ITIB holds session on “Spirit of the President’s Important Speech” (with photos)
The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB) today (August 22) held a session on the "Spirit of the President's Important Speech" at the Central Government Offices. The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, spoke at the session, enabling colleagues of the ITIB and its departments to have a deeper understanding and reflection of the spirit of the important speech delivered by President Xi Jinping at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
President Xi raised "four musts" for the HKSAR Government in his important speech: it must fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems"; it must uphold the Central Government's overall jurisdiction while securing the HKSAR's high degree of autonomy; it must ensure that Hong Kong is administered by patriots; and it must maintain Hong Kong's distinctive status and advantages. President Xi also laid down "four proposals" for the HKSAR Government, i.e. further improving its governance, continuing to create strong impetus for growth, earnestly addressing people's concerns and difficulties in daily life, and working together to safeguard harmony and stability.
Professor Sun said, "President Xi acknowledged the rapid growth of Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) industry in his important speech. He encouraged us to leverage on the motherland's support and our connection with the world to keep creating strong impetus for growth and address earnestly people's concerns and difficulties in daily life. During his inspection of the Hong Kong Science Park, President Xi mentioned the country's full support for developing Hong Kong into an international I&T hub has been included in the 14th Five-Year Plan. His encouragement to scientific researchers also fully demonstrated the importance attached to and acknowledgement placed on Hong Kong's I&T development by the country which gave us the determination.
"To further enhance the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong, we have to consolidate our strengths in research and development capabilities and facilitate collaborative development among industry, academia and research institutes. We should further deepen I&T co-operation with the Mainland, proactively align with the 14th Five-Year Plan and integrate into national development. We also need to expedite the I&T development in Hong Kong to fully enhance competitiveness, promote diversity in our economic development and create more quality employment opportunities for young people, with a view to enhancing the quality of life of the community and enabling members of the public to better perceive benefits brought about by technology development in society."
Professor Sun encouraged colleagues to formulate and implement policies by adopting a result-oriented approach, and being pragmatic, bold and committed. Colleagues should also heed people's concerns with determination and actively devise development plans for Hong Kong.
During the session, the Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Mr Eddie Mak; the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong; the Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Victor Lam; the Deputy Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Tony Wong; the Political Assistant to the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Dr Marcus Liu; and other participating colleagues also shared their thoughts.
Around 160 colleagues of the ITIB and its departments, including the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Efficiency Office, attended the session.
