A new applied strategic development centre established at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will analyse and develop solutions that meet critical sustainability issues in Hong Kong from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

The inauguration ceremony for the Research Centre for Sustainable Hong Kong (CSHK) was officiated on 31 October by Mr Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Mr Herman Hu Shao-ming, Council Chairman of CityU, and Professor Way Kuo, University President.

CSHK, which houses the Sustainable Hong Kong Research Hub (SusHK Hub) and the CSHK International Hub for the Belt and Road, supports related research and collaborative activities with stakeholders from different sectors and regions. Professor Linda Li Che-lan of the Department of Public Policy at CityU is the director of CSHK.

In his welcoming speech, Mr Hu said he believed that the belt-and-road initiative was conducive to the sustainable development of different sectors and industries in Hong Kong.

“Education institutes and research hubs such as CityU, CSHK and the CSHK International Hub for the Belt and Road play an important role in equipping future generations with the knowledge and skills to seize opportunities and overcome challenges in economic and social development,” Mr Hu said.

Mr Chan offered his congratulations to CityU on the inauguration of both the CSHK and the CSHK International Hub for the Belt and Road.

The Centre and the Hub were inaugurated at a very timely moment, just when the belt-and-road initiative was gaining momentum, he said.

Professor Kuo said that emphasising interdisciplinarity and team-based research to address global challenges was one of the strategic themes under the University’s five-year plan.

The establishment of the CSHK was an excellent example of commitment in this area, opening up myriad opportunities for academics, students and professionals to seek ways to develop solutions targeted at critical sustainability issues in Hong Kong and beyond from a multi-disciplinary perspective, he said.

 

An inaugural seminar titled “Connecting Hong Kong Professional Services and Belt-Road Countries” was held after the ceremony on topics related to business opportunities and financing challenges involved in cross-border collaboration, and on the incubation of professional service talent in support of belt-road countries.

Insightful and constructive ideas on issues and challenges in relation to the belt and road initiative were shared among guests from various sectors, including, but not limited to, government officials and consuls, leaders in business and professional services sectors, and academics in Hong Kong, the region and overseas.