MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA response to media inquiries regarding speech by Foreign Minister Lin at Dutch think tank HCSS

Date：2025-10-17
Data Source：Department of European Affairs

October 17, 2025Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “Taiwan’s Role in the Strategic Reindustrialization of Europe” at a closed-door luncheon in The Hague, Netherlands, on September 15 at the invitation of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), a Dutch think tank. Around 40 participants from various circles attended the event and engaged in exchanges.During his address, Minister Lin emphasized that authoritarian nations were collaborating to undermine the free and democratic international rules-based order. Suggesting that democracies must unite and help one another in establishing non-red supply chains, he said that Taiwan and its trusted technologies were the best partners for Europe.Following his speech at the HCSS, Minister Lin used remarks at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland on September 29 to further reiterate that Taiwan was an indispensable partner in Europe’s ReArm Europe plan and efforts to reindustrialize. He called on Taiwan and Europe to strengthen cooperation on initiatives promoted by President Lai Ching-te, such as the Five Trusted Industry Sectors and a global semiconductor democratic supply chain partnership initiative.Building upon the foundation of democratic values shared by Taiwan and Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to actively promote the strengthening of bilateral relations so as to jointly safeguard peace, stability, prosperity in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Financial Secretary Paul Chan today attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Incheon, Korea and met Chair of the Meeting, the Republic of Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy & Finance Koo Yun-cheol.

This year’s meeting is focused on key issues including the economic situations and outlook, regionally and globally, as well as digital finance and the fiscal policies of member economies.

Mr Chan spoke at various sessions of the meeting. During a session on the economic outlook, he remarked that global growth momentum has weakened amid rising challenges from unilateralism and tariffs.

He stressed that the global economy is facing heightened uncertainty, with some economies having to choose between co-operation and coercion, as well as between shared prosperity and narrow self-interest.

Against this backdrop, Hong Kong, China remains firmly committed to upholding a free and open trade and investment environment, providing global enterprises and investors with a stable, consistent and predictable business environment.

Mr Chan called on all member economies to safeguard a rules-based multilateral trading system and to work together in promoting sustainable regional economic growth.

At the session on digital finance, he spoke about how blockchain technology and artificial intelligence are creating rapid advances in digital financial services. These technologies not only improve efficiency and reduce costs, but also play a key role in driving financial inclusion. Drawing on Hong Kong, China’s experience, he shared three key observations on developing a robust fintech ecosystem.

At the session on fiscal policy, the finance chief shared Hong Kong, China’s economic strategy, which includes solidifying its strengths as an international financial and trading centre, while fostering growth of emerging industries such as innovation and technology.

He also outlined the Government’s fiscal consolidation plan, which focuses primarily on containing expenditure growth, complemented by modest revenue measures based on user-pay and affordability principles.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

On the second day of their visit, the Delegation of National Model Workers & Craftsmen met major local labour organisations, employees and representatives.

This morning, the delegation exchanged views with labour bodies, trade union representatives, awardees of the industry role model stars award, clients of the Labour Department’s employment services, and trainees from the Employees Retraining Board. The delegates also shared their experience, which motivated employees across various sectors to embrace change, pursue innovation, as well as uphold a spirit of dedication and professionalism, thereby enhancing capabilities and driving the overall advancement of their respective industries. Guests taking part in the sharing session included Under Secretary for Labour & Welfare Ho Kai-ming and Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Chinese Culinary Institute, the Hotel & Tourism Institute and the International Culinary Institute.

During exchanges with the National Model Workers & National Great Craftsman, local students and WorldSkills Competition competitors were deeply inspired, and motivated to hone their skills and build a solid foundation for their professional development.

Additionally, the delegation toured the Legislative Council Complex, and attended a dinner banquet hosted by Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun. The attending guests included Permanent Secretary for Labour & Welfare Alice Lau, Mr Ho and Mr Hui.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today accompanied a delegation led by Vice Minister of Agriculture & Rural Affairs Zhang Zhili to visit the Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market under the Fish Marketing Organization (FMO).

Welcoming the delegation, Mr Tse said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to the local agriculture and fisheries industries and promotes their sustainable development by complementing the direction of national development.

The Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to implement measures under the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture & Fisheries to help fishermen and farmers switch to modernised and sustainable operation modes, attract more young people to join the industry, integrate into the development plan of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and enhance the quality, quantity, and output value of local agricultural and fisheries products in the long run.

By inspecting the landing and sale of catch at the Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market, the delegation understood that the FMO has been providing the fisheries industry with services such as wholesale of chilled fish and live seafood, supply of clean seawater, as well as promoting local fisheries products. All profits are then used to support the development of local fisheries.

The delegation also met local fishermen and tasted local processed speciality fisheries products.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​The Delegation of National Model Workers and Craftsmen continued its visit to Hong Kong today (October 21), exchanging views and interacting with major local labour organisations, employees and representatives from various sectors.

In the morning, the delegation exchanged views with major local labour organisations, trade union representatives, the awardees of the industry role model stars award organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), clients of the Labour Department’s employment services and trainees from the Employees Retraining Board (ERB). The experience sharing by the delegation has motivated employees across various sectors to embrace changes and pursue innovation proactively, as well as to uphold a spirit of dedication and professionalism in their work, thereby enhancing their capabilities and driving the overall advancement of their respective industries. The guests taking part in the experience sharing session included the Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Ho Kai-ming; the Commissioner for Labour, Mr Sam Hui; the Chairman of the ERB, Professor Simon Wong; the President of the FTU, Mr Stanley Ng; and the Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, Mr Lam Chun-sing.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Chinese Culinary Institute, the Hotel and Tourism Institute and the International Culinary Institute, which are member institutions of the Vocational Training Council (VTC). During the visit, they engaged in meaningful exchanges with VTC students and WorldSkills Competition competitors. The participants were deeply inspired by the delegation’s insights and experiences, which motivated them to continuously hone their skills, strive for excellence, and build a solid foundation for their future professional development.

