Second "Green Silk Road" International Training Program Enhances Environmental Cooperation Among Belt and Road Countries

Diversified activities promote green development co-operation among Belt and Road countries

Following the successful joint organisation of the first "Green Silk Road" - International Training Program on Environmental Protection Technology and Sustainable Development ("Green Silk Road" Training Program) with the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) last year, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) continues to deepen its co-operation with the RCEES this year by organising the second "Green Silk Road" Training Program. High-level government officials and experienced environmental protection professionals from Belt and Road (B&R) countries were invited to participate, promoting exchanges and co-operation on sustainable green development.

In addition to being co-organised by the EPD and the RCEES, this year's "Green Silk Road" Training Program welcomed the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hunan Province as a joint organiser. The training program aims to enhance environmental technology capacities in B&R countries and foster international environmental protection exchanges and co-operation under the B&R Initiative.

High-level government officials and experienced environmental protection professionals from eight B&R countries (including Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, the Seychelles, Cuba, the Maldives, and Kyrgyzstan) who came to Hong Kong to attend the Eco Expo Asia were invited to participate in the "Green Silk Road" Training Program held in Changsha, Hunan, from October 28 to 31.

The delegation from B&R countries conducted field visits in Changsha, Hunan, on October 30 and visited a sewage treatment plant to learn about the advanced technologies involved, experiencing integrated garden waste shredding technology and visiting green companies to understand the latest technologies and achievements in the environmental protection sector of the Mainland. On October 29, the delegation also visited a green company to inspect a lights-out lab. The Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, also attended the "Green Silk Road" Training Program in Changsha, Hunan, on October 29 and delivered welcome remarks at the training session of the CAS Centre of Excellence for Water and Environment held in the morning.

Apart from the visit to Changsha, Hunan, the delegation also participated in a series of activities during their stay in Hong Kong earlier on. They visited the EPD's sludge treatment facility, T·PARK, on October 27 to learn about Hong Kong's first self-sufficient, waste-to-energy, sludge treatment facility that applies advanced incineration technology. The delegation also visited the International Organization for Mediation to understand Hong Kong's services and unique advantages in resolving international disputes, as well as how to leverage Hong Kong to promote international co-operation and commercial and trade activities to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

The delegation also attended the Experience Sharing Forum on Promoting Environmental Business in Oversees Market on October 26. The event brought together government representatives, environmental enterprises, and industry leaders to share successful experiences in expanding into overseas markets, with a key focus on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and B&R markets. A number of local, Mainland, and overseas enterprises shared insights on how to make good use of Hong Kong's unique advantages and opportunities to expand into overseas markets and realise the opportunities for going global.

A spokesperson for the EPD said that the Department will continue to actively promote green B&R international co-operation, facilitate the exchanges of environmental protection technologies and experiences, and work together to achieve high-quality green and sustainable development.

On the first day (October 26) of Eco Expo Asia, the Environmental Protection Department jointly organised the Experience Sharing Forum on Promoting Environmental Business in Overseas Markets with the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Delegations from Belt and Road countries attended Eco Expo Asia, and visited the International Organization for Mediation on October 27. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Delegations from Belt and Road countries attended Eco Expo Asia, and visited T·PARK, the sludge treatment facility of the Environmental Protection Department, on October 27. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Environmental Protection Department, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hunan Province co-organised the second "Green Silk Road" - International Training Program on Environmental Protection Technology and Sustainable Development. High-level government officials and experienced environmental protection professionals from Belt and Road (B&R) countries were invited to participate, promoting exchanges and co-operation on sustainable green development. Photo shows the B&R delegation participating in a training program held in Changsha, Hunan, from October 28 to 31, inspecting a model of integrated domestic sewage management for townships in Hubei. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Environmental Protection Department, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hunan Province co-organised the second "Green Silk Road" - International Training Program on Environmental Protection Technology and Sustainable Development. High-level government officials and experienced environmental protection professionals from Belt and Road (B&R) countries were invited to participate, promoting exchanges and co-operation on sustainable green development. Photo shows the B&R delegation participating in a training program held in Changsha, Hunan, from October 28 to 31, and attentively listening to an introduction on lights-out laboratory equipment by the company representative. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Environmental Protection Department, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hunan Province co-organised the second "Green Silk Road" - International Training Program on Environmental Protection Technology and Sustainable Development. High-level government officials and experienced environmental protection professionals from Belt and Road (B&R) countries were invited to participate, promoting exchanges and co-operation on sustainable green development. Photo shows the B&R delegation participating in a training program held in Changsha, Hunan, from October 28 to 31, visited a local leading green company with the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui (front row, fourth right), and Assistant Director of Environmental Protection Mr Sunny Sun (front row, second right). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Environmental Protection Department, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hunan Province co-organised the second "Green Silk Road" - International Training Program on Environmental Protection Technology and Sustainable Development. Photo shows the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui (first row, eighth right); the Director of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hunan Province, Mr Liao Lianghui (first row, seventh left); Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Mr Qu Jiuhui (first row, eighth left) and the delegates from the Belt and Road countries attending the training program. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Environmental Protection Department, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hunan Province co-organised the second "Green Silk Road" - International Training Program on Environmental Protection Technology and Sustainable Development. High-level government officials and experienced environmental protection professionals from Belt and Road countries were invited to participate, promoting exchanges and co-operation on sustainable green development. The Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, attended the training program in Changsha, Hunan, on October 29. Photo shows Dr Chui delivering a speech at the training session of the CAS Centre of Excellence for Water and Environment held in the morning on October 29. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by FS at inaugural Hong Kong Accounting Profession Lifetime Achievement Honour Ceremony

