Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the LSCM Logistics Summit 2024 today (October 10):

è�¬éƒ¨é•· (Deputy Director-General of the Youth Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Wan Ning), è¬�書記 (Deputy Secretary of the CPC Working Committee of Nansha Development Zone, Guangzhou Mr Xie Wei), Alan (Chairman of the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM), Professor Alan Lam), Simon (Chief Executive Officer of the LSCM, Mr Simon Wong), distinguished speakers and guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join you today again at the LSCM Logistics Summit, the annual signature event that brings together industry experts, business leaders, and academics to exchange ideas on the latest developments in innovation and technology (I&T) and to promote technology adoption.

     In recent years, we have witnessed remarkable advancements in I&T that have accelerated our efforts in building a smart city and bolstering the digital economy. This Summit, themed "The New Era of Digitalisation: From Smart City to Digital Economy", represents a much-welcome opportunity to explore how the evolving technologies are shaping and digitalising Hong Kong and the entire Greater Bay Area (GBA). 

     Promoting digital economy and smart city development in Hong Kong is one of our major strategic directions as set out in the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint promulgated in late 2022. Smart Mobility and Smart Living are also key areas in smart city development. Paying heed to these strategies and priorities, the Government works closely with our key stakeholders such as the LSCM to collaborate on the I&T adventure.
 
     The LSCM is an active partner in our endeavours on smart city development. It participates in a number of pilots and proofs-of-concept involving government bureaux and departments. A notable example is the development of the Cross-boundary Public Services self-service kiosks. The kiosks currently support around 70 public services from the Government, covering tax, company registration, property and vehicle, among others. Setting up in various GBA Mainland cities such as Zhuhai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, these kiosks facilitate access to Hong Kong's public services for residents and enterprises in the GBA Mainland cities, doing away with the need for in-person visits and providing significant convenience.   
 
     The LSCM's efforts have gained wide recognition both locally and internationally, as evident by the eight awards they received at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva in April this year, including the self-service kiosk I shared just now. Other award-winning solutions cover a broad range of technologies such as satellite signal monitoring and Internet of things. 
 
     All these demonstrate the strong capability and creativity of the LSCM, and represent a testimony to Hong Kong's strengths and commitment to turning our vision of becoming an international I&T centre into reality.
 
     I am excited to learn that the LSCM will expand its collaboration networks by signing three MOUs with three leading research institutes from Mainland China respectively covering different fields of information technology such as software and container logistics. I am confident that these collaborations will inject new impetus into the LSCM's work to generate more breakthroughs in the areas of smart city-related solutions.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, the development of a smart city will remain a priority of the Government. Collaboration will be the key. We will continue to join hands with our partners in the public and private sectors to push forward the smart city development of Hong Kong.   
 
     Before I close, I wish you all a rewarding experience at the LSCM Summit 2024.  Thank you very much.

  

     The Government today (October 10) gazetted a notice announcing that the Antiquities Authority (i.e. the Secretary for Development) has declared Lo Pan Temple in Kennedy Town and the Residence of Tang Pak Kau in Kam Tin, Yuen Long, as monuments under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.
      
     Lo Pan Temple is a well-recognised historic temple in Hong Kong dedicated to Lo Pan. It was first built in 1884 and rebuilt at the same site in 1928. The temple was embellished with intricate murals, plaster mouldings, wood carvings and pottery decorations, among which are the pottery decorations on the ridges of the temple produced by the renowned pottery ridge shop Junyu in Shiwan. The distinctive stepped gable walls of the temple are rare in Hong Kong. Since its establishment, the local construction sector has been following the tradition of paying homage to Lo Pan at the temple on his birthday, carrying on the unique culture and tradition of the construction industry.
      
     The Residence of Tang Pak Kau was probably built in the early 20th century. Tang Pak Kau (1876-1950) was a businessman and a distinguished member of the Tang clan in Kam Tin. He made remarkable contributions to the development of Kam Tin, Yuen Long and the New Territories, in particular in the areas of education and medical services. He once set up a private school inside his residence to provide education for children of the Tang clan. The residence is a rectangular-shaped single-storey grey brick building with a three-storey watchtower. The building structure and decorations of the residence demonstrate a blend of Chinese and Western styles. Most of the original building fabric, finishes and decorations are preserved in the building. The residence is a testament to the development of Kam Tin, Yuen Long and Tang Pak Kau's achievements.
      
