The new head of Hong Kong’s M+ museum has pledged to strengthen cultural exchanges between China and the world while enhancing the city’s global appeal.

The remarks that Paulo Pong Kin-yee, also board chairman of the city’s Ocean Park, made on Wednesday aligned with the central government’s 14th five-year plan, which states that Hong Kong should become an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

His appointment as the museum’s board chairman, which took effect on October 9, was announced by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority on Monday.

His term will last about 2½ years until March 31, 2028, or until he is no longer a board member of the district.

“One of the important missions of M+ is to promote cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world, and it has been very successful in doing so,” Pong told the Post.

“In the future, we will work even harder to make M+ and Hong Kong an international hub of arts and culture.”

He added that the institution was a major attraction for visitors and important for arts and cultural tourism, having welcomed more than 9.7 million visitors since its opening in November 2021.