“This event and your welcome presence here reflects Hong Kong’s long-standing role as the mounting cultural bridge between East and West,” he said.

“Hong Kong is the only city in the world that enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage. That is why we are committed to capitalise on our unparalleled advantages and develop Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.”

Wang delivered a speech at the opening ceremony on behalf of Sun Yeli, the Chinese minister of culture and tourism, confirming and delineating Hong Kong’s role in the country’s plan for cultural development.

“[The summit] has built up an important platform to accelerate cultural exchange and understanding between China and overseas,” Wang said.

“I believe the summit will not only give the local cultural industry a dose of vitality but also boost the combined development of culture and tourism on a broader, deeper, and higher level.”

The gathering and the One Earth Summit, a global conference on sustainability transformation, are the latest mega events in Hong Kong, and were being held after the new domestic national security law took effect on Saturday.

Will top-class summit put Hong Kong on global cultural map?

The Milken Institute’s inaugural Global Investors’ Symposium will also take place on Tuesday, followed by Art Basel and Art Central later this week.

Earlier in the day, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said the government’s efforts to explain the law to foreign communities would continue.

“Seeing is believing,” he said, adding he expected that increased visits by foreigners for recent mega events could mitigate the negative impact of Western “smears”.

At the opening of the International Cultural Summit, Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, which manages the hub, said: “With this unique cultural and historical background of Eastern and Western cultures, Hong Kong will continue to expand our international endeavours.”

He said the summit provided a platform for sharing, with insights and partnerships contributing to the “sustainable development of arts and culture on a global scale”.

The authority on Monday announced the Hong Kong Palace Museum was planning an exhibition in collaboration with the National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon, which is expected to open in December 2024. The special showing will examine the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and France, mainly in the 18th century.

Newly announced exhibitions for 2025 include collaborations with the Musee National Picasso-Paris and Qatar Museums.

The authority also said that during the fourth Greater Bay Area Chinese Theatre Cultural Festival in June, West Kowloon’s Xiqu Centre would collaborate with the China Theatre Association to present a selection of classic excerpts, showcasing the heritage of the country’s traditional theatre performances.

One Earth Summit: Hong Kong aims to rapidly align with global disclosure rules

For the summit’s first panel discussion, moderated by authority CEO Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, leaders involved in developing cultural districts gathered to discuss the social and economic contributions of an arts hub.

The speakers were from the UK’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art, Australia’s Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation and Japan’s Benesse Art Site Naoshima.

They said it took years or even decades of work to reap the benefits of a cultural district, which required a long-term vision.

“The value of that investment for the government is about creating a city that is liveable, it’s culturally rich, and therefore it attracts a whole lot of business and attracts a whole lot of visitors,” said Katrina Sedgwick, director and chief executive officer of the arts hub in Melbourne.

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Hong Kong’s traditional dai pai dong street-food stalls fight to stay open

Hong Kong’s traditional dai pai dong street-food stalls fight to stay open

“It’s about the kind of lifestyle, the safety, the ability for its citizens to come together and share ideas to explore stories together, all of those things are vital to a vibrant economy.”

The summit kicked off on Sunday night, with the top brass of museums and cultural institutions from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Qatar, Australia, Colombia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, mainland China and more attending a welcome dinner at the Hong Kong Palace Museum ahead of two days of panel discussions.

The West Kowloon Cultural District signed 21 memorandums of understanding with the institutions, whose attendees were present at the summit, paving the way for collaborations in areas such as exhibitions, collection sharing, conservation, digitalisation and scientific research, as well as educational and exchange programmes for arts administrators and artists.