Opening remarks by SITI at Welcome Dinner of InnoEX (English only)

     Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Welcome Dinner of InnoEX today (April 12):
 
Margaret (Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Ms Margaret Fong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good evening. It is my great pleasure to join you all today at this welcome dinner to usher in the four-day InnoEX, which is part of our exciting Business of Innovation & Technology Week (BIT Week). First of all, a very warm welcome to our guests and friends from the Mainland and overseas.
 
     Following the great success last year, tomorrow we will unveil the second edition of InnoEX. I am proud to say that this year’s InnoEX is not only bigger in scale, but also more diverse in spectrum. We have over 450 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions, including Hong Kong, 16 Mainland provinces and cities, and countries such as France, Canada, India, the United Kingdom and many allies from the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). I can’t wait to see the creative tech solutions that will be showcased starting from tomorrow, echoing the theme of the InnoEX this year, "Innovations for a Smarter World".
 
     Pushing ahead the Hong Kong I&T (innovation and technology) Development Blueprint published in 2022, we fuel innovation to drive high-quality development of Hong Kong and contribute to our country’s nation-wide policy to develop the "new quality productive forces". As an “INNOvative” and “EXtraordinary” city, Hong Kong possesses unique advantages to position herself as a leading international I&T hub.
 
     Hong Kong stays "INNOvative". Our excellence in I&T is built upon our solid R&D (research and development) foundation, in which we nurture five world’s top 100 universities, 16 State Key Laboratories, six Hong Kong Branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centres, and 29 research laboratories under two major R&D clusters set up by 30 world-renowned universities, and numerous world-class experts and scholars. Our strong scientific research capability has provided Hong Kong with a steady stream of innovative ideas and world-impacting scientific breakthroughs.
 
     Meanwhile, Hong Kong is also "Extraordinary". Known as "Asia’s World City", Hong Kong enjoys a blend of East and West with diverse cultures. With the unwavering support from our motherland and the unparalleled advantage brought by the "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong stands ready to build a more vibrant I&T ecosystem and demonstrate our sheer potentials and strengths as a springboard and “super value-adder” between Mainland China and the rest of the world.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, InnoEX, as well as the BIT week, will certainly be the best occasion for you all to experience an “INNOvative” and “EXtraordinary” Hong Kong. Please do spread the good stories with your business partners and stakeholders at home. With your support and participation, I am confident that InnoEX and the BIT Week will grow a signature I&T brand of Hong Kong.
 
     Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to Margaret and your wonderful team at HKTDC, as well as my colleagues in ITIB (Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau) and OGCIO (Office of the Government Chief Information Officer) for their great support to make the BIT Week another great success this year.
 
     May I wish you all a great evening today and I look forward to seeing you all in the coming days. Thank you very much.