhibition.• Intelligent occupational health and safety management and monitoring system for confined spaces • CANOPUS – Smart Safety Harness • Personnel real-name system and equipment tracking intelligent software• IntelliGuard OS• Heavy machinery and hazardous area monitoring system • TAMAGO – Smart Falsework Monitoring SystemIssued at HKT 23:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, at the opening ceremony of 23rd Willem C Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot today (March 15):
Ms Barrington (Director of the Vis East Moot Foundation, Ms Louise Barrington), Ms Tung (Director and the Chief Executive Officer of the Vis East Moot Foundation, Ms Sherlin Tung), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
A very good evening. On behalf of the Department of Justice (DoJ) of Hong Kong , it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the 23rd Willem C. Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Moot). Let me begin by expressing my sincere thanks to the Vis East Moot Foundation for once again bringing this prestigious and vibrant event to Hong Kong.
This year, the Moot has reached exciting new heights, bringing altogether over 1 300 students and coaches from 161 university teams from 37 jurisdictions worldwide, alongside more than 500 professionals. It is unfortunate that around 10 teams are unable to come here, and some arbitrators are also unable to be here because of what is happening in the Middle East. This is perhaps a very timely reminder of the importance of resolving international disputes of whatever nature by peaceful means, including arbitration. In any event, the remarkable figures that I have just mentioned reflect the growing influence of the Moot as a global platform for nurturing young legal talent and fostering the next generation of arbitration leaders.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva A spokesperson for the EMSD said today (March 15), “As an innovation facilitator of the Government, the EMSD will continue to support various government departments in identifying and applying innovation and technology solutions, as well as improving government services and enhancing productivity through technology empowerment.”
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
DEVB teams and its departments achieve outstanding results at International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva The Crawler-type all-terrain survey robot “T300”, which was jointly developed by the DSD and a professional team from the Chinese Mainland, won the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize – Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This marks the first time a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government department has received this prestigious award. Equipped with a zoomable high-resolution camera, LiDAR, and an adaptive lighting system, this robot can capture comprehensive visual and spatial data. Its novel transformable tracked structure allows it to navigate complex and challenging terrain. The robot can simultaneously collect photogrammetric information and point cloud data, enabling the automatic construction of detailed three-dimensional (3D) models of the drainage facilities. Its modular design can also accommodate other sensors, such as the gas detector for monitoring air quality in confined spaces. Inspection data can be automatically uploaded to an AI-powered online condition assessment platform for real-time analysis and rapid generation of inspection reports.
The winning projects of the gold medals with the congratulations of jury are as follows:
1. “FireCheck 4D – A BIM Fire Safety Checker” developed by the BD: This project integrates Building Information Modelling (BIM) automated checking to reform building design and regulatory processes for fire safety compliance, and enables precise spatial analysis and fire protection material tracking.
2. “AI Landslip Warning System” developed by the CEDD: The system applies AI for big data analytics to enhance the accuracy of the predicted number of reported landslides during heavy rainstorms, thereby enhancing its capability for landslide risk assessment and optimising the issuance of Landslip Warning.
3. “CANOPUS – Smart Safety Harness” developed by the CEDD: By integrating Internet of Things (IoT) and worker identification, this system monitors in real-time the behaviour of those who work at height and the environmental conditions, to ensure the workers using the harness properly.
4. “Intelligent occupational health and safety management and monitoring system for confined spaces” developed by the CEDD: This system designed for confined spaces integrates AI vision, gas sensing, ultra-wideband positioning, vital sign monitoring and cloud analytics to deliver continuous detection and instant alerts for abnormal situations.
5. “Personnel real-name system and equipment tracking intelligent software” developed by the CEDD: This software features deep integration of identity verification, high-precision ultra-wideband personnel and equipment tracking, multi-sensor data fusion, electronic permits-to-work (e-PTW), and blockchain-based audit trails. Powered by modular AI technology, the platform enables predictive safety alerts and collaborative emergency response.
6. “i-STAR: Intelligent smart trap analysing robot” developed by the DSD: This robot mainly helps check and verify the structural safety of cover plates. i-STAR integrates artificial intelligence and multiple sensing technologies to monitor in real-time the conditions of cover plates.
7. “AquaMend Rover” developed by the WSD: The robotic crawler designed for urgent water pipeline repairs can navigate inside the pipes to perform welding and maintenance, drastically reducing the working hours of the welders working in the confined spaces.
In addition, the “SmartAERO”, a smart drone management platform, which was jointly developed by the DEVB and the CEDD, won a gold medal. The “SmartAERO” enables AI-driven operations to control a fully autonomous drone dock, ensuring smooth, precise and swift drone deployment across diverse environments and in emergency situations.
The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is one of the most significant global annual events on inventions. This year, the Exhibition was held from March 11 to 15 in Geneva, Switzerland. About 1 000 inventions from 35 countries and regions were evaluated by the international jury of specialists. Issued at HKT 16:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
InvestHK and FEHD collaborate to support Mainland enterprise in launching Hong Kong’s first smart catering robot The Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK, Ms Alpha Lau, said, “InvestHK has always maintained close communication and collaboration with government bureaux and departments to continuously enhance Hong Kong’s business environment. The latest Budget emphasises on promoting the industrialisation of AI and encouraging its wider adoption. We are very pleased to see these technologies being adopted in the catering industry, opening up new directions for smart retail. This project also fully demonstrates the result of cross-departmental collaboration in facilitating the successful implementation of innovative technologies while ensuring compliance with local regulations and food safety requirements. I look forward to seeing more companies leverage Hong Kong’s business advantages to further expand its presence in the city and across the Asia-Pacific region.”
The Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Donald Ng, said, “The FEHD has always encouraged and facilitated innovation in the catering industry to bring more diverse dining experiences to the public, while safeguarding food safety and public hygiene. For this project, the FEHD maintained close communication with the relevant companies, providing guidance on legal requirements and hygiene standards to facilitate their acquisition of the necessary food business licences. I am pleased to see the smooth implementation of this project and look forward to more technological applications in the catering industry in the future to continuously elevate service standards.”
Deputy General Manager of CREP Mr Zhang Linjun said, “CREP is committed to building a one-stop overseas expansion service platform to help Mainland brands establish a presence in Hong Kong and explore business opportunities. Leveraging our two decades of resources and experiences in Hong Kong’s commercial market, we have assisted Mainland companies in establishing their technological and business operations in Hong Kong. We have also developed a deep partnership with InvestHK to promote the application of innovative technologies in the catering sector, while tackling daily challenges in the industry. This initiative will offer Hong Kong residents more diverse dining options in various scenarios, including remote areas, busy districts and late-night hours. Going forward, we will further expand the scope of co-operation to help the smart catering business form a scaled operational network.”
Named the “Hey Food Smart Catering Robot”, the initiative is officially launched in Hong Kong by CREP, integrating innovative technological solutions from the Mainland with local business expertise. Founded in 2000, CREP currently owns a portfolio of commercial properties in core business districts and community neighbourhoods in Hong Kong. The company has continuously optimised its property portfolio and has actively explored investment and operational opportunities in retail real estate. In recent years, by building a one-stop overseas expansion service platform, CREP has assisted Mainland enterprise brands and products in going global, while providing higher quality services and products for Hong Kong.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Singapore ETO holds Chinese New Year dinner in Vietnam to promote closer relationship Jointly organised with the Hong Kong Business Association Vietnam (HKBAV) and supported by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the dinner welcomed over 100 guests, including the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in HCMC, Mr Tang Li; the Chairman of the HKBAV, Mr Michael Chiu; the Director of Indochina of the HKTDC, Ms Tina Phan; and representatives from government and business sectors, chambers of commerce, and Hong Kong communities in Vietnam. During the dinner, cultural performances were presented, including lion dance performances and live renditions of Chinese and Vietnamese music by a band and performers.
Speaking at the dinner, the Director of the Singapore ETO, Ms Elsa Hung, recapped the multi-front work and achievements of Hong Kong and Vietnam collaborative efforts. Last December, the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Mr Ho Duc Phoc in Hong Kong to exchange views on deepening co-operation between the two places. In the same month, the Commissioner for Belt and Road, Mr Nicholas Ho, led a delegation to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to explore business opportunities.
Ms Hung highlighted the growing economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and Vietnam. In 2025, Vietnam became Hong Kong’s third-largest merchandise trading partner, with a total trade volume increasing by an average of 25 per cent annually since 2021. Among the 11 ASEAN member states, Vietnam has risen to become Hong Kong’s largest trading partner in terms of merchandise trade. In addition, exchanges between people of the two places have intensified. For instance, in terms of tourism, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Hong Kong increased by 35 per cent last year compared with 2024.
Ms Hung concluded that Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages under the “one country, two systems” framework to serve as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” linking the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world. The Singapore ETO will align with and support Hong Kong’s strategic directions, such as promoting the one-stop Economic and Trade Express (ETE) platform, through the collective efforts of the global network of ETOs, Invest Hong Kong, and the HKTDC, to assist enterprises in going global while attracting more enterprises to invest and establish operations in Hong Kong.
The Singapore ETO held two Chinese New Year dinners – one in Singapore on February 25 and another in Manila, the Philippines, on February 27 – to further strengthen ties and exchanges with local communities. Issued at HKT 2:09
According to the statistics, from January to February 2026, 347 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a total approved amount of US$ 1,070,700,000 were recorded. This represents a 19.66% increase in the number of cases, but a 36.60% decrease in the FDI amount compared with the same period in 2025.
Regarding inward investment from Mainland China, 2 cases with a total approved amount of US$98,000 were recorded from January to February 2026. This reflects a 60% decrease in the number of cases and a 99.90% decrease in the investment amount compared with the same period in 2025.
In terms of Taiwan’s outbound investment (excluding Mainland China), 87 projects were registered in February 2026, with a total amount of US$ 1,899,264,000. This represents a 1.14% decrease in the number of cases, and a 63.08% increase in the investment amount, compared with the same period in 2025.
As for Taiwan’s outward investment to Mainland China, 24 applications were approved in February 2026, marking a 31.43% decrease compared with the same period in 2025. The approved investment amount totaled US$ 187,662,000, representing a 16.20% decline compared with the same period in 2025.