Hong Kong and Bordeaux Sign MOU to Boost Wine and Food Tourism Collaboration

SCST witnesses signing of MOU between Hong Kong and Bordeaux on wine and food tourism promotion

The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, accompanied by the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Dr Peter Lam, yesterday (May 11, Bordeaux time) witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wine and Food Tourism Promotion between the HKTB and the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB).

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SCST witnesses signing of MOU between Hong Kong and Bordeaux on wine and food tourism promotion Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCST witnesses signing of MOU between Hong Kong and Bordeaux on wine and food tourism promotion Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCST witnesses signing of MOU between Hong Kong and Bordeaux on wine and food tourism promotion Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCST witnesses signing of MOU between Hong Kong and Bordeaux on wine and food tourism promotion Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Before the signing of the MOU, Miss Law and Dr Lam met with the Mayor of Bordeaux, Mr Thomas Cazenave; the Vice President of the CIVB, Mr Philippe Tapie; and the Deputy Mayor of Bordeaux and President of the Bordeaux Tourism and Conventions Office, Mr Fabien Robert, to exchange views on strengthening cultural and gastronomic promotion ties. They jointly witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Wine and Food Tourism Promotion between the HKTB and the CIVB to facilitate collaboration in the promotion of fine wine and food.

“Following my official visit last year, I am delighted to be back in the world capital of wine to further strengthen the enduring ties between Hong Kong and France,” Miss Law said.

Miss Law also commented that the strong ties built with the CIVB and other key Bordeaux partners, together with the leadership of the Chairman of the HKTB, Dr Lam, and the Executive Director, Mr Anthony Lau, had made the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival held in October last year a resounding success, attracting over 160 000 attendees during the four-day festival.

Miss Law and Dr Lam earlier visited Villa Primrose, home to the BNP Paribas Primrose International Tennis Tournament, which runs from May 11 to 17. Beyond its sporting competitions, the tournament has become a major highlight of Bordeaux’s events, attracting visitors worldwide by offering a wide range of activities at the century-old Villa Primrose during the competition period.

On May 10 (Bordeaux time), Miss Law and Dr Lam visited the Bassins des Lumières. Opened in 2020 in Bordeaux, this world’s largest digital art centre is housed within a vast former World War II submarine base. It features immersive 360-degree digital exhibitions, where art is projected onto concrete walls and reflected in the water of four gigantic basins. Visitors walk across footbridges or sit on the bleachers to watch masterpieces by artists such as Monet, Matisse, Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dalí set to music.

Miss Law will continue her visit to Bordeaux on May 12 (Bordeaux time).

Secretary for Health meets with Mainland and overseas delegations

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, continued to meet with the Mainland and overseas delegations attending the Hospital Authority (HA) Convention 2026 and the Asia Summit on Global Health today (May 12), to explore ways of strengthening co-operation in the area of healthcare.

Professor Lo met with the Consul General of Denmark in Guangzhou, Mr Søren Bindesbøll, and various Danish pharmaceutical companies, to introduce various key initiatives for developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, including expediting the reform of the approval mechanism for drugs and medical devices and enhancing Hong Kong’s clinical trial capability on all fronts. Professor Lo emphasised, “Hong Kong actively promotes the research and development (R&D) and application of biomedical technologies. Through the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute and its Real-World Study and Application Centre, as well as the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation to be established by the end of this year, we will further improve the mechanisms for new drug approval and facilitate the translation of innovative biomedical research results into clinical applications, attracting global top-notch innovative enterprises and R&D organisations to set up operations in Hong Kong, solidifying Hong Kong’s position as an international health and medical innovation hub.”

Professor Lo then met with the delegation led by Deputy Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission Professor Hu Hongyi to explore the promotion of healthcare talent exchanges between the two places and the collaborative development of clinical trials of medical technologies, as well as to exchange views on issues including the regulation of Chinese medicine (CM) and the internationalisation of CM standards.

Professor Lo said, “Hong Kong and Shanghai enjoy a close co-operative relationship. On the basis of complementarity and mutual benefits, we will further promote in-depth exchanges and mutual learning of experiences between the two places in the healthcare field, and jointly promote the development of ‘Healthy China’.”

Professor Lo will continue to meet with a Mainland delegation visiting Hong Kong for the HA Convention 2026 tomorrow (May 13).