Hong Kong Launches Low Altitude Economy Forum to Explore Innovation and Collaboration Opportunities

2025-06-27 14:20 Last Updated At：16:48

InvestHK hosts inaugural Low Altitude Economy Forum - government, industry, academia and research join forces to drive development of Hong Kong's low-altitude innovation ecosystem

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (June 27) hosted the inaugural Hong Kong Low Altitude Economy Forum themed "Dream to the Sky". The forum brought together leaders from government, industry, academia and research sectors to explore policy direction, technological development and application prospects of the low-altitude economy (LAE). Topics discussed included regulatory frameworks, cross-boundary collaboration and infrastructure support, showcasing Hong Kong's progress in innovation and new industrial development. The forum attracted over 250 local and international stakeholders.

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InvestHK hosts inaugural Low Altitude Economy Forum - government, industry, academia and research join forces to drive development of Hong Kong's low-altitude innovation ecosystem Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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InvestHK hosts inaugural Low Altitude Economy Forum - government, industry, academia and research join forces to drive development of Hong Kong's low-altitude innovation ecosystem Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The LAE is one of the key policy initiatives announced in the "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address". The Working Group on Developing Low-altitude Economy was established under the leadership of the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, to promote institutional innovation, technology implementation, and industry ecosystem building.

Speaking at the forum, Mr Wong said that developing a low-altitude economy has to be a joint effort. The Government will act as a facilitator and enabler, and will continue to move at a fast pace. He noted that the low-altitude economy has strong synergy with other sectors of the economy, stimulating growth and driving positive changes. The total impact and benefits to society, he said, will be greater than the sum of its parts.

The forum featured updates on multiple policy initiatives, including the launch of the first batch of Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects, and the direction of upcoming legislative amendments to civil aviation regulations covering higher-payload and passenger-carrying unmanned aerial systems, to fuel the future development of Advanced Air Mobility.

The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan said, "Our LAE Regulatory Sandbox, covering a wide range of fields, including emergency rescue, logistics, infrastructure inspection and surveillance, is more than just a testing ground. It is a launch pad for transformative technologies that will shape the future of urban mobility, logistics, and public services. These diverse applications demonstrate the remarkable versatility of low-altitude technologies and showcase how unmanned systems can solve unique urban challenges while creating new economic opportunities. Hong Kong's unique strengths, such as our professional services in airspace management, technology integration and specialised insurance, make it an ideal hub for the development of LAE. Looking forward, we will continue to leverage these advantages to create a regional ecosystem where businesses and researchers in the LAE field can thrive."

The forum also highlighted the immense growth potential of the low-altitude industry value chain and the critical role of government-industry-academia-research collaboration in driving innovation. Three thematic panel discussions explored topics such as low-altitude technology and innovation, infrastructure development and safety management, as well as diverse application scenarios including logistics, emergency response and urban planning, fostering cross-sector knowledge exchanges and partnerships.

The Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Ms Alpha Lau, said, "The LAE represents not only a strategic emerging industry; it showcases the harnessing of new quality productive forces. It will be a new growth engine for Hong Kong, and we have taken bold steps to realise this vision. Through this forum, we will illustrate how low-altitude solutions are reshaping industry paradigms, from smart logistics to urban air mobility. InvestHK will continue to attract and support overseas and Mainland companies, leveraging Hong Kong's role as a 'super connector' and 'super value-adder' to jointly build a forward-looking and competitive low-altitude economy ecosystem."

Speakers at the forum included representatives from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Cyberport, and CLP Power Hong Kong. Participants shared insights on cutting-edge research and real-world applications. Many noted that Hong Kong’s strong research foundation, sound institutional support, and mature cross-sector collaboration provide a solid base for advancing industrial applications and regional integration in the low altitude sector, further positioning the city as a driving force for low altitude innovation across Asia.

Deputy Dean, Lower Air Space Economy Research Institute, International Digital Economy Academy, Mr Victor Chen remarked, "The low-altitude economy offers vast potential in transportation, emergency services, and logistics etc. We prioritise synchronised research and development alongside policy innovation, particularly in cross-border collaboration and regulatory standards, where Hong Kong's position as an international hub makes it a pivotal catalyst for industry growth."

Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Division of Integrative Systems and Design and Director of the Low Altitude Economy Research Center, HKUST, Professor Mo Li, stated, "The advancement of the low-altitude economy is heavily dependent on sophisticated artificial intelligence and automation systems. At HKUST, we are actively researching drone navigation, airspace management, and cross-platform collaboration technologies. Through close partnerships between academia and industry, we aim to drive the practical application of low-altitude technologies, injecting fresh impetus into the development of smart cities."

