pro trek hong kong

PRO TREK | CASIO

• CASIO授權網上旗艦店
• 其他 其他 G-SHOCK 品牌專頁 尋找店鋪 科技 CASIO 50周年
• 其他 其他 CASIO MUSIC WORLD 應用程式 尋找店鋪 目錄 電子樂器 AR 舊型號
• 其他 其他 目錄 舊型號 尋找店鋪
• Label it 標籤帶和選項
• 服務 應用程式 社交媒體

Personal Menu

[最新優惠] 即到CASIO授權網上旗艦店選購。

• 訂製 CASIO 手錶作為贈禮

Select a location

View all available locations

Protrek – 5 Outdoor Equipment Stores in Hong Kong

There are five Protrek outdoor equipment stores in Hong Kong to choose from, including one shop within Hysan Place (500 Hennessy Road).

The company’s first retail store opened its doors in 1992, and today, they are one of the most trusted sources in Hong Kong to buy outdoor gear and travel products.

At the shops, you can find everything you’ll need for being comfortable in outdoor activities, including clothing, backpacks, footwear, cross-country running gear, mountain climbing and ski equipment, and much more.

Hysan Place.

Within the thousands of products, providing the tools for a 360 degree outdoor lifestyle, the selection of brands and manufacturers has been done based on quality, safety, reliability, functionality, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

Men’s and women’s outdoor clothing at the shops include rain & Wind shells, insulated shells, tops, bottoms, shoes, headwear, and eyewear.

Other outdoor equipment categories feature such highlights as backpacks, day packs, dry bags, family packs, hydration packs, luggage & duffle bags, tote & shoulder bags, waist bags…

…hiking shoes, running shoes, outdoor socks, lifestyle socks, insoles & gaiters, lamps & poles, camping packs & bags, camping eating & drinking equipment, outdoor sleeping gear, foot care products, camping apparel, camping washing equipment, camping accessories…

…climbing harnesses & helmets, climbing carabiners & quickdraws, climbing belays & rappels, climbing packs & bags, climbing apparel, ski goggles, skiing apparel, ski gloves & socks, skiing headwear, money belts, sun & bug products, travel with kids products, travel apparel, and travel accessories.

The range of brands includes Black Diamond, Granger’s, H.A.D., Haglöfs, Helinox, Hydrapak, Icebug, Light My Fire, Meindl, Mis, Mizu, Nathan, Pro-Tec, Sawyer, Sea To Summit, Sleefs, Smartwool, Soto, Sprigs, Superfeet, Talon, Uvex, Vaude, and Walkstool.

Protrek Locations & Opening Hours – Outdoor Equipment Stores in Hong Kong

Causeway Bay – Hysan Place 500 Hennessy Road, Shop No. 710-711, 7/F, Hysan Place, Lee Gardens Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 11:30-20:30 protrek.com.hk

Mong Kok – THE FOREST 17 Nelson Street, Shop 214, 2/F, THE FOREST Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 12:00-21:00

Shatin – New Town Plaza 2 Sha Tin Centre Street, Shop 528, 5/F, New Town Plaza Phase 1 Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 11:30-21:00, Saturday-Sunday 11:00-21:00

Sheung Wan – Hong Kong and Macau Building 156-157 Connaught Rd Central, Hong Kong and Macau Building Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 11:00-20:00

Yau Ma Tei 5 Tung Fong Street Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Hong Kong Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 11:30-20:30

To learn more about Protrek outdoor equipment stores in Hong Kong, you can follow their official social media pages, including Facebook at facebook.com/protrekO2O/ .

There is also an official Instagram channel available at instagram.com/protrek_o2o/ that is updated with details related to new arrivals, promotional offers & sales, and much more.

JavaScript 似乎在您的瀏覽器中禁用。 在我們的網站上獲得最佳體驗，請務必打開 Javascript 在您的瀏覽器。

Inspired by the great outdoors, CASIO PRO TREK sports watches have always strived to push the technological and innovative boundaries of sports watches. By combining innovative technology and design, PRO TREK smartwatches feature all the convenience required of an outdoor tool with the precision of a premium timepiece. Whether you are mountaineering, hiking, or even cycling, PRO TREK will move with you while operating with ease.

FEEL THE FILED

pGeared towards outdoor enthusiasts and outdoor sports lovers, CASIO PRO TREK watches are equipped with features that are made for outdoor adventures in mind. Appropriately stylish and versatile this series of smartwatches are perfect for enhancing your outdoor experience.

