Hong Kong leader meets environment minister, touts green Belt and Road role
Hong Kong Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu met China's Environment Minister Huang Runqiu on 26 October 2026, welcoming the Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference to the city. Lee highlighted Hong Kong's role as a green cooperation hub, its carbon neutrality goals, and cross-border carbon trading plans
Hong Kong Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu met China's Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu on 26 October 2026, welcoming the minister's delegation to the city for the Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference 2026. Lee thanked the central government for selecting Hong Kong as the first venue outside mainland China for the event, describing it as support for the city's role as an international exchange platform.
Under the 'one country, two systems' principle, Lee said Hong Kong enjoys unique advantages in connecting internally and externally. He pledged that the city would act as a 'super connector' and 'super value-adder' to become a green international cooperation hub. Through a green development cooperation platform established with the Environment Ministry and a sustainable green development training centre set up by the Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong aims to build an international environmental talent pool and promote technical exchanges along the Belt and Road.
Lee noted that the Hong Kong government prioritises green and sustainable development. The city's First Five-Year Plan includes four binding environmental targets. Hong Kong is developing zero-carbon energy and hydrogen, strengthening waste reduction and recycling, and working towards carbon neutrality. It will continue to push green transformation and innovation, leverage its position as a green and sustainable finance hub, and actively explore cross-border carbon trading to help China build a more influential carbon market.
Lee said the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a key engine for national high-quality development. Hong Kong is enhancing its role in the area's green industrial chain and promoting green development. The city has already facilitated the establishment of a leading sustainable aviation fuel production base in Dongguan and will further strengthen resource-recycling collaboration to build a waste-free bay area. Lee thanked the Environment Ministry for its ongoing support and expressed hope for continued cooperation to serve national development and contribute to China's ecological civilisation.
