LEAP East 2026 International Technology and Information Technology Exhibition officially opened on July 8 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Secretary for Innovation and Technology Prof. Sun Dong, and Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha attended the opening ceremony, welcoming over 340 speakers and 450 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions, totaling more than 35,000 attendees at the event.
In his speech, Paul Chan welcomed the inaugural LEAP East being held in Hong Kong, noting that this is the first time the LEAP conference is held outside of Saudi Arabia. He stated that the event highlights the deepening partnership between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia and emphasizes Hong Kong's unique role as a gateway connecting mainland China with the world. He expressed hope that LEAP East will continue to be held in Hong Kong over the next three years.
Paul Chan pointed out that Hong Kong possesses several advantages to become an ideal innovation base, including the implementation of common law, robust intellectual property protection, the free flow of capital, goods, talent, and data, a simple low tax system, and a safe and stable business environment.
He elaborated on three main strategies supporting Hong Kong's innovation development: first, making good use of active capital markets, venture capital, and private equity funds, combined with the government's patient capital support to fully leverage the comprehensive advantages of "Finance +"; second, actively promoting "Artificial Intelligence +," positioning artificial intelligence as a strategic industry and facilitating its empowering cross-domain applications; third, promoting the integrated development of technology, talent, education, and industry through the planning and construction of the Northern Metropolis and deepening cooperation with cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Paul Chan invited businesses from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region to make good use of Hong Kong as an international fundraising and risk management platform, pointing out that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will continue to deepen cooperation with Saudi Arabia in areas such as innovation, infrastructure, green technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and professional services. He also revealed plans to lead a delegation to visit Saudi Arabia again later this year, during which he will bring leading enterprises from infrastructure, green technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing, as well as representatives from the finance, investment, and professional service sectors, to explore specific projects and future cooperation directions.
The Innovation and Technology Bureau is the supporting agency of the Hong Kong government for the LEAP East 2026 International Technology and Information Technology Exhibition. Prof. Sun Dong thanked Saudi Arabia for bringing the LEAP East 2026 International Technology and Information Technology Exhibition to Hong Kong during his speech at the opening ceremony and recalled his visit to Riyadh in 2024, which facilitated cooperation between the two parties in the technology field.
Prof. Sun Dong noted that Hong Kong is committed to building a comprehensive innovation and technology ecosystem and strategically focusing on developing fields such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, and advanced manufacturing and new energy technology. He emphasized that Hong Kong has strong research and development capabilities, citing the flagship project InnoHK Innovation Hong Kong Research Platform, which collaborates with over 30 leading research institutions worldwide through its 38 laboratories. He also mentioned that Hong Kong is rapidly developing digital infrastructure, including the Sha Ling Data Park. This park is expected to provide computing power of up to 180,000 PFLOPS (quadrillions of floating-point operations per second) by 2032, which is 36 times the current computing power, transforming Hong Kong into an international data hub. To accelerate the transformation of research and development results and promote a new type of industrialization, the government has invested over USD 3.8 billion through three funding schemes of HKD 10 billion each.
Prof. Sun Dong emphasized Hong Kong's role as a "super connector" and "super value adder" in international exchanges, pointing out that under "one country, two systems," Hong Kong has the unique advantage of being backed by the motherland while connecting to the world, making it an ideal gateway for mainland enterprises going global and for Saudi Arabian and Middle Eastern companies entering the mainland and Asian markets. He reiterated Hong Kong's willingness to work together with global partners to create a sustainable and innovative future.
After the opening ceremony, Paul Chan and Prof. Sun Dong visited the LEAP East 2026 International Technology and Information Technology Exhibition and the Hong Kong Pavilion. In addition, Prof. Sun Dong met with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha to exchange views on innovation and technology collaboration between the two regions.
The three-day LEAP East 2026 International Technology and Information Technology Exhibition will be held from July 8 to 10, covering multiple technology fields including artificial intelligence, deep technology, smart cities, and new energy industries, creating a comprehensive ecosystem for investors and startups to promote cross-border industry cooperation. The Hong Kong Pavilion, established by the Innovation and Technology Bureau, showcases Hong Kong's innovation and technology development and research achievements.
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