The Managing Director of GODO Innovation Technology HK Limited, Ms Joanne Wu, commented, "Hong Kong's strengths in regulatory support, testing environments, and market connectivity, particularly through the regulatory sandbox, enable swift implementation and validation of innovative solutions, providing opportunities for product optimisation and commercial expansion. We look forward to collaborating with government and research institutions to build a world-class low-altitude innovation ecosystem."

Nestlé Hong Kong Recalls Additional Infant Formula Over Bacillus Cereus Contamination Concerns

CFS to follow up certain batches of powdered infant and young children formula with possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 10) said that, it took initiative to meet with Nestlé Hong Kong again today, and confirmed the company's today announcement of an additional batch of powdered infant and young children formula suspected to have possibly used the raw material concerned. Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall. The CFS has collected samples of powdered infant and young children formula from the market for Bacillus cereus testing, the test results so far were satisfactory. The Environmental and Ecology Bureau is also closely monitoring the supply situation of other formula milk powder and maintaining communication with other major suppliers. It is noted that there is sufficient formula milk powder to meet the demand.

The spokesman said, the CFS has been actively following up on Nestlé company's voluntary and precautionary recalls of certain batches of its powdered infant and young children formula in certain areas in Europe due to possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus in the individual raw material. According to the latest information from Nestlé Hong Kong today, an additional batch of its powdered infant and young children formula imported into Hong Kong might have used the raw material concerned. The CFS had earlier enhanced surveillance in the market and collected a sample from the above batch for testing of Bacillus cereus. The test result of the sample was satisfactory. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall.

Product details are as follows:

Product name (Net weight): NAN PRO 1 2 HMO (800g)

Batch number: 51670742F2

Best-before date: June 16, 2027

Place of Origin: Germany

"The CFS met Nestlé Hong Kong again today, urging them to properly handle the product recall issue and respond to public enquiries, in order to safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests. In addition, the CFS and Nestlé Hong Kong have jointly followed up, six suspected affected batches of infant and young children formula products that had not entered the market were marked and sealed. An additional 15 batches are currently en route to Hong Kong and will also be marked and sealed upon arrival. The CFS will continue to closely monitor the recall matters and remain fully committed to ensuring food safety, " the spokesman said.

Nestlé Hong Kong has initiated a recall of the affected batches of the products concerned. For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may contact the company through the following channels:

Consumer services hotline: 2599 8874 / 2797 6031/ 2179 8136 (Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm)

Email: consumerservices@hk.nestle.com

WhatsApp: 5283 4139 (NESTLÉ® NAN®) / 2599 8871 (Wyeth® Nutrition)

Online form: forms.office.com/e/BhqMhWfsUG?origin=lprLink

Consumers may choose to bring along the products (brand new or opened) for refund at place of purchase, or at exclusive service counters of Nestlé Nutrition Services from January 13 (Tuesday) onwards, to settle the recall and refund of the batches of the products concerned. Details of the exclusive service counters are as follows:

Kowloon Services Counter

Address: G/F, Park Hovan Commercial Building, 18 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (MTR Jordon Station Exit D)

Contact number: 3996 8196

Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm; Sunday, 1pm to 5.30pm (except public holidays)

Hong Kong Services Counter

Address: 1/F, Ka Nin Wah Commercial Building, 423-425 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong (MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B)

Contact number: 3996 8197

Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm (except Sundays and public holidays)

The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted earlier that certain batches of Nestlé powdered infant formula were being voluntarily recalled in Europe due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS has immediately initiated follow up actions, published food incident posts to inform the public and the trade about the issue, and has been actively following up on the incident and enhanced surveillance.

Over the past three days (as of 4pm on January 9), the FEHD received a total of 18 food complaints and enquiries suspected to be related to the infant and young children formula products, including one anonymous complaint without contact information. The CFS and the Environmental Hygiene Branch have promptly followed up on all cases, including contacting the parties concerned to obtain details and collecting samples for testing. In addition, the CFS has referred the cases to the health department for follow-up. At present, no food poisoning cases related to the formula have been recorded.

Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced in food by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.

The spokesman urged members of the public not to let infants and young children consume the affected batches of the products, and to seek medical treatment for infants or young children who felt unwell after taking the products concerned. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batches of the products immediately.

"The CFS continues to closely monitor the developments of the situation, follow up and take appropriate action," the spokesman said.

Hong Kong Launches Low Altitude Economy Forum to Explore Innovation and Collaboration Opportunities

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