Officials from Hong Kong on visit to Germany and Switzerland

Financial Secretary and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos

Leaders of governments, representatives of major international organisations and senior management of enterprises from over 100 countries and regions gathered in Davos, Switzerland to attend the 54^th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting held from 15 to 19 January 2024. Representing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, met with political, business and financial leaders to update them on Hong Kong’s latest economic and financial developments.

Hong Kong has been striving to enhance its position as an international financial centre, fast-track the development of the international innovation and technology hub, and play the role of a bridge between the Mainland and the world so as to forge win-win co-operation. During the WEF Annual Meeting, Mr Chan and Mr Yau spoke at keynote meetings, business luncheons and dinner events to introduce how Hong Kong could utilise its role as a connector, bridge and gateway to promote the development of new industries and assist in the economic development of China and Asia, encouraging businesses to grasp the opportunities to establish a foothold in Hong Kong.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan (centre), spoke at a panel discussion of the WEF on 18 January 2024.

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau (second right), met with trade ministers of other economies to foster closer economic ties and deepen regional co-operation.

Chief Secretary for Administration at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki (second left), participated at the meeting of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on 23 January 2024.

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended the 45^th session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland in January 2024. The Working Group examined China’s fourth report, which included a part concerning the HKSAR, submitted under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the UNHRC. Mr Chan attended the meeting together with other officials of the HKSAR Government as part of China’s delegation. Mr Chan, as Deputy Head of China’s delegation, made opening remarks at the meeting and actively responded to comments and suggestions about the HKSAR’s human rights situation from meeting participants.

Mr Chan also took the opportunity to call on some international and local organisations. He visited the International Social Security Association, the International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organisation, the International Institute for Management Development, and the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce to brief his counterparts on the latest social situation of Hong Kong and exchange views with them on various issues of mutual concern.

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki (right), visited the International Labour Organization to meet with the Director-General, Mr Gilbert F Houngbo (left), on 25 January 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Secretary for Education Promoted Exchanges with Vocational Educational Institutions in Germany

The Secretary for Education, Dr Christine Choi, visited the laboratory facilities of the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in Frankfurt, Germany on 22 April 2024.

The Secretary for Education, Dr Christine Choi, paid a visit to Frankfurt, Germany on 21 and 22 April 2024 to learn about the local developments in vocational and professional education and training (VPET).

Earlier this year, the HKSAR Government announced that the Hong Kong Metropolitan University had fulfilled the criteria for qualifying as an university of applied sciences (UAS) and became Hong Kong’s first UAS. Dr Choi visited the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, one of the largest UAS in Germany, and learned about how the University ensures that its programmes keep pace with the times to meet the manpower needs of industries and gain recognition from enterprises.

She also met Dr Brigitte Scheuerle, Managing Director of the Training and Further Education and Vocational Training Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Frankfurt, and learned about how the chamber, as one of the largest chambers of commerce and industry in Germany, promotes VPET and relevant education work.

Secretary for Health Promoted Hong Kong’s Health and Medical Innovations in Switzerland

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (second right), and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam (third right), attended the 77^th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, on 27 May 2024.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, attended the 77^th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, and visited pharmaceutical companies and a hospital in Basel and Zurich to enhance exchanges and co-operation on health and medical innovation with the two places on 27-30 May 2024.

Professor Lo joined the WHA as a member of the Chinese delegation. The theme of this year’s Assembly is “All for Health, Health for All”, with key discussions covering universal health coverage, infection prevention and control, International Health Regulations, and WHO’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies, etc. Professor Lo also met with other participants and WHO officials to exchange views and share experiences on various public health-related issues.

In Basel, Professor Lo visited multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, namely Novartis and Roche. During the meetings, Professor Lo encouraged pharmaceutical firms in Switzerland to leverage the “1+” mechanism to introduce new drugs to Hong Kong to meet local healthcare needs, and take advantage of the measure of using Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). He also called on Swiss pharmaceutical firms to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong to leverage the unparalleled advantages of Hong Kong, so as to promote the translation and clinical application of advanced biomedical technologies.

In Zurich, Professor Lo visited the University Hospital Zurich, introduced the Hong Kong Government’s multiple initiatives to push forward the development of clinical trials, particularly the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute to be established, with a view to further enhancing the capacity and efficiency of clinical trials in Hong Kong as well as collaborating with the Shenzhen Municipal Government on the construction of a clinical trial network for over 86 million population of the GBA.

The delegation led by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (first right), visited Novartis Pavillon in Basel, Switzerland on 29 May, which illustrates the past, present, and future of medicine, healthcare and sciences in a digital and interactive manner.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (second left), visited a scientific research facility of the Clinical Trials Center of the University Hospital Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland, on 30 May.