Hong Kong Celebrates Chinese New Year in Penang, Strengthening Malaysia Ties and Business Opportunities

2026-01-23 21:06 Last Updated At：01-24 01:33

HKETO Kuala Lumpur celebrates Year of Horse in Penang

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur (HKETO Kuala Lumpur) hosted a Chinese New Year dinner in Penang, Malaysia, today (January 23) to celebrate the Year of the Horse. The Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta, Miss Libera Cheng, and the Chief Minister of Penang, Mr Chow Kon Yeow, officiated at the event.

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HKETO Kuala Lumpur celebrates Year of Horse in Penang Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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HKETO Kuala Lumpur celebrates Year of Horse in Penang Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

In her welcome speech, Miss Cheng said that Hong Kong's commercial ties with Malaysia have grown from strength to strength. Bilateral trade in goods in the first three quarters of 2025 amounted to US$24 billion, representing a year-on-year hike of 25 per cent. She also thanked the Malaysian Government and different sectors of the community for their support, contributing to the smooth commencement of operation of the HKETO Kuala Lumpur in December 2025.

"In tandem with the series of measures rolled out by the Chief Executive in his latest Policy Address, including the establishment of the Economic and Trade Express platform and the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global, the HKSAR Government will endeavour to assist Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong enterprises to explore business opportunities in Penang and other parts of Malaysia. I also encourage Penang businessmen to leverage the Hong Kong platform to tap into the immense potential of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, especially the various I&T and development projects in the Northern Metropolis."

She added that Hong Kong will continue to consolidate its people-to-people bonds with Penang, including promoting Chinese culture through mega events such as the Penang International Dragon Boat Regatta and fostering youth exchange by attracting more students to pursue further studies in Hong Kong under the "Study in Hong Kong" brand.

"The frequency of passenger flights between Hong Kong and Penang has further increased to thrice daily, laying a solid foundation for interactions in different facets. This also facilitates global tourists to visit Penang via Hong Kong International Airport, echoing the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign. With the efforts of the HKETO Kuala Lumpur, our bilateral relations will become even closer."

Also attending the dinner were the Chinese Consul-General in Penang, Mr Zhou Youbin; the Regional Director of South East Asia and South Asia of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr Leung Kwan-ho; the President of the Hong Kong-Malaysia Business Association, Dato' Dixon Chew; the Penang State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy, Mr Wong Hon Wai, and some 300 leaders of the local government and business sectors.

Seminar Explores AI's Role in Enhancing Public Service Innovation for Civil Servants

Innovation and Technology leadership series thematic seminar held to promote AI-led public service innovation

The Digital Policy Office (DPO) and the Civil Service College (CSC) jointly held the third Innovation and Technology leadership series thematic seminar today (January 23). Under the theme "Harnessing AI for Leading Public Service Innovation", the seminar was attended by about 100 directorate and senior-level civil servants from various bureaux/departments (B/Ds).

The Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, and the Commissioner for Census and Statistics, Mr Leo Yu, were invited to share at the seminar how their departments use AI to drive innovation and enhancement of public services. Dr Chui remarked that the Environmental Protection Department has been systematically modernising Hong Kong's environmental impact assessment (EIA) process through AI. He showcased at the seminar a number of innovative applications including big data platforms and smart tools deployed across the entire EIA process, and introduced the department's integrated system for real-time environmental monitoring and audit which leverages AI and the Internet of Things to ensure continuous compliance of works projects. Mr Yu highlighted that the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) has been actively advancing its digital transformation in recent years. He shared the C&SD's practical experience and strategic approaches to leveraging data science and AI techniques to enhance its official statistical work, challenges encountered in the process and their solutions, as well as the exploration of fostering a data-driven culture.

At the seminar, the Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Tony Wong, shared the Government's latest developments in promoting and expanding AI applications in government services. In particular, he introduced the AI + Civil Services Campaign initiated by the DPO to drive broader AI adoption in government departments. This includes the launching of the AI+ Solution Catalogue which features a wide range of AI solutions for meeting the daily operational needs of government departments. Moreover, thematic technology forums, seminars and matching workshops are organised to foster exchanges and collaboration between government departments and the industry, enhance government staff's understanding and application of AI technologies, and empower government departments to leverage AI for more efficient and intelligent public services delivery.

As one of the strategies to accelerate the development of digital government and lead public service innovation, the DPO and the CSC regularly co-organise thematic seminars and trainings to enhance the core skills of the Government's senior management in using digital technology, with a view to promoting more effective use of technology by B/Ds in driving digital transformation to improve the efficacy and quality of public services.

Hong Kong Celebrates Chinese New Year in Penang, Strengthening Malaysia Ties and Business Opportunities

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