On November 10th, Mr. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of 13th Chinese people’s political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee and President of International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum (ISTIF) of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. He thanked President Xi Jinping for sending a congratulatory letter to the conference and Vice Premier Han Zheng for his video remarks. In his speech, Mr. Ho pointed out that under current international climate, the need for international cooperation in scientific and technological innovation is more urgent than ever before. He affirmed the long-term economic development of Macao in the past 20 years since its return to the motherland, and looked forward to inject “fresh impetus” into Macao’’s scientific and technological innovation through ISTIF.
Mr. Ho said that the world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, and a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is booming. Meanwhile, the common challenges facing mankind, such as COVID-19 pandemic, climate change have become more complex and severer. Now, more than ever, mankind needs to work hand in hand to overcome these difficulties together. The demand for international cooperation in scientific and technological innovation is more urgent than ever. With a more opened mind, countries and regions around the world should join together in international scientific and technological cooperation to achieve sustainable and high-quality development, to provide solutions for economic and social development for all countries, to improve people’’s livelihood and to use the power of science and technology to realize a healthier, fairer, and more inclusive globalization.
Mr. Ho concluded that in recent years, under the strong support of the central government, Macao has continued to make efforts in the field of technological innovation. With the establishment of four national key laboratories, innovation and technology have become a brand-new business card of Macao. Currently, Macao is actively building a hub city in the Greater Bay Area and an important support for Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao science and technology innovation corridor in accordance with the outline development plan of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He stressed that ISTIF hosted by BFA will inspire innovation, pool and integrate innovative resources, gather innovative elements and inject “fresh impetus” into Macao.