This photo released on Oct 11, 2023 by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) shows an ICAC officer briefing participants on the Commission's anti-corruption work, in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / ICAC)

For the first time, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) — the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s anti-graft watchdog — has delivered a training course for countries that take part in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to enhance their anti-graft capabilities on major infrastructure projects.

The seven-day training course, which ended on Wednesday, focused on preventive measures to effectively minimize corruption risks and strengthen project supervision. 

It was attended by representatives from 13 countries involved in the BRI — Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda and Zimbabwe. 

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Officers from the Macao Commission Against Corruption also attended the course.

As part of their training, participants visited various sites, including the ongoing large-scale infrastructure development project at Hong Kong International Airport, and the CIC’s Construction Industry Innovation and Technology Application Center at the Zero Carbon Park in Kowloon Bay.

ICAC Commissioner Danny Woo Ying-ming said he hopes the training course demonstrated how corruption prevention measures are effectively implemented in infrastructure projects in Hong Kong SAR and on the Chinese mainland, thereby providing impetus to strengthen the capacity to prevent corruption

Additionally, participants also visited other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, under the support of the National Commission of Supervision. 

They toured local infrastructure projects, such as the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link Management Center, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Guangzhou Nansha New District.  

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Adrian Cheung Lik-hang, assistant secretary (Works Policies) of the Hong Kong SAR government’s Development Bureau, shared his insights into the importance of upholding integrity in the implementation of public works projects, from a policy and execution perspective.

ICAC Commissioner Danny Woo Ying-ming said at the closing ceremony that the course had addressed related countries’ specific needs for improving anti-corruption capabilities. It also provided a platform for participants to share their experiences in this field and foster networks to establish and strengthen anticorruption collaboration.

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He added that this year marked the 10th anniversary of the BRI, and the ICAC has been actively supporting the initiative and contributing to building a “Clean Silk Road”.

Woo said he hopes the training course demonstrated how corruption prevention measures are effectively implemented in infrastructure projects in Hong Kong SAR and on the Chinese mainland, thereby providing impetus to strengthen the capacity to prevent corruption.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok noted that international cooperation is critical in the fight against corruption. In particular, he said there is zero tolerance for corruption in BRI projects, and this helps promote steady and high-quality growth. Lam is also the chairperson of the Working Group on Belt and Road Development under the Steering Group on Integration into National Development of the Hong Kong SAR government.

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Lam pointed out that infrastructure projects invariably involve large sums of money, fierce competition and multiple levels of sub-contracting. These characteristics render the execution of such projects particularly susceptible to corrupt practices, both in the public and private sectors. Hence, it is important to enhance the abilities of those involved in such projects to combat corruption.

The ICAC training course was supported by NCS, the Development Bureau, the Airport Authority Hong Kong and CIC, all of which are working in concert with the ICAC to enhance the anticorruption capabilities of countries involved in the BRI.