Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026 top 100 innovation clusters today (September 8), among which the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranks first globally once again.  

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said, “We warmly welcome the innovation cluster ranking published by WIPO, which reaffirms the outstanding innovative capacity and the innovation and technology (I&T)-supporting financing ecosystem of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

“Expediting I&T development has been a policy priority of this Government. The Government has been committed to enhancing the I&T ecosystem, as it continues to develop the original grant patent system and introduces the patent box regime, which offers tax concessions for intellectual property income to promote innovation. It is also deepening Hong Kong’s collaboration with our GBA sister cities while optimising the local I&T development paradigm and driving the in-depth integration of technological and industrial innovation. The goal is to spearhead the development of Hong Kong into an international I&T centre and contribute to building a technologically advanced nation. Our efforts have started to bear fruit. The number of start-ups rose from over 1 500 in 2015 to more than 5 200 in 2025, and Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport, the two I&T flagships, have collectively witnessed the birth of around 20 unicorns to date. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Loop Hong Kong Park) was officially opened in December 2025, and over 100 technology enterprises and institutions have signed leases and begun moving in. By leveraging the advantages of the strong alliance of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the Loop Hong Kong Park will be an important platform for basic scientific research, commercialisation, pilot production and international I&T collaboration in the GBA, driving high-quality development. The San Tin Technopole Company Limited was also officially established in June 2026 to press ahead with the development of 210 hectares of I&T land in the San Tin Technopole, which will form a crucial node for the integrated development of upstream, midstream and downstream industries together with the Loop Hong Kong Park.

“Hong Kong has a vibrant private equity market, with assets under management of close to US$250 billion, ranking second in Asia after the Chinese Mainland. The Government has been enhancing the development of venture financing as a key element of Hong Kong’s I&T and commercialisation ecosystem. The establishment of a HK$10 billion I&T Industry-Oriented Fund, together with another HK$10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme and the Pilot I&T Acceleration Scheme, aims to reinforce the funding continuum from university research and seed-stage entrepreneurship to scale-up, industrial application and global market expansion. At the same time, the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited acts as patient capital, investing in smaller and early-stage ventures with a long-term horizon to steer long-term market capital towards emerging and future industries. These initiatives all help deepen the I&T cluster’s entrepreneurial and venture-financing base, thereby facilitating more new economy and technology enterprises with potential to raise funds and expand their businesses in Hong Kong.

“Going forward, we will proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to strengthen our strategic positioning as an international I&T centre. Hong Kong will further deepen collaboration with the GBA sister cities, contributing to our country’s efforts in building a modern industrial system and achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength.”

The GII Cluster ranking identifies local concentrations of world-class innovation activity using three key metrics, viz international patent filings via WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), scientific publications, and the number of venture capital deals. For this year’s ranking, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster filed 2 259 PCT applications, published 4 060 scientific articles, and had 138 venture capital deals, all per 1 million inhabitants over the last five years.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A ceremony, attended by Chief Executive John Lee, was held today to mark the participation of a record-high 16 young public officers from Hong Kong in the United Nations Junior Professional Officer Programme.

The young officers are the third batch of Hong Kong officers to join the programme. They were recommended for participation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ceremony was held at the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR (OCMFA).

The officers will be working at the UN’s headquarters in New York and at the organisation’s offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi as Chinese personnel. They will begin leaving to take up two-year tenures from this month.

Addressing the ceremony, Mr Lee outlined that the “The First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030)” will be promulgated soon. He said the document will fully align with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, improve the mechanisms for Hong Kong to assume a greater role in the country’s opening up to the world, and harness the city’s role as an important window for exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Western cultures. 

Mr Lee added that by applying their professional expertise and perseverance to the international arena, Hong Kong youths can exemplify the Hong Kong SAR’s alignment with national strategies and contribution to overall national diplomacy.

He iterated that it is Hong Kong’s mission to assist the nation’s endeavours to build a global community with a shared future, and stressed that the young public servants from Hong Kong will bring together the city’s professional strengths and practical experience across a number of key fields.

The Chief Executive urged the officers to act with three “hearts”: a heart for the nation, a heart for Hong Kong and a heart for the world.

He said they should serve as pioneers in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, as a driving force in promoting Hong Kong’s high-quality development, and contribute to the city’s role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” connecting the nation with the world.

Mr Lee spoke with the officers to learn about their preparations for the programme, and wished them every success in their work at the UN.

The 16 officers are from the Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau; the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department; the Census & Statistics Department; the Civil Engineering & Development Department; the Customs & Excise Department; the Department of Justice; the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department; the Hong Kong Observatory; the Hong Kong Police Force; the Intellectual Property Department; the Lands Department; and the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Taiwan has once again gained international recognition for its achievements in the MICE industry. The Ministry of Economic Affairs'(MOEA) long-running Taiwan MICE Promotion Program, more commonly referred to as MEET TAIWAN, continues to enhance the international competitiveness of Taiwan’s MICE industry.