CASIO PRO TREK at a glance

For everyone who loves the great outdoors and spending time outside hiking, mountain climbing, cycling, canoeing, and more. The PRO TREK series inspires adventures that push you to new heights by opening up a world of new outdoor adventures for you to discover.

PRO TREK PRT-B50

The PRT-B50 series is equipped with a quad sensor — three sensors that detect compass bearing, barometric pressure/altitude, and temperature, plus an accelerometer for counting steps. They also come with Smartphone Link functions, linking to the PRO TREK Connected app on a smartphone using Bluetooth® to offer a host of functions that support outdoor activities.

PRO TREK PRG-600

Featuring Tough Solar and dual-LED light features, this series of sports watches come equipped with PRO TREK's triple sensors that measure barometric pressure, temperature, and more. Watches from this series are also waterproof up to 100 meters, making this the perfect choice for those who want to take their outdoor activities to the next level.

PRO TREK CLIMBER LINE

Equipped with a triple sensor, watches from this line take the traditional outdoor watch to a new level by making it more compact and even more powerful. While CASIO watches from this series are significantly downsized, it retains much of the functions that all PRO TREK watches are loved for, such as functional and intuitive digital displays, Triple Sensor and more.

For more details on the PRO TREK series shop now at CASIO Authorized Online Flagship Store!

• PRO TREK 26 件
• Vintage & Retro 1 件
• ProTrek 8 件
• SMART WATCH 1 件
• 流動連接(使用Bluetooth(R)無線連接) 1 件
• 06-2024 4 件
• 05-2024 2 件
• 03-2024 2 件
• 08-2023 1 件
• 06-2023 3 件
• 05-2023 3 件
• 08-2022 3 件
• 08-2021 1 件
• 10-2020 1 件
• 12-2019 4 件
• 09-2019 3 件

優先獲得最新資訊及禮遇

THE BICYCLE SHOP (HK) CS Whatsapp: +852 62180747

Country/region

• HKD $ | Hong Kong SAR
• HKD $ | Macao SAR

Item added to your cart

Trek、tern distributor in hong kong and macau.

Free SF Express shipping for accessories purchased over HK$388 in Hong Kong and Macau/discount on purchases over HKD2,000 or above, or free local shipping within Hong Kong for purchases over HKD8,000 or above into a vehicle.

Trek 2024 domane sl 5 gen 4 公路車-dark aquatic / trek 2024 domane sl 5 gen 4 road bike-dark aquatic, trek 2025 madone slr 9 gen 8 公路車 / trek 2025 madone slr 9 gen 8 road bike, trek 2025 madone sl 5 gen 8 公路車 / trek 2025 madone sl 5 gen 8 road bike, trek 2025 madone sl 7 gen 8 公路車 / trek 2025 madone sl 7 gen 8 road bike, tern 精選摺車 / tern featured folding bike, tern node d8 24" 8-turn bike gen 3 (mr with mudguard and tail rack) / tern node d8 24" folding bike, tern link b7 20" 7-speed folding bike gen 4 (m0 with mudguard) / tern link b7 20" folding bike gen 4, tern byb p10 20" 10 twist bike folding bike-00 (without auxiliary reel tailstock), fizik vento powerstrap aeroweave 碳纖公路車鞋 fizik vento powerstrap aeroweave carbon road shoes, fizik vento antares r1 adaptive 3d打印座位 - 150mm / fizik vento antares r1 adaptive saddle - 150mm, fizik vento antares r3 adaptive 3d打印座位 - 150mm / fizik vento antares r3 adaptive saddle - 150mm, fizik 2024 新款 vento argo x3 越野短鼻座位 gravel short-nosed saddle-150mm, our youtube channel.

Store address

The bicycle shop hk, address: g/f, no. 27 san fung avenue, sheung shui, ​tel: 2670 2318, ​business hours: monday to sunday: 9am - 7pm.

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Opens in a new window.

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

Get us in your inbox

Sign up to our newsletter for the latest and greatest from your city and beyond

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Awesome, you're subscribed!

The best of Hong Kong for free.

Sign up for our email to enjoy Hong Kong without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush).

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

Love the mag?

Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions.

• Things to Do
• Food & Drink
• Shopping & Style
• Coca-Cola Foodmarks
• Restaurants
• Music & Nightlife
• Los Angeles

Protrek (Wan Chai)

Time out says.

Protrek is the largest online and offline outdoor specialty retailer in Hong Kong that provides everything from head to toe amongst its thousands of products. Door-to-door delivery is available or shop directly at one of the retail stores in Wan Chai, Sheung Wan, Causeway Bay and more. 

