The Digital Economy Summit (DES) 2024 has kicked off today (April 12) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) with the theme "Smarter Technovation for All: Forging a Sustainable Future". The two-day Summit is expected to attract over 4,000 attendees from close to 40 countries/regions to listen to insights from over 100 renowned technology visionaries, industry pioneers and business leaders from home and abroad on how cutting-edge technologies and innovative applications are reshaping the urban landscape and modern digital economy from the perspectives of sustainability, connectivity, and resilience.
      
     Building on the resounding success of the previous edition, this year's DES features an action-packed programme with eight thematic forums, examining a wide array of trending innovation and technology (I&T) topics and future developments in new quality productive forces, artificial intelligence (AI), business innovation, smart industrialisation and supply chain, smart mobility, new energy, smart finance, Web3.0, as well as smart living and inclusion.
      
     The DES commenced this morning with the opening remarks by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan. Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Ms Lu Xinning; Vice Minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China Mr Wang Song; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; and the President of the China Internet Development Foundation, Ms Wang Xiujun, also officiated at the opening ceremony.
      
     At the Visionary Forum held this morning, technology leaders and renowned industry experts from different places exchanged views on how innovative technology enables cities' rapid transformation to a digital-first and data-driven economy as well as a people-centric innovative ecosystem. Among them, Deputy Party-secretary of the CPC Hefei Municipal Committee, Mayor of Hefei Municipal People's Government, Mr Luo Yunfeng, analysed how Hefei successfully harnessed technological innovation to drive high-quality development. The Global Cyber Security and Privacy Protection Officer of Huawei, Mr Sean Yang, focused on how to build a collaborative and trustworthy digital world, and the President of Alibaba Group, Strategic Development, Mr Chris Tung, shared his insights on how to build a better future by leveraging on cloud technologies and AI. The Chief Operating Officer, APJC of Cisco Systems, Mr Fernando Gil de Bernabe, elaborated on innovating for a securely connected future.
      
     Other keynote speakers at the Visionary Forum included the Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia MOVE, Ms Nadia Omer; Vice President of JD Logistics Mr Zhe Wenming; ASEAN Executive Director of Smart Cities Council, Mr Tay Kok-Chin; Head of Master Planning of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, Mr Lukas Sokol; and Vice President and Head of Innovation, Asia Pacific, Visa, Mr Kunal Chatterjee.
      
     The Summit in the afternoon presented three parallel forums, namely the Smart Economy & Business Innovation Forum co-organised by various major chambers of Hong Kong, the Smart Industrialisation & Supply Chain Forum co-organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, and the Energy, Environment & Mobility Forum co-organised by the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute and the Smart City Consortium. The three forums explored how businesses can prepare well for the next wave of technological innovation, how technology breakthroughs enhance efficiency in manufacturing and optimising supply chain operations, as well as how to leverage innovative technologies to unleash greater potential for smart mobility.
      
     The DES will continue tomorrow (April 13) with the Smart Finance Forum, in which the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will deliver opening remarks. Prominent industry experts and trailblazers will delve into the latest groundbreaking developments in digital payments, AI, green finance and the Central Bank Digital Currency, as well as share their insights on policies, regulatory frameworks and green investment opportunities.
      
     Another three concurrent forums will be held tomorrow afternoon. The AI and Web3 Forum and the Living and Inclusion Forum will delve into the technological advancements brought about by the collaboration of AI, blockchain, and Web3.0, as well as how smart living and inclusive technologies can strengthen community development. The Elite Innovators Forum will explore the multi-faceted potential of data applications and will host the kick-off ceremony of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2024.
      
     This year, the Summit will be open to tertiary and secondary school students for the first time for them to participate in tomorrow's afternoon sessions, enlightening youth on the latest advances and prospects of the digital economy and smart city at this I&T flagship event of Asia.
      
     The DES is jointly organised by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and Hong Kong Cyberport, with the China Internet Development Foundation as the supporting organisation. Details of the Summit are available on the event website www.digitaleconomysummit.hk.
      
     The ITIB organises the Business of Innovation and Technology Week in April, which includes the government-funded I&T signature events, the Digital Economy Summit and the InnoEX, as well as the inaugural Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference. The InnoEX will be held at the HKCEC from April 13 to 16, showcasing next-generation smart solutions and groundbreaking innovative technologies. The OGCIO will stage the large-scale Smart Hong Kong Pavilion to showcase more than 100 technology solutions including those developed by different government departments benefitting citizens' daily lives.

Ends/Friday, April 12, 2024
Issued at HKT 17:00

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