The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (March 27) inspected various premises under the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Charging Demonstration Scheme to understand the premises' preparatory work.
 
     Accompanied by the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, and the Government Property Administrator, Mr Eugene Fung, Mr Tse inspected the designated refuse collection point and recycling area on one floor of the South Wing of the West Kowloon Government Offices, as well as the central refuse collection point in the basement. The officials were briefed by the relevant staff on the progress of the preparatory work for the Demonstration Scheme, including co-ordination with other departments in the building and the publicity work.
 
     Mr Tse also visited the Café de Coral fast-food restaurant in Admiralty Centre, Admiralty, to inspect the process of handling waste in the kitchen, and listened to the views of the person-in-charge of the restaurant on MSW charging and problems that may arise during the implementation, as well as on practical arrangements and requirements of the operation. Mr Tse thanked the Café de Coral Group for its support to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD)'s implementation of the Demonstration Scheme.
 
     "The premises under the Demonstration Scheme we visited today advised that they are fully prepared for the implementation. I expressed my heartful gratitude to the participating government departments, institutions and persons, particularly the participating premises for their support and collaboration. We believe that the experience and outcome of the Demonstration Scheme will assist the Government in better grasping the overall situation," said Mr Tse.
 
     Moreover, Dr Chui, together with EPD officers, today also paid a visit to Genius Court located in Kowloon City to observe on-site the preparatory work of this single-block residential building, particularly on how the property management company and the cleaning frontline staff are complementing the trial. He also chatted with residents who collected designated bags (DBs) for MSW charging at the management office to learn about the recycling facilities in the vicinity of the building. Dr Chui applauded them and thanked them for their participation in the Demonstration Scheme to join hands with the Government in taking this critical step forward.
 
     The EPD started the preparatory work for the Demonstration Scheme in January 2024, including liaising with relevant bureaux and departments to identify suitable premises; discussing with the management of the selected premises; co-ordinating; as well as developing the framework and detailed workflow. The first group of premises covered under the Demonstration Scheme includes public and private residential buildings, "three-nil" buildings, shopping malls, restaurants and residential care homes. Taking into account the situation of each selected premise, the EPD has provided relevant Best Practice Guides and training materials on implementing MSW charging for reference, and briefed the property management practitioners or relevant representatives on their responsibilities.
 
     The EPD officers had earlier visited the relevant premises to conduct on-site assessments to refine the scheme arrangements and assist responsible persons in getting prepared for the implementation of the Demonstration Scheme. The EPD has also prepared publicity materials such as posters, slogans and promotional videos for the selected premises to display in public areas and on every floor for notifying the residents or occupants about the relevant arrangements before the commencement of the scheme. EPD officers will then visit the residents or occupants of the selected premises to learn about their opinions, experiences and problems encountered.
 
     The participating premises will start using DBs upon the commencement of the Demonstration Scheme on April 1. Therefore, it is expected that starting from April 2 most of the premises will collect waste disposed by using DBs. In addition to the arrangement on the technical aspect of the trial, the Government will also collect views and experiences on the trial from different stakeholders through opinion surveys, with a view to better grasping the overall situation.

          

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (March 27):
     
Question:

     Regarding District Health Centres (DHCs) and interim "District Health Centre Expresses" (DHCEs), will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of (i) the values of the operation service contracts for various DHCs and DHCEs, and (ii) the respective information on the primary and secondary disease prevention service outputs of such DHCs and DHCEs in the past year (set out in Table 1);

Table 1

(2) of the respective manpower of various DHCs and DHCEs in each of the past three financial years (set out in tables of the same format as Table 2);

Table 2
Name of DHC/DHCE :   
 

           
(3) how the authorities deal with situations of failure of the operators concerned to meet service contract requirements (including failure to meet the relevant service output and manpower requirements); whether the authorities will step up efforts in monitoring the enforcement situation of the relevant contractual terms; if not, of the reasons for that; and

(4) as some members of the public have relayed that they do not quite understand the services provided by DHCs, and they consider that the relevant publicity channels are homogeneous and tend to focus on people in the age group of 45 or above, whether the authorities will step up publicity and education targeting people in the younger age group (i.e. people aged 44 or below); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President:

