HK to host World Internet Conference's Asia-Pacific Summit in April

The World Internet Conference (WIC) will host its Asia-Pacific Summit in Hong Kong for the first time from April 14 to 15, focusing on topics such as artificial intelligence developments, with attendance from United Nations representatives and government officials from various countries.

At a press conference in Beijing on Monday, WIC secretary general Ren Xianliang said the organization hopes to “leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantage as a bridge to the world, to build a platform for dialogue across regions, fields, and civilizations.”

Speaking alongside Ren, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said the WIC’s decision to host the summit in Hong Kong underscores the city’s role as a global hub for innovation and technology (I&T) collaboration.

Sun said while traditionally Hong Kong has been regarded as a financial, trade, and shipping center, it is now making every effort to establish itself as a global I&T hub. He also pledged to deepen international exchanges through this summit.

“[Hong Kong] will use the summit to expand Hong Kong’s international network, actively take on greater responsibilities at various levels to foster more pragmatic global innovation and technology cooperation.”

This year’s WIC Asia-Pacific Summit is themed “Integration of AI and Digital Technologies Shaping the Future - Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace.”

The WIC secretary general said the summit will focus on topics such as the development of large AI models, cost reduction through technological innovation, the construction of an open-source ecosystem and high-performance computing chips.

The event will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, with forums exploring the tech trends in AI, digital finance, e-government and smart living.

The event is expected to draw around 1,000 participants, including United Nations representatives, senior government officials, business leaders, leading corporations as well as experts and scholars from various countries and regions.

(Jamie Liu)