Recognizing Taiwan’s efforts, the 2026 M&C Asia Stella Awards named Taiwan as the “Best Exhibitions Destination-Asia” for the third consecutive year, while the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) won the “Best Sustainability Initiative-Convention Centre” award for the first time. Together, the two awards underscore Taiwan’s established capabilities in the MICE sector and its steady progress toward sustainable transformation. These two awards set Taiwan apart from other convention venues throughout Asia.

The Taiwan International Trade Administration (TITA), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), noted that the Stella Awards are organized by M&C Asia, a MICE industry publication under Singapore-based Northstar Meetings Group that selects winners through votes from readers and MICE professionals around the world.

Widely regarded as one of the leading awards in Asia’s MICE industry, the Stella Awards honor destinations, venues, hotels, and related service providers for outstanding performance. At this year’s awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Hung-Lin Yuan, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, accepted the awards. Taiwan’s three consecutive years of recognition underscore the international confidence that MICE professionals have placed in the quality of its business events environment and services.

TITA emphasized that Taiwan continually advances both the hardware and software of its MICE infrastructure. With the opening of the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center this year, key cities including Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung now provide more industry coverage.

This has helped shape a comprehensive Taiwan Business Events Corridor, giving domestic and international organizers a broader range of venues for large-scale exhibitions and international conferences. TITA will continue to integrate the industrial clusters and local strengths of cities throughout Taiwan and leverage the synergy between MICE events and industry development.

As the global transition toward net-zero emissions gathers pace, TITA said the MOEA has been steadily promoting green practices. These efforts span venue energy management, carbon emissions accounting, ISO international certification, and greenhouse gas reduction at exhibition and convention venues, helping industry operators embed sustainability into their day-to-day operations.

TICC’s first-time win of the Best Sustainability Initiative-Convention Centre award highlights not only the achievements of an individual venue, but also the broader evolution of Taiwan’s MICE industry, from a focus on infrastructure development toward greater sustainability and internationalization.

TITA said it will continue to promote Taiwan’s high-quality MICE brand through MEET TAIWAN, combining the island’s industrial strengths with its diverse culture, cuisine, and tourism resources to create experiences that deliver business value while embracing sustainability and local character.

With the goal of attracting more international conferences, exhibitions, and business professionals to Taiwan, TITA aims to position business events as more than standalone occasions and transform them into important platforms for industry collaboration and the creation of new business opportunities.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau received a seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today, along with other health officials and frontline healthcare workers.

Prof Lo stressed that an SIV is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal flu and its complications. It takes about two weeks following vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza.

“To be prepared for the current summer and possible winter influenza seasons in one go, I strongly appeal to all members of the public to receive SIV as early as possible,” he said.

Over 2.03 million vaccine doses were administered under various SIV programmes in 2025-26, maintaining overall target population coverage rates comparable to the previous year.

The SIV rate for those aged between six months and 17 reached 64.8%, a rise of 13.1 percentage points over the average of the past three seasons. The rate for adolescents aged from 12 to 17 reached 61.4%, an increase of 22.6 percentage points compared to the same three-season average.

Under the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme (SIVSOP), more than 2,300 schools had completed SIV outreach activities by the end of 2025. This meant 99% of all schools were covered, compared to 91% the previous year.

The Government will launch the 2026-27 SIV Programmes on September 17, providing free or subsidised SIVs for children and adolescents aged between six months and 17, adults aged 18 to 49 with chronic medical conditions, people aged 50 or above, pregnant women and healthcare workers.

For the 2026-27 SIV programmes, the Government has procured over 1.3 million doses of four types of influenza vaccines of high quality at competitive prices.

Prof Lo emphasised that the Government has consistently prioritised SIV programmes and has introduced enhancement measures every year to raise vaccination coverage rates. The Government will implement four optimising initiatives this year.

These include optimising vaccine procurement arrangements through a diversified, non-single-supplier procurement approach, thereby ensuring the reliability and sustainability of vaccine sources.

Simultaneously, the Government will introduce a new Electronic Consent Form feature through eHealth, allowing the public to submit e-consent forms for the SIVSOP and the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme via the eHealth mobile application.

To stabilise the vaccine supply in the private market, influenza vaccine doses will increase to 300,000 and eligible doctor groups will be expanded.

Finally, authorities will strengthen the mobilisation of community resources and collaborate with more units to promote and arrange vaccination activities.

Source: Government of Singapore

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the HKSTP (Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks) Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026 today (September 7):

Cordelia (Chairman of the HKSTP, Ms Cordelia Chung), Terry (Chief Executive Officer of the HKSTP, Mr Terry Wong), Lillian (Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong), investors, start-ups, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you at the inaugural Co-Development and Investment Conference. I must say the name of this conference goes straight to the heart of the matter: co-development and co-investment. When capital markets and the technology industry are properly connected – when they work as one – innovation accelerates.

Over the next two days, this conference brings together some 300 investors and more than 500 start-ups, along with leading figures from finance and academia, for a full and inspiring programme of discussions, pitching and business matching. And the journey doesn’t end in Hong Kong. The Conference continues for another four days in Dongguan and Hangzhou, linking three cities and three innovation centres in a single, six-day programme.