     The reply to the respective parts of the question raised by the Hon Chan Pui-leung is as follows:

     In face of the pressure brought about by an ageing population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the Government released the Primary Healthcare Blueprint (Blueprint) in December 2022, setting out a series of reform initiatives to strengthen primary healthcare services in Hong Kong. Strategies are prevention-oriented, community-based, family-centric and focus on early detection and intervention, with the vision of improving the overall health status of the population, providing coherent and comprehensive healthcare services, and establishing a sustainable healthcare system. Among the recommendations in the Blueprint, we propose to further develop a district-based family-centric community health system based on the District Health Centre (DHC) model.

     The Government has set up DHCs and interim DHC Expresses of a smaller scale in all districts across the city by the end of 2022, thereby attaining the interim goal of covering all 18 districts to establish personalised health plans for the public according to their age, gender and lifestyle, etc.

     With the gradual service commencement of the DHCs and the DHC Expresses in various districts, the Government will continue to promote primary healthcare and the DHCs on multiple fronts:

(1) Organise with the operators of the DHCs and the DHC Expresses city-wide promotional activities such as roving exhibitions, promotional booths and outreach services;
(2) Launch promotional campaigns on multi-media channels, including Announcements in the Public Interest on television and radio, television and radio programmes, advertisements and feature articles in newspapers, promotion on online and cross-social media platforms and mass transportation system advertisements (including Mass Transit Railway lightbox advertisements, advertisements on bus bodies and minibus bodies); and
(3) Promote primary healthcare and the DHCs directly to community members, stakeholders and service partners, as well as post posters and distribute leaflets in public places including schools, libraries, public and private housing estates, government clinics and community pharmacies and the DHCs. 

     As the healthcare service and resource hub in the community, the DHCs are crucial in strengthening the concept of "Family Doctor for All" and cultivating a long-term doctor-patient relationship between the patient and his/her family doctor (especially in the management of chronic diseases). The Government has implemented the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) since November last year, further strengthening the role of the DHCs/DHC Expresses with a view to supporting participants to better control hypertension and diabetes mellitus and prevent complications, as well as co-ordinating and arranging participants to receive screening and appropriate multidisciplinary treatment (including physiotherapy, dietetic consultation, optometry assessment and podiatry services) in private sectors at a subsidised rate.

     The three years of COVID-19 epidemic inevitably affected the preparatory work and commencement of the DHCs, as well as their progress in recruitment of members and service provision after commencement. At the initial stage, the DHCs also needed to operate for a reasonable period before they could increase their number of members and service capacity. With the resumption of normalcy and the lifting of social distancing measures after the COVID-19 epidemic, coupled with establishment of the DHCs in all 18 districts, the number of new DHC members has continued to increase each year, from about 2 900 in 2019/20, gradually to about 11 500 in 2020/21, about 23 000 in 2021/22, about 89 000 in 2022/23, and around 79 200 (provisional figures) from April 1 to December 31, 2023. As at December 31, 2023, the accumulated number of members was around 205 600 (provisional figure). This reflects that the DHCs have been gradually building a primary healthcare service network which begins to take shape in the community. This is attributable to the increased public awareness of disease prevention and self-health management, as well as the expansion and promotion work of the DHCs. 

     The contract sum of operation service contracts and actual service attendances of each DHC and DHC Express are set out in Annex 1. The staff establishment of each DHC and DHC Express are set out in Annex 2. As the major expenditure of the DHCs is composed of fixed expenses including rental and staff costs, the average service costs would be higher at the initial stage. It is anticipated that the average service costs will gradually decrease along with the increase in members and service volume of the DHCs and DHC Expresses. 

     The Government will continue to review the services of the DHCs with a view to strengthening their roles as the co-ordinator of community primary healthcare services and case manager, so as to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services to the public in the community. The Government also commissioned the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct a monitoring and evaluation study on the DHCs to evaluate their degree of achievement on different targets and overall performance, including quality and effectiveness of different DHC services, influences of DHC services towards individuals and the community as well as the cost-effectiveness of the DHCs. The report of the evaluation study will be submitted to the Steering Committee on Primary Healthcare Development for deliberation. The Government shall consider the report and views of the Steering Committee when reviewing the service of the DHCs. 

