Hong Kong vital link to world, where China anchors its trust, John Lee says
'Hong Kong is the 'superconnector' and 'super value-adder' that links the world with opportunities from China's growth certainties. A link you can always bank on,' Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in a keynote speech at the South China Morning Post's China Conference on Tuesday.
'Amid an ever-changing geopolitical landscape and constantly escalating uncertainties, Hong Kong is the place that promises security and development. This certainty of safety and development is precisely what a world of investors needs and thirsts for.'
City leader John Lee says Hong Kong is the 'superconnector' that links the world with opportunities from China's growth certainties. Photo: Eugene Lee
The China Conference, themed 'Where Capital Meets Innovation' and mainly sponsored by Manulife, attracted more than 650 in-person attendees, alongside 300 participants.
Lee also mentioned China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Shandong, which concluded its maiden visit to Hong Kong on Monday.
He said that the fleet was 'more than a display of maritime strength', adding it also showcased 'China's commitment to peacekeeping and regional stability'.
'And much like how the Shandong docked in our safe harbour, Hong Kong is where the country anchors its trust,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
What are China's ‘future industries'? And why they matter in the global tech race
As the dust barely settles on 'Made in China 2025' , Beijing is intensifying its quest for technological supremacy with a focus on 'future industries' amid its escalating rivalry with the United States. Authorities are pushing boundaries in their pursuit of a new growth model centred on technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrades. What are 'future industries'? First introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2020, the term refers to sectors with foundational technologies still in their infancy but expected to possess enormous potential. The 2021-25 Five-Year Plan highlighted brain-inspired intelligence, quantum information, gene technology, future networks, deep-sea and aerospace development and hydrogen energy and storage as areas where China aims to secure an early lead. That list is now expanding, as the government gradually adds new priority sectors. In 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released guidelines identifying target areas including humanoid robots, 6G network equipment, brain-computer interfaces, large-scale AI data centres and next-generation large aircraft.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
A few small steps for Hong Kong, a giant leap for China's space sector
The idea that Hong Kong could play a leading role in the global space economy was greeted with scepticism when I raised the possibility with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier this month. However, critics fail to realise that space technologies have permeated many aspects of our lives – from checking the weather and ordering our meals on our mobile phones to navigating our daily commutes and settling stock transactions in real time. A report published by the American consultancy firm McKinsey in 2024 forecast that the space economy will grow at a much faster rate than the global economy and will reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, up from US$630 billion in 2023. Space is no longer the exclusive domain of state-led space missions. New interest in space travel, space manufacturing, the mining of critical resources from the moon, Mars, asteroids and the launch of small satellites and mega constellations in low Earth orbit has fuelled a boom in investing in space-related hardware and software, including in China. The China Research and Development Institute estimates that, in 2025, private investment in the aerospace industry will have risen from 12 per cent of aggregate investment in 2020 to 45 per cent in 2025. The skyrocketing of private investment in aerospace industries is catapulted by technological advancement, lower manufacturing costs and state support for the private sector. Stellar examples of private aerospace enterprises include the Beijing-based company i-Space, also known as Space Honor, a manufacturer of satellite orbital launchers. The company is the first private aerospace company in China to put a rocket into orbit. LandSpace, also based in Beijing, is another success story. The company is the maker of the Zhuque-2 rocket, the first launch vehicle fuelled by methane and liquid oxygen to reach orbit.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hongkongers use driving schools over border to get cheap licences illegally
Mainland Chinese middlemen are offering Hongkongers driving lessons and tests at nearly half the price of city rates and showing them how to convert permits into local licences, a practice that authorities have deemed illegal. Checks by the Post on popular mainland social media platform RedNote have found that a driving school in Shenzhen is offering tailor-made packages for Hong Kong residents, including ways to circumvent legal requirements. It charges 6,800 yuan (HK$7,422) for a driving course to obtain a licence in Shenzhen, including five test retakes within three years. In Hong Kong, it costs learner drivers at least HK$15,000 for lessons and other fees before taking the test. The process is also much faster in Shenzhen, where a licence can be attained within three months, compared with at least a year in Hong Kong, assuming a learner passes written and road tests. 'We will lend you our employees' addresses. They are real and reliable,' an agent with the driving school told a Post reporter pretending to be a potential customer. 'More than 1,000 Hongkongers have successfully used our service to obtain mainland driving licences and get them converted in Hong Kong in the past two years.
