Hong Kong is constantly improving its green development policies, promoting innovation in sectors like clean energy and green transportation, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Saturday.
He spoke at the premiere of documentary series, titled Enchanting China, at the Hong Kong University Science and Technology to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The series are produced by the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, in collaboration with the Centre for Environmental Education and Communications of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
Chan said the documentary enables the audience to experience the nation’s extraordinary charm, and witness its major achievements and contributions in environmental protection.
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“Through this documentary series, I hope to enhance the awareness of ecological and environmental protection among Hong Kong people. Through everyone’s conscious actions, let us work together to build a beautiful China and a beautiful Hong Kong SAR, and tell the story of China and the story of Hong Kong SAR well together,” he said.
The HKSAR has been actively responding to the central government’s call for green development, and is going all out to encourage energy conservation and emission reduction, resource recycling, as well as ecological restoration. The city is also actively integrating into the country’s overall development, and jointly promoting the construction of ecological civilization, Chan said.
Ling Jiang, inspector-general of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said a beautiful China needs to be commonly built through everyone’s efforts.
“As the core city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, it’s expected that Hong Kong can continue to uphold the concept of green development and strengthen experience exchanges with the Chinese mainland in the fields of ecological environmental protection and climate change response,” he said.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment will fully support Hong Kong in developing the green and low-carbon fields, Ling said.
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Starry Lee Wai-king, convenor of the Working Group on Patriotic Education, said Enchanting China is a beautiful crystallization of Hong Kong’s integration into the overall framework of national development, allowing the city to join the leading force in national environmental governance at a new level, and deepen the understanding of the practice of green transformation.
Lee is a member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and chairperson of the Legislative Council House Committee.
HKUST President Nancy Ip said the documentary showcases the motherland’s unwavering commitment to preserving the natural environment and promoting sustainable development.
Advancing sustainability, she said, requires collaboration and knowledge sharing across different sectors. “HKUST strives to foster global sustainable development through scientific research, innovative solutions and international partnerships.”
At the premiere, HKUST and the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation revealed plans to set up the World Sustainable Development Institute at HKUST as part celebrations to mark the nation’s founding. They jointly signed a cooperation agreement on the foundation’s establishment.
The first series of Enchanting China consists of five episodes lasting 75 minutes, namely Ninety-Nine Bends of the Yellow River, Song of the Yangtze, From Desert to Forest, Embracing Diversity and Clean Air Actions.
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The first four episodes, together with Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong, which is the first episode of the documentary series, Beautiful Hong Kong, produced by the EEB, were screened at the premiere.
The bureau’s documentary series, Beautiful Hong Kong, also consists of five episodes totalling 75 minutes, showing the city’s progressive environmental improvements since its return to the motherland.
Enchanting China and Beautiful Hong Kong will be screened at the Hong Kong Space Museum and T·PARK from next month. They’ll be subsequently broadcast on RTHK TV 32 and uploaded online for all local primary and secondary schools to download for broadcast.
Other guests at the premiere included Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR Luo Yonggang; Inspector-General of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Ling Jiang; Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan; Director of Environmental Protection Samuel Chui Ho-kwong; and representatives of local professional bodies, higher-education institutions and schools.
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After the signing ceremony, leading world environmental experts, scholars and industry leaders joined a forum themed “Eco-civilization and Sustainable Development”.
The forum discussed key issues of ecological civilization building and sustainable development, gathering the thoughts and strengths of all parties in promoting sustainable development in Hong Kong and around the world, in moving towards a greener, healthier and sustainable future.