     The Government will also enhance the terms of the DHC operation service contracts. Currently, the DHC operation service contracts have provided specific descriptions of various facilities and service requirements, including recruitment and qualifications of the network service providers, required numbers of various professionals, the areas and numbers of satellite centres to be established as well as staffing establishment of the centres. The tender documents have also stated that the Government shall have the right to terminate the contract upon an operator's non-compliance of the contract requirements. Starting from this year, the Primary Healthcare Office (PHO) will adjust the terms of operation service contracts for the DHCs and DHC Expresses progressively, including adjustment on the categories of service targets to complement the enhancement of DHC services, such as pairing of family doctors for citizens and nurse clinic service provision, etc. With the implementation of the CDCC Pilot Scheme, the PHO will also review the performance assessment indicators of the DHCs to include new members' participation in the CDCC Pilot Scheme as one of the indicators.

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (March 27):
     
Question:

     Regarding District Health Centres (DHCs) and interim "District Health Centre Expresses" (DHCEs), will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of (i) the values of the operation service contracts for various DHCs and DHCEs, and (ii) the respective information on the primary and secondary disease prevention service outputs of such DHCs and DHCEs in the past year (set out in Table 1);

Table 1

(2) of the respective manpower of various DHCs and DHCEs in each of the past three financial years (set out in tables of the same format as Table 2);

Table 2
Name of DHC/DHCE :   
 

           
(3) how the authorities deal with situations of failure of the operators concerned to meet service contract requirements (including failure to meet the relevant service output and manpower requirements); whether the authorities will step up efforts in monitoring the enforcement situation of the relevant contractual terms; if not, of the reasons for that; and

(4) as some members of the public have relayed that they do not quite understand the services provided by DHCs, and they consider that the relevant publicity channels are homogeneous and tend to focus on people in the age group of 45 or above, whether the authorities will step up publicity and education targeting people in the younger age group (i.e. people aged 44 or below); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President:

     The reply to the respective parts of the question raised by the Hon Chan Pui-leung is as follows:

     In face of the pressure brought about by an ageing population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the Government released the Primary Healthcare Blueprint (Blueprint) in December 2022, setting out a series of reform initiatives to strengthen primary healthcare services in Hong Kong. Strategies are prevention-oriented, community-based, family-centric and focus on early detection and intervention, with the vision of improving the overall health status of the population, providing coherent and comprehensive healthcare services, and establishing a sustainable healthcare system. Among the recommendations in the Blueprint, we propose to further develop a district-based family-centric community health system based on the District Health Centre (DHC) model.

     The Government has set up DHCs and interim DHC Expresses of a smaller scale in all districts across the city by the end of 2022, thereby attaining the interim goal of covering all 18 districts to establish personalised health plans for the public according to their age, gender and lifestyle, etc.

     With the gradual service commencement of the DHCs and the DHC Expresses in various districts, the Government will continue to promote primary healthcare and the DHCs on multiple fronts:

(1) Organise with the operators of the DHCs and the DHC Expresses city-wide promotional activities such as roving exhibitions, promotional booths and outreach services;
(2) Launch promotional campaigns on multi-media channels, including Announcements in the Public Interest on television and radio, television and radio programmes, advertisements and feature articles in newspapers, promotion on online and cross-social media platforms and mass transportation system advertisements (including Mass Transit Railway lightbox advertisements, advertisements on bus bodies and minibus bodies); and
(3) Promote primary healthcare and the DHCs directly to community members, stakeholders and service partners, as well as post posters and distribute leaflets in public places including schools, libraries, public and private housing estates, government clinics and community pharmacies and the DHCs. 

     As the healthcare service and resource hub in the community, the DHCs are crucial in strengthening the concept of "Family Doctor for All" and cultivating a long-term doctor-patient relationship between the patient and his/her family doctor (especially in the management of chronic diseases). The Government has implemented the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) since November last year, further strengthening the role of the DHCs/DHC Expresses with a view to supporting participants to better control hypertension and diabetes mellitus and prevent complications, as well as co-ordinating and arranging participants to receive screening and appropriate multidisciplinary treatment (including physiotherapy, dietetic consultation, optometry assessment and podiatry services) in private sectors at a subsidised rate.

