Business Leaders across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao Gathered and Envisioned the Future of I&T and New Industrialisation FHKI’s “GBA iForum and Banquet” Concluded on a High Note

The highly anticipated GBA iForum, co-organised today (4 Jan) in Dongguan by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI), the Pearl River Delta Council under FHKI (PRD Council), the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has come to a successful conclusion. The event is honoured to have John Lee, Chief Executive of HKSAR as the Guest of Honour; Xiao Yafei, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee and Secretary of the Dongguan Municipal Party Committee, as the Guest of Honour of the exchange banquet; Ly Chengxi, Deputy Secretary of Dongguan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Dongguan Municipal Government, as the Guest of Honour of the iForum, with Li Huanchun, the Director General of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the People's Government of Guangdong Province as the special guest. With enthusiastic support from Dah Sing Bank, nearly 1,000 business leaders and delegates across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao participated in the event. They shared and exchanged views on emerging opportunities presented on GBA’s development. It helps consolidate the prowess of the business community and foster Hong Kong and GBA’s I&T development and new industrialisation.

As the annual highlight for the business community, the event has been organised by PRD Council under FHKI since 2002, attracting a thousand business leaders from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, and is thus also known as the “A Thousand Guests Banquet”. The event has been on hiatus for several years due to the pandemic. With the return to normalcy in society, this year’s event is themed "Innovation Meets Smart Manufacturing: Uniting Hong Kong and Dongguan on a Journey to GBA’s Infinite Possibilities”. After a five-year separation, representatives from all sectors reconvene to deliberate on the deepening of high-quality collaboration within GBA, signifying a profoundly meaningful occasion. This forum holds significant importance as representatives from various sectors joined together after a rare five-year separation, to discuss how to deepen high-quality cooperation in the Greater Bay Area.

FHKI Chairman Steve Chuang delivered welcome remarks at the forum, stating that the industrial development in GBA is advancing rapidly. He emphasised that the Hong Kong business community shall seize the golden opportunities presented by national development and make the greatest contribution to the country’s economic growth by responding to the national and international macro-development trends. He pointed out, "Hong Kong has a well-established ecosystem that spans 'Research—Innofacturing—Finance' and is capable of providing world-class producer services. It acts as a highly efficient engine driving GBA’s I&T and industrial sectors towards high-quality and high-value development through a continuous stream of dynamic energy.”

In his address as the Guest of Honour, Chief Executive of HKSAR John Lee said, "This year marks the 5th anniversary of the release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Today's summit is a timely gathering of business leaders coming together to discuss the development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong will continue to play the role of a “super connector” and a “super value-adder", linking the Greater Bay Area with the global market, and assisting the region in developing towards high technology and high value-added sectors. With confidence, I believe that with our joint efforts, Hong Kong and Dongguan will achieve mutual success, reaching new peaks every day and every year." He also mentioned that this year's "A Thousand Guests Banquet" has seen the highest participation rate ever, and he hopes the event will become even more popular, transforming into a "Ten Thousand Guests Banquet".

As the Guest of Honour of the iForum, Lyu Chengxi, Deputy Secretary of Dongguan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Dongguan Municipal Government remarked , “The Dongguan-Hong Kong development showcases the best example of mutual benefits and integration. Dongguan possesses ample resources to harness and convert Hong Kong's technological accomplishments, thereby catering to the developmental requirements of Hong Kong enterprises. With the continuous advancement of the Greater Bay Area construction, there will be promising prospects for collaboration between both regions. I hope that this event will serve as a catalyst to consistently leverage the strengths of both regions, fostering economic and trade cooperation, technological innovation, cultural exchange, and further reinforcing cooperation to contribute to China's modernisation efforts.”

The event also hosted a high-level exhibition, presenting the most recent scientific and technological advancements from leading enterprises and institutions in fields such as advanced manufacturing, automation in automobiles, and cross-regional financing. In addition, the organisers held a trio of discussion sessions themed around “GBA’s Vision for Industrial Development”, “Harnessing Hong Kong's Edges for GBA Business Expansion", and “Advancing I&T: Boosting Financial and Smart Tech Competitiveness”. Representatives from governments, institutions, and corporates across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao were invited to share and discuss. The sessions served as a tri-regional platform dedicated to the exchanges of visionary ideas.

