Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto)

The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Professor Sun Dong, visited Canada from November 4 to 6 to enhance ties and cooperation between Hong Kong and Canada in the fields of innovation and technology (I&T). His visit included stops in Toronto, Ottawa and Waterloo where he engaged with local leaders, entrepreneurs, and academic institutions to explore opportunities for collaboration.

During his stay in Toronto on November 4, Professor Sun visited the MaRS Discovery District as well as the Centre for Analytics & Artificial Intelligence Engineering of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. Professor Sun encouraged the University to co-operate with universities in Hong Kong to participate in the InnoHK research clusters to strengthen global research and development collaboration. He also met with leaders of the local I&T industry including a start-up that provides storage and delivery services in North America.

In the evening, Professor Sun attended a networking dinner and had an exchange with the youth members of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (HKCBA) (Toronto Section) and Hong Kong young people studying in Toronto. He encouraged the young people to consider Hong Kong as an ideal destination for career development.

On November 5, Professor Sun was in Ottawa to attend and deliver a keynote speech at the Seminar on Life Science and Global Health themed “Innovation · Inclusion · Impact” organised by the HKCBA (Ottawa Section) and Invest Hong Kong. In his keynote speech, Professor Sun highlighted Hong Kong’s strategic advantages in the development of life and health technologies, particularly the flagship InnoHK initiative which has built collaboration with more than 30 world-renowned universities and research institutes, including those in Canada, further positioning Hong Kong as a hub for cutting-edge research and innovation. Professor Sun also remarked that there is a lot of room for bilateral collaboration between Hong Kong and Canada in fields such as green technology, renewable energy, environmental protection and sustainability.

Professor Sun also met with the members of the Canada-Hong Kong Parliamentary Friendship Group, and Members of Parliament at the Parliament Building, as well as calling on the Chinese Ambassador to Canada, Mr Wang Di, discussing areas of mutual interests.

Professor Sun’s trip culminated on November 6 with a visit to the University of Waterloo, where he met with the President and other members of the university. He also toured the Institute for Quantum Computing and the School of Optometry and Vision Science, which has partnered with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to set up a Centre for Eye and Vision Research in the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park under the HKSAR Government’s InnoHK initiative.

Professor Sun’s visits highlighted the ongoing collaboration between Hong Kong and Canadian institutions in advancing research and transforming innovations. He returned to Hong Kong in the morning on November 8.

For details of Professor Sun’s itinerary and text of his speech, please visit:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202411/05/P2024110500202.htm

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202411/06/P2024110600228.htm

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202411/07/P2024110700264.htm

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202411/06/P2024110600213.htm