     The three years of COVID-19 epidemic inevitably affected the preparatory work and commencement of the DHCs, as well as their progress in recruitment of members and service provision after commencement. At the initial stage, the DHCs also needed to operate for a reasonable period before they could increase their number of members and service capacity. With the resumption of normalcy and the lifting of social distancing measures after the COVID-19 epidemic, coupled with establishment of the DHCs in all 18 districts, the number of new DHC members has continued to increase each year, from about 2 900 in 2019/20, gradually to about 11 500 in 2020/21, about 23 000 in 2021/22, about 89 000 in 2022/23, and around 79 200 (provisional figures) from April 1 to December 31, 2023. As at December 31, 2023, the accumulated number of members was around 205 600 (provisional figure). This reflects that the DHCs have been gradually building a primary healthcare service network which begins to take shape in the community. This is attributable to the increased public awareness of disease prevention and self-health management, as well as the expansion and promotion work of the DHCs. 

     The contract sum of operation service contracts and actual service attendances of each DHC and DHC Express are set out in Annex 1. The staff establishment of each DHC and DHC Express are set out in Annex 2. As the major expenditure of the DHCs is composed of fixed expenses including rental and staff costs, the average service costs would be higher at the initial stage. It is anticipated that the average service costs will gradually decrease along with the increase in members and service volume of the DHCs and DHC Expresses. 

     The Government will continue to review the services of the DHCs with a view to strengthening their roles as the co-ordinator of community primary healthcare services and case manager, so as to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services to the public in the community. The Government also commissioned the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct a monitoring and evaluation study on the DHCs to evaluate their degree of achievement on different targets and overall performance, including quality and effectiveness of different DHC services, influences of DHC services towards individuals and the community as well as the cost-effectiveness of the DHCs. The report of the evaluation study will be submitted to the Steering Committee on Primary Healthcare Development for deliberation. The Government shall consider the report and views of the Steering Committee when reviewing the service of the DHCs. 

     The Government will also enhance the terms of the DHC operation service contracts. Currently, the DHC operation service contracts have provided specific descriptions of various facilities and service requirements, including recruitment and qualifications of the network service providers, required numbers of various professionals, the areas and numbers of satellite centres to be established as well as staffing establishment of the centres. The tender documents have also stated that the Government shall have the right to terminate the contract upon an operator's non-compliance of the contract requirements. Starting from this year, the Primary Healthcare Office (PHO) will adjust the terms of operation service contracts for the DHCs and DHC Expresses progressively, including adjustment on the categories of service targets to complement the enhancement of DHC services, such as pairing of family doctors for citizens and nurse clinic service provision, etc. With the implementation of the CDCC Pilot Scheme, the PHO will also review the performance assessment indicators of the DHCs to include new members' participation in the CDCC Pilot Scheme as one of the indicators.

     Following is a question by the Hon Starry Lee and a reply by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, in the Legislative Council today (March 27):
 
Question:

     "New quality productive forces", as the buzzword of this year's "two sessions", were first mentioned by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (the General Secretary) during his study tour to Heilongjiang last year. The General Secretary pointed out that technological and innovative resources should be consolidated to lead the development of strategic emerging and future-‍oriented industries, and expedite the formation of new quality productive forces. In addition, during this year's "two sessions", the General Secretary called for focusing on high-quality development as the top priority, with new quality productive forces being developed according to local conditions, and the Premier of the State Council stated in the Report on the Work of the Government that the Chinese Government will continue to fully, faithfully, and resolutely implement the policy of "one country, two systems", under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy, remain committed to law-based governance in Hong Kong and ensure that Hong Kong is administered by patriots, and support Hong Kong in growing its economy, improving the lives of its people, and participating in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) by leveraging its distinctive strengths and features, so as to ensure that Hong Kong can better integrate itself into China's overall development and maintain long-term prosperity and stability. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the plans in place to leverage Hong Kong's unique strengths according to local conditions, with a view to stepping up efforts to promote the development of new quality productive forces; and
 
(2) of the plans in place to assist various trades and industries in developing new quality productive forces during their participation in the GBA development, so as to better integrate into the country's overall development?

