2023 Policy Address Policy Measures (Extract)

The FSD will organise in collaboration with relevant professional bodies the “Fire Asia International Conference” in 2024, and invite relevant scholars and the FSD’s re service counterparts in the Mainland and the Belt and Road regions to participate.

Setting up a dedicated office and an expert group within 2024 to take forward the establishment of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy to leverage Hong Kong’s bilingual common law system and international setting. The Academy will regularly organise various practical training courses, seminars and international exchange programmes, etc. to promote exchanges among talents in regions along the Belt and Road (B&R). It will provide training for talents in the practice of foreign-related legal affairs for the country, and nurture legal talents conversant with international law, common law, civil law and the country’s legal system.

The “Steering Group on Integration into National Development”, chaired by the Chief Executive, will continue to co-ordinate and take forward at the top level Hong Kong’s further dovetailing with national strategies, including the 14th Five-Year Plan, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the high-quality development of the B&R Initiative, in order to promote the overall development of the country and Hong Kong.

Organise more outbound missions with Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises to promote Hong Kong’s professional services and business opportunities of our city and the Mainland, as well as organise visits to the GBA for enterprises of B&R countries operating in Hong Kong, with a view to promoting Hong Kong as the service base for entry into the Mainland market.
Set up consultant offices of InvestHK and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) along the B&R, particularly in emerging countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa to strengthen efforts in promoting trade.
Continue to make use of exchange and collaboration platforms for enterprises and the professional services sector, including organising the “B&R Summit”, exchange and sharing sessions for enterprises, business seminars and overseas missions, to give full play to Hong Kong’s function as a two-way platform.

Plan to establish the Meteorological Training Centre for Belt and Road (B&R) Countries to strengthen co-operation on the provision of training for the meteorological personnel of B&R countries.

Increase the quota of the Belt and Road Scholarship by 50% starting from the 2024/25 academic year.

Annex

Indicator No.	2022 Policy Address Indicators for Specified Tasks	Progress
46	Promote Hong Kong as the functional platform for the Belt and Road Initiative in 2023 by: organising promotional programmes and networking sessions to be attended by no less than 7,000 persons; reaching out to no less than 500 professional and business associations, chambers and community groups; the epidemic permitting, organizing business missions to ve Belt and Road countries with about 100 participants; and increasing the above indicators by 5% in 2024.	The first two tasks were completed. As at 15 September 2023, more than 7,000 persons participated in the annual Belt and Road Summit as well as various promotional programmes and networking sessions organised or supported by the CEDB. Besides, efforts were made to reach out to more than 500 professional and business associations, chambers and community groups during the year, with a view to promoting Hong Kong as the functional platform for the Belt and Road Initiative. The third task is on track. As at 15 September 2023, more than 70 participants joined business missions to visit the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) and some countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore). Another Belt and Road mission is being planned to take place at the end of 2023.