Hong Kong Maritime Week 2025 Opens with Focus on Sustainability and Global Collaboration

Speech by CE at Opening Ceremony of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2025 cum World Maritime Merchants Forum 2025 (with photos/video)

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Opening Ceremony of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2025 cum World Maritime Merchants Forum 2025 today (November 17):

Honourable Vice Chairman C Y Leung (Vice-Chairman of National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), Honourable Director Zhou Ji (Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (CPG) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)), Vice Minister Fu Xuyin (Vice Minister of Transport), Deputy Head Chen Feng (Deputy Head, Office for Safeguarding National Security of the CPG in the HKSAR), Acting Commissioner Li Yongsheng (Acting Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR), Chairman Miao Jianmin (Chairman of China Merchants Group), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. A very warm welcome to Hong Kong, Asia's world city, and to the opening of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2025 and the fifth World Maritime Merchants Forum, which bring together our maritime cluster, and underline Hong Kong's status as one of the world's leading maritime centres.

The theme for the Hong Kong Maritime Week, "Navigating to a Greener Future", signals our shared destination. Complementing this, the theme of the World Maritime Merchants Forum, "Steering Sustainability Through Changes", is our navigational chart for the journey ahead.

In a world being reshaped by geopolitical discord, technological disruption and climate change, these themes are more than aspirational. They sound an alarm, a wake-up call to collective action.

In this era of profound and complex transformation, Hong Kong's role as a stable, reliable and dynamic maritime hub has never been more vital. The principle of "one country, two systems" is the cornerstone of our success, providing us with an unshakeable foundation.

As our country's only bilingual common law jurisdiction, Hong Kong offers a simple and low tax regime, free port status and the unfettered flow of capital, information and talent.

Our standing is consistently acknowledged, and endorsed, by the international community. For the sixth consecutive year, Hong Kong ranked fourth, globally, in the International Shipping Centre Development Index. This pays tribute to our strengths in port infrastructure, maritime services and overall operating environment.

Hong Kong is home to more than 1 200 port and maritime-related companies, a thriving cluster of global leaders in ship management, finance, insurance and law. The Hong Kong Shipowners Mutual Assurance Association's launch ceremony, in just a few minutes, will mark a milestone development, further enriching our maritime services and reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a "super-connector" and "super value-adder".

Our tax concession regime for high value-added maritime services continues to attract global businesses. And we are planning to extend half-rate tax concessions to physical commodity traders, further integrating the critical pillars of trade, commodities and shipping here in Hong Kong.

Beyond our business-friendly foundations, our focus is firmly on the future. And the imperative for green growth is the defining challenge, and opportunity, of our generation.

With the International Maritime Organization's Net-Zero Framework targeting to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in international shipping by around the year 2050, Hong Kong is determined to be at the forefront, as a premier green maritime fuel-bunkering centre.

Since publishing our Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering a year ago, we have materialised regular commercial liquefied natural gas and biodiesel bunkering.

Our vision is to become the epicentre of the global green maritime fuel trade. And our proximity to the Chinese Mainland, the world's largest producer of green maritime fuel, is a critical advantage. We will continue to collaborate with maritime associations and business partners globally to drive the transition towards sustainability.

Indeed, collaboration on an unprecedented scale is essential as we face challenges from geopolitical tensions, trade protectionism, technological disruption, and the climate crisis - issues too vast for any single economy to solve alone.

Let's work together to build green shipping corridors and digital trade lanes that will define the future of safe, efficient and sustainable global shipping.

Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is ready to be your partner. Our policy support, expertise, strategic vision and unwavering commitment can play a pivotal role in navigating the next era of shipping. Together, we can steer a course towards a more sustainable, prosperous and collaborative future.

I wish you all a rewarding Hong Kong Maritime Week, a productive World Maritime Merchants Forum, and fair winds and following seas, in business as in life. Thank you.

Speech by CE at Opening Ceremony of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2025 cum World Maritime Merchants Forum 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CE at Opening Ceremony of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2025 cum World Maritime Merchants Forum 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CE at Opening Ceremony of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2025 cum World Maritime Merchants Forum 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire

The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:

Financial and welfare support

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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3.4 billion as of noon today (December 13). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $3.7 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.

Accommodation support

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As of this morning, a total of 1 392 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 3 163 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS).

In consideration of the extremely urgent situation of the residents affected by the fire incident, a special arrangement of a full rent exemption has been made earlier by the Housing Bureau to provide accommodation support to those affected residents moving into transitional housing or HKHS projects. In other words, if needed, the affected residents can stay for a longer period of time. The Government will continue to support the affected residents in terms of accommodation, and the residents in need do not have to worry about the relevant rental expenses or the duration of stay.

In addition, staff from the operating organisations of transitional housing and HKHS, as well as volunteers have been working around the clock to furnish the units with essential supplies. Taking Eminence Tower in Hung Shui Kiu as an example, each unit is equipped, upon move-in, with furniture and appliances such as bed frames, mattresses, pillows, cooking stoves and water heaters. Daily necessities including toilet paper, slippers and basic cleaning supplies, etc. are also provided. Such efforts are intended to help the affected residents settle in as quickly as possible.

At the same time, a number of organisations have proactively stationed their staff in some projects to provide residents in need with various forms of support, including free medical and legal consultation services. The Government has also set up service stations in 18 projects where more residents have moved in, providing consultation and support services for residents in need, standing together with them.

Relief supplies and donations

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The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received over 1 800 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, about 19 600 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.

Regulation and inspection work

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The Housing Department today continued to remove the burnt scaffolding on the external walls of Wang Cheong House, Wang Tai House and Wang Sun House. As the environment at scene is narrow and the scaffolding and the protective nets of individual buildings may be subject to more serious damage, for the sake of safety, the Housing Department will conduct assessments with the Police on the timetable of removing the scaffolding of the remaining four affected buildings. In addition, the Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau has also completed the extraction of concrete core samples from the seven affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court today.

The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced on December 11 a new mechanism for sampling and testing scaffold nets for external walls in Hong Kong. The Buildings Department is preparing for the issuance of a new practice note to registered contractors and will meet with the industry next week. The DEVB is moving ahead in full steam the supporting arrangements to ensure that there are sufficient designated laboratories and a suitable site for off-site sampling work.

Source: AI-found images