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the inaugural Hong Kong Accounting Profession Lifetime Achievement Honour Ceremony today (November 3):

Agnes (Co-President of SMART Accountants Association (SAA) Ms Agnes Chan), Susanna (Co-President of SAA Ms Susanna Chiu), (Director-General of the Coordination Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Zhu Wen), Peter (Honouree Mr Peter Wong), Brian (Honouree Mr T Brian Stevenson), Nellie (Honouree Ms Nellie Fong), Eric (Honouree Mr Eric Li), Carlson (Honouree Mr Carlson Tong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening. It is a pleasure to join you for the inaugural Hong Kong Accounting Profession Lifetime Achievement Honour Ceremony.

My thanks to the SMART Accountants Association, and especially Agnes and Susanna, for bringing us together. You have given us an occasion not simply to recognise distinguished careers, but to reflect on what makes those careers matter.

Tonight is also a personal pleasure. Peter, Brian, Nellie, Eric and Carlson are familiar faces to many of us - and people I am very pleased to see honoured together. It is good to have this opportunity to pause, recognise their contributions, and say something we perhaps do not say often enough: thank you.

Because a lifetime of achievement is about more than the positions they have held or the awards they have received. It is about the trust they have earned. The people they have helped. And the standards they leave for others to build on.

That is what we celebrate tonight.

Accountants are often called the guardians of financial integrity. And rightly so. But we should be clear about what integrity means in practice.

It means asking the difficult question when an explanation seems too convenient. Giving an honest assessment when a client would prefer reassurance. And standing by your professional judgement when the pressure is to look the other way.

It is more than complying with the rules. It is understanding why those rules matter - and whom they protect.

Because behind the numbers are people. An investor committing savings. An entrepreneur seeking finance. Employees whose livelihoods depend on a business being sound.

They may never meet you. But they rely on your work.

That is why integrity is not an abstract ideal. It is a responsibility to people who depend on information they can trust.

And for Hong Kong, that trust is fundamental. As you help businesses grow, guide investment and support Mainland enterprises going global, you do more than provide professional advice. You uphold our reputation as a place where information is credible, standards are respected and people can do business with confidence.

To our five honourees: tonight, we celebrate your individual achievements. But we also celebrate something you share - a lifetime of commitment to this profession and to Hong Kong.

The most important lesson from these distinguished careers is not a title to aspire to or a position to attain. It is a standard to live up to: success matters, but how we achieve it matters just as much.

That lesson will remain essential as our profession enters a new chapter. Technology is changing how we work. Sustainability reporting and evolving global standards are asking more of us.

We should meet that change with curiosity and confidence. Learn the new tools. Ask better questions. But never lose sight of the responsibility that comes with our expertise.

To our younger accountants: the careers we honour tonight show what is possible. Your task is not to repeat them. It is to build on them - and bring your own ideas, energy and sense of purpose to the challenges ahead.

Peter, Brian, Nellie, Eric and Carlson: your legacy lives not only in the work you have done, but in the people you have encouraged - and the possibilities you have opened for those who follow.

Tonight, we honour five distinguished careers. We also look forward to the many more they will inspire.

Thank you.

Source: AI-found images