Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, at the Greater Bay Maritime Forum 2025 today (November 19):

Ladies and gentlemen, 

     I am delighted to join you this morning at the Greater Bay Maritime Forum 2025. Today's forum serves as an excellent platform for us to exchange ideas and insights regarding the advancement of the maritime sector, particularly in providing the vast opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) development.

     The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, revealed just last month, reaffirmed the Central Government's full support for Hong Kong's efforts in enhancing our status as an international maritime centre. More specifically, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area supports enhancing the overall international competitiveness of the Pearl River Delta port cluster and emphasises the importance of a complementary and mutually beneficial port system to foster synergy.

     The theme of today's forum is "Internal Integration and External Connectivity for Multiple Wins". I think there is indeed no better place to delve into this topic than here in Hong Kong.

     Building upon Hong Kong's unique advantages, we have been and will continue to be the maritime "super-connector" within the GBA region. Our strategy has been to leverage our competitive advantages as a free port - renowned for its efficiency, strong connectivity and the strategic development of Hong Kong and contribution to the GBA, as well as, most important of all, our position as the two-way springboard connecting the Chinese Mainland and the rest of the world.

     As outlined in the Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address in September, the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government is set to implement a series of new measures to propel our maritime sector forward. One key measure involves actively establishing a comprehensive "rail-sea-land-river" intermodal transport system by promoting intermodal cargo transport with the Chinese Mainland's inland provinces, such as Chongqing, Guangxi, and perhaps Jiangxi, Hunan and Yunnan. All these provinces on the Mainland have an abundant supply of raw materials as well as cargo products that we have longed for. These resource-rich provinces can fully leverage Hong Kong's global connectivity network to flexibly transfer goods worldwide, while simultaneously attracting more cargo sources to Hong Kong and improving its appeal as a hub for cargo consolidation and transshipment, thus creating a win-win situation.

     To further strengthen regional collaboration and global connections, we are actively pursuing to establish an international "partner port" network by building strategic partnerships with ports on the Chinese Mainland and in the Belt and Road countries. I am happy to share with you - and perhaps I need not stress this because you should have got all the information through the press over the past few days - that we have just signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the San Antonio Port of Chile, as well as Guangxi and Dalian on the Chinese Mainland, as our first batch of "partner ports". By strengthening the port connections with our overseas and Chinese Mainland port partners, it will not only allow us to foster new collaboration, exchange best practices, and improve trade and logistics efficiency, but also help solidify Hong Kong's position as a premier international shipping centre right in the GBA region, thereby enhancing the overall competitiveness of the region. I can assure you, Hong Kong is not just looking for benefits for ourselves; I think our growth and competitiveness are intertwined with the growth and competitiveness of all the ports, neighbouring cities, and airports in the rest of the GBA area. We should synergise and foster collaboration in order to help ourselves grow even stronger. We are therefore keen to further collaboration with other ports in the GBA as well.

     Following the success of the Mainland-Hong Kong Green Energy Matchmaking Event, which was organised between Hong Kong and the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China just in June this year, which was very attractive and successful and attended by over 300 representatives from local, overseas and Chinese Mainland companies all involved in the green energy business, we advanced our collaboration efforts by launching the Green Maritime Fuel Development Communication Platform that will soon be promulgated in the coming days, so as to connect industry players across the entire green maritime fuel supply chain. We look forward to business deals catalysed by the platform, thereby expediting the establishment of a green maritime fuel business ecosystem that will underpin our prominence in the green shipping era.

     In addition, we are stepping up efforts to promote smart port operations and data interconnection among the maritime and port industry through a digitalised Port Community System, PCS, which will be officially launched early next year. But we couldn't wait - notwithstanding the official launch to be held early next year, we are already connecting with different suppliers, stakeholders in the supply chain of logistics and shipping, and, more importantly, we are also collaborating with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on a Project Cargoˣ scheme in order to help all our enterprises, whether they are small, medium, or big, ride on and leverage this digitalised port system for trade finance and also blockchain to trace the cargo for more efficient cargo operation and even custom clearance in a more seamless way. 

     This digital collaborative platform will provide cargo tracking functions and connect sea, land and air transport networks, enhancing cross-sector information interconnectivity and increasing the Hong Kong Port's efficiency and overall competitiveness. We signed an MOU with the Guangdong e-Port in May 2025, which facilitates system and data connectivity to provide the "One-Data-Multiple-Declarations" function for cross-border logistics and offer pre-filling and pre-submission of shipping manifests for vessels entering the GBA region. We will continue to expand the functionalities of the PCS and explore enhancing co-operation with other Chinese Mainland ports. Actually, on Monday's (November 17) ALMAC (Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference) VIP luncheon, we witnessed a B2B (business-to-business) MOU signing between our two port operators with the Guangxi Beibu Gulf International Port Group Company Limited, and that also leveraged our digitalised data sharing system and clearance for customs.

     Today, I would also like to express my warmest congratulations to the Maritime Talent Cultivation Alliance on its establishment. Uniting 16 renowned academics and maritime associations, the establishment of the Alliance marks a significant step in maritime talent development by bridging the industry, academia, research, and investment sectors, fostering the sustainable growth of the industry. I really look forward to the Alliance achieving remarkable progress and discovering new avenues for growth in Hong Kong.

     Ladies and gentlemen, the initiatives I just highlighted are not stand-alone efforts; they represent the direct and active implementation of Hong Kong's commitment to consolidating and enhancing our status as an international maritime centre. As you can see from the past 24 months - or perhaps 12 months - the energy and drive demonstrated by the Hong Kong SAR Government, in particular my bureau and also the Marine Department, is evident. This is not happening in isolation. It is an act of strong determination and strong drive with the support and strong backing of the maritime and shipping industry, including the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, the maritime industry, and long-established shipping tycoons in Hong Kong, whom we also treasure.

     I believe that through our close partnership with the Chinese Mainland, we will continue to contribute to the strategic development framework of our country. While the global maritime industry continues to experience its ebb and flow, I am confident that by working together, we in this region, with the Chinese Mainland as our strong backup, we can not only ride the tide but also chart the course ahead. My congratulations, once again, on the inauguration of the Maritime Talent Cultivation Alliance, and I wish you all a very successful and fruitful forum. I look forward to seeing you all at this forum next year. Thank you very much.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the speech.)

Ends/Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Issued at HKT 17:58

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