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

Discover Time Out original video

An email you'll actually love

• Press office
• Investor relations
• Work for Time Out
• Editorial guidelines
• Privacy notice
• Do not sell my information
• Cookie policy
• Accessibility statement
• Terms of use
• Modern slavery statement
• Manage cookies
• Sign up to our newsletter
• Advertising
• Express Advertising
• Time Out Market

Time Out products

• Time Out Worldwide

Time Out magazine

• Print edition
• Digital edition

• Lee Garden Neighbourhood
• Hysan Place
• Lee Garden One
• Lee Garden Two
• Lee Garden Three
• Lee Garden Five
• Lee Garden Six
• Lee Theatre Plaza
• Leighton Centre
• One Hysan Avenue

Shopping Directory

• All Categories
• Business Centre & Co-working Space
• Fashion & Accessories
• Home Furnishing & Appliances
• Jewellery, Watches & Optical
• Kids’ Fashion & Lifestyle
• Medical & Healthcare
• Kids' Play & Learn
• Lifestyle, Electronics & Music
• Personal Care & Beauty
• Supermarket, Gourmet & Wine

*Opening hours listed are for reference only. Information is subject to change without prior notice. Please contact the related merchants directly with any inquiries.

Hysan Place 710-711

Lga.urgentnoticeh2.

LGA.UrgentNoticeContent

Casio Hong Kong — official watch sites, shops and social activities

Casio Hong Kong department develops relationships with customers in Hong Kong. Here is a list of authorized websites where you can find information about Casio Watches in Hong Kong: G-Shock , Edifice, ProTrek, Baby-G and Collections.

List of All Casio Watches that are on active Sale in Hong Kong in  2020

Local Casio Hong Kong online shops

• https://shopcasio.jebsen.com/
• https://www.jselect.com/hk/en/brands/casio-watch
• https://iprice.hk/casio/watches/
• https://elite-timepiecehk.com/

Casio Hong Kong Official Sites

• https://www.casio-intl.com/hk/zh — general site with all casio products (including electronic musical instruments, calculators, projectors etc.)
• https://www.casio-intl.com/hk/zh/wat/g_shock/ — monobrand site with tough G-SHOCK WATCHES only
• https://www.casio-intl.com/hk/zh/wat/edifice/ — monobrand site with elegant EDIFICE WATCHES only
• https://www.casio-intl.com/hk/zh/wat/protrek/ — monobrand site with tourism PROTREK WATCHES only

Casio Hong Kong (Asia) Social SubBrands

• G-Shock Instagram
• G-Shock Facebook
• G-Shock Youtube
• Edifice Facebook
• Edifice Instagram
• Edifice Youtube
• ProTrek Facebook
• ProTrek Youtube
• ProTrek Instagram

G-Factory Watch Stores in Hong Kong

G-SHOCK CONCEPT STORE The ONE

Address: UG218, The One, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui . Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO STORE HYSAN PLACE

Address: Shop 512, 5/F., Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong . Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO STORE China Hong Kong City

Address: Shop 57, UG/F, China Hong Kong City, 33 Canton Road . Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO Store, Yoho Mall I, Yuen Long

Address: Shop 081, 1/F, Yoho Mall I, 9 Yuen Lung Street, Yuen Long, N.T. Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO STORE Times Square

Address: Shop 925A, 9/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong . Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO Store, Langham Place, Mongkok

Address: Shop 306, 3/F, Langham Place, MongKok, Kowloon. Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO STORE Macau Square

Address: Shop J, G / F, Macau Square, Rua do Dr. Pedro Jose Lobo No.2-16A, Macau. Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO STORE OCEAN TERMINAL

Address: Shop 231, 2/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO Store, iSquare, Tsim Sha Tsui

Address: Shop26, MTR Floor, iSQUARE, TST, KLN. Full details →

G-SHOCK CASIO Store, New Town Plaza, Shatin

Address: Shop 637, 6/f, Phase 1, New Town Plaza, Shatin, New Territories. Full details →

Recent Casio G-Shock News

• [G-SHOCK 2024] GA-710TU and others — Two-Tone Utility Colors
• [G-SHOCK 2024] GD-010 and GA-010 — New Rugged Cases
• [G-SHOCK 2024] GBD-300 — Stimulate Your Sports Potential
• [G-SHOCK 2024] GX-56TU-1A5 and others — Two Tone Utility Series
• [G-SHOCK 2024] GMD-B300 — Compact OAK G-SQUAD with Step Tracker

