DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit
The Development Bureau (DEVB) today (November 15) hosted the International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit, bringing together more than 500 major infrastructure project leaders and experts in infrastructure from over 20 countries and economies around the globe, including senior government officials from Mainland and overseas countries, and representatives of renowned international organisations such as the World Economic Forum and International Institute for Management Development, to delve into the strategies and policies of infrastructure delivery plans, and addressed the challenges and opportunities in implementing mega infrastructure projects under the theme of Strategic Leadership in Managing Complexity and Uncertainty in Infrastructure Delivery.
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DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Addressing the Summit, the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that the Hong Kong Special Adminstrative Region Government is committed to investing in infrastructure and advancing land development projects to promote social and economic development. Despite many challenges, Hong Kong's infrastructure development has remained robust with world-class infrastructure recognised internationally. The Government has taken proactive stances to spearhead the transformation of the construction industry over the past few years, promoting advanced construction methods and materials, integrated digital technologies, as well as adopting new project delivery model. Through exchanges that transcend geographical and sectoral boundaries at the Summit, the Government hopes to pool wisdom on the delivery of projects with enhanced efficiency and quality. She also mentioned that under the unique advantages of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong would continue to capitalise on the privilege of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, and consolidate its position as an international infrastructure centre, uniting the world's best talent, knowledge and investment to address upcoming challenges and promote quality infrastructure development.
Speaking at the Summit, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China, Mr Li Liangsheng, said that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stressed the need to establish a system for the planning and standardisation of new infrastructure facilities, optimise the mechanism for the integration and utilisation of new infrastructure facilities, promote the digital transformation of conventional infrastructure, expand the diversity of investment and financing channels, and enhance the co-ordination mechanism for major infrastructure development. The Summit will inject impetus generated in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into the national development of new quality productive forces. It will further promote international infrastructural co-operation and bring far-reaching significance.
In his keynote presentation, the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau, said that the Government is taking forward the Northern Metropolis, the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands project as well as a number of major transport infrastructure projects. He stressed the Government's commitment to be an "enabler" fostering innovation and industrialisation to drive industry enhancement, and added that Hong Kong's diverse talent pool is also one of its most significant advantages, allowing the city to play a leading role in the construction industry.
The presentation and plenary sessions of the Summit gathered prominent infrastructure leaders and experts from various sectors worldwide, including government, academia, construction and finance, to share the latest initiatives and challenges facing infrastructure development. The first plenary session "The Next Growth Curve" highlighted the critical role of infrastructure in driving the city development and the next wave of global economic growth. The second session "Powerful Partnerships" explored effective financing and procurement strategies essential for advancing infrastructure projects within a culture of collaboration. The last session "Building Tomorrow" focused on how innovation and digital technologies are reshaping infrastructure development, promoting greater efficiency and sustainability.
At the Summit, the Building Technology Research Institute (BTRi) which was established by the DEVB in August this year to drive innovative applications in the construction industry, signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Mainland and overseas organisations, namely Guangdong Provincial Academy of Building Research and the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore, as well as three local universities, namely the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. These MoU would expand the collaboration network of the BTRi for the promotion of innovative application in the construction industry. The major development directions of the BTRi are to promote applied research and development (R&D), review and uplift standards ,as well as to provide accreditation, certification and testing.
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DEVB hosts International Infrastructure and Projects Leaders Summit Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing
The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, led a delegation from the Department of Health (DH) to Beijing today (September 9) to pay a visit to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). In addition to exchanging information on the latest progress in promoting scientific regulation and innovation in drugs and medical devices, both sides also signed a co-operation agreement to further deepen collaborations and exchanges in testing technologies of Chinese medicine (CM) and the internationalisation of CM standards. On the same day, the DH and the Beijing Municipal Health Commission (BJHC) co-hosted the Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference, with a view to jointly advancing the high-quality healthcare development in Hong Kong.
Witnessed by the Commissioner of the NMPA, Mr Huang Guo, Dr Lam and the Director General of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the NMPA, Ms He Li, signed a co-operation agreement on research for CM testing and standards to further extend and deepen collaboration in this area, which has spanned more than a decade.
Under the co-operation agreement, both sides will strengthen exchanges and collaborations in the standards and technologies of CM covering research on and formulation of standards for Chinese Materia Medica, CM decoction pieces, proprietary CM and CM granules; the development of testing technologies; as well as safety tests and risk control for the quality of CM, through multiple channels such as expert meetings, seminars and training. Both sides will also deepen talent training and technical interfacing in accordance with the co-operation agreement, with a view to promoting CM standards and testing technology innovation in alignment with international standards.
Dr Lam thanked the NMPA and its affiliated institution, the National Institute for Drug Control (NIDC), for their longstanding support for CM development in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The permanent building of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute under the DH commenced operations late last year. The Chinese Medicines Herbarium inside has received professional technical guidance from the NMPA and the NIDC, and was endowed with more than 300 valuable and representative specimens of Chinese Materia Medica commonly used nationwide, enriching its collections and enhancing public understanding of CM.
Dr Lam remarked that the Outline of the National 15th Five-Year Plan has promulgated to advance the inheritance and innovation of CM and to promote its global expansion. The DH will actively leverage its technical strengths in CM testing and quality control to become an important anchor for CM going global, and to strengthen the exploration, utilisation and research of global medicinal resources. This co-operation arrangement will extend the longstanding close collaboration, and further enhance testing expertise level as well as quality and safety control of CM to promote the development of Hong Kong as a bridgehead for CM going global.
Regarding scientific regulation and innovative development of drugs and medical devices, Dr Lam also introduced the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation, the preparatory work for the 30th Global Harmonization Working Party Annual Meeting and Technical Committee Meeting scheduled for December this year, and the progress of the 2026 annual bilateral work plan, covering issues on strengthening cross-boundary drug regulation and enhancing training and exchanges between the two sides in different areas such as primary evaluation of new drugs and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) for clinical trials of pharmaceutical products.
In the afternoon of the same day, upon the invitation of the BJHC, the DH co-hosted the annual Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference during the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services. Other co-organisers included the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, the Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Beijing Municipal Disease Prevention and Control Administration, the Beijing Hospitals Authority and the Cross-straits Medicine Exchange Association. The theme of this year's conference is "Beijing and Hong Kong, Join Hands for a Shared Healthy Future", focusing on discussions of smart healthcare, transformation of scientific achievements, inheritance and innovation of CM and public health emergency response.
Dr Lam said that this year is significant as it marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. Under the principle of complementing each other in bringing about mutual benefits, the DH will continue to promote exchanges and collaborations with Beijing, actively integrate into and serve the overall national development, and implement a health-first development strategy to fully leverage Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of having strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world to contribute to a "Healthy China".
At the meeting, DH representatives shared how, under the framework of building a health big data ecosystem, Hong Kong's Electronic Health System (eHealth) connects the public and private healthcare sectors to enable realtime sharing of electronic health records, empower citizens to manage their own health, and optimise the allocation of healthcare resources through bigdata analytics. They also introduced Hong Kong's CM regulatory regime and the formulation of CM standards and advancing innovations in testing. Representatives also highlighted Hong Kong's commitment to strengthening primary healthcare under the guiding principle of "prevention first, community-based". The reform is being deepened through chronic disease co-care, intensified tobacco control, and the development of community networks. These measures aim to integrate health management into daily life and encourage citizens to take on the role of being the "first person responsible" for their own health.
During Dr Lam's stay in Beijing, he will also attend some activities on Health and Wellness Service at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, and pay a visit to related public health authorities.
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
