Eco Expo Asia opens today (with photos)
26.10.2023

The 18th Eco Expo Asia opened today (October 26). Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, and co-organised by the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB), the Expo enables global entrepreneurs, professionals from the green industry and government officials to showcase cutting-edge green solutions, exchange views and share experiences. This Expo is conducted in a hybrid format with a physical exhibition held alongside an online platform, with the physical exhibition being held at AsiaWorld-Expo from today to October 29. Speaking at the Expo's opening ceremony, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said, "This year, the theme of the Expo is 'Taking the Leap towards Carbon Neutrality'. We are honoured to have about 200 officials from over 50 official delegations from various cities and provinces in Mainland China, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Belt and Road countries joining this signature annual environmental event. "Hong Kong is striving to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent before 2035 as compared to the 2005 level. Earlier this year, we have established the Office of Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality to help achieve the carbon neutrality targets of our country and Hong Kong, and tackle the carbon emission problem at source. As mentioned by our Chief Executive in the 2023 Policy Address announced yesterday, the Hong Kong Government will make every effort to promote the use and supply of new energy for sea, land and air transport purposes, so as to spearhead the green transformation of relevant trades. We will also explore the development of new energy industrial chains to promote the green economy." Mr Tse stressed that as the climate crisis knows no boundaries, the world must take urgent action to achieve deep decarbonisation. Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. Mr Tse looked forward to joining hands with all sectors to identify more environmental technologies and products so as to support the shift towards a low-carbon economy. Vice Minister, member of the Leading Party Members Group of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Ms Guo Fang was invited to give a keynote speech at the opening ceremony and to witness a "Building a Zero Waste Bay Area" launch ceremony. The Expo's feature event, the Eco Asia Conference, is being held from today to October 28. In the Government Session, the Director-General of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China, Mr Liu Dechun, and the Director-General of the Department of Energy Conservation and Resources Comprehensive Utilization of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China, Mr Huang Libin, will introduce the latest environmental policies of the Mainland. The Director-General of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province, Ms Xu Xiaoxia, has been invited to speak on the policies and latest developments for achieving zero waste in Guangdong Province. In addition, the Vice Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Phouvong Luangxaysana; the Deputy Union Minister of Myanmar's Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Mr Min Thu; and the Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department at Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Vu Duc Dam Quang, will share their countries' latest environmental and conservation policies and progress. The Conference will once again feature the Hydrogen Economy Forum and discuss "Evolving ESG Landscape and the Future of Sustainable Finance", with a new session, C40 Climate Action Seminar (Asian and Oceania Regions), being held. The EEB continued to participate in both the physical and virtual exhibitions of the Expo this year. The exhibition comprises four zones, namely "GreenTech", "Conserve Energy", "Green Transport" and "Waste Reduction", highlighting the Government's efforts and achievements in decarbonisation. The "GreenTech" zone showcases how high technology can be applied in daily environmental protection tasks, for example, an unmanned ground penetrating radar robot dog, a remote 5G auto-pilot sampling boat, an acoustic camera, an unmanned sampling submarine and a multi-terrain robot. The "Conserve Energy" zone introduces fluid-cooled heatsink LED lighting and the Lai Chi Wo Eco-Smart Public Toilet. The "Green Transport" zone presents the latest developments of the trial of hydrogen fuel cell double-deckers. The "Waste Reduction" zone introduces the Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme and expansion of GREEN@COMMUNITY. Visitors can also view smart recycling bins and the newly introduced smart food waste recycling bin. In addition, 12 government bureaux/departments, namely the Architectural Services Department, the Buildings Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Energizing Kowloon East Office of the Development Bureau, the Drainage Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Fire Services Department, the Highways Department, the Hong Kong Observatory, the Housing Department, the Transport Department and the Water Supplies Department are also participating in the physical and/or virtual exhibitions to introduce their initiatives in environmental protection and achieving carbon neutrality for Hong Kong. The Eco Expo Asia will open to the public for free on the last day of the event (October 29) to encourage citizens to participate in environmental protection and promote green living. Members of the public are welcome to take the EEB's virtual tour via virtualbooth.hktdc.com/ecoexpoasia/2324/300006383715/en/ .