All G-Shock News →

Recent Casio ProTrek News

• [PROTREK 2024] PRJ-B001 with Rotate Bezel and Bungee Cord Band
• [PROTREK 2024] PRW-6900YB-3 with Cordura Flame Resist Band
• [PROTREK 2024] PRW-35-7 and PRW-35Y-2 — One-push Outdoor Functionality
• [PROTREK Review] PRW-35Y-1B – dark digital beauty for those who like traditional PRO TREKs
• [PROTREK 2024 New Releases] March

All ProTrek News →

Recent Casio Edifice News

• [EDIFICE 2024] EQS-960 — Carbon and Solar Powered
• [EDIFICE 2024 New Releases] April
• [EDIFICE 2024] ECB-2000NP, ECB-40NP, EQS-940NL — Nighttime Drive Series
• [EDIFICE 2023] ECB-2200 — Streamlined Design
• [EDIFICE 2023] EFR-S108D — Sapphire Crystal and Octagon

All Edifice News →

Recent Casio Baby-G News

• [BABY-G 2024] BGD-565GS and Street Skate Culture
• [BABY-G 2024] BA-110FH and BGA-320FH — Holographic Colours
• [BABY-G 2024] BGD-565KT-7 x HELLO KITTY Collaboration
• [G-SHOCK 2023] LOV-23A-7 — Lovers Collection of DW-5600 and BGD-565
• [BABY-G 2023] BGA-310RP and Retro Pop Colors

All Baby-G News →

Casio’s corporate creed is “creativity and contribution.” It expresses the company’s commitment to contributing to society by offering the kind of original, useful products that only Casio can. Products with innovative functions assist people in their daily lives and keep society moving forward.

They also bring joy to people and help to create new culture. When even a single new product is widely adopted, whole new markets develop, and this in turn fosters growth in related industries. This is the story of Casio’s contribution to society-innovative products enhancing people’s lives.

Joint Message from the Chairman and the President

We believe that people have limitless potential, thinking and engaging in highly intellectual and creative activities based on knowledge gained by observing, sensing, and learning. Through this process, humanity has kept exploring new fields and areas of science and culture, making progress in leaps and bounds.

Inventions such as calculators, watches, electronic musical instruments, electronic dictionaries, and digital cameras have made it easy for anyone to use information such as numbers, language, time, and music in everyday life. At Casio, we see it as our mission to invent new products that support human intellectual and creative activities, which will, in turn, drive social progress around the world.

In our view, there are countless products in our world just waiting to be invented, each of which would fill a real need. Casio’s job is to create the products of tomorrow that will one day be everywhere, that will make everyone wonder, “How did we ever do without that before?” That is why we value out-of-the-box creativity above all in our product development, or what we call “creating something from nothing.” At Casio, we aim to provide the world with completely new value.

Products and services only have inherent value when there are people to use them, thus we must never forget to ask in what ways they can benefit users. The people who use and enjoy our products support Casio not simply because the products deliver essential features, but because they are easy to use, reliable, well-designed, and reflect a world view. We will continue to deliver products that stand behind these treasured values that we share with users—products that offer fresh ideas to fit a changing world and can make our lives better.

The greatest contribution we can make as a manufacturer is to deliver new possibilities to users, so that they can experience something completely new. At Casio, we will continue to create culture together with users, aiming to grow and develop together.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

• Organizations

Gear You Up ． Care You More

“To run a sustainable outdoor business under Win-Win situation” is the mission of PROTREK.

PROTREK is the largest on- and offline outdoor specialty retailer in Hong Kong. With friendly and helpful sales staff, PROTREK retail stores allow you to experience unsurpassed and comprehensive services. You are no worry of what you need, here you will find everything from head to toe amongst thousands of products.

Image Credit: PROTREK

+(852) 2332 8122 [email protected]

Protrek Holdings (Hong Kong) Company Limited

Company User

Industry : Business services

75 Person(s)

Flat 6, 10/F, Block A, New Trade Plaza, 6 On Ping Street, Shatin, N.T., H.K.

https://www.protrek.com.hk/

https://www.facebook.com/protrekO2O/

Our business includes distributing, wholesaling and retailing of quality outdoor and travel products from well-known global brands, which are selected to meet high standard of corporate social responsibility. We support partner's value chain from brand building, import, marketing, logistic to distribution to over 200 doors of business including wholesalers, retailers, directly-owned concept stores, e-platforms and consumers, including Hong Kong and Macau. 

