Opening Remarks by Ir Tony Wong, JP, Government Chief Information Officer, at the “France Seminar” (with photos)

Mr WOLF (Mr Gérard WOLF, International Sustainable City Federator to the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs), distinguished speakers and guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon! I’m honoured to join you all in this year’s France seminar. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our speakers and guests, especially those who came afar from France. Welcome to Hong Kong! My heartfelt thanks also goes to the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, French Foreign Trade Advisors and Business France for organising this remarkable event again in the InnoEX this year.

The year 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and France. Over the years, the two countries have enjoyed close links with fruitful collaborations in various areas, including innovation and technology (I&T) development. Today’s seminar, themed “Sustainable Progress – French Innovation as a Driving Force”, is one of the good testimonies to our I&T co-operation. Coming to the 10th edition this year, the France Seminar is highlighted by the France Pavilion, which is one of the largest national pavilions at InnoEX Fair. We will also have the sharing on GreenTech, Smart Mobility, Future Industry and Construction by our distinguished speakers this afternoon. I am sure that we will have a lot to bring home in our quest for sustainable progress.

Sustainable economic development through I&T is among the top priorities in many economies worldwide nowadays. Hong Kong is no exception. Digitalisation has become a key enabler for our economic development and plays a crucial role in building Hong Kong as a smart city. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been proactive in accelerating the digital transformation of public services and leveraging I&T to enhance citizens’ quality of life and drive economic development. In December 2020, we launched the “iAM Smart” mobile app platform to provide all Hong Kong citizens with a single digital identity for accessing various government and commercial services online, conducting online transactions and performing digital signing in a simple and secure manner. Currently, “iAM Smart” has more than 2.6 million registered users and can access to more than 350 government, public and private online services. We are targeting the full adoption of “iAM Smart” by all government departments to provide citizens with convenient and one‑stop electronic services by 2025. Moreover, through our E-Government Audit exercise just completed with all government departments last year, more than a hundred new digital initiatives are being implemented in the coming two years to further promote digital government and smart city development by leveraging advanced technologies such as Big Data analytics, AI, blockchain, etc.

To foster the development of digital economy and smart city, the use of AI is an important empowerment in the present day context. Cyberport, the flagship I&T hub and incubator in Hong Kong, is actively preparing to establish a first ever AI supercomputing centre in Hong Kong to meet the strong local demand of computing power for AI research and development. The facility is expected to progressively commence operation later this year. The government will further allocate $3 billion for implementation of a three-year AI subsidy scheme to support local universities, research institutes tech startup and key enterprises in leveraging the centre’s computing power to achieve scientific and application breakthroughs. We take pride that our research and development (R&D) capabilities will be greatly enhanced with this important digital infrastructure which will also help attract AI talents, enterprises and R&D projects and support the building of a vibrant AI ecosystem in Hong Kong.

Besides, as a strategic co-operation to further promote the development of digital economy in the Greater Bay Area, a Memorandum of Understanding on facilitating cross-boundary data flow within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) was signed between the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and the Mainland authority in June last year to facilitate cross-boundary data flow within the GBA in a safe and orderly manner. Subsequently, in December 2023, we announced the facilitation measures by adopting the GBA Standard Contract to promote the cross-boundary flow of personal information within the GBA. The compliance costs for enterprises on cross-boundary flow of personal data from mainland cities in GBA to Hong Kong will be greatly reduced, thereby facilitating the provision of more cross-boundary services in the GBA and bringing convenience to the public and businesses. Meanwhile, the processing and export of personal data from Hong Kong will continue to be regulated in accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of Hong Kong.

Under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong is an ideal place for business investment as it is the only city in the world that converges both the China advantage and global advantage. The HKSAR Government attaches great importance in attracting strategic enterprises and talents to Hong Kong. Since October 2023, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) have entered into partnership agreement with 50 or so strategic enterprises from sectors including life and health technology, AI and data science, fintech, advanced manufacturing and new energy technology. Altogether, they will invest more than $40 billion (or US$5.1 billion) in Hong Kong, and create over 130 000 jobs, the majority of which would be R&D and management positions. Moreover, we will launch a $10 billion (or US$1.3 billion) “New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme” this year to provide matching funds of up to $200 million (or US$25.6 million) for strategic enterprises to set up new smart manufacturing facilities in Hong Kong. Together with the government’s special facilitation measures covering aspects such as land, tax and financing, I appeal to the French enterprises to favourably consider establishing a foothold or expanding your operations in Hong Kong.

All in all, the HKSAR Government will continue to grasp every opportunity in this era of digital economy for further promoting smart city development and enriching citizens’ quality of living. And I am confident that France, as Hong Kong’s long-term business partner, will join us to achieve the same goal and also create more business and development opportunities for enterprises of both sides. Lastly, I wish all of you a fruitful and rewarding seminar. Thank you.

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