Innovation and technology are, without question, the global economy’s most powerful engines today. Artificial intelligence is advancing at extraordinary speed, setting off a wave of capital spending – on computing power, equipment and infrastructure – and opening up practical applications in almost every field. We see this across Asia, where AI is lifting trade and reshaping regional supply chains. And we see it vividly here in Hong Kong, in the strong growth of our electronics and semiconductor exports and in our capital market’s appetite for AI-related listings.

More important still, AI is transforming industry after industry. In biomedicine, for instance, it is dramatically compressing the time it takes to discover a new drug. And as AI moves into the physical world – into factories, shops and homes – it will generate a difference in kind rather than one merely of degree, with the range of applications expanding exponentially.

Opportunities of this magnitude call for real-world settings, where new technologies can be tested and proven. They call for innovation that is able to translate scientific discovery into commercial application. And they call for a capital chain deep enough to take innovation to the global market.

That is why both sides of this room are essential. For global investors, in a world overshadowed by geopolitics, the requirement is twofold: stability and security on the one hand, attractive returns on the other. For innovators and entrepreneurs, capital alone is not enough. They need an industrial ecosystem, a steady supply of talent and access to the full range of innovation resources.

Nowhere is the combination of finance and innovation stronger than in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong is an international financial centre, a magnet for talent from around the world and home to fast-rising innovation. That makes Hong Kong a natural complement to our sister cities in the Greater Bay Area, with their formidable strengths in advanced manufacturing, commercialisation and scaling.

Indeed, Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou is the world’s leading innovation cluster, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization. This year’s ranking will be released tomorrow, and we await it with unshakeable confidence.

I understand my colleague, Lillian, the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, will have more to say about Hong Kong and innovation in her keynote shortly. Let me just say this: our innovation flagships, including Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks, play an indispensable role: nurturing start-ups, building networks, developing talent and deepening collaboration with regional and international partners.

For the next few minutes, allow me to talk about capital.

We are building a capital ecosystem that works for start-ups and serves innovation. According to the HKEX (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited), the technology sector’s share of turnover in our market has increased over the past decade from 15 per cent to 47 per cent, and the turnover itself has grown more than eightfold.

That’s the result of sustained reform, carried out hand in hand with the market, to make it easier for technology companies to list here. In 2018, Hong Kong opened to companies with weighted voting rights structures. In 2023, we introduced Chapter 18C to the Main Board Listing Rules for specialist technology companies yet to turn a profit. And we are now, once again, reviewing the listing regime, so that it fits the needs of innovative companies even better.

At the front end of the funding spectrum, we are also committed to developing patient capital – capital willing to take risk, invest early and invest for the long term – in support of emerging and future industries.

The Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) is central to that effort, investing with the market and drawing private capital into these fields. The Corporation has now invested in more than 200 projects, and for every dollar it commits, more than eight dollars of long term capital follow. Its initial HK$62 billion capital has been substantially deployed and, as I mentioned in the Budget, we will inject further capital into the HKIC at the appropriate time, giving greater momentum to our innovation development.

Behind all these efforts is a simple vision: that a company at any stage of its development can find the right capital partner in Hong Kong. And our proposition is straightforward. We want global investors and innovators to meet each other – right here.

Ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to innovation, Hong Kong remains wide open to every investor and every innovator.  We welcome you all – from Asia, from the Middle East, from the Americas, from Europe and beyond. It’s right here in Hong Kong, where ideas take shape, where capital moves freely, where talent chooses to stay.

And where your next business and investment opportunity awaits.

I wish you all a rewarding Conference, and for those coming from afar, an enjoyable stay in Hong Kong, Asia’s world city. Thank you very much.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The delegation of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Transport concluded its duty visit in Beijing today (September 5), and will depart for Hong Kong in the evening. 

     In the morning, the delegation visited the headquarters of Amap to receive a briefing from representatives on how traffic big data analysis is utilised to assist the Government in real-time monitoring of highway traffic flow and road congestion, enabling precise traffic diversion and enhancing traffic management effectiveness.

     Members noted that Amap integrates map, navigation and real-time traffic information to enable users to plan efficient travel routes. Members also explored with representatives on how to use artificial intelligence to deepen traffic data analysis, in order to effectively alleviate road traffic load and promote smart transport development.

     Concluding the four-day duty visit, the delegation leader, Dr Chan Han-pan, stated that the duty visit was fruitful and of great significance. He said, “The visit has deepened Members’ understanding of Beijing’s ride-hailing platforms, smart transport applications, autonomous driving and urban road planning, and we were deeply impressed that local developments are very mature and advanced. The experience gained from this duty visit will help Members provide precise recommendations to the Administration in the future regarding the development of the Northern Metropolis and overall transport policy, thereby facilitating the implementation of relevant various transport measures in a more efficient and grounded manner.”

     The delegation, led by the Chairman of Panel on Transport, Dr Chan Han-pan, visited Beijing from September 2 to 5. A total of 13 members and non-members of the Panel participated in the duty visit. The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, has also led a government delegation to join the duty visit.