Sun Dong: The World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit will be held in Hong Kong next month to pragmatically expand international cooperation in the field of digital intelligence.

On March 17, the Secretary for Innovation and Technology of Hong Kong, Mr. Sun Dong, announced that the Asia-Pacific Summit of the World Internet Conference 2026 will be held in Hong Kong on April 13-14. Hong Kong will fully leverage its role as a "super connector" and "super value-adding intermediary" between Mainland China and the international community to pragmatically expand international cooperation in the field of digital intelligence, accelerate the development of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology center, and further promote the high-quality development of innovation and technology in the Greater Bay Area, the country, the Asia-Pacific region, and globally. Mr. Sun Dong introduced that the theme of this year's summit is "Empowering Digital Intelligence and Innovation Development - Building a Community of Shared Future in Cyberspace Together". Building on the success of the previous summit, it is expected that this year's summit will bring together more political and business leaders, representatives from international organizations, and experts from around the world to deepen discussions on cutting-edge internet topics and regional digital cooperation, jointly creating new momentum and advantages for development in the Asia-Pacific region. The "14th Five-Year Plan" clearly supports the construction of an international innovation and technology center in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong SAR Government will actively cooperate with the country's strategies for scientific and technological innovation development and proactively align with the "14th Five-Year Plan". Hong Kong must seize the significant opportunities brought about by the trends of digitalization, networking, and intelligent development, deepen and expand the "AI+" development trend, empower economic and social development, and enhance governance capabilities. To achieve this, the Hong Kong SAR Government will intensify efforts to promote Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a core industry for future development, implementing "AI industrialization" and "industrial AI-ization" through multiple channels. The government will establish the "AI+ and Industrial Development Strategy Committee" to formulate strategies to drive industrial transformation through AI, guide the development of AI in Hong Kong, and the "Innovation and Technology Industry Support Fund" with a budget of billions is expected to commence operations within this year, guiding market capital investment in emerging and future industries including AI, Siasun Robot & Automation, and digitalization. Furthermore, the Hong Kong AI Research Institute will commence operations in the second half of the year to support AI project development and outcome transformation, and provide recommendations for governance frameworks. The construction of the new Sha Ling Data Park will be launched in the short term to transform Hong Kong into a regional hub for advanced data and computing power, contributing to the comprehensive implementation of the country's "AI+" action plan. As a high-level platform for global dialogue, the Asia-Pacific Summit of the World Internet Conference will once again be held in Hong Kong this year, not only reflecting an important measure in promoting digital construction under the "14th Five-Year Plan", but also deepening high-level opening to the outside world. Hong Kong has strong research capabilities, boasting five world-class universities, with three ranking in the top twenty globally in the field of AI and data science. Hong Kong has performed well in various international innovation and talent rankings, ranking fourth globally in the "2025 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking" and first in Asia in the "2025 World Talent Ranking". These rankings lay a solid foundation for the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong and the promotion of global innovation cooperation, especially in the fields of AI and digital development. Hosting the Asia-Pacific Summit of the World Internet Conference in Hong Kong once again responds to the strategic direction of building an international science and technology innovation center in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, showcasing the leading position of the Greater Bay Area in the global innovation and technology field and its strong collaborative innovation power. To enrich the content of the summit, three major upgrades will be implemented this year: First, a new event "World Internet Conference Outstanding Contributors Gala Dinner" will be added to the main forum, inviting internationally renowned innovation and technology leaders to share their outstanding contributions to global internet development. Second, a Ministerial Meeting will be held for the first time, bringing together ministerial-level officials from both domestic and foreign countries to discuss how innovation and technology drive economic development, and how international cooperation promotes digital economic prosperity. Third, the number of sub-forums on the second day of the summit will double to six, focusing on the hottest technology and industry trends, in-depth discussions on topics such as "Innovations and Applications in Smart Living", "Digital Finance", "Governance of AI Security", "Smart Livelihood", "Digital Health", and "Digitization and Transmission of Classic Literature". Additionally, Mr. Sun Dong also introduced another flagship innovation and technology event, the "Hong Kong International Innovation and Technology Expo InnoEX", which will be held in Hong Kong from April 13 to 16 concurrently with the summit. The exhibition, jointly organized by the Innovation and Technology Bureau and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, with the theme "Innovation, Intelligence, Takeoff", will focus on key areas shaping the future such as AI+ applications, Siasun Robot & Automation technology, low-altitude economy, real estate technology, and retail technology.