Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said she is confident that Hong Kong will thrive and soar higher with the full support of the central authorities. Mrs Lam made the statement while addressing over 30 invited global business leaders at the Hong Kong Session of China Development Forum 2021 held online. The China Development Forum is a high-level forum hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council and organised by the China Development Research Foundation annually. It serves as an important dialogue platform for senior officials of the Chinese government, global business leaders, international organisations and renowned scholars. In addition to being held online, this year's forum was held onsite at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing from March 20 to 22. The Hong Kong session, with the theme on the city’s development in the next five years, was held for the first time upon the suggestion of the Chief Executive. Mrs Lam emphasised that he
Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today attended the 60th Meeting of the Expert Group on Energy Efficiency & Conservation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held in Hong Kong. In his welcome speech, Mr Tse said that Hong Kong was honoured to host the meeting again after 2019 and 2020 to provide a platform for direct dialogue among APEC partners. “It is encouraging to see over 50 experts and delegates from 11 APEC member economies as well as four international organisations gather again to share insights and exchange experiences with their counterparts after the stabilisation of the epidemic.” As the Asia-Pacific region develops, its energy demand and consumption would continue to increase, which may lead to an increase in emissions of greenhouse gases, he pointed out. To achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government published Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 in 2021, outlining the st