The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, today (July 6) attended the Second Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Culture in Tianjin and delivered a speech on Hong Kong's latest key cultural development projects and cultural ties with the BRICS countries.

     Mr Lau said that Hong Kong is blessed with a unique East-meets-West character and has in-depth cultural exchanges and co-operation with countries around the world. The arts groups in Hong Kong also receive subvention for promoting cultural exchange between Hong Kong and other economies, including the BRICS countries, to achieve people-to-people bonds, he said.

     Mr Lau added that the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) will be developed into one of the largest cultural zones in the world. He also noted that as witnessed by President Xi Jinping, Hong Kong has signed a collaborative agreement with the Palace Museum to develop the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the WKCD. In addition, Hong Kong has just hosted the Museum Summit for the first time under the theme "Museums in a New Era". The summit brought together 20 acclaimed museum professionals, including leading figures from the BRICS members India and Russia, who shared their visionary insights.

     The first Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Culture was held in Moscow, Russia, in 2015. The second meeting, held by the Ministry of Culture in Tianjin this year, aims to further the formulation of an action plan for the Agreement between the Governments of the BRICS States on Cooperation in the Field of Culture and to explore the establishment of a long-term effective mechanism, including the Museum Association.

     While in Tianjin, Mr Lau also met with more than 10 tertiary students from Hong Kong participating in an internship programme there to learn about their work and daily life. These students are benefiting from the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland launched by the Home Affairs Bureau. Mr Lau will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on the same day after concluding his visit to Tianjin.

Ends/Thursday, July 6, 2017
Issued at HKT 13:55

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