Following is the opening address by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, at the Internet Economy Summit 2017 Thematic Forum "Smart City for Better Living" today (April 11):

Eric (Convenor of the Smart City Consortium, Mr Eric Yeung), EQ (Legislative Council Member Dr Elizabeth Quat), Charles (Legislative Council Member Mr Charles Mok), distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good morning. It is a great pleasure to see many friends and smart city experts here this morning at the "Smart City for Better Living" forum of the Internet Economy Summit 2017. First, please let me extend my warmest welcome to our speakers, guests and the participants, in particular those coming from overseas and the Mainland.

     Hong Kong is well positioned to embrace innovation and technology to make our city smarter, more efficient and more comfortable. We have achieved a great deal in innovation that would make other cities envious. Hong Kong's world-class ICT infrastructure and well-established and robust legal framework facilitate the free flows of talent, capital and knowledge. Our city management is among the best in the world. Our business community is trusted globally.

     The Government is determined to build Hong Kong into a smarter city, driven by collaboration among all stakeholders in our community. Mr Allen Yeung, the Government Chief Information Officer, will share with you later this morning Hong Kong's directions and progress in developing a Smart City Blueprint up to 2030.

     As an international city, connectivity to other parts of the world is our traditional forte, and one of our strongest competitive edges. Today, Hong Kong has connected again globally by inviting prominent speakers from Mainland China and from overseas to share with us their insights and experiences in smart city development. We welcome Mr Li Tie, the Director General of the China Center for Urban Development and China Smart City Development Alliance, who will share with us his experience in the nation-wide smart city development programme of Mainland China, which involves more than 250 cities about the same size as or bigger than Hong Kong. We are also delighted to have Professor Edward Humphreys, Convenor of the Joint Technical Committee of the International Organization for Standardization, commonly known as ISO, and of the International Electrotechnical Commission, commonly known as IEC, who will speak on the development of international standards for smart city. As we all know, standards and platforms are the key drivers to success in innovation.

     Data is commonly recognised as the future currency for the digital economy. Big data is also a main driving force in the smart city development. Today, we are privileged to have Ms Lilian Coral, Chief Data Officer for the City of Los Angeles from the United States, and Professor Michael Batty, Chair of the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis of University College London, who will speak to us on open data and big data for smart city development. In addition to the five keynote speeches, please do not miss the two distinguished panels later this morning, where two renowned moderators and nine expert panellists will have more in-depth discussions on where Hong Kong should be heading in smart city development.

     I am also delighted to learn that the Smart City Consortium of Hong Kong will sign a memorandum of understanding with the IoT Alliance Australia today. Within about a year of its establishment, the Smart City Consortium has already formed partnership with 10 counterparts from around the world.

     Last but not least, I would like to thank the Smart City Consortium for organising this Forum today and for spearheading the development of smart city in Hong Kong. I hope all of you will find this Forum informative, insightful and stimulating. Thank you very much.

Ends/Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Issued at HKT 10:54

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