Co-organiser HKPC Chairman Hon Sunny Tan stated, “Dongguan's successful transition from the 'World's Factory' to an advanced manufacturing hub presents numerous lessons and partnership opportunities that Hong Kong corporates can leverage. The synergy between Hong Kong and Dongguan has been seamless over time. It is my aspiration that through this forum, corporates from Hong Kong will harness the esteemed “Made by Hong Kong” brand and our expertise in smart manufacturing. In doing so, we aim to foster the progress of technological innovation and application, as we come together to write a new chapter for GBA’s manufacturing industry."

Co-organiser ASTRI Chairman Ir Sunny Lee added, “The Greater Bay Area market is of significant magnitude, providing Hong Kong with exceptional opportunities to apply its technological advancements. Moving forward, the ASTRI will continue to strengthen collaborations with the mainland, driving the growth of the innovation and technology ecosystem in the region. This will enable the transfer and commercialisation of our city’s innovation and technology across a broader spectrum of industries.”

At the gala dinner, FHKI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Commerce of Dongguan City, Lens Technology Co Ltd – the world’s largest manufacturer of protective glass, as well as six GBA talent and education entities and the Technological and High Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi). The MoUs are intended to bolster commercial partnerships, talent development, and support businesses in establishing operations in Hong Kong.

The success of the "GBA iForum and Banquet", completed with a rich array of activities and content for attendees, was made possible thanks to the support from the People's Government of Dongguan Municipality, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong, exclusive financial institution sponsor Dah Sing Bank, as well as the backing by all co-organising and supporting organisations. FHKI would like to express our special thanks and sincere gratitude for the outstanding supports.

Picture 1: FHKI Chairman Steve Chuang delivered a speech at the GBA iForum.

Picture 2: Chief Executive John Lee delivered a speech as Guest of Honour

Picture 3: Lyu Chengxi, Deputy Secretary of Dongguan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Dongguan Municipal Government, delivered a speech in the forum as Guest of Honour

Picture 4: Huang Chaodong, Deputy Director of Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Commerce, promoted Dongguan's opportunities and development in the forum.

Picture 5: Loretta Lee, Head of Mainland and GBA Business Development of Invest Hong Kong, elucidated Hong Kong's key role as a bidirectional platform.

Picture 6: Wallace Wong, FHKI Deputy Chairman; Zhu Min, Director of the Guangdong Excellent Operations Department of Huawei Cloud; Bill Li, Director of corporate Affairs at Lalamove; Yang Junwei, Operations Director of Meituan Drone Business; Dr Benny Lo, Chief Executive Officer of Precision Robotics Ltd exchange in the discussion session.

Picture 7: Anthony Lam, FHKI Executive Deputy Chairman (centre); Dr Dennis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI (right 2); Edmond Lai, Chief Executive Officer in Mainland Business and Chief Digital Officer of HKPC (left 1); Professor Lu Chun, Vice President (Mainland Strategy) of City University of Hong Kong and Executive President-Designate of City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) (right 1); and Eric Ho, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Dah Sing Bank (China) Limited (left 2) posing for a group photo after the forum session.

Picture 8: The GBA iForum was a grand and impressive gathering.

Picture 9: Chief Executive John Lee visited the high-level exhibition.

Picture 10: Xiao Yafei, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee and Secretary of the Dongguan Municipal Party Committee, delivered a speech at the dinner banquet.

Picture 11: FHKI Chairman Steve Chuang, FHKI Deputy Chairman and PRD Council Chairman Wallace Wong, HKPC Chairman Hon Sunny Tan, and ASTRI Chairman Ir Sunny Lee gave a unique joint speech with their four individual "avatars" through the generative AI technology sponsored by ASTRI.

Picture 12: Guest of Honours took part in a traditional eye-dotting ceremony to kick off the "Thousand Guest Banquet".

Picture 13: FHKI signed an MoU with the Bureau of Commerce of Dongguan City.

Picture 14: FHKI signed a MoU with Lens Technology – the world’s largest manufacturer of protective glas

Picture 15: HKI signed an MoU with THEi, the Greater Bay Area Science and Technology Leader Talent Innovation Drive Centre (Dongguan), the Dongguan National Engineering Innovation Institute, Dongguan University of Technology, Guangdong University of Science and Technology, and Dongguan Polytechnic.

Picture 16: FHKI signed an MoU with THEi.

Picture 17: Inauguration ceremony for the new term of the PRD Council.

Picture 18: At the gala dinner, FHKI leadership, together with guests raised a toast on stage.

Picture 19: The gala dinner hosted nearly a thousand guests showcasing a remarkable spectacle.