Message from OHKF President - October 2020

Hong Kong: On and On to Innovate
 
As we watch in admiration Shenzhen’s stellar achievement, one can’t help but lament Hong Kong’s lackluster progress that has fallen so much behind. President Xi Jinping had noted at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone that Shenzhen’s GDP has grown ten thousand times from 270 million yuan in 1980 to 2.7 trillion yuan in 2019. President Xi said a valuable experience of Shenzhen is to take innovation as the primary driving force.

Hong Kong, too, must take innovation as our primary driving force for growth. Against the backdrop of the tectonic shift in global geopolitics and the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong must rethink our positioning in the changing world order. This is why the Foundation works ceaselessly in public policy research and policy advocacy, engaging the local community and global network to create opportunities for Hong Kong through innovation under the new normal.

We chaired the Opening Session of the ‘2020 Asia Pacific Think Tank Summit’ held on 13 October to discuss the ‘Social, Economic and Political Impact of the Covid-19 Crisis on Asia and the Pacific’. The event was attended by over 200 experts and think tank executives from across the world.

On 29 September, our Senior Healthcare Researcher spoke at a virtual expert panel on ‘Covid-19: Response, Resilience, Recovery and Reform’ organised by the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada, in collaboration with the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Alongside other global thought leaders including John Allen, President of The Brookings Institution, USA, we shared Hong Kong’s pandemic best practices with policymakers, executive leaders, and international think tanks. 

At the ninth ‘INSIGHT FORUM’ webinar organised by the OHKF, Professor Lawrence J. Lau from the Chinese University of Hong Kong shared expert views on ‘The Impacts of the Social Unrest and the Covid-19 Epidemic on the Hong Kong Economy, and the Way Forward’. He forecast that the Hong Kong economy may recover to positive growth in 2021, and set out suggestions to increase aggregate demand through suitable and timely public investment in some identified areas. View full replay of the webinar here. 
 
In October, Mr Bernard Chan, the Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council of HKSAR, shared his masterly views on how cultural innovation could help reshape the future of Hong Kong. He pointed out that the pandemic has fundamentally altered how the arts sector operates, and suggested the arts community to adopt a blended online-offline model to attract new audience. View full replay of the webinar here.

The historical info-segment series on TVB launched by the Foundation have been well-received by the public. Following the series of ‘China Album’, the fourth series ‘Dance to the Music of Time’ will be on the air on multiple TVB channels starting 5 November. The 60 episodes showcase the latest trends, social phenomena, and inspiring struggle stories of young people from various industries. View replay of the China Album Series here.

Under the OHKF Internship Programme, 52 interns from across 16 institutions were recruited and their 2-month training commenced on 14 October. Another educational initiative is the 'Fireflies Read Online', an online reading platform established by The Academy of Chinese Studies to deepen students’ understandings on Chinese history and culture. Over 25% of Hong Kong schools and 100,000 students have already registered for the scheme.

The Foundation’s Hong Kong Chronicles Institute has embarked on the grand mission of compiling the first-ever official Hong Kong Chronicles with the keen support from all sectors of the society. A fundraising campaign with special appearance by Chief Executive Mrs Carrie Lam was launched in October. We received enthusiastic response with donation pledges picking up momentum.

In the ‘2020 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking’ released by the International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong moved up to the fifth place in the index, the highest ranking Hong Kong has ever achieved. The OHKF will be releasing a research report on Innovation and Technology this coming November, in an effort to boost Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development.

Please stay safe and healthy!  
    
Eva Cheng
Executive Director
Our Hong Kong Foundation