香港海事博物館館長簡德恆先生就香港特別行政區的「五年規劃」諮詢提出了建議。

演講內容如下（只有英文）：

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Hong Kong as an International Maritime Centre

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Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this consultation.

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This consultation forum rightly emphasises Hong Kong's status as an International Maritime Centre and highlights the commercial importance of shipping, high-value maritime services, digitalisation and green transformation. These are all essential, but I would suggest that a successful maritime centre requires not only maritime business, but also to maintain and develop a strong maritime culture.

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My first point is that maritime culture should be recognised as a strategic asset for Hong Kong. Our city's development from a fishing port to a leading global hub for shipping, trade and finance is fundamentally a maritime story. Every great port city should have a great maritime museum. Maritime museums preserve identity, help residents understand their city's history and create distinctive cultural and tourism experiences for visitors. Supporting maritime culture therefore helps reinforce Hong Kong's position as an International Maritime Centre.

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Second, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum occupies a unique position at the intersection of culture and commerce. We are one of the few organisations that connects the maritime industry with the wider community. Through exhibitions, education programmes and public engagement, we help explain the contribution of shipping, ports and maritime services to Hong Kong's development and future prosperity. In doing so, we strengthen understanding between the maritime sector and the public it serves.

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Third, Hong Kong has a unique opportunity to serve as China's international platform for maritime cultural exchange. As a city that is both deeply connected to the Mainland and highly international, Hong Kong is ideally placed to present China's maritime history, the Maritime Silk Road and contemporary maritime achievements to global audiences. This aligns closely with Hong Kong's role as a bridge between China and the world and as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

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Finally, I have already expressed in other forums that, if we want more cultural development in Hong Kong, we must make cultural exchange easier. We are encouraging the Government to explore ways of simplifying and streamlining the procedures governing temporary loans of cultural artefacts and exhibitions between Mainland institutions and those in Hong Kong. Enabling this would strengthen Hong Kong's role as an international cultural gateway in support of its commercial development aspirations.

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In summary, strengthening Hong Kong as an International Maritime Centre is not only about ships, ports and professional services. It is also about preserving, interpreting and communicating – locally, nationally and internationally - the maritime story that underpins Hong Kong's success. That is where institutions such as the Hong Kong Maritime Museum can make a distinctive contribution over the coming five years.