CE begins visit programme in Beijing
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, arrived in Beijing this morning (March 3) and began his visit programme, calling on the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).
Mr Lee first met with the Administrator of the CAAC, Mr Song Zhiyong, to exchange views on deepening co-operation in civil aviation. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is an international aviation hub, connecting to more than 200 destinations worldwide. Last year, traffic volume reached 61 million passenger trips, while yearly cargo throughput reached 5.07 million tonnes. Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been named the busiest cargo airport in the world 14 times since 2010. With the full commissioning of the Three-Runway System and the new passenger departure facilities at Terminal 2 of HKIA coming into operation this year, new momentum will be injected into Hong Kong's aviation development.
Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to seize new opportunities, continue to reinforce Hong Kong's top global ranking in cargo throughput and its advantages as a transit hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), accelerate the expansion of Hong Kong's aviation network, and develop Hong Kong into the first aircraft parts processing and trading centre in Asia, further enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international aviation hub. He expressed hope that the HKSAR Government and the CAAC would deepen co-operation and promote the complementarity of the airport cluster in the GBA, jointly contributing to the country's goal of building a strong civil aviation sector.
Mr Lee then met with the Chairman of the SASAC, Mr Zhang Yuzhuo, to exchange views on strengthening co-operation. Mr Lee said that the HKSAR Government is actively promoting Hong Kong's development into an international gold trading centre, welcoming state-owned enterprises to participate in gold trading and the construction of related industrial chains in Hong Kong. He encouraged them to capitalise on Hong Kong's strengths as a platform for fundraising and financing, professional services, risk management and a corporate treasury centre to develop and strengthen their international businesses, thereby contributing to the country's high-quality financial development.
Mr Lee said that the Northern Metropolis (NM) serves as a new engine driving Hong Kong's future development, boasting significant development potential and economic value. He thanked the SASAC for its support for the HKSAR Government in driving the full-speed development of the NM, and encouraged state-owned enterprises to participate in large-scale land disposal in the NM and establish a presence in the Hetao Hong Kong Park to develop innovation and technology industries, jointly developing new quality productive forces. He expressed confidence that more state-owned enterprises would tap into opportunities in the NM, making good use of Hong Kong's role under the "one country, two systems" principle in connecting with both the Mainland and the world and leveraging Hong Kong as a springboard to explore overseas markets, achieving complementarity and mutual benefits.
Mr Lee will continue his visit programme in Beijing tomorrow (March 4).
CE begins visit programme in Beijing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE begins visit programme in Beijing (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE begins visit programme in Beijing (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CEDD and AFCD jointly launch Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines
The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) jointly launched the Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines (HKNbSDG) today (March 3). The HKNbSDG aims to provide practical planning and design guidelines for infrastructure and development projects. It promotes the application of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to address societal challenges through actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems, striking a balance between development and nature conservation while enhancing Hong Kong's climate resilience and driving sustainable development.
With reference to the global standards of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as well as relevant overseas, Mainland and local guidelines, the HKNbSDG proposes three core principles: (1) promoting ecosystem diversity at multiple scales; (2) embracing human-nature coexistence for mutual benefits; and (3) improving resilience through NbS. Factoring in the characteristics of Hong Kong's natural ecology and urban development, it provides clear guidance and local case studies to enable engineering teams to seamlessly integrate NbS into their workflows.
Speaking at the promulgation ceremony, the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, said that NbS is crucial for realising the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. The Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2035, announced by the Environment and Ecology Bureau late last year, proposed the widespread application of NbS to provide practical, effective and forward-looking solutions for urban planning, design and development, thereby addressing various urban challenges while strengthening ecological conservation. She pointed out that Hong Kong possesses a vast network of ecological protection areas in close proximity to urban areas, along with a rich pool of relevant professional talent and institutions, which will help facilitate the further development of NbS.
In his address, the Under Secretary for Development, Mr David Lam, said that NbS is not new to Hong Kong. Over recent years, works departments have championed "blue-green infrastructure", built functional "urban mini-forests" and eco-shorelines, and utilised vegetation to maintain natural hill slope stability. To scale up these successful experiences, the Government must integrate individual pilot applications into a structured, mainstreamed approach, hence the necessity of formulating the HKNbSDG. The Northern Metropolis presents a timely opportunity to actively integrate urban development with ecological conservation through NbS.
In the planning and development of the Northern Metropolis, the Government will strive to incorporate the design principles of the HKNbSDG to enhance climate resilience and promote biodiversity. Among these projects, the planning and design of the San Tin Technopole will draw on the HKNbSDG to introduce various NbS, achieving the vision of coexistence of development and conservation, as well as harmony between humans and nature.
The HKNbSDG has been uploaded to the websites of the CEDD (www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/publications/miscellaneous/nm-santintech/index.html) and the AFCD (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/Con_hkbsap/bsap_resources_references/bsap_resources_references.html).
CEDD and AFCD jointly launch Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CEDD and AFCD jointly launch Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CEDD and AFCD jointly launch Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CEDD and AFCD jointly launch Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