The delegation also visited the Legislative Council (LegCo) Complex, and met with the President of the LegCo, Mr Andrew Leung, and the Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat, Ms Dora Wai. Afterwards, the delegation attended a dinner banquet hosted by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun. The attending guests included the Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Ms Alice Lau, Mr Ho, Mr Hui and members of the Labour Advisory Board. 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Education Bureau held a book-giving ceremony and thematic talk on Chronicle of the Hong Kong-Kowloon Brigade (Revised Edition), in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin presented copies of the book to representatives of school councils and school head associations, with a view to enriching teaching on the subject of the war.

Addressing the event, she said that during the period of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong & Kowloon Independent Brigade of the East River Column steadfastly resisted Japanese aggression, rescued trapped cultural figures and allied members, and made significant contributions to the War of Resistance.

She remarked that Chronicle of the Hong Kong-Kowloon Brigade (Revised Edition) is a precious historical record.

Ms Choi added that she expects schools to incorporate the content of the book into learning and teaching materials, deepening students’ understanding of Hong Kong’s participation in the War of Resistance. This will allow students to appreciate the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation, cherish today’s hard-earned peace and prosperity, and be inspired to contribute to the country and society.

In order to implement initiatives outlined in the Chief Executive’s Policy Address to advance patriotic education, she said, the bureau is adopting a multipronged approach that involves integrating patriotic education into daily learning and teaching with the aim of strengthening students’ overall affection for and sense of belonging to the country.

All primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, including special schools, will receive a complimentary copy of Chronicle of the Hong Kong-Kowloon Brigade (Revised Edition) via mail.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Financial Secretary Paul Chan will lead a delegation to Beijing tomorrow, following his trip to Incheon, Korea, to study the development experiences of major new areas on the Mainland and to advance the planning, construction and investment promotion for the Northern Metropolis.

The delegation, comprising more than 40 members, will visit the Beijing subsidiary administrative centre and the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei.

Its members include: Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho, Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong, as well as representatives from the Education Bureau, Transport & Logistics Bureau, Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Invest Hong Kong and relevant departments.

The delegation also comprises senior management members from the Monetary Authority, Trade Development Council, MTR Corporation, Science & Technology Parks Corporation, Cyberport, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park Ltd, the eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee, and representatives from the business, finance and banking sectors.

The visit is co-ordinated by the Hong Kong & Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, while arrangements for the activities are made by the Beijing Municipal Government and the Hebei Provincial Government.

The principal officials taking part in the visit will return to Hong Kong on Saturday.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Incheon, Korea, today (October 21), and met with the Chair of the Meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea, Mr Koo Yun-cheol.

This year’s meeting focused on key issues including global and regional economic situations and outlooks, digital finance, and fiscal policies of member economies.

Mr Chan spoke at various sessions of the meeting. During the session on the global and regional economic outlooks, he remarked that global growth momentum has weakened amid rising challenges from unilateralism and tariffs. He stressed that the global economy is facing heightened uncertainty, with some economies having to choose between co-operation and coercion, as well as between shared prosperity and narrow self-interest. Against this backdrop, Hong Kong, China remains firmly committed to upholding a free and open trade and investment environment, providing global enterprises and investors with a stable, consistent and predictable business environment. He called on all member economies to safeguard a rules-based multilateral trading system and to work together in promoting sustainable regional economic growth.

At the session on digital finance, Mr Chan highlighted that blockchain technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly advancing digital financial services. These technologies not only improve efficiency and reduce costs, but also play a key role in driving financial inclusion. Drawing on Hong Kong, China’s experience, he shared three key observations on developing a robust fintech ecosystem. First, financial innovation should serve the real economy. Strengthening data connectivity through public-private partnerships is essential to promoting inclusive and accessible financial services. For example, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority launched the Commercial Data Interchange (CDI), a platform that enables small and medium-sized enterprises to share business data with banks to facilitate credit assessment. To date, the CDI has supported over 60 000 loan applications with loans granted exceeding US$6.5 billion. Second, regulators should encourage innovation to drive market developments while maintaining effective oversight. Hong Kong’s financial regulatory bodies offer regulatory sandboxes that allow financial institutions and tech companies to test innovative fintech solutions, with feedback from regulators to help refine and improve these solutions before full-scale implementation. Third, in light of the increasingly widespread application of digital assets and AI in financial services, economies should place strong emphasis on ensuring that such innovations are responsible and sustainable – including the need to safeguard investor interests and maintain financial stability. Mr Chan stated that Hong Kong is actively engaged in cross-border co-operation and policy dialogue on digital finance, and stands ready to deepen collaboration with regional partners in these areas.

At the session on fiscal policy, Mr Chan shared Hong Kong, China’s economic strategy, which includes solidifying its strengths as an international financial and trading centre, while fostering growth of emerging industries such as innovation and technology. He also outlined the Government’s fiscal consolidation plan, which focuses primarily on containing expenditure growth, complemented by modest revenue measures based on user-pay and affordability principles. Meanwhile, it is leveraging private sector capital through public-private partnerships and bond issuances to expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis, injecting new impetus into economic development.

During the meeting, Mr Chan also held bilateral discussions with the Chair of the Meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea, Mr Koo Yun-cheol, to discuss further co-operation in trade, finance, and innovation and technology.

Mr Chan will attend the joint session of APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting and Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting tomorrow morning (October 22), before departing for Beijing. He will lead a government delegation to visit the Beijing subsidiary administrative centre and the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei.