Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan yesterday participated in the U.S.-China Subnational Climate Leaders Dialogue in Azerbaijan.

He also exchanged views with organisations from Hong Kong attending the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).

Hosted by the California-China Climate Institute, the dialogue brought together subnational climate leaders from the US and China to share the latest progress, achievements, and challenges of various places in climate action, and to promote stronger climate action.

Special Envoy for Climate Change of China Liu Zhenmin delivered an opening speech at the dialogue yesterday.

In the City Climate Action: Climate Adaptation & Resilience panel discussion, Mr Tse introduced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's carbon reduction strategies and measures to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, including net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green building, green transport and waste reduction.

He also shared the progress and achievements of the measures.

In his speech, Mr Tse pointed out that in order to combat climate change effectively, apart from implementing ambitious decarbonisation strategies, it is also necessary to adopt a comprehensive strategy on climate change adaptation and resilience.

In the face of more frequent extreme weather events, the Chief Secretary chairs a cross-departmental steering committee to co-ordinate and implement the work on combating climate change, he added.

The environment chief also highlighted that various government departments have formulated and implemented a number of enhanced measures to cope with the serious threats that may be posed to Hong Kong by extreme weather.

At a tea gathering with organisations, industry practitioners and young people from Hong Kong attending COP29, Mr Tse said he was pleased the number of organisations and participants from Hong Kong had doubled compared to last year, adding that carbon neutrality is a global goal and the world must face low-carbon and green transformation in the future.

Mr Tse noted that Hong Kong has huge support from the motherland's green and low-carbon technologies and products; global connectivity; advantages in high quality professional services and rule of law system as an international financial centre.

Different sectors and industries can strengthen collaboration with the Government to seize the enormous opportunities brought about by the low-carbon and green transformation, he said.

The environment chief will depart for Hong Kong today and arrive tomorrow.