Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the authority’s board, said the summit would be a valuable opportunity to showcase to the world Hong Kong’s vibrant arts and cultural scene.

“The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority is organising the first-ever Hong Kong International Cultural Summit in March this year, showing our unrelenting commitment to promoting dialogues and partnerships across countries and regions through arts and culture,” Tang said.

The M+ Museum, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and the performing arts division of the authority will sign memorandums of understanding or collaborative agreements with more than 20 leading arts and cultural institutions globally, fostering cultural exchange and long-term partnerships.

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More than 20 eminent speakers from 11 countries and regions, including heads of major cultural districts and top international arts and cultural institutions, will address the summit. Among them are National Museum of China director Wang Chunfa and Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Cultural strategist and Museums of Tomorrow Roundtable consulting director Andras Szanto and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco CEO Thomas Campbell will attend the event from the United States.

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Guests from Europe include National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon director Laurent Salome from France, Biotopia Naturkundemuseum Bayern founding director Michael John Gorman from Germany and British Museum interim director Mark Jones, as well as the director of Spain’s Prado Museum, Miguel Falomir.

From Japan, Tokyo National Museum executive director Makoto Fujiwara and the international artistic director of Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Akiko Miki, have been invited.

Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation CEO Katrina Sedgwick from Australia is also invited.

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After a welcome dinner at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on March 24, the first day of the summit will kick off with an opening ceremony and plenary session at the Xiqu Centre in the morning, followed by two panel discussions in the afternoon at the M+ Museum.

Another two panels will be held the next morning at the Palace Museum.

The summit will be the first international event to mark the beginning of Hong Kong’s 2024 Art Week from March 25 to 30, coinciding with Art Basel Hong Kong and other major cultural events.

Art Basel, scheduled to take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 28 to 30, will host 242 exhibitors with 40 countries and territories taking part.