2025-06-17
[Press Release] Leveraging Hong Kong’s Premier Green Building Standard to Foster Belt and Road Low-carbon Development
The First BEAM Plus Existing Buildings (Global Version) Certificate Presented to
China Merchants Shekou Holdings for the
Djibouti Special Promotion Complex Project
Download High-resolution Photos: https://bit.ly/45LUxoX
China Merchants Shekou Holdings for the
Djibouti Special Promotion Complex Project
Download High-resolution Photos: https://bit.ly/45LUxoX
Hong Kong, 17 June 2025 – The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) and BEAM Society Limited (BSL) are pleased to announce that the Djibouti Special Promotion Complex Project (SPC), owned and managed by China Merchants Shekou Holdings (CMSK), has attained the first-ever “BEAM Plus Existing Buildings (Global Version)” certification. A sharing session was held at the HKGBC office to celebrate SPC's achievement and to explore the potential for expanding the use of BEAM Plus Existing Buildings (Global Version) certification to other CMSK projects in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. The session was attended by distinguished guests including Mr Nicholas HO Lik-chi, Commissioner for Belt & Road of the Belt and Road Office of the Government of the HKSAR, Ms Kathy CHIU Kam-hing, JP, Honorary Consul of Djibouti in Hong Kong, Mr Frankie FUNG Yiu-man, Principal Assistant Secretary (Project Capability and Strategy) of the Development Bureau of the Government of the HKSAR, Mr YU Zhiliang, Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of China Merchants Shekou Holdings, Mr Leo LI, General Manager of the Overseas Development Business Division of China Merchants Shekou Holdings, Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS, Chairman of the HKGBC, Sr Frankie SO Hung-fai, Chairperson of BSL, Ir Harry LAI Hon-chung, BBS, Executive Director of the HKGBC, and Ir CS HO, Chief Executive Officer of BSL. Their presence marked the recognition of Hong Kong’s role as a “super-connector” in the green building industry, exemplified through the adoption of the BEAM Plus (Global Version) certification in Belt and Road projects.
Throughout the certification process, SPC showcased exceptional practices in low-carbon sustainable development. These included strict adherence to green procurement policies and ESG reporting mechanisms, systematic implementation of building maintenance plans, innovative water-saving strategies, the establishment of a comprehensive waste management system, enhancement of indoor air quality control and proactive use of renewable energy along with other forward-thinking initiatives. These efforts not only set a benchmark for sustainable development in the BRI, but also offer an excellent example of the Hong Kong-developed BEAM Plus (Global Version) assessment tool being applied to project outside Hong Kong. As an internationally recognised green building rating tool, "BEAM Plus" offers a reliable third-party green building evaluation solution for developers and existing building operators along the BRI and worldwide.
HKGBC and BSL are actively promoting the use of BEAM Plus outside Hong Kong. Since the promotion initiative commenced in 2024, it has attracted over 30 registrations outside Hong Kong, covering major cities in Mainland China such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The reach is extending to Southeast Asia and other BRI regions, reflecting the versatility and global recognition of BEAM Plus. The BEAM Plus assessment tools will continue to evolve to align with international trends and standards. HKGBC and BSL welcome more developers and existing building operators to submit their buildings outside Hong Kong for BEAM Plus assessment, with the aim of contributing Hong Kong's green building expertise to the global real estate and construction sectors.
BEAM Plus is one of the longest-established green building rating tools, with a history of nearly 30 years. Since its launch in 1996, the total number of registered buildings has reached nearly 9,000. Operated in Hong Kong, the BEAM Plus certification system is supported by a robust accreditation and quality management system, re-assuring the global market of its reliability and strong reputation.
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Group photo of Mr Nicholas HO Lik-chi, Commissioner for Belt & Road of the Belt Office of the Government of the HKSAR, Ms Kathy CHIU Kam-hing, JP, Honorary Consul of Djibouti in Hong Kong, Mr Frankie FUNG Yiu-man, Principal Assistant Secretary (Project Capability and Strategy) of the Development Bureau of the Government of the HKSAR, Mr YU Zhiliang, Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of China Merchants Shekou Holdings, Mr Leo LI, General Manager of the Overseas Development Business Division of China Merchants Shekou Holdings, Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS, Chairman of the HKGBC, Sr Frankie SO Hung-fai, Chairperson of BSL, Ir Harry LAI Hon-chung, BBS, Executive Director of the HKGBC and Ir CS HO, Chief Executive Officer of BSL.
Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS, Chairman of the HKGBC (3rd left) and Sr Frankie SO Hung-fai, Chairperson of BSL (4th right) presenting the first BEAM Plus Existing Buildings (Global Version) certificate to China Merchants Shekou Holdings for the Djibouti Special Promotion Complex Project.
Guests attending the sharing session actively discussed on the comprehensive application of the BEAM Plus (Global Version) in BRI projects.

Djibouti Special Promotion Complex Project
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About the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC)
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member-led organisation established in 2009 and has become a public body under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance since 2016. The HKGBC strives to promote the standard and development of sustainable buildings in Hong Kong. The HKGBC also aims to raise green building awareness by engaging the government, the industry and the public, and to develop practical solutions for Hong Kong's unique, subtropical built environment of high-rise, high density urban area, leading Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to become a world's exemplar of green building development. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), the Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC).
To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.
About BEAM Society Limited (BSL)
BEAM Society Limited (BSL) is an independent, non-profit membership organisation established in 2010. BSL is also recognised as a tax-exempt charitable organisation of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap 112) and as a public body under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap 201) since 2016. BEAM Society was established in 1996, which was later incorporated in 2010 as BEAM Society Limited. Being the developer and owner of the Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM), BSL is committed to administering and developing the BEAM Plus Assessment Tools. We offer impartial assessment on building sustainability and build capacity by providing training for BEAM practitioners – BEAM Professionals (BEAM Pro) and BEAM Affiliates.
To get more information about BSL, please visit www.beamsociety.org.hk.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Hong Kong Green Building Council Assistant Manager – Green Labelling Joanna WONG Phone: (852) 3994 8853 Email: joanna.wong@hkgbc.org.hk |
Marketing & PR Manager Lucy SO Phone: (852) 3994 8832 Email: lucy.so@hkgbc.org.hk |
BEAM Society Limited Head of Business & System Development Tim LO Phone: (852) 3610 5743 Email: timlo@beamsociety.org.hk |
Head of Marketing & Training Joey MOK Phone: (852) 3610 5728 Email: joeymok@beamsociety.org.hk |