'Belt and Road' green innovation summit opens in Hong Kong for first time
Hong Kong hosted the first Belt and Road Green Innovation Summit on 26 October, drawing over 400 officials and experts from 17 countries. Chief Executive John Lee said the city aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, while officials discussed green finance, technology and data platforms to support susta
Hong Kong hosted the first Belt and Road Green Innovation Summit on 26 October, drawing more than 400 government leaders, business executives and academics from 17 countries along the Belt and Road route, as well as around 40 mainland Chinese provincial delegations. The event focused on green finance, green innovation, and digital empowerment for sustainable development.
Chief Executive John Lee and Ecology and Environment Minister Huang Runqiu delivered opening speeches. Lee said Hong Kong had released its first five-year plan last month, aligned with the national carbon-neutrality strategy, targeting 2050. He noted the city could provide financing, project management and risk management services for green infrastructure and sustainable projects in Belt and Road partner countries. Hong Kong, he added, would take part in Belt and Road science and technology exchanges, ministerial meetings and a technology-cooperation action plan.
Huang said China was committed to ecological civilisation, industrial restructuring, pollution control, ecological protection and climate action. He called for stronger green strategic alignment, innovation and financing channels to build a green Belt and Road and contribute to global sustainable development.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said in a keynote speech that Hong Kong would use green innovation to turn technology, capital, talent and professional services into practical low-carbon solutions, working with Belt and Road partners to tackle climate change. A policy dialogue later, chaired by Environmental Protection Department director Dr. Hu Haoguang, explored common challenges and visions for green transformation in the Global South. Senior officials from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cuba, Georgia, Maldives, Egypt and Thailand also spoke.
Three panel sessions in the afternoon covered green-development investment partnerships, a green low-carbon expert network and the latest progress on a Belt and Road big-data platform. Dr. Au Si-man, deputy director of the Environmental Protection Department, introduced the department's use of artificial intelligence to improve environmental assessment, monitoring and enforcement.
The summit is part of the Green Silk Road framework and has been held five times previously, attracting more than 50 countries and over 1,000 government officials, experts and business representatives. On the same day, the 21st International Eco-Expo opened at Asia World-Expo, running from 26 to 29 October. It features four themes: driving green energy, frontier green technology, building green cities, and waste-to-resources, with a free public day on 29 October.
