Global leaders attend inaugural World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit in Hong Kong

Themed "Integration of AI and Digital Technologies Shaping the Future - Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace", it was the first time that the WIC has held an international summit outside Mainland China, affirming Hong Kong's role as an important bridge connecting China with the rest of the world.

"Hong Kong's rise as an I&T (innovation and technology) hub has been fast-tracked by our vibrant economy, which is powered by free trade and boasts the world's third-largest financial centre. It helps, too, that Hong Kong has long been a key business conduit between the Mainland and the rest of the world," said Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee at the opening ceremony.

"And it all comes together under our unique 'one country, two systems' framework. This cardinal governing principle gives Hong Kong the best of both worlds: access to the vast opportunities of the Mainland market, while maintaining the advantages of our unmatched connectivity of our common law system, free flow of information, capital, goods and people."

The opening ceremony was followed by a government-enterprise dialogue session, which brought together ministerial officials and senior representatives of industry corporations from a number of countries and regions. Business leaders from Intel, Alibaba Cloud, Ping An Group and many more also contributed to the in-depth exchanges on ways to harness I&T to drive economic and business development.

"AI is no longer a futuristic concept. It is at the core of developing new quality productive forces," said Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry. "The HKSAR Government implemented a series of initiatives to support the development of AI and perfect the local I&T ecosystem, with a view to developing AI as our core tech industry to inject new impetus to the city's high-quality development."

The first day of the summit also featured a Main Forum on the Digital Intelligence Future. Speaking at the forum, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said AI-powered tools are enabling governments and businesses to deliver smarter and more responsive services.

"To seize new opportunities brought by the digital economy and address the associated challenges, we need a comprehensive and forward-looking strategy. That's why, over the past two years, the HKSAR Government has put in place a concrete action plan, covering such areas as digital infrastructure and governance, digital transformation, cross-boundary flow of data and talent development," Mr Chan said.

Day Two of the summit (April 15) presented three sub-forums where expert speakers discussed issues related to "Large Artificial Intelligence Models", "Digital Finance" and "Digital Government and Smart Life".

The Commissioner for Digital Policy, Tony Wong, also unveiled the "Hong Kong Generative Artificial Intelligence Technical and Application Guideline", showcasing Hong Kong's leading role in the field of generative AI governance.

Hong Kong's annual I&T flagship event, the Business of Innovation and Technology Week (BIT Week), is also being held this month, featuring a series of I&T activities, including the InnoEX and the Smart Hong Kong Pavilion set up by the Digital Policy Office, Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference and Xiangjiang Nobel Forum.


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