Opening remarks by Head of CEPU at Leading Space Intelligence: Into the Future
on the opportunities for Hong Kong’s space economy development
30 April 2026

Dr Stephen Wong, Head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit (CEPU), attended and gave an opening remarks at the “Leading Space Intelligence: Into the Future” space intelligence innovation event organised by the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre on April 29. In his speech, he highlighted how the National 15th Five-Year Plan calls for accelerating the development of strategic emerging industries including aviation and aerospace, as well as how Hong Kong can leverage its strengths to contribute to the country’s aerospace strategy.

Following is the speech by Dr Wong:

Mrs Ip (Mrs Regina Ip, the Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council), Professor Gao (Professor Gao Yang, Director of the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre, Co-Director of Space Science and Technology Institute of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)), Professor Wu (Professor Wu Ji, President of Chinese Society of Space Research), Professor Foing (Professor Bernard Foing, Executive Director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group, Chairman of the Lunar Explorers Society), Professor Ng (Professor Charles Ng, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement of HKUST), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. A few years ago, a symposium titled “Leading Space Intelligence” would have been a conversation about science and education. Today, it is also a conversation about strategy, capital, and the rules that will have impacts on the next great commercial frontier. I am honoured to open it with you.

The National 15th Five-Year Plan has identified aviation and aerospace as one of the strategic emerging industries. We recognised that it is also an emerging opportunity for Hong Kong which can have unique contribution – last year’s Policy Address and the Budget this year already highlighted the fact that we want to grasp this opportunity and contribute to this opportunity as well.

Since then, my research team and I have been actively exploring this domain. In Beijing, I had the privilege of visiting important pillars of China’s space ecosystem where institutional strength and commercial innovation are advancing the frontier together; among them was the China Academy of Space Technology (航天五院), a cornerstone of the nation’s space program.

To better understand how Hong Kong can contribute to the national space blueprint, we convened a Space Economy Roundtable in January. The discussion was genuinely revealing. Hong Kong already possesses a solid foundation – talented professionals, a robust legal and regulatory system, and deep expertise in professional services. Many of you here today, including Mrs Ip, Professor Gao, and Dr Neoh, have been leading voices in shaping this conversation.

One clear consensus emerged: the new space economy rests on three interconnected pillars – data, sustainability, and connectivity. Our subsequent visits brought each pillar to life. At the China National Space Administration Space Debris Observation and Data Application Center, we saw China building the infrastructure to keep orbits safe and usable for generations. With leading satellite manufacturers and operators – state-backed and commercial alike – we witnessed connectivity extending from low Earth orbit outward. And through international conferences like today’s, we see how knowledge exchange turns into strategic partnerships.

We are at a historic inflection point. The 15th Five-Year Plan has opened a strategic policy window. Commercial launch cadence is accelerating. And the rules and trust frameworks for orbital commerce are being written right now.

Hong Kong’s role in this frontier is not peripheral. We sit at the trust layer within the international order – the capital, legal, and risk infrastructure that turns ambitious missions into bankable enterprises. Every new constellation, every launch service, every space-data application will need exactly what Hong Kong has spent decades building.

By aligning with the country’s ascent in space, we are not only serving a national strategy – we are opening a new engine of innovation and long-term prosperity for Hong Kong.

「國家所需，香港所長——在浩瀚星空之下，這句話依然成立。」

The next chapter of space will not be written by any single sector, city, or government alone. It will be written in rooms like this one – where ambition meets expertise, and where national strategy meets commercial reality. I look forward to learning from all of you today.

Thank you very much, and I wish the symposium every success.

(From left) Professor Charles Ng, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST); Professor Bernard Foing, Executive Director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group, Chairman of the Lunar Explorers Society; Mrs Regina Ip, the Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council; Dr Stephen Wong; Professor Wu Ji, President of Chinese Society of Space Research; and Professor Gao Yang, Director of the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre, Co-Director of Space Science and Technology Institute of HKUST at the event.

Dr Stephen Wong delivered his opening remarks.

Dr Stephen Wong (eighth right) attended the Leading Space Intelligence: Into the Future space intelligence innovation event, organised by the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre.