Director of Health Leads Delegation to Attend Health Working Group Plenary Meeting of APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in Dalian

Director of Health attends Health Working Group Plenary Meeting of APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in Dalian

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, today (August 23) led a delegation from the Department of Health (DH) to attend the Health Working Group (HWG) Plenary Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials' Meeting in Dalian.

"China is the host of APEC 2026. I am deeply honoured to once again lead a team from the DH of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government to attend the HWG Plenary Meeting. We exchanged views with representatives from other APEC member economies on addressing global health challenges and deepening public health co-operation, building on the achievements leading up to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November and working together to ensure that 2026 APEC 'China Year' yields fruitful results," Dr Lam said.

The HWG Plenary Meeting will be held over two consecutive days. During the meeting, member economies will share the latest developments and experiences on several key topics, including promoting healthy ageing, improving maternal and child health and addressing low fertility rates, applying AI in healthcare, strengthening the role of traditional medicine, enhancing surveillance and emergency preparedness for infectious diseases, as well as harmonising science-based regulatory standards for medical products. The HWG also endorsed the "APEC Healthy Ageing Action Plan 2026-2030". Representatives from the DH will share the HKSAR Government's development and policy direction of traditional Chinese medicine as well as the progress in transforming into an international health and medical innovation hub, including the optimisation of drug approval and registration system, as well as the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation by this year.

In addition, APEC held a series of public health exchange activities prior to the HWG Plenary Meeting, including a discussion panel on the "APEC Action Plan to End the HIV Epidemic 2026-2031", which was released in May this year. A DH representative shared the HKSAR's Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) policies and prevention and control measures.

The DH has actively collaborated with and participated in APEC's public health initiatives. With the support of the National Health Commission and the Health Bureau of the HKSAR Government, the DH has promoted health collaboration and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region, contributing to global public health.

"Under the principle of 'one country, two systems' and with the unwavering support of our country, the DH will continue to leverage the HKSAR's distinctive advantage of havingstrong support from the motherland and close connection with the world, giving full play to its role as a 'super connector'. The DH will continue to deepen professional exchanges and collaborations with the APEC member economies in the healthcare field, actively participate in global health governance and contribute to building a global community of health for all. This year marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. In the field of healthcare, the HKSAR will actively integrate into and serve the country’s overall development, implement a health-first development strategy and contribute to the goal of building a 'Healthy Asia-Pacific' through the APEC platform," Dr Lam said.

The HWG of APEC is a regional health forum for cooperation and it dedicated to demonstrating the value of health to economic growth and development, and to building awareness of the return on investment in health innovation. The goal of the HWG is to help reduce the impact of health-related threats to the economy, trade and security of member economies. The HWG aims to strengthen health systems to increase their efficiency, responsiveness and resilience to achieve and maintain universal health coverage. The HWG's three priorities this year are "openness", "innovation" and "cooperation".

Following the conclusion of the HWG meeting, the DH delegation will also visit the Health Commission of Dalian to exchange views on health information technology, health and medical innovation, as well as the Health Commission of Dalian's experiences and action plan regarding the "Healthy Dalian" initiative.

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, today (August 23) led a delegation from the Department of Health to attend the Health Working Group Plenary Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Senior Officials' Meeting in Dalian. Photo shows Dr Lam (front row, first left) speaking in the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, today (August 23) led a delegation from the Department of Health to attend the Health Working Group (HWG) Plenary Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials' Meeting in Dalian. Photo shows Dr Lam (centre) in a group photo with the HWG of APEC Chair, Mr Junghwan Park (eighth right), the Commissioner of Department of International Cooperation of the National Health Commission, Mr Li Mingzhu (ninth right), and the representatives of other APEC members attending the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CS at Carnival of Care and Harmony

Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Carnival of Care and Harmony today (August 23):

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. It is a great pleasure to join you today at this Carnival of Care and Harmony.

This warm and vibrant gathering reminds me of everything that makes Hong Kong a truly multicultural metropolis - its energy, its openness and its spirit that welcomes everyone. For generations, people of diverse ethnic backgrounds have called this city home.

Yet we recognise that while Hong Kong belongs to everyone, our friends from non-ethnic Chinese communities may still encounter challenges in their daily lives, whether language barriers, cultural differences or simply for not always being fully understood. That is why we are committed to taking action.

Government bureaux and departments are dedicated to providing a wide range of support services to help ethnic minorities integrate more fully into society and realise their potential so that Hong Kong can truly become a home for all.

Since assuming office, the current-term Government has been steadily enhancing these services and introducing new initiatives to support our multi-ethnic communities.

In 2024, for example, we established two additional Support Service Centres, bringing the total to 10. These centres are strategically located in districts with larger ethnic minority populations. They run many programmes and activities to help community members engage more deeply with Hong Kong life.

To enhance services, we have also set up "Ethnic Minority Care Teams" within each Support Service Centre. Each team is led by a social worker, supported by programme workers and volunteers who are familiar with the languages and cultures of the communities they serve.

Through proactive outreach - including home visits and community activities - they connect with ethnic minorities in need, assisting with everyday challenges and providing timely support during emergencies or unexpected incidents. During typhoons, for example, these teams share weather updates through their community networks, accompany those in need to temporary shelters and check on elderly individuals living alone to ensure they receive proper care.

In just over two years, these teams have reached some 18 000 ethnic minority households. That is real impact.

Moreover, as announced in last year's Policy Address, each Support Service Centre has now established a "Youth Network" and a "Women's Network".

The Youth Network offers a platform for young people to connect with one another and with the wider community, including through exchange visits to the Chinese Mainland, which deepen their understanding of Chinese history and culture.

The Women's Network, meanwhile, aims to encourage social inclusion and encourage greater community participation among ethnic minority women.

Looking ahead, we will continue our efforts to support our non-ethnic Chinese friends to better integrate into our society and create more opportunities for everyone.

I wish you all a very enjoyable carnival and a fruitful afternoon of information sharing, performances, fun and games!

Let us join hands and build an even more caring and harmonious Hong Kong.

Now, I would like to say a few words in Cantonese.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the speech.)

Source: AI-found images

Speech by CS at Carnival of Care and Harmony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CS at Carnival of Care and Harmony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CS at Carnival of Care and Harmony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CS at Carnival of Care and Harmony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images