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 FS at Future Science Prize Science Gala Dinner

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Future Science Prize Science Gala Dinner today (November 8):

Professor Dennis Lo (President of Hong Kong Academy of Sciences), Mr Zhang Yichen (Rotating Chairman of the Council of the Future Forum 2026), Future Science Prize Laureates, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening. It is a great pleasure to join you tonight, at the Future Science Prize Gala Dinner, celebrating the 10th anniversary edition of the Future Science Prize and this year's Laureates.

I am honoured to welcome to Hong Kong some of the world's finest scientists, many of whom have devoted decades to solving science's most complex theoretical questions and its most challenging practical problems.

There is a classic observation in business: great companies often lose their lead not because they are poorly run, but because they focus too closely on what already works. They serve their biggest customers and improve their best products, while new and innovative technologies quietly take root elsewhere.

Consider the smaller hard-disk drives that emerged in the 1980s. They stored less and seemed to hold little appeal for consumers. Yet they improved, found new markets and eventually transformed the industry. The incumbents saw the technology, but underestimated its promise. By the time its value became clear, it was already too late.

The same challenge confronts science. The most disruptive discoveries may initially offer little hint of their significance. If basic research has a customer, it is the future. And the future takes time to fully reveal itself. What seems obscure today may become the accepted starting point for the next generation.

The Future Science Prize understands that scientific and societal evolution. In 2016, a group of scientists and entrepreneurs committed their own resources to establish the first privately funded science prize in China. Ten years on, it has honoured 49 scientists and become a highly anticipated event on the international scientific calendar.

Tonight, we pay tribute to three outstanding laureates. Professor Zhang Hong has uncovered how autophagy works in multicellular organisms. Professor Zhao Dongyuan has pioneered mesoporous materials. Professor Yuan Xinyi has made foundational contributions to arithmetic geometry. Their trailblazing research is a reminder that the full significance of a discovery often takes time to emerge. And this is more the rule than the exception.

That is why the Future Science Prize matters. It celebrates groundbreaking research that has yet to fully unfold and reveal itself. It reflects the wisdom of science, the openness of society, determined to pursue what it cannot yet understand or foresee.

Hong Kong has deep ties to the Prize. The Future Science Awards Foundation is registered here in this city, and we are proud to host the four-day Prize Week. Over the past decade, six Hong Kong scientists have been named laureates of the Prize. We are part of this scientific community. And we will continue to develop Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology centre, where even the most modest beginnings can be recognised, nurtured and given room, and time, to flourish.

Tonight, we celebrate both remarkable discoveries and the possibilities that lie ahead. Let us salute our Laureates, the spirit of science and a future rich with promise.

I know you will enjoy this memorable evening. And the rest of Future Science Prize Week, right here in Hong Kong, Asia's world city.

Thank you.

Source: AI-found images

Speech by FS at Future Science Prize Science Gala Dinner Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images