Reply:

President,
 
     "New quality productive forces" refers to productivity led by technological innovation that breaks away from the traditional mode of economic growth and development pathway. Adding technological content to productivity, it has the characteristics of high-end technology, high efficiency as well as high quality and quantity. Driven by innovation, the key of "new quality productive forces" lies in quality with the ultimate goal of advancing productivity.

     President Xi Jinping proposed in September last year the idea of developing "new quality productive forces". "Striving to modernise the industrial system and developing 'new quality productive forces' at a faster pace" is listed as the major task in the government work report this year. Developing "new quality productive forces" will provide a more favourable environment and more room for the deeper and broader growth of innovation and technology (I&T) in Hong Kong. Regarding the question raised by the Hon Starry Lee, having coordinated with the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, my consolidated reply to various parts of the question is as follows:

     Taking into account Hong Kong's social and economic situations and its unique strengths, the development of "new quality productive forces" in Hong Kong is to effectively support the formation of a new real economy with Hong Kong's advantages, realise "new industrialisation" and inject new impetus for Hong Kong's high-quality economic development. The Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint (the Blueprint) promulgated by the current-term Government at the end of 2022 provides a clear development path and systematic strategic plan to promote the development of I&T in Hong Kong with a view to accelerating the formation and development of "new quality productive forces" with Hong Kong's competitive edge, thereby strengthening a new development momentum. Promoting the comprehensive development of upstream, midstream and downstream sectors to form an extensive I&T ecosystem chain is the key to developing "new quality productive forces".

     In order to implement the industry development plans set out in the Blueprint, we have strengthened the Government's organisational structure by creating the post of Commissioner for Industry (Innovation and Technology), which is dedicated to overseeing the strategy of "new industrialisation". Also, the New Industrialisation Development Office established under the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, led by the Commissioner for Industry (Innovation and Technology), adopts an industry-oriented approach to promote "new industrialisation", so as to empower the development of Hong Kong in terms of quality and quantity.

     To support the development of I&T in Hong Kong, thereby accelerating the formation and development of "new quality productive forces", the Government has introduced and implemented a number of policies and measures in recent years to consolidate and enhance our strengths and capabilities in basic research and development (R&D), and at the same time accelerate the transformation of outstanding R&D results and their application to specific industries, so as to continuously create new value and support the high-quality development of the new real economy. In the process, collaboration with the Mainland, especially the cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area), is indispensable in various aspects.

     With regard to upstream, the Government has launched various measures to support basic research. We make use of the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) to provide local universities and research institutes with stable resources to carry out R&D work. As at the end of January 2024, a total of 472 R&D projects involving funding of over $1.2 billion have been approved for collaboration with organisations in the Greater Bay Area or other Mainland regions. Moreover, the Government has earmarked $10 billion for supporting researches on life and health technology, $3 billion for supporting researches on frontier technology, and $3 billion for launching the AI (artificial intelligence) Subsidy Scheme to support local universities, R&D organisations and enterprises to make the best use of the supercomputing power of the AI Supercomputing Centre so as to promote R&D.

     Regarding midstream, we launched the $10 billion "Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme" last year to provide funding support in the form of matching grants to university R&D teams for the transformation, realisation and commercialisation of R&D outcomes. The scheme has attracted the active participation of many enterprises in the Greater Bay Area, making use of the resources and strengths of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area to jointly promote technology implementation and commercialisation. Furthermore, we will establish the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute within this year and set up a pilot line to assist start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to conduct trial production. At the same time, the ITF will continue to provide funding support to R&D teams from designated local universities to set up I&T solutions.

     For downstream, we will focus on supporting the development of I&T industries with competitive edge and strategic significance, such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data sciences, and advanced manufacturing and new energy technologies, with a view to promoting "new industrialisation" in Hong Kong. The Government will launch the $10 billion "New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme" this year to provide matching grants for strategic enterprises (including Mainland enterprises) to set up new smart manufacturing facilities in Hong Kong. At the same time, we will continue to support the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries through I&T to achieve smart manufacturing by enhancing the "New Industrialisation Funding Scheme" so as to assist local manufacturers to shift to high value-added production and smart manufacturing. The relevant enhancement measures were implemented in early January of this year.