     Information on the two monuments is available on the website of the Antiquities and Monuments Office (www.amo.gov.hk/en/historic-buildings/monuments/index.html).

                    

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (October 10) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Stanley Main Beach, Shek O Beach and Big Wave Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island, and Silverstrand Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

　　The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports of Zhuhai and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government will present the 2024 Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao Choral Concert, "Songs Echo My Voice", in November. It is one of the highlight events of the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. Curated by renowned music director Ng Cheuk-yin, the concert will feature six choirs from Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao to perform a number of familiar Chinese pop songs in choral arrangements, creating a vibrant choral feast that choral and pop-music lovers should not miss.
 
　　The six performing choirs, namely the Chinese University of Hong Kong Chorus, the Hong Kong Children's Choir, the Show Choir Hong Kong@Red Academy, the Zhuhai Grand Theatre Children's Choir, the Zhuhai No.1 High School Starry Sky Chorus, and the Macao Youth Choir, have selected a number of Chinese pop hits to be performed in a chorus arrangement, such as the film hit "Daylily", Hins Cheung's "Imaginary Fairground", Beyond's "I Really Love You" and Panther Chan's "Stars". Some of these melodies are specially rearranged as choral versions to bring a new twist to the audience. Ng has also crafted a medley of classic pop hits for the grand finale, offering a choral perspective for enjoying these popular tunes. Winky Wong and Chiutung, from the popular girl group Beanies, will be emcees. Their vibrant charismatic personalities will set the stage for an energetic evening and encourage the audience to feel the charm of pop and choral music.
 
　　The 2024 Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao Choral Concert, "Songs Echo My Voice", will be held at 3.30pm on November 10 (Sunday) at the Concert Hall of Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $150, $200 and $250 are available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Discount schemes including group booking discounts and package booking discounts are available for the programmes under the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival (including "ChoreoMusica Soiree", "POP KONG", the Cantonese Opera Film "The Legend of The White Snake", the 2024 Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao Choral Concert, "Songs Echo My Voice" and the Dance Drama "Wing Chun" Special Edition by the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre). For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2734 2960 or visit www.gbacxlo.gov.hk/en/programmes/songs-echo-my-voice.
 
　　A fringe activity, "Sunday Choral Gathering", will be organised for this programme at 2.30pm on October 27 (Sunday) at the Atrium of the apm, 418 Kwun Tong Road. The first part of the programme will be performed by a local a cappella group Yat Po Singers and the Show Choir Hong Kong@Red Academy. A dialogue session will then be held, with local lyricist You See Hand and the director of Red Academy, Horace Mui, as speakers, while Ng Cheuk-yin will be the moderator. Members of the public are invited to join. Admission is free.
 
　　Hong Kong is the host city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival for the first time this year. It organises and co-ordinates over 260 performances and exchange activities to be held across the "9+2" cities of the Greater Bay Area. The festival aims to showcase the vibrant and diverse cultural richness of the region and foster cultural exchange and co-operation among the cities. For detailed information about the festival, please visit www.gbacxlo.gov.hk.

                  

     The Standing Committee on Company Law Reform (SCCLR) today (October 10) published its 2023-24 annual report.
 
     During the reporting period, the Government consulted the SCCLR on the legislative proposal to promote paperless corporate communication for Hong Kong companies. The SCCLR also held a seminar on company re-domiciliation for facilitating members' understanding of relevant latest international developments.
 
     "The SCCLR has long been our important partner in ensuring that our company law keeps abreast with the times, with a view to further enhancing Hong Kong's status as an international commercial and financial centre. We are grateful for the SCCLR's advice during the reporting period," a Government spokesperson said.
 
     Taking into account the advice of stakeholders including the SCCLR, the Government is drafting the Amendment Bill on the proposal to promote paperless corporate communication for Hong Kong companies, with a view to introducing the Bill into the Legislative Council within this year.
       
     The SCCLR was set up in 1984. It advises the Financial Secretary on amendments to the Companies Ordinance and the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, as well as amendments to the Securities and Futures Ordinance on matters relating to corporate governance and shareholders' protection, as and when necessary.
 
     The Chairman of the SCCLR is Mr Johnny Mok, SC. Members include practitioners from relevant professions including legal, accountancy and company secretarial fields; academics; individuals from the business communities; and representatives from relevant government departments and financial regulators. 
 
     The 2023-24 annual report of the SCCLR is available on the website of the Companies Registry (www.cr.gov.hk) for public inspection.