Hong Kong’s tech chief Sun Dong on Friday highlighted the importance of cybersecurity as the city gears up for large-scale events like the National Games and the Legislative Council election this year.
Cybersecurity is key to ensuring the smooth operation of major events, Sun told the city’s sub-forum of the 2025 China Cybersecurity Week, whose main host is Kunming city in Yunnan province. The year’s theme is “Safeguarding Cybersecurity Should be People-centred”. During the Cybersecurity Week, various activities will also be held concurrently in Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao.
“These events will extensively utilize information technology, making cybersecurity critical to ensuring the smooth execution of all major activities. This is absolutely not a matter to be taken lightly,” said the secretary for Innovation, Technology, and Industry.
Sun added that the nation places high importance on cybersecurity and digital development, explicitly saying that "without cybersecurity, there is no national security”. As a leading global international financial, trade, and information hub, Hong Kong has consistently kept pace with the nation's development strategies and deployments. It is committed to advancing technological innovation and application in cybersecurity, and strengthening the digital resilience of critical infrastructure, he said.
Tu Shouzhong, a senior official from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the nation’s top internet regulator, told Cybersecurity Week delegates that China is facing growing complex cyber threats. As an international metropolis and global financial hub, the Hong Kong SAR — a vital bridge connecting the Chinese mainland with the rest of the world — also faces growing cybersecurity risks.
The exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong should extend beyond government-level interactions. By leveraging their respective strengths, the two sides should enhance cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity talent development, technological innovation, and industrial application, Tu said.
Hong Kong cybersecurity industry delegations on Monday attended the 2025 China Cybersecurity Week main venue events in Kunming and the 2025 Guangdong Cybersecurity Week events in Zhuhai.
Sun said, that Hong Kong has undertaken several measures to enhance its digital defenses, including the introduction of the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Ordinance in March, and rolling out various supporting measures to encourage public and private institutions to establish robust cybersecurity management systems.
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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has joined hands with stakeholders to provide services such as complimentary website security inspection and cyber security training platforms to assist institutions and companies to enhance defensive and recovery capabilities, Sun added.
Sun noted that the HKSAR will continue to monitor the latest developments in technology applications, data protection, and cyber security from the mainland and around the world, optimize the cybersecurity ecosystem, promote digital transformation, and actively integrate into the national and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's innovation and technology development.
This is the second time that the SAR has hosted the sub-forum, which was organized by the Digital Policy Office and co-hosted by the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited, and the Hong Kong Cybersecurity Professional Association Limited. The event boasted an expanded scale and a record number of participants.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
