HK urged to advance nation's strength, self-reliance

Hong Kong is poised to give full play to its roles as a hub of technology and innovation and a cradle of high-caliber talent to contribute to the nation's sci-tech strength and self-reliance, experts said.

Their remarks came in the wake of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which was held in Beijing from Oct 20 to 23.

The plenum deliberated and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. The recommendations listed substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength as one of its core principles for the next five years.

The blueprint outlined key development directions for Hong Kong, supporting the city to better integrate into and contribute to the nation's overall development, and leveraging its unique advantages of "having the backing of the motherland and maintaining close connections with the rest of the world" to strengthen its international status as a financial, shipping and trade center and advance its development into a hub of high-caliber international talent.

The recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period also emphasized that the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions should be "administered by patriots", and that the SARs should be "more effectively governed in accordance with the law".

Lau Siu-kai, consultant and former vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, called on the HKSAR government to adopt a more proactive and purposeful role, particularly in driving industrial transformation, to better support the country's future development.

This would require the HKSAR government to improve its governance, especially its ability to coordinate and plan economic development, with a special focus on integration into the nation's development path, he said.

Outlining a clear road map for the city's contribution, Lau said, "If Hong Kong can successfully establish itself as a center of finance, shipping, trade, innovation and technology, and become a hub of high-end international talent, it will be the city's greatest contribution to both itself and the nation."

Lau said he believes these missions will have the backing of the central government, with favorable policies formulated to catalyze the cooperation between the Chinese mainland's manufacturing industry and Hong Kong's technology and innovation sector.

The recommendations signal the nation's desire to leverage the city's role as an innovation and technology hub to facilitate the further commercialization of its tech achievements and advance the global ambitions of more homegrown enterprises, he said.

Lau said he also believes that the central government will vigorously advance the city's development, particularly the construction of the Northern Metropolis, and strengthen its innovation and technology cooperation with the mainland.

The objective is to swiftly establish innovation and technology as the cornerstone of Hong Kong's economic development, he added.

Angus Ng Hok-ming, chairman of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Association, urged young people in the region to upgrade their capabilities, vision and collaboration models to keep pace with the country's evolving development strategy.

Ng identified two emerging areas in which Hong Kong could further contribute to the nation — building an international data exchange center by leveraging its common law system and digital infrastructure and creating a global talent hub by serving as the first stop for world-class scientists.

"Young people should transform from 'specialized professionals' into 'strategic generalists'," he said, suggesting that the HKSAR government launch a training program to equip young people with expertise in the nation's emerging fields, such as green finance and digital trade, enabling them to participate in international-level dialogue.

Ng also emphasized the need for vision upgrading, extending the focus to the global stage.

"The Hong Kong youth should seize opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong, serving as key intermediaries in infrastructure investment, financing and ESG (environmental, social, governance) standards alignment and telling good stories of Chinese modernization," he said.

stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com