Hong Kong to Host 2026 World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit with Focus on AI and Digital Innovation.

SITI attends press conference on 2026 World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit in Beijing

The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, attended a press conference on the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Asia-Pacific Summit in Beijing this morning (March 17), together with the Secretary-General of the WIC, Mr Ren Xianliang, to announce that Hong Kong will once again host the Asia-Pacific Summit this year.

Following the debut of the WIC Asia-Pacific Summit hosted in Hong Kong last year, the city will once again collaborate with the WIC to stage the international Internet flagship event. Hosted by the WIC, organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and co-organised by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), the Summit will take place on April 13 and 14 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) under the theme "Digital and Intelligent Empowerment for Innovative Development - Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace". The Summit is expected to attract government and business leaders, representatives of international organisations, and experts and scholars from the Mainland and overseas to gather in Hong Kong. Through in-depth discussions on global Internet frontier topics, the Summit aims to promote high-quality innovation and technology (I&T) development, strengthen regional digital collaboration, and jointly create new momentum and advantages for the development of the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Ren said that the WIC will continue to organise the Summit in Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient, this year to explore AI development and governance. Not only does it reflect Hong Kong's aspiration to promote Internet and I&T advancement, but it also aligns with its unique mission of bridging the Mainland and overseas as well as connecting the world.

Professor Sun expressed his gratitude to the WIC for designating Hong Kong to once again host this highly anticipated international Internet event. As a premier platform for global dialogue, the return of the WIC Asia-Pacific Summit to Hong Kong this year embodies not only an important measure in promoting digital development under the 15th Five-Year Plan but also the implementation of deepening the high-level opening up to the world. The HKSAR Government eagerly anticipates collaborating with the WIC again to transform the Asia-Pacific Summit into the most impactful regional I&T event, accelerating Hong Kong's development as an international I&T centre and further promoting the high-quality development of I&T in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the country, the Asia-Pacific region, and globally.

The 2026 Summit will feature a comprehensive agenda. Apart from the opening ceremony on the first day of the Summit, the main forum will introduce the WIC Distinguished Contributors Gala where various internationally renowned I&T dignitaries will be invited to share their outstanding contributions to spearheading global Internet development. This year's Summit will also introduce a first-ever ministerial meeting, providing a premier platform for ministerial officials and representatives of international organisations from across the globe to engage in high-level exchanges and in-depth dialogue on topics such as how AI can empower high-quality economic growth.

The second day of the Summit will feature an expanded lineup of six sub-forums, convening internationally renowned speakers for insightful discussions on topics including "Innovation and Application of AI Agent", "Digital Finance", "AI Security and Governance", "AI for Better Life", "Digital and Intelligent Health", and "Digital Transformation and Dissemination of Classical Texts". These sub-forums will explore how I&T can forge new growth drivers for the economy and how international co-operation can promote the development of the digital economy. The Summit will also be complemented by a series of affiliated activities, including a government-enterprise dialogue, capacity-building events to be hosted by the WIC Digital Academy, and a new technology exhibition zone.

Alongside the Summit, Hong Kong will also stage its annual I&T mega event, the Business of Innovation and Technology Week (BIT Week), concurrently in April to present a series of exciting I&T activities. A highlight of the BIT Week will be the InnoEX 2026, co-organised by the ITIB and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. It will be held from April 13 to 16 at the HKCEC. Themed "Innovate • Automate • Elevate", the InnoEX 2026 will navigate topics such as AI+, robotics, low-altitude economy, property technology, and retail technology that will shape the future of innovations through a large-scale exhibition, seminars, and business networking events.

SITI attends press conference on 2026 World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SITI attends press conference on 2026 World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hospital Authority reviews medical fee waiver cases and safeguards limited public healthcare resources

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson stated today (March 17) that the HA is reviewing approved medical fee waiver cases in accordance with the established mechanism to ensure that limited public resources are being properly utilised.

Since the implementation of the public healthcare fees and charges reform on January 1 this year, up to March 13, the HA has approved a total of nearly 200 000 medical fee waiver applications, comprising 107 348 cases where waiver certificates have been issued following completed assessments, and 92 491 conditional waiver cases. Applicants granted conditional waivers are required to submit relevant supporting documents within three months for review in order to demonstrate genuine financial hardship. To date, approximately 24 000 conditional waiver cases have completed the document submission process. During the review process, the HA has identified over 640 applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria, the majority of which involve income or assets exceeding the prescribed limits.

The HA spokesperson said, "One case involved a three-person household which, at the time of application, reported having no income and assets of only $430,000, and was subsequently granted a conditional full fee waiver. Upon review of the submitted supporting documents, it was confirmed that certain assets had not been declared, and the household's actual assets exceeded $860,000, surpassing the applicable asset limit of $682,000 for that case. The HA has revoked the conditional waiver granted to the patient and has required the applicant to settle all applicable medical fees."

The spokesperson also cited another case. "The case involved a married couple, where the patient was a recipient of the Old Age Living Allowance below the age of 75, and the spouse was in full-time employment. Under the simplified application procedures for the Old Age Living Allowance introduced by the reform, the spouse was not required to submit any proof of income. However, upon review, the assessment team confirmed that the household possessed assets exceeding $630,000, which surpassed the asset limit of $562,000 under the medical fee waiver scheme, rendering the application ineligible for a waiver."

The HA emphasised that following the public healthcare fees and charges reform, the government subsidy rate remains around 95 per cent. Under the principle of "copayment by those who can afford and copayment by those with mild conditions", the medical fee copayment rate is around 5 per cent. The medical fee waiver mechanism was established to channel additional public resources to further assist patients with genuine financial difficulties, enabling those who are poor to be exempted from payment. As such, the HA must carefully scrutinise every application and require applicants to provide all relevant financial supporting documents, including accessible insurance savings or Hong Kong Jockey Club betting account records, to ensure a fair and impartial review process and to direct appropriate assistance to patients with genuine needs.

The spokesperson added that the HA has always been diligent in safeguarding limited public healthcare resources, carefully reviewing every medical fee waiver application, and conducting sample checks on approved cases to ensure that fee waivers are directed to patients with genuine needs. Should any fraudulent element be identified during the review process, the HA will handle the matter seriously, require the applicant to settle all applicable medical fees, and refer the case to law enforcement authorities for follow-up.

Since the implementation of the public healthcare fees and charges reform, the HA has been adopting various measures to strengthen the protection of "poor, acute, serious and critical patients", ensuring that no patient in need is denied necessary medical services due to financial reasons. One key measure is the optimisation of the medical fee waiver mechanism. After an assessment confirms that a patient faces financial hardship (or other non-financial circumstances), the patient may be granted a medical fee waiver of up to 18 months, significantly alleviating their financial burden and ensuring that no patient falls into poverty due to illness.

Source: AI-found images