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Hong Kong businesses are under threat for association with pro-democracy protests

John Ruwitch

In Hong Kong, long after the protest movement that kicked off five years ago fizzled out, a quiet tussle is playing out over the fate of businesses that once supported the ideals of the demonstrators.

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Wall Street Journal accused of double standards after sacking Hong Kong journalist

The Wall Street Journal faces criticism for sacking a journalist who was elected head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

Chinese state media celebrated Selina Cheng's sacking, calling the Hong Kong media union "a malignant tumour".

What's next?

Cheng told the ABC she intended to take legal action against the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

The Wall Street Journal faces widespread criticism over its decision to sack a Hong Kong journalist who refused to withdraw from the election for a leadership post in the city's largest media union.

Selina Cheng, who worked in the Journal's Hong Kong bureau as a reporter covering China's automotive and energy sector, said a senior editor told her that her job had been terminated due to a restructure.

But Cheng said she believed the real reason was linked to her decision to run for the chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), a storied trade union that has come under pressure from the Beijing-backed government in recent years.

"My supervisor in the UK directed me to withdraw from the election," Cheng said, adding that the supervisor said it would be "incompatible" with her job.

Cheng said her boss also asked her to quit the association's board, which she has served on since 2021.

"The editor said employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong," Cheng said in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, said in a statement that it could confirm personnel changes but said "we don't comment on specific individuals".

It declined to answer specific questions from the ABC.

Cheng told the ABC she intended to take legal action against the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong over her dismissal.

Asked about her motivation for going public, Cheng said she wanted the union's members to see that its leader "will stand for herself and HKJA will, in the same way, stand for reporters they represent".

A spokesperson for the Wall Street Journal said the paper "has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world".

The ABC understands that Cheng's role will be moved out of Hong Kong.

Chinese state media, meanwhile, celebrated Cheng's sacking, with the Global Times tabloid calling the press union "a malignant tumour that harms the city's safety and security".

Press freedom in Hong Kong has plummeted in recent years.

The territory was ranked 140 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index in 2023 — down from 18th place two decades ago.

"A lot of our peers, almost 20 of them, from HKJA's latest count, have been through trial and were sentenced by judges in Hong Kong," Cheng said.

Associate professor in journalism at the University of Melbourne and former China correspondent Louisa Lim told the ABC that the Wall Street Journal "has behaved in a completely gutless way".

"The Hong Kong Journalists Association is a really reputable association which has been fronted by some of Hong Kong's most respected journalists over the decades," Dr Lim said.

"[It] sends a dreadful message to Hongkongers and actually, to journalists all over the world, that we will only support certain kinds of press freedom in certain countries for certain people.

"It seems like they have two different standards: for Evan Gershkovich who is a Wall Street Journal reporter in jail in Russia, and you are seeing dozens of Wall Street Journal reporters campaigning for his release publicly.

"And then you have Selina Cheng who's been told she should not be standing for election and then was sacked because of it. Frankly it seems inexplicable."

Gershkovich has been detained in Russia since March 2023, where authorities accuse him of spying for the US government.

The Wall Street Journal and its reporters have consistently campaigned for his release.

Cheng, who was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association on June 22, said she was "deeply shocked that senior editors at the paper would actively violate their employees' human rights".

Human Rights Watch's China director Maya Wang told the ABC that Cheng had rights under Hong Kong and international law to engage in trade union activity and advocate for freedom of the press.

Ms Wang said the Journal had sent the message that Western media can be intimidated and bullied by authoritarian governments.

The Journal's actions did not only have implications for itself, "but for journalists all over, for all media outlets, that are embattled around the world", she said.

"That kind of misstep sends the message that media organisations can be silenced and muzzled."

Press freedom groups in the US and elsewhere slammed the Journal and called for Cheng's reinstatement.

"Compelling Cheng to abandon her elected union position only serves to further narrow the space for independent journalism in Hong Kong," said the International Federation of Journalists, the global peak body for media unions.

"The global media community must do more to support and advocate for the work of Hong Kong's independent media workers striving to uphold press freedom and improve labour rights."

Speaking to the ABC, Cheng added that: "I hope to use this moment to let the world know that Hong Kong reporters are still here doing their hard work.

"They need the support of everyone who consumes their news."

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

Australia signs international statement voicing 'strong concerns' about hong kong's press freedom.

