Hong Kong and Guangdong Strengthen Cooperation in Smart City Development at Expert Group Meeting in Guangzhou

Third meeting of Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster held

The Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster (EGSCC) convened its third meeting in Guangzhou today (May 28) to continuously deepen co-operation between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Guangdong Province in smart city development.

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The Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung (second right), and the Hong Kong delegation of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster visit the Guangzhou AI Integration and Empowerment Center in Guangzhou today (May 28). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung (second left), and the Hong Kong delegation of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster visit the Guangdong Digital Government Construction and Operation Center (Yuet Gingzai) in Guangzhou today (May 28). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung (third right), and the Hong Kong delegation of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster visit the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Data Special Zone Innovation Cooperation Center in Guangzhou today (May 28). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung, attended the third meeting of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster in Guangzhou today (May 28). Photo shows Mr Cheung (first row, sixth right) with the Director-General of the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Government Service and Data, Mr Wang Tianguang (first row, sixth left), and other attendees. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung, attended the third meeting of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster in Guangzhou today (May 28). Photo shows Mr Cheung (third right) delivering a speech. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung, together with representatives from various bureaux/departments, attended the third meeting of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster in Guangzhou today (May 28). Photo shows Mr Cheung (fourth left) exchanging views with the Director-General of the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Government Service and Data, Mr Wang Tianguang (fourth right), on continuously deepening co-operation in smart city development between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Guangdong Province. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung, and the Director-General of the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Government Service and Data, Mr Wang Tianguang, who cochaired the meeting, reviewed the work progress and achievements of the Expert Group over the past year. They also discussed and exchanged views on the work plan for the coming year. During the meeting, Hong Kong and Guangdong reviewed the following six work details for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong smart city cluster, namely:

1. expanding the availability of frequently used public services under Cross-boundary Public Services;

2. exploring more industry applications to achieve smart connectivity;

3. promoting the integration and mutual recognition of modern infrastructure public support capabilities between Hong Kong and Guangdong;

4. accelerating the cross-boundary flow of data elements;

5. exploring the application of AI in more government services and industry sectors; and

6. strengthening the exchanges and co-operation on digitalisation between Hong Kong and Guangdong.

Mr Cheung said in the meeting that following the second meeting of the EGSCC held in Hong Kong last year, members of the Expert Group had dedicated themselves to advancing the related work items. They successfully completed a number of initiatives including the full coverage of the Hong Kong Cross-boundary Public Services self-service kiosks and “iAM Smart” self-registration kiosks across the nine Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; enabling “iAM Smart” users to access “iShenzhen” and use its services through the Unified Identity Authentication Platform of Guangdong Province starting from July 2025; enabling the public to check the passenger and vehicular traffic conditions of the eight land boundary control points of both the Hong Kong side and Guangdong side via hyperlinks at HKeMobility starting from September 2025; and the completion of information technology support for the 15th National Games in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao competition regions under the condition of “zero cybersecurity risk and zero interruption to the operation of events”. He encouraged members of the Expert Group to continue their efforts, maintain close co-operation, and actively advance various tasks, thereby making an active contribution to the development of the smart city cluster of Hong Kong and Guangdong.

Officials from relevant bureaux and departments, including the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Digital Policy Office, the Office of the Communications Authority, and the Transport Department attended the meeting on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Mainland representatives who attended the meeting included officials from the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Government Service and Data, the Cyberspace Administration of Guangdong Province, the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province, the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, the Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province, the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Guangdong Province, the Department of Transport of Guangdong Province, the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, and the Guangdong Communications Administration.

Arranged by the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Government Service and Data, the Hong Kong delegation visited the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Data Special Zone Innovation Cooperation Center, the Guangdong Digital Government Construction and Operation Center (Yuet Gingzai), and the Guangzhou AI Integration and Empowerment Center after the meeting to learn more about the technical solutions used by these three centres to achieve a secure and efficient regional data flow through privacy computing and blockchain technology, the infrastructure that builds the digital government basic foundation and public support platform for Guangdong Province, and AI solutions and contextualised empowerment services in various fields such as government services, healthcare, education and manufacturing.

Labour Department highly concerned about fatal work accident that happened in Sham Shui Po yesterday

The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a construction site in Sham Shui Po yesterday morning (May 27), where a male worker was struck by a hoist block and a trolley after they fell from an I-beam while he was working on the ground. He was certified dead later in hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family.

The LD’s spokesman said, “We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending the use of the hoisting appliance concerned at the site. The contractors cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that suitable measures to abate the relevant risks have been taken.”

The spokesman added, “We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”

To prevent hoist blocks or trolleys from falling, the LD reminds employers to take adequate precautionary measures,including ensuring that hoist blocks and trolleys are in good structural condition and safely secured to I-beams; lifting appliances have been regularly inspected, tested and thoroughly examined; and the safe working loads of the lifting appliances shall not be exceeded when they are in use.

The general duty provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the relevant provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for two years.

In regard to yesterday’s accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its mobile application “OSH 2.0”, website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers’ unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents.

The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees’ compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees’ compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.

For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers.