SCED starts US visit in San Francisco to promote Hong Kong's creative talent (with photos)

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, started his four-day duty visit to the United States (US) today (September 17, US West Coast time) in San Francisco, officiating at the opening ceremony of "Co-creating Hong Kong: a design+ exhibition" and meeting local design communities to promote Hong Kong's creative talent.

     "Co-creating Hong Kong: a design+ exhibition" is co-hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco and the Hong Kong Design Centre, with the support of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) San Francisco. The exhibition features 14 unique projects by 13 leading and emerging Hong Kong designers, demonstrating their skillful blending of craft and technology as well as past and future, while opening the design process to allow for interactions with visitors.

     Addressing the opening ceremony attended by some 50 local stakeholders and a design delegation from Hong Kong, Mr Yau emphasised Hong Kong's role as a value-adding partner for regional development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and a gateway for multinational companies to access the Mainland China market. He encouraged Hong Kong designers to explore future co-creations with their US counterparts.

     Hong Kong is a free and competitive economy that benefits from enhanced connectivity created by the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and a high-speed rail system linking Hong Kong to the Mainland. Hong Kong is also well positioned within the Greater Bay Area to help international business bridge the gap between East and West, providing important services for both multinational and Mainland companies seeking to expand their markets, he said.

     In the evening, Mr Yau joined a networking dinner with leaders of the local design community to establish and reinforce ties between the two creative centres for closer collaborations in design and related areas of mutual interest.

     Mr Yau will continue his visit programme in San Francisco tomorrow (September 18, US West Coast time).