Asia+ Festival 2025 Celebrates Cultural Diversity with Vibrant Performances in Hong Kong

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+, one of the highlight programmes of the Asia+ Festival 2025, was held this afternoon (November 16) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and Foyer. With staunch support from various consulates-general and overseas cultural organisations in Hong Kong, the event brought together cultural and artistic aspects of around 30 countries and regions from Asia and along the Belt and Road. Presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the event featured ethnic music, dance, traditional costume displays, handicrafts, and signature delicacies, presenting a vibrant and diverse cultural experience. It drew over33 000 local residents and tourists, and was met with great enthusiasm.

The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, noted in her opening remarks of the Asia+ Festival ceremony that the Festival aims to create a sustainable platform for arts and cultural exchanges across Asia and the Belt and Road regions. This flagship festive event reaffirms Hong Kong's role as an East-‍‍‍meets-‍West centre for international cultural exchanges. Leveraging the city's unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle, the festival actively fosters people-to-people connectivity and cultural integration. The Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+, launched today, unveils the legendary sounds of classical and folk music from different regions, showcasing the charm of diverse cultures.

Other officiating guests included the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Manda Chan, the Commissioner for Belt and Road, Mr Nicholas Ho, as well as representatives from consulates-general in Hong Kong of various participating countries of the Asia+ Festival.

Following the ceremony, a series of captivating ethnic performances commenced. Artistic troupes from participating countries and regions presented traditional music and folk dance performances, offering the audience an immersive multicultural experience. The event opened with a dazzling performance by an Egyptian dancer of the Tanoura, a dance known for its rich spiritual and ritual symbolism.

The venue also featured numerous cultural booths showcasing exquisite handicrafts from various countries and regions alongside stalls offering traditional snacks. Interactive workshops were held on-site, allowing visitors to experience ethnic dance and musical instruments, as well as participate in craft making and umbrella painting, activities suitable for all ages.

In addition, the "Vibrant Dance - National Costume Exhibition" is being held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Foyer from today to November 23, displaying distinctive traditional attire and dance costumes from various countries and regions. The exhibition is free of charge and open to the public.

This year's Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ will feature participation from various countries and regions, namely Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, China and Macao, China.

Highlights from today’s performances will be edited into a recap video and made available online on November 30 via the LCSD’s Community Programmes Office website: www.cpo.gov.hk/zh-hk/activity/tc-aecp-2025-carnival.

The Asia+ Festival is held annually from September to November with the aim of creating a sustainable platform for arts and cultural exchanges. While focusing on Asia, the Festival this year also connects Belt and Road countries and regions in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Now in its third edition, artists from more than 30 countries and regions, including 12 new participating countries, are taking part in the Festival, featuring over 100 performances and activities. Apart from stage programmes, there is also an outdoor carnival, a thematic exhibition, workshops, a backstage tour, masterclasses, talks, outreach performances and more. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visitwww.asiaplus.gov.hk.

Source: AI-found images

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ showcases cultural diversity of some 30 countries and regions Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images

Government to introduce resolution to raise borrowing ceiling to $900 billion for Infrastructure Bond Programme and Government Sustainable Bond Programme

The Government served a notice to the Legislative Council (LegCo) today (March 11) to introduce a resolution under the Loans Ordinance to raise the borrowing ceiling from $500 billion to $900 billion for the Infrastructure Bond Programme (IBP) and the Government Sustainable Bond Programme (GSBP) under the Capital Works Reserve Fund.

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said, "As the Government will accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM) and other public works projects relating to the economy and people's livelihood, we need to raise the borrowing ceiling to $900 billion to increase our capacity to finance public works projects. The Government's capital works expenditure for 2025-26 is estimated to be about $125 billion. The 2025 Policy Address announced that the Government would earmark an additional $30 billion in the next two to three years to increase expenditure on public works projects to drive sustained economic development and support the local construction industry. The capital works expenditure is estimated to be about $128 billion for 2026-27 and will remain at a similar level from 2027-28 to 2030-31.

"Issuing government bonds is one of the public financial management tools. Issuing bonds to support infrastructure development is a common practice worldwide. As public works projects are long-term investments, in particular those in the NM, there is a need for the Government to issue more longer-term bonds to align more closely the cash flow duration with project requirements. A higher borrowing ceiling and a larger mix of longer-term bonds will bring in more net proceeds. The Government plans to issue about $160 billion to $220 billion worth of bonds per annum from 2026-27 to 2030-31, and the corresponding ratio of government debt to Gross Domestic Product will rise from 14.4 per cent to 19.9 per cent, which is a highly prudent level and well below that of most advanced economies. We hope that the new borrowing ceiling can be effected as soon as possible," Mr Hui emphasised.

The GSBP (previously known as the Government Green Bond Programme (GGBP)) was established in 2018 to promote market development and to further consolidate Hong Kong's position as a green finance hub. The IBP was established in 2024 to enable better management of the cashflow needs of major infrastructure projects and facilitate their early completion. Along with the establishment of the IBP, the GGBP, renamed as the GSBP, was expanded to cover sustainable projects, and the total borrowing ceiling for the two programmes was raised from $200 billion to $500 billion, pursuant to a resolution passed by LegCo in May 2024. The 2026-27 Budget further announced raising the borrowing ceiling to a total of $900 billion for these two programmes to increase the capacity to finance public works projects. The two programmes are overseen by a steering committee chaired by the Financial Secretary.

Subject to the legislative process, the Government will move the resolution in LegCo on April 1.

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, Photo source: reference image