The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, attended the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Talent Development Showcase in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today (April 12) to promote Hong Kong's opportunities and unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle of having the strong support of the country while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world. The Under Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Clement Woo, and the Director of Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE), Mr Anthony Lau, also attended the showcase.
 
     Delivering his opening remarks at the symposium of the showcase, Mr Sun said that Hong Kong is uniquely positioned in the GBA area to serve dual roles as Mainland China's gateway to Southeast Asia and as Malaysia's springboard to the vast opportunities in Mainland China's domestic markets. He stressed that the multilingual nature of the two places, being fluent in Cantonese, English and Putonghua, ensures the smooth integration of Malaysian talent in Hong Kong. Mr Sun added that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government had earlier established the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, which builds on Hong Kong's strategic positioning of "eight centres", with a view to flexibly attracting and gathering specialised talent in various sectors to build an international hub for high-calibre talent to contribute to the high-quality development of Hong Kong and the country.
 
     Following the symposium, Mr Sun and the delegation toured the career fair concurrently held at the showcase and visited multiple booths to learn more about the jobs offered by exhibitors as well as different companies' demand for international talent. Numerous students studying at Malaysian universities as well as professionals attended the fair to explore career prospects in Hong Kong and Mainland cities of the GBA.
 
     The showcase, organised by the Labour and Welfare Bureau and HKTE to be held today and tomorrow (April 13) in JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur, is expected to attract a combined attendance of over 4 000. It consists of two main components: a symposium and a career fair. The symposium featured experts from various fields discussing the GBA's latest developments and opportunities, while the career fair attracted nearly 40 leading GBA enterprises from industries including technology, I&T, engineering, finance, accounting, legal services, insurance and real estate, providing international talent from Southeast Asia with a wide range of career options and opportunities for professional growth.
 
     Mr Sun said, "Hosting the showcase in Malaysia, a dynamic emerging economy with strategic development potential, the LWB and HKTE aimed at implementing the strategy of joining hands to attract international high-calibre talent under the Memorandum of Understanding on promoting talent services co-operation in the GBA signed last year by nine municipalities in Guangdong Province as well as the Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. HKTE will continue to intensify global promotion efforts with a view to attracting more outstanding talent worldwide to pursue their careers in Hong Kong."

     Yesterday morning (April 11), Mr Sun first visited Universiti Malaya and met with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Hasniza Zaman Huri and other senior management of the university. Mr Sun said that as the top-notch institution of Malaysia, Universiti Malaya is an eligible university under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS). He said he was pleased to note that since the implementation of the TTPS, over 60 applications from graduates of Universiti Malaya have been approved, adding that he looked forward to more outstanding graduates of the university to pursue their careers in Hong Kong. Mr Sun then led the delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, Mr Zheng Xuefang, in the afternoon and briefed him on the efforts made by Hong Kong in building the GBA into an international hub for high-calibre talent.
 
     Afterwards, Mr Sun called on the Minister of Human Resources of Malaysia, YB Steven Sim during which they exchanged views on strengthening regional collaboration. Mr Sun stressed that the two-way flow of talent fosters enhanced co-operation between the two places, thereby achieving beneficial all-win situations. At the meeting, Mr Sun also elaborated on Hong Kong's work done on improving occupational safety and health, as well as boosting manpower skills through engaging the Employees Retraining Board.
 
     While in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Sun also met with representatives of the Hong Kong-Malaysia Business Association and the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia to understand more on the local business environment and manpower situation. Mr Sun invited them to visit Hong Kong more often to explore development opportunities.
 
     Mr Sun concluded his three-day visit this afternoon and will arrive in Hong Kong tonight.

Ends/Saturday, April 12, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:15

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