Secretary for Labour ＆ Welfare Chris Sun today attended the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Talent Development Showcase” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Promoting Hong Kong's unique advantages under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, Mr Sun outlined at a symposium that the city is uniquely positioned in the Greater Bay Area to serve a dual role as Mainland China's gateway to Southeast Asia and as a springboard for companies in countries such as Malaysia to tap the Mainland's vast domestic market.

He added that the multilingual nature of both Hong Kong and Malaysia facilitates the smooth integration of Malaysian talent in Hong Kong.

Mr Sun outlined that Hong Kong's Committee on Education, Technology & Talents, chaired by the Chief Secretary, seeks to build on the city's standing as an international hub for high-calibre talent across various sectors, in line with the “eight centres” concept.

After attending the symposium, Mr Sun toured a career fair being staged as part of the showcase to learn about companies' demand for international talent. Featuring almost 40 leading bay area enterprises from a variety of industries, it was well-attended both by local professionals and students from Malaysian universities.

Running today and tomorrow, the showcase is organised by the Labour & Welfare Bureau and Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) and is expected to attract more than 4,000 attendees.

Mr Sun said: “Hosting the showcase in Malaysia, a dynamic emerging economy with strategic development potential, the bureau and HKTE aimed at implementing (a) strategy to attract international high-calibre talent under the memorandum of understanding on promoting talent services co-operation in the GBA signed last year by nine municipalities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.”

Yesterday, Mr Sun visited Universiti Malaya, an eligible university under the Top Talent Pass Scheme, paid a courtesy call on the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia's Chargé d'Affaires Zheng Xuefang and called on Malaysia's Minister of Human Resources YB Steven Sim.

Whilst in Kuala Lumpur, the labour chief also met representatives of the Hong Kong-Malaysia Business Association and the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia. He invited them to visit Hong Kong to explore opportunities.

Mr Sun concluded his three-day visit this afternoon and returned to Hong Kong this evening.