Speech by FS at HKAPA 40th Anniversary Celebration Banquet (with photos/video)
Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the HKAPA40th Anniversary Celebration Banquettoday (June 27):
Charles (Yang) (Council Chairman of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts(HKAPA), Mr Charles Yang), Professor Anna Chan (Directorof theHKAPA), 張志華副主任 (Deputy Director-General of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province Mr Zhang Zhihua), 林枬副部長 (Deputy Director-General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Lin Nan), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. It is both an honour and a privilege to join you tonight in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Allow me to begin by extending my warmest congratulations to the Academy. For four decades, you have stood as a pillar of performing arts education and creative innovation in Hong Kong, shaping the artistic landscape of our city and beyond.
Since its founding in 1984, the Academy has played a vital role in nurturing generations of world-class talent in performing arts and arts technology. From drama to music, and from dance to film and television, your graduates have brought to life a rich tapestry of performances and productions that have captivated audiences, enriched our cultural fabric, and deepened public appreciation for arts and culture.
The many acclaimed film makers nurtured by the Academy is a compelling example. Their works and productions have defined Hong Kong cinema and extended its influence far beyond the territory, being recognised as a cultural force across the region and around the world.
Today, the global entertainment industry is massive and rapidly evolving. It is also a multi-billion dollar business. In recent years, we have seen the rise of cultural powerhouses from this part of the world like Korea. And the Mainland is emerging as an important player as well. Despite changing market trends and challenges, Hong Kong producers continue to shine. The recent success of local productions, such as "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" 《九龍城寨之圍城》and "The Last Dance" 《破·地獄》, stands as a testament to the enduring strength of our creative industries. It tells that we can capture the hearts of local, Mainland and international audiences with quality productions. It is the innovative spirit, artistic excellence, and a bold embrace of new technologies that will drive the future of the industry.
Meanwhile, for performing arts, our unique connectivity with the Greater Bay Area, together with world-class performing venues offers unparalleled opportunities for our arts groups and performers. Opportunities to expand their reach, build their brands, and step confidently onto the regional and global stage. Seizing these opportunities requires not only talent and capital, but also vision, passion and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
In fact, a flourishing arts and creative sector is not only a powerful engine of economic growth, but also an important pillar of soft power.
In a world increasingly marked by fragmentation and conflicts, we must ask ourselves: do we need more confrontation, or more dialogue? More isolation, or greater understanding? I believe the answer is clear to all of us. And in this connection, arts and culture are a profound and irreplaceable means of fostering mutual understanding, empathy and unison.
Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to contribute to this global dialogue. With our openness, diversity and international character, there is no better place than Hong Kong to be an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. And through your work - your performances, your productions, your stories - I am sure the perspectives of Hong Kong, and of our country, will be better shared by the world.
In advancing these strategic goals, the Academy has been, and will continue to be, an important partner.
That is why, in the 2022 Policy Address, the Government entrusted the Academy with an important new mission: to deepen its role in talent development for the Greater Bay Area, and to broaden its educational footprint through the establishment of a new campus in the Northern Metropolis. This initiative reflects both our confidence in the Academy's capabilities and our shared aspiration to elevate performing arts across the region.
As the Academy looks to the future, let us remember: talent is the key to our continued success - and indeed the success of any institution, industry and society.
I have every confidence that the Academy will remain true to its founding mission, and continue to cultivate the next generation of artists not only with skills and creativity but also with vision, heart and passion.
And I have every confidence too, that the Academy will rise to the challenges and capture the opportunities ahead, strengthen its international presence, and flourish as a premier performing arts institution - not only in Asia, but on the world stage.
On this note, I wish the entire Academy community - your dedicated faculty, talented students and accomplished alumni - every success as you continue your pursuit of artistic excellence with passion, purpose, and pride.
Once again, my heartfelt congratulations to the Academy. May you continue to inspire, innovate and illuminate. And may the next chapter of your journey be even more brilliant than the last. Thank you.
Speech by FS at HKAPA 40th Anniversary Celebration Banquet Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by FS at HKAPA 40th Anniversary Celebration Banquet Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video)
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit programme in Nanjing today (June 19).
He called on the Governor of Jiangsu Province, Mr Liu Xiaotao, and the Secretary of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee, Mr Zhou Hongbo, respectively, to discuss further deepening co-operation between Jiangsu and Hong Kong, and between Nanjing and Hong Kong. Mr Chan said that Jiangsu and Hong Kong have all along maintained close and multi-level co-operation, with frequent economic and trade exchanges and fruitful results in areas such as finance, innovation and technology (I&T), education, and youth visits and exchanges.
He pointed out that Jiangsu has strong capabilities in technological innovation and advanced manufacturing, a solid industrial foundation, and a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem, with a number of sectors taking leading positions globally. Hong Kong, meanwhile, has the advantages of being an international financial centre and a business environment that is friendly and highly internationalised, making it an important platform for Mainland enterprises to "go global". The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has set up a Go Global Task Force, which co-ordinates at a high level resources in policy, funding, external promotion agencies and professional services, pooling strengths and proactively dovetailing with and better serving the needs of Mainland enterprises going global. He said that, building on the current sound foundation for co-operation, the two places could explore more modes of co-operation and launch more collaborative projects, including organising delegations from Hong Kong's financial, I&T, logistics and professional services sectors to visit Jiangsu, so as to further deepen exchanges and co-operation between the two places.
In the morning, Mr Chan attended an exchange session for technology enterprises organised by Huatai Securities, where he had in-depth exchanges with more than 10 I&T entrepreneurs from Jiangsu and other provinces. The participating enterprises covered frontier areas including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, semiconductors, embodied intelligence, the low-altitude economy and advanced manufacturing. They are all industry leaders, and many hold important positions in the global market and relevant production and supply chains. Mr Chan listened to their briefings on trends in the relevant industries and their development plans in the respective areas. He also briefed them on the latest overall economic situation of Hong Kong, as well as the key focuses during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, in particular the four centres and one hub, and the strategy for the integrated development of education, technology, talent and industries. He welcomed them to make good use of Hong Kong's internationalised platform as their first stop and support base for going global and expanding their global businesses. The HKSAR Government has set up a task force to organise cross-sectoral efforts to accompany them in going global.
Speaking at the exchange session, Mr Chan noted that the country is accelerating the promotion of high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology, and has already taken global leading positions in many I&T areas. As leading Mainland enterprises accelerate innovation and expand into international markets, they need to connect with international capital markets. On the one hand, they can capitalise on the current positive sentiment among international investors towards China's technological development; on the other hand, they can further align their corporate governance with international standards and best practices, gain greater recognition from investors, and enhance their international visibility. He also encouraged enterprises to actively consider listing in Hong Kong, establishing international business headquarters and cross-boundary treasury centres in the city, and making full use of Hong Kong's quality financial and professional services, as well as relevant tax concession policies, to strengthen their own development and better position their production and supply chains in response to geopolitical challenges.
Mr Chan also visited two representative I&T enterprises in Nanjing today to gain an in-depth understanding of the city's cutting-edge developments in high-end manufacturing as well as life and health technology. One of the enterprises specialises in intelligent equipment and industrial robots, with products widely applied in advanced manufacturing scenarios. The other focuses on biotechnology research and development and is at the international forefront in areas such as gene and cell engineering. Both enterprises are listed on the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, leveraging Hong Kong's capital market to accelerate the commercialisation of scientific research and their global deployment. Mr Chan encouraged them to continue to expand and strengthen their businesses through Hong Kong.
Mr Chan concluded his visit to Nanjing this evening and will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning (June 20).
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FS visits Nanjing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
