HONG KONG – Asian professionals in science, technology and innovation will gather in Hong Kong to seek solutions for global risks through cooperation at the International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum (ISTIF) of Boao Forum for Asia 2025 Hong Kong Conference set to start on June 6.

The two-day event will feature more than 10 sessions, cutting-edge dialogues and roundtables covering various topics including the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Dragon boat race vibe for 'Duanwu'

This year’s Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament is expected to draw 116 dragon boat teams and over 4,000 athletes.

Kicking off on June 1 – the following day of the Dragon Boat Festival or Duanwu, the event will feature a distinctly international competitive atmosphere thanks to the participation of foreign teams from countries such as Russia, the United States, Canada, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan.

There will also be 12 teams from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, each boat carrying 22 participants and competing in 600-meter straight races.

Performances such as colorful dragon boat exhibition races and dragon boat parades will be showcased as well.

Hometown markets to satisfy nostalgia

Nearly 300 stalls will sell over 1.1 million local specialties and offer delicacies from across the country at Hong Kong’s Hometown Market Carnival, which is set to return to Victoria Park on June 1 and run through June 5.

This year’s carnival will be jointly hosted by over 30 hometown associations, with the Hong Kong Federation of Liaoning Associations and the Federation of Hong Kong Jilin Associations participating for the first time.

It will feature nearly 200 shows by artists from across the country, including Inner Mongolia autonomous region’s prairie pastoral songs, Sichuan province’s bianlian (face-changing show), and the yangge dance from Northeast China.

The carnival will be open from 11 am to 9 pm for the first four days and will conclude at 6 pm on the final day. The admission fee for one adult is HK$5 ($0.64).

Achievements in automation, 5G

Industrial practitioners and experts will get a chance to exhibit their latest products in Shenzhen at the South China International Industry Fair (SCIIF), scheduled to be held from June 4-6.

More than 600 exhibitors will participate in the fair.

Highlighting the upgrade of 5G and automation, the event will hold over 30 summit forums and eight themed exhibition covering the entire industrial chain of intelligent manufacturing, process automation, machine vision, industrial robots, new generation of information and digital factory solution, metal working and laser equipment, industrial components and new material.