Hong Kong Symposium Enhances Social Welfare Sector's Awareness of National Security Responsibilities

Social welfare sector actively participates in symposium to raise awareness of safeguarding national security (with photos/video)

The symposium on safeguarding national security for the social welfare sector of Hong Kong, jointly organised by the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Connecting Hearts, was held today (April 8) to further enhance the sector's awareness of safeguarding national security.

Officiated by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, the symposium attracted over 8 000 participants from the social welfare sector of Hong Kong, who took part both online and offline. The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun; the Director-General of the Social Work Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Mr Liu Songlin; and Vice-Chairman of the Connecting Hearts and head of the Connecting Hearts Academy, Professor Annie Tam, also attended the symposium.

Addressing the symposium, Mr Chan said that the HKSAR Government has achieved fruitful results in safeguarding national security and promoting patriotic education over the past year or so, including the completion of the legislation on Article 23 of the Basic Law that ensures the smooth implementation of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance as well as the amendments to the Social Workers Registration Ordinance which foster a better environment for social welfare professionals to leverage their expertise.

Mr Chan said that the social welfare sector is charged with the important and long-term responsibilities in serving the community and caring for members of the public. It is also their mission and duty to safeguard national security. He urged the social welfare sector to continue collaborating with the HKSAR Government to sustain efforts in safeguarding national security, thereby ensuring the healthy development of welfare services in Hong Kong and enhanced safeguards for public well-being.

A sharing session was held at the symposium where Mr Sun was joined by six representatives from different fields of the social welfare sector, including professors from education institutions, management of social welfare organisations and professional social workers, to explore how the sector can fulfil the responsibility of safeguarding national security and promote patriotic education. Mr Sun said that the LWB and the SWD have been working closely with social welfare organisations in the previous year to promote national security education within the sector through organising symposiums, seminars and visits with a view to enhancing the sector's understanding of national affairs. A dedicated fund of $500 million was rolled out last year, in which $100 million was allocated to non-governmental organisations operating subvented welfare services to arrange Mainland exchange tours and national studies programmes for their staff members. Among these tours and programmes, the "Thousands of Hong Kong Social Workers Exploring the Motherland" exchange tours organised by the Connecting Hearts have achieved remarkable results. Visits to Chaozhou, Shaoguan, Guangzhou and Foshan have attracted about 1 400 participants in total.

Member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Ms Starry Lee, and the Director of the National Security and Legal Education Research Centre of the Education University of Hong Kong, Professor Gu Minkang, also shared their valuable insights on patriotic education as well as national security and the law at the symposium respectively, which enabled participants to have deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the relevant topics.

Social welfare sector actively participates in symposium to raise awareness of safeguarding national security (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Social welfare sector actively participates in symposium to raise awareness of safeguarding national security (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Social welfare sector actively participates in symposium to raise awareness of safeguarding national security (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Social welfare sector actively participates in symposium to raise awareness of safeguarding national security (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Social welfare sector actively participates in symposium to raise awareness of safeguarding national security (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Singapore ETO holds Chinese New Year dinner in Vietnam to promote closer relationship

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (Singapore ETO) hosted a Chinese New Year dinner in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam, yesterday (March 14) to celebrate the new year with Vietnamese partners and counterparts and to promote Hong Kong.

Jointly organised with the Hong Kong Business Association Vietnam (HKBAV) and supported by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the dinner welcomed over 100 guests, including the Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in HCMC, Mr Tang Li; the Chairman of the HKBAV, Mr Michael Chiu; the Director of Indochina of the HKTDC, Ms Tina Phan; and representatives from government and business sectors, chambers of commerce, and Hong Kong communities in Vietnam. During the dinner, cultural performances were presented, including lion dance performances and live renditions of Chinese and Vietnamese music by a band and performers.

Speaking at the dinner, the Director of the Singapore ETO, Ms Elsa Hung, recapped the multi-front work and achievements of Hong Kong and Vietnam collaborative efforts. Last December, the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Mr Ho Duc Phoc in Hong Kong to exchange views on deepening co-operation between the two places. In the same month, the Commissioner for Belt and Road, Mr Nicholas Ho, led a delegation to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to explore business opportunities.

Ms Hung highlighted the growing economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and Vietnam. In 2025, Vietnam became Hong Kong's third-largest merchandise trading partner, with a total trade volume increasing by an average of 25 per cent annually since 2021. Among the 11 ASEAN member states, Vietnam has risen to become Hong Kong's largest trading partner in terms of merchandise trade. In addition, exchanges between people of the two places have intensified. For instance, in terms of tourism, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Hong Kong increased by 35 per cent last year compared with 2024.

Ms Hung concluded that Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" framework to serve as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" linking the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world. The Singapore ETO will align with and support Hong Kong’s strategic directions, such as promoting the one-stop Economic and Trade Express (ETE) platform, through the collective efforts of the global network of ETOs, Invest Hong Kong, and the HKTDC, to assist enterprises in going global while attracting more enterprises to invest and establish operations in Hong Kong.

The Singapore ETO held two Chinese New Year dinners - one in Singapore on February 25 and another in Manila, the Philippines, on February 27 - to further strengthen ties and exchanges with local communities.

Singapore ETO holds Chinese New Year dinner in Vietnam to promote closer relationship Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Singapore ETO holds Chinese New Year dinner in Vietnam to promote closer relationship Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Singapore ETO holds Chinese New Year dinner in Vietnam to promote closer relationship Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Singapore ETO holds Chinese New Year dinner in Vietnam to promote closer relationship Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases