Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday he would have a series of bilateral talks with leaders of the APEC economies to explore business opportunities during the upcoming 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Republic of Korea.
Speaking to the media before the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said he would depart for South Korea’s Gyeongju on Wednesday to attend the meeting.
“The theme of this year’s meeting is ‘Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper’, with a focus on issues including trade, artificial intelligence and demographics, which are in line with the SAR's policy direction,” he said.
After returning to the SAR on Sunday, he will lead a delegation on Nov 4 to Shanghai to attend the eighth China International Import Expo, which will begin on Nov 5.
Themed “New Era, Shared Future”, the expo will attract approximately 3,200 enterprises from over 110 countries and regions, with a record high of more than 350 from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, according to the CE.
“The Hong Kong Trade Development Council will set up two exhibition areas, where over 50 SAR companies will promote their products and services. Among them, 24 companies, or more than 40 percent, will take part in the expo for the first time”, Lee said.
During his trip in Shanghai, he will also host the "Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises to Go Global Conference" organized by the HKSAR government, the first large-scale publicity event on the mainland held by the newly established Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global.
Cargo plane crash
The HKSAR government will hold responsible people accountable for a deadly cargo plane accident at the city’s airport on Oct 20, Lee said at the same briefing.
Two men were killed at Hong Kong International Airport after their ground patrol vehicle was catapulted into the sea by a cargo plane from Dubai, operated by Turkiye's AirACT on behalf of Emirates, veering off the North Runway while landing.
Expressing his concern over the accident and his condolences to the families involved, the CE said he had instructed the Transport and Logistics Bureau to coordinate and take expedited action.
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“First, we will conduct a thorough and immediate investigation to find out the cause of the incident. If there are violations of the laws or regulations, we shall hold the responsible persons accountable,” he told reporters.
The government will also provide full assistance to the families and ensure that airport operations complied with international civil aviation safety standards, said the CE.
The investigation, conducted by the Air Accident Investigation Authority, will cover areas including crew qualifications, flight operations, aircraft systems, maintenance records and the weather, together with an in-depth analysis of the two retrieved "black boxes" to find out the sequence of the event, he said, adding that a preliminary report was expected to be issued within a month.
Stressing that aircraft accident investigations were complex and a detailed probe will take time as it involves parties from different countries or regions, Lee said the government will provide sufficient resources and all departments will offer their full support.
The crew members involved had been staying in Hong Kong since the accident, while the Turkish authorities had pledged their commitments to coordinate with the cargo airline company and relevant personnel to cooperate with the related work and the investigation, according to the CE.
“Laboratory tests confirmed that all crew members tested negative for alcohol and drugs,” he said, adding that the police will further study the findings of the inquiry to determine the direction of the police investigation.
The Turkish authorities had assisted in arranging for representatives of the involved airline company to meet with the affected families on Friday and the company indicated an ex gratia relief payment will be provided, he added.
