Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun concluded a six-day visit to Europe by arriving in Munich to start the final day of his visit to Germany, where he attended pitch event.

On June 8, Mr Sun officiated at the prize presentation ceremony of the pitch event co-organised by Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) and a local youth entrepreneurship organisation.

In delivering his remarks, Mr Sun praised the candidates for their business proposals ingeniously integrating with Hong Kong's strengths and targeting the Asian markets. He highlighted that technology as well as talent are key engines driving the economy and society towards high-quality development.

As Asia's world city, Hong Kong is proactively attracting international high-calibre talent to tie in with the development under the strategic positioning of the “eight centres”, so as to inject new impetus into its high-quality development, he added.

Last November, HKTE visited Germany and established a partnership network with a student association from the Technische Universität München and a local youth entrepreneurship organisation.

Thereafter, the HKTE collaborated with the organisation to launch the pitch event targeting students from eligible universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme and young entrepreneurs, inviting talent in Germany with entrepreneurial ambitions and intentions to develop in Asia.

Nearly 580 proposals for the pitch event were received across various fields, including artificial intelligence, deep tech, climate and sustainability. Twelve winners were selected and will be arranged to tour Hong Kong and other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in September to explore the region's innovation and technology ecosystem, industry support and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The HKTE delegation's visit to Europe also encompasses Switzerland and France. In Switzerland, the delegation exchanged with representatives from three of the world's top 100 universities, namely the Université de Genève, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and EHL Hospitality Business School, and invited two representatives from the hospitality sector in Hong Kong to share insights on the city's tourism development and opportunities.

In France, the HKTE co-hosts an event with the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires to proactively recruit talent in the finance and commerce sectors to pursue development in Hong Kong.

During his stay in Germany, Mr Sun also had lunch with the Junior Chamber International Germany and a group of foreign students. He learnt about their lives, introduced Hong Kong's latest developments and invited them to consider pursuing their development in the city.