Co-organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) and Boao Forum for Asia, the International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum (ISTIF) of the Boao Forum for Asia 2025 Hong Kong Conference was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for two consecutive days (June 6 and 7). Under the theme of
"Transitioning Towards the Future: Powered by Science, Technology and Innovation", the conference attracted some 800 leading experts, academics and political and economic leaders from the Mainland and overseas to gather in Hong Kong for an in-depth exchange and sharing of experience, and to explore how to capitalise on Hong Kong's unique advantage of being connected to the Mainland and the outside world and how to foster global co-operation in the field of innovation and technology (I&T).

     Fully recognising Hong Kong's advantage of being highly internationalised and as the gateway to both China and the world, the ISTIF was held in Hong Kong for the first time. 

     In the Opening Plenary held today (June 7), presided by the Secretary-General of the Boao Forum for Asia, Mr Zhang Jun; Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the President of the ISTIF, Mr Edmund Ho; the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee; the Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia Board of Directors, Mr Ban Ki-moon; former Prime Minister of Finland and the Honourary Chairman of the ISTIF, Mr Esko Aho; former President of Slovenia, Mr Danilo Türk; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr Liu Guangyuan; and former Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Mr Don Pramudwinai, delivered speeches to unveil the Hong Kong Forum which was held right after the plenary. 

     Speaking at the plenary, Mr Lee stated that under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong is the only world city that enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage. He said that Hong Kong would take full advantage of its established tradition of the rule of law, world-class universities and robust intellectual property protection regime in its development into an international innovation and technology centre. 

     Mr Lee added that the world stands at the consequential crossroads in human history, and the convergence of artificial intelligence and health technology will not only serve as tools, but also lead to humanity's evolution into the next era of development. He remarked that the thriving of innovation must be rooted in international co-operation, and the open and free exchange of knowledge, talent and ideas.

     The Hong Kong Forum was held under the theme of "Leveraging the Advantages of Connecting with Both the Mainland and the World to Foster Global Innovation and Technology Collaboration". With the participation of renowned Hong Kong experts and political and business leaders in various fields, including the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Dr Sunny Chai; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Mr Sunny Tan; the Vice-Chancellor and President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Dennis Lo; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited, Ms Clara Chan; Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Professor Li Zexiang; and the Chairman of the Board, Executive Director and the Chief Executive Officer of Insilico Medicine, Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, the forum explored how Hong Kong can fully leverage its unique advantages of internal and external connectivity to promote efficient collaboration among the government, industry, academia, research and investment, with a view to fostering global collaboration and I&T development.

     Delivering at the Hong Kong Forum, Professor Sun said that the Government has launched a series of robust policies to solidify Hong Kong's research capabilities, accelerate the transformation of research and development outcomes, and promote the development of the technology industry, with the aim to build a complete I&T ecological chain encompassing the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors while promoting interactive collaboration across government, industry, academia, research, and investment sectors, turning breakthroughs into impact, and ideas into global solutions.

     A total of 10 sessions of sub-fora, cutting-edge dialogues and roundtables were held and joined by former foreign heads of state and leaders, senior representatives of international organisations, renowned scientists and university academics, entrepreneurs and start-ups from Hong Kong and abroad, as well as youth leaders from various countries. They exchanged insights on a wide range of topics, including global science and technology governance, sustainable development, innovation clusters, life sciences, future mobility, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, financial innovation and youth leadership, contributing to the enhancement of international co-operation and global governance in science, technology and innovation.

     For details of the conference, please visit www.bfa-istif.cn.

Ends/Saturday, June 7, 2025
Issued at HKT 14:20

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