Peter Greste wants a Media Freedom Act, but doubts Australians can be convinced

Third Hong Kong news outlet to close following recent media crackdown

• Print Media
• World Politics

Hong Kong journalist group head says she was fired by WSJ amid press freedom row

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Editing by Angus MacSwan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Thomson Reuters

James Pomfret is a Special Correspondent for Reuters covering politics and policy in Asia, with a specialization on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. A two-time Pulitzer finalist, his multimedia career has spanned print, radio, TV and photography. His reporting includes "The Revolt of Hong Kong" - an investigative series he helped lead that was a Pulitzer finalist for International Reporting in 2020, and a series on China's weaponization of the rule of law against its critics that won a 2023 SOPA award.

Jessie Pang joined Reuters in 2019 after an internship. She covers Hong Kong with a focus on politics and general news.

Investors react to Biden pulling out of presidential race

U.S. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in uncharted territory.

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Hong Kong is testing out its own ChatGPT-style tool as OpenAI planned extra steps to block access

FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cellphone with an image on a computer monitor generated by ChatGPT’s Dall-E text-to-image model, Dec. 8, 2023, in Boston. Hong Kong’s government is testing out the city’s own ChatGPT-style tool for its employees, with plans to eventually make it available to the public, its innovation minister said Saturday, July 13, 2024, on a radio show, after OpenAI took extra steps to block access from the city and other regions it does not support. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

• Copy Link copied

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s government is testing the city’s own ChatGPT -style tool for its employees, with plans to eventually make it available to the public, its innovation minister said after OpenAI took extra steps to block access from the city and other unsupported regions.

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said on a Saturday radio show that his bureau was trying out the artificial intelligence program, called “document editing co-pilot application for civil servants,” to further improve its capabilities. He plans to have it available for the rest of the government this year.

The program was developed by a generative AI research and development center led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in collaboration with several other universities.

The system’s writing assistance functions could help draft, translate and summarize documents to enhance the efficiency of civil servants, said the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. The program’s database and large language model were independently developed by the center, it said.

Sun said the model would provide functions like graphics and video design in the future. To what degree it would compare to the capabilities of ChatGPT was unclear.

He told the radio show that industry players and the government would play a role in the model’s future development.

“Given Hong Kong’s current situation, it’s difficult for Hong Kong to get giant companies like Microsoft and Google to subsidize such projects, so the government had to start doing it,” Sun said.

Beijing and Washington are locked in a race for AI supremacy, with China having ambitions to become the global leader in AI by 2030.

China, including Hong Kong and neighboring Macao, is not on the list of “supported countries and territories” of OpenAI, one of the best-known artificial intelligence companies.

The ChatGPT maker has not explained why certain territories were excluded but said accounts in those places attempting to access its services may become blocked.

According to a post on OpenAI’s online forum and local media reports, the company announced in an email to some users that it would be taking additional measures to block connections from regions not on the approved list starting July 9.

Francis Fong, the honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, said it was hard to say whether the capabilities of the program in Hong Kong could match those of ChatGPT. With the input of AI companies in the city, Fong said he believed it could technologically catch up with the standards.

“Will it become the top? Maybe not necessarily be as close as that. But I believe it won’t be too far behind,” he said.

He also said a locally developed AI program might more accurately address local language and localized issues, but adding it would “make sense” if the final product appears to be “politically correct.”

Like most foreign websites and applications, ChatGPT is technically unavailable in China because of the country’s firewall, which censors the internet for residents. Determined individuals can still gain access via commonly available “virtual private networks” that bypass restrictions.

Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba and Baidu have already rolled out primarily Chinese-language AI models similar to ChatGPT for public and commercial use. However, these AI models must abide by China’s censorship rules.

In May, China’s cyberspace academy said an AI chatbot was being trained on President Xi Jinping’s doctrine, a stark reminder of the ideological parameters within which Chinese AI models will operate.

Also in May, SenseTime, a major Chinese artificial intelligence company, launched SenseChat for users in Hong Kong, where most of the population speaks Cantonese as their mother tongue rather than Mandarin, which is more widely spoken in mainland China. But a check on Tuesday found the application could not provide answers to politically sensitive questions, such as what the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 and Hong Kong’s protests in 2019 were about.

During the 1989 crackdown, Chinese troops opened fire on student-led pro-democracy protesters, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands, dead, and that remains a taboo subject in mainland China.

In 2019, protests that started over unpopular Hong Kong legislation morphed into an anti-government movement and the greatest political challenge to Beijing’s rule since the former British colony returned to China in 1997.