HKICT Awards 2024 Celebrates Innovation and Introduces Best Use of AI Award

Speech by FS at Awards Presentation Ceremony and Dinner of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 (with photos/video)

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Awards Presentation Ceremony and Dinner of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 today (November 22):

Professor Qin (Chairman of the Grand Judging Panel of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 and the President of Lingnan University, Professor Joe Qin), 萬寧副部長 (the Deputy Director-General of the Youth Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Wan Ning), Dong (Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong), ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening. I am pleased to join you tonight, for the annual, and much anticipated, Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology Awards Presentation Ceremony. Let me first congratulate the winners, and finalists of this prestigious award. Your dedicationandachievementsare an inspiration to practitioners, entrepreneurs and students, to the innovation and technology industries, and to us all.

For 18 years now, the HKICT Awards has celebrated the exceptional achievements of individuals and organisations in a diversity of sectors and businesses.They put a deserved spotlight on the remarkable talent, creativity and dedication of people seeking to harness technology to reinvent products and services, to improve efficiency, to offer better care to the needy, and ultimately to make our lives and the world better.

In just a few minutes, we'll know all about those elite achievers - and their innovative applications and solutions.

This year's award, I'm pleased to note, introducesa new "Best Use of AI Award" in all eightcategories,to recognise and honourthe efforts of those harnessing the power of AI (artificial intelligence) to transformourbusinesses andways of living.

The HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government, too, believes in the vast potential of AI. It is a sweeping force in boosting productivity and enhancing the competitiveness of the economy. We believe AI can become a strategic pillar of our innovation and technology sector. Andwe have been working on multiple fronts to make it thrive.That includessupporting R&D (research and development), nurturing start-ups, fostering cross-boundary and cross-industry collaboration, attracting strategic enterprises,and building the related infrastructure, includinga supercomputing centre.

But above all, it is people and talent thatmatter,if we are to realise this vision. We mustraise the AI literacy and preparedness of ourcommunity. That has to take a whole-of-society approach,starting withchildren’s education,integrating AI into school and university curricula, and supporting the training of professionals and continuous learning.

My thanks to the organisers of the Hong Kong ICT Awards,andto the high-profile judges of the eight award categories. Your expertise and commitment to excellence can only inspire the continuing growth and success of our innovation and technology industry - and the economy, and community, of Hong Kong.

Ladies and gentlemen, I know you will enjoy this very special evening and the good company all about you.

Thank you.

Speech by FS at Awards Presentation Ceremony and Dinner of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by FS at Awards Presentation Ceremony and Dinner of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by FS at Awards Presentation Ceremony and Dinner of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Opening ceremony for Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po "Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion" Tour held today

The Countryside Conservation Office (CCO) under the Environment and Ecology Bureau held the opening ceremony for the Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po "Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion" Tour today (January 18) at Kuk Po in Sha Tau Kok.

Delivering his speech at the ceremony, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, emphasised the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's commitment to promoting countryside conservation with a view to revitalising villages and conserving ecological and cultural resources. Based on the achievements of countryside conservation in the past, the Countryside Harvest Festival combines the three major elements of "Sound, Sight and Fusion" for the first time, using music, art and traditional cuisine as the media to connect natural ecology, historical buildings and countryside culture. He hopes that the event can promote a new in-depth eco-tour experience, enhance public awareness of nature conservation, foster urban-rural symbiosis, invigorate the local economy, and build a sustainable future.

Kuk Po, located in the northeastern New Territories in Sha Tau Kok, is a Hakka village with over 300 years of history, known for its picturesque scenery and rich biodiversity. The Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po "Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion" Tour is the first event in Kuk Po to combine village cultural elements, music performances, art exhibitions, and traditional cuisine. Collaborating with local and international artists, the festival features art installations, photography exhibitions, music performances, the Good Day market, and a variety of countryside experiences, providing participants with a unique and in-depth urban-rural travel experience.

Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony included the Chairman of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Environmental Affairs, Mr Lau Kwok-fan; LegCo Member Mr Yiu Pak-leung; North District Council member Mr Ko Wai-kei; the Chairman of Sha Tau Kok Rural Committee, Mr Lee Koon-hung; Assistant Commissioner for Tourism Mr Henry Lai, and the District Officer (North), Mr Derek Lai.

The event will be held over two weekends, today and tomorrow (January 18 and 19) and January 25 and 26, with activities running from noon to 7pm. Admission is free. On these dates with activities, the CCO will provide complimentary ferry services at scheduled times to transport visitors between Sha Tau Kok and Kuk Po, with limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, the art exhibitions will run from today until February 16. For more details about the event, please visit the official website at kukpofestival.hk.

Opening ceremony for Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po "Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion" Tour held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Opening ceremony for Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po "Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion" Tour held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Opening ceremony for Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po "Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion" Tour held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Opening ceremony for Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po "Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion" Tour held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases