Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Transport Department (TD) today (June 14) announced that a smart motorway operational test will be conducted at the road section of Ting Kau Bridge southbound (Tsing Yi bound) at noon on June 21 (Saturday) for about 15 minutes.

     During the test, the fast lane of Ting Kau Bridge southbound will be temporarily closed while the hard shoulder will be open for traffic for the first time. The speed limit will also be reduced to 50 km/h accordingly at the above road section. The TD reminds motorists to pay heed to the lane control signals and speed limits on site when passing through the road section at the above time, and follow the instructions for safe driving.

     The trial of the Smart Motorway Pilot Scheme at Ting Kau Bridge southbound launched from December 29, 2024 has been operating smoothly to date. With the application of artificial intelligence technologies, the newly installed Automatic Incident Detection System effectively assists operation staff of the Tsing Ma Control Area in detecting and handling traffic incidents more expeditiously, allowing traffic to resume normal as soon as possible.

     As of end-May 2025, the System has effectively detected a total of 16 traffic incidents occurred at the road section within a short time, most of which were minor traffic accidents. Among them, 11 incidents were detected within 10 seconds and immediate alerts were issued to operation staff for follow-up. Compared to the past where operation staff mainly relied on regular CCTV checks to identify traffic incidents, the detection time has now been significantly reduced by nearly 90 per cent, raising the efficiency and capability to respond to incidents.

     A spokesman for the TD said, “To further evaluate the effectiveness of the Pilot Scheme, we will conduct the operational test at noon on June 21, 2025 to assess motorists’ compliance with the control signals and their proper use of the hard shoulder, and collect relevant operational data as reference for optimising the Pilot Scheme and formulating the implementation strategy of smart motorways in future.”

     The TD will continue to monitor the Pilot Scheme in collaboration with relevant departments, and make suitable refinements to the System and operational arrangements with regard to actual circumstances to ensure road safety and safe motoring.

    

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations, Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:      The Tourism Commission announces that as the Hong Kong Observatory will issue … read more

     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, attended Viva Technology 2025 (VivaTech) in Paris, France, yesterday (June 13, Paris time). In his keynote speech at a seminar and networking reception themed “From Hong Kong to the World: Embarking on the New Journey of Innovation” organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Professor Sun said Hong Kong is forging ahead with a clear vision to develop as an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre, and is committed to pushing boundaries, embracing change, and seizing global opportunities.

     Professor Sun said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been introducing agile policies, building world-class infrastructure and facilitating global I&T collaboration. He noted the flagship research and development (R&D) initiative, InnoHK, fosters global R&D collaboration. Hong Kong is also carrying out meticulous planning for building artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, including AI Supercomputing Centre opened last year and the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute to be established, together with $10 billion dollars-worth Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund channeling more market capital to turbocharge strategic industries, with AI at the core.

     Highlighting that Hong Kong being an ideal gateway for global enterprises to enter the Mainland market, Professor Sun said the HKSAR Government has been actively attracting overseas and the Mainland I&T enterprises to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong. Companies choosing HK for the international headquarters exemplify Hong Kong’s important role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” between Mainland China and the rest of the world, serving as a two-way springboard for attracting overseas enterprises and helping Mainland enterprises to “go global”.

     During the seminar and networking reception, Professor Sun also exchanged views with members of the local I&T sector, investors and start-ups’ founders on I&T development and collaboration.

     Professor Sun also visited the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion. Twenty start-ups from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Cyberport participated this year, showcasing cutting-edge solutions and innovations in areas of AI, robotics, HealthTech, sustainable and ClimateTech, and Fintech. At the same time, Professor Sun toured the Canada Pavilion set up by Canada which was selected as country of the year for VivaTech 2025, the China Pavilion and pavilions set up by other leading enterprises and start-ups where he had a brief exchange with representatives of the participating organisations to learn more on their innovative solutions.

     In the evening, Professor Sun met with Mr Emmanuel Carcassonne, the Chairman of La French Tech Hong Kong-Shenzhen, a community dedicated to supporting the development of the French startup ecosystem both in France and internationally. Professor Sun said that Hong Kong is a reliable partner for French startups to settle and expand businesses in Hong Kong.

     In the afternoon, Professor Sun paid a courtesy call on Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in France Mr Chen Li, to brief him on the work of developing Hong Kong into an international I&T centre, enhancing the I&T ecosystem, fostering co-ordinated development among upstream, midstream and downstream, as well as the city’s continuous efforts in integrating into national I&T development.

     Professor Sun will continue his visit to Paris today (June 14, Paris time) and depart for the Netherlands on June 15 (Amsterdam time).

                  

     Children Chiropractic Foundation Limited has been issued a Public Subscription Permit to hold a territory-wide flag sale from 7am to 12.30pm today (June 14), a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said. 
      
     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.
      
     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.        read more

     Following is the keynote speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Workshop and Networking Reception of VivaTech 2025 in Paris, France today (June 13, Paris time):

Shirley (Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Yung), Christopher (Director of France, Spain and Portugal of the HKTDC, Mr Christopher Lai), distinguished speakers, guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good afternoon! Bonjour! What an honour to stand before you at VivaTech 2025, where the future unfolds in the heart of Paris, a city that has long been a powerhouse of creativity and innovation.

     Walking through the exhibition earlier, I could sense the electric energy of young entrepreneurs, the boldness of the start-ups, and the sheer drive for innovation in every corner. It is a spirit Hong Kong knows well. Today, I am here to share how Hong Kong is not only keeping pace with this tech revolution, but also helping to lead it.
     
Driving innovation: Hong Kong’s grand vision

     Hong Kong is forging ahead with a clear vision – to become a leading international innovation and technology (I&T) centre. Guided by our I&T development blueprint (Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint) promulgated in December 2022, we have introduced a series of targeted measures to consolidate our research and development (R&D) strengths, accelerate transformation of R&D outcomes and promote the development of tech industries of strategically importance to us including life and health sciences, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, as well as advanced manufacturing and new energy. These efforts have significantly strengthened the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong, putting us firmly on the right track to unlocking new possibilities.
      
     But vision alone is not enough, we believe in action. Just as VivaTech embodies a spirit of exploration, Hong Kong is committed to pushing boundaries, embracing change, and seizing global opportunities. That’s why we are introducing agile polices, developing world-class infrastructure, and forging partnerships that span the globe. 
      
Global Collaboration: InnoHK’s expanding reach

     You may have heard of InnoHK, our flagship R&D initiative that fosters global R&D collaboration. Currently, we host 30 labs in partnership with 30 top-notch universities and research institutes from 12 economies under two research clusters focusing on AI and robotics, and health technologies. And today, I am thrilled to share that we are launching a third cluster focusing on sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing, and materials. France, with your leadership in green energy, is the natural partner. I am confident that, together, we can turn research into real-world impact. 
     
AI: Powering the next frontier and the future

     AI is spearheading a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation. It is not just the future, it is happening right now. Hong Kong is all in. The solid R&D capabilities and world class talent we have are the best asset supporting our city’s AI aspiration. Five of our universities rank among the world’s top 50 for data science and AI, positioning Hong Kong as a leading AI hub in Asia.

     Our robust AI infrastructure, including the AI Supercomputing Centre which opened last year and the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute to be established, provides solid support to the industry on AI-related research and application. Furthermore, a $10 billion Hong Kong dollars-worth Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund, equivalent to around 1.1 billion euros, will be there to channel more market capital to turbocharge strategic industries, with AI at the core. We are not just adopting AI, but we are investing in shaping the future.
     
Hong Kong: A gateway for global enterprises

     To bolster downstream industry development, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been actively attracting I&T enterprises to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong. For example, companies like BeyonCa, a premium electric vehicle start-up backed by the Renault Group and Dongfeng Motor Group, has chosen Hong Kong for its international headquarters and final assembly plant. This decision is a testament to Hong Kong’s strategic location, favourable business environment, and growing potential in advanced manufacturing. It also exemplifies Hong Kong’s important role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” between Mainland China and the rest of the world, serving as a two-way springboard for attracting overseas enterprises and helping Mainland enterprises to “go global”.
     
Hong Kong’s next chapter: shaping the future together

     Ladies and gentlemen, innovation is not about incremental steps – it is about leaps. At the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion in Hall 1, you will see 20 pioneering start-ups from our two I&T flagships – Hong Kong Science Park and Hong Kong Cyberport proving just that. From AI to life and health tech, they are redefining what is possible. 

     Before I close, let me leave you with words from Lei Jun (é›·è»�), who transformed Xiaomi into a global tech leader: “Dream big, start small, and act fast. The speed of execution is everything in innovation.” To every innovators and entrepreneurs here: whether you are from France or beyond, your next big idea deserves a launchpad that moves as fast as you do. Let’s make it happen in Hong Kong!

     Thank you. Merci.