Chief Executive John Lee met Minister of Ecology & Environment Huang Runqiu at Government House today to exchange views on deepening green co-operation. Mr Lee welcomed Mr Huang and his delegation to Hong Kong to officiate at the Belt & Road Green Innovation Conference 2026.
Mr Lee thanked the country for its support for Hong Kong as a platform for international exchanges. He also expressed gratitude for choosing the city as the venue for the conference, which is being held outside the Mainland for the first time.
He pointed out that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantage of connecting the Mainland and the world. Mr Lee added that the city plays the roles of “super connector” and “super value-adder” to proactively build itself into an international green co-operation hub.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will build a pool of talent in international environmental protection and facilitate technology exchanges to promote the green and high-quality development of the Belt & Road (B&R) Initiative. This will be achieved through the B&R Green Development Co-operation Platform established with the Ministry of Ecology & Environment, and the B&R Sustainable Green Development Training Centre established by the Environmental Protection Department.
Mr Lee noted that the Hong Kong SAR Government attaches great importance to green and sustainable development, and added that four binding indicators have been set out in Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan relating to environmental protection.
Through developing zero-carbon energy and hydrogen energy, alongside enhancing waste reduction and recycling, Hong Kong is moving towards carbon neutrality. The city will also leverage its status as a centre for green and sustainable finance to actively explore cross-boundary carbon trading, supporting the country in building a carbon market with greater international influence.
The Chief Executive added that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is a key engine for the country’s high-quality development. Hong Kong is actively enhancing its role in the GBA’s green value chain to promote green development across the region.
Hong Kong has successfully facilitated the establishment of a world-leading sustainable aviation fuel production base in Dongguan. It will further strengthen collaboration in resources circulation to jointly build a “Zero Waste Bay Area” with the Mainland.
Mr Lee thanked the ministry for its continued support for Hong Kong’s environmental protection work, and expressed hope that both sides will continue to strengthen collaboration to better integrate into and serve the overall national development.
Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan also attended the meeting.