     The Government will proactively encourage various community sectors to develop "new quality productive forces", including supporting the local I&T sector to visit the Mainland (especially the cities in the Greater Bay Area) and participate in technology exchange so as to keep up with the latest development of "new quality productive forces" in the Mainland. We are dedicated to achieving the construction of a more comprehensive and globally competitive I&T industry chain by joining hands with the Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area through concerted efforts. Also, we will continue to adhere to the development directions and strategies set out in the Blueprint. By making use of Hong Kong's unique advantages, we will pool together global innovation resources to accelerate the formation of "new quality productive forces" and promote the development of "new industrialisation", leading Hong Kong to realise its vision of becoming an international I&T center, thereby contributing to the country's high-quality development.

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended the Global Free Trade Ports Development Forum of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024 in Hainan today (March 27) to exchange views with the Governor of Hainan Province, Mr Liu Xiaoming, and leaders across the globe.
 
     Speaking at the thematic forum, Mr Chan said that Hong Kong is a staunch supporter of free trade and has been promoting free trade at multilateral and regional levels, including the World Trade Organization and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, to eliminate trade barriers and promote economic growth. In 2022, Hong Kong was the world's 10th largest merchandise trading economy, and ranked fourth and seventh in the world in terms of foreign direct investment inflows and outflows respectively, demonstrating Hong Kong's important role in global trade.
 
     Mr Chan added that Hong Kong enjoys the distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, and is consolidating and enhancing its strategic positioning as an international trade centre through two major directions, namely actively exploring global partnerships, and actively integrating into the overall development of the country. He stressed that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will continue to seize the opportunities upon the eastward shifting of the global economic gravity and high-quality development of the country, and strive to strengthen Hong Kong's roles as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder" between the country and the rest of the world, in particular to capitalise on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to enhance the strategic positions of the country and Hong Kong in the international economic and trade arena.
 
     Before attending the thematic forum, Mr Chan met with the Governor of Hainan Province, Mr Liu Xiaoming. Mr Chan said that the economic and trade relationship between Hong Kong and Hainan has always been close. Many Hong Kong enterprises are conducting business in Hainan. Hong Kong is also the largest source of foreign investment and an important trading partner for Hainan. Mr Chan continued that he looks forward to Hainan and Hong Kong's continued pursuit of the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits by leveraging Hong Kong's advantage as a highly internationalised city, as well as seizing the development opportunities of the Hainan Free Trade Port, to help Hainan enterprises go global.
 
     Mr Chan added that the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Hong Kong Talent Engage, and Dedicated Teams for Attracting Businesses and Talents in various Economic and Trade Offices, of the HKSAR Government have been actively attracting enterprises, investments and talent to Hong Kong, yielding fruitful results. He welcomes enterprises, talent and youth from Hainan to pursue development in Hong Kong and said that the HKSAR Government will continue to foster exchanges and co-operation between Hainan and Hong Kong in various areas including trade, finance, culture and youth development.
 
     Also, Mr Chan interacted with the Chairman of the Y. Elites Association, Mr Lawrence Lam, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Association, Mr Jason Wong, and the Hong Kong youth serving as volunteers at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024, to understand their work and feelings. He said he was pleased to learn that the association had been organising Hong Kong youth to participate in the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in Hainan over the past years, enabling them to showcase their talents and broaden their horizons. He also showed his appreciation that the Hong Kong youth volunteers have gained rich work experiences at this year's conference and deepened their understanding of the high-quality development of Hainan and the country at large.
 
     Mr Chan encouraged Hong Kong youth to combine reading and travelling, and pay visits to and intern more often in different provinces and cities of the Mainland, to delve into the history and culture of the country and national affairs, thereby fostering Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of the country.
 
     Mr Chan will attend the opening plenary of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024 tomorrow (March 28) and return to Hong Kong the same day.