Visit to Boston

The United States is Hong Kong's major partner in business, education and technology. As Cathay Pacific Airways was launching its direct flight services between Hong Kong and Boston, I took the opportunity to go to Boston to promote Hong Kong. It was also a journey to the world of innovation and technology.

In Boston, we visited two leading academic research institutions, namely the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI). The MIT Media Lab has more than 20 research groups carrying out a total of 350 projects which look into the application of new and multimedia technologies to daily life in various aspects, such as communication, health care, artificial intelligence and agriculture, and the commercialisation of such technologies. Formed by various schools and affiliated hospitals of Harvard University and a number of biomedical organisations, the HSCI conducts research on stem cell technology with a view to applying it to the treatment of diseases.

Both of these institutions collaborate with Hong Kong's universities in advancing scientific research. The MIT Media Lab has worked with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to explore intelligent home technologies with funding from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's Innovation and Technology Fund, while the HSCI and the University of Hong Kong co-operate in the development of medical technologies and share research results with each other.

I spoke at a luncheon and a gala dinner to explain to the political and business leaders of the United States the unique advantage of Hong Kong as the “super-connector” between the Mainland of China and the rest of the world, as well as our preeminent status as the aviation hub of Asia.

Other than the representatives of Hong Kong's scientific research sector, including those from the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, Cyberport and Hong Kong Productivity Council, about 20 students from Hong Kong's tertiary institutions also joined the delegation to broaden their horizons.

Visiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.		Answering questions from participants when speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York.
Chatting with staff of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.		Signing a guest book when visiting Harvard University.
Chatting with Hong Kong tertiary students joining the visit.

May 6, 2015