Tech park set to lift GBA's development

Officials attending the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone on Monday said the hub will foster greater innovation synergy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and boost the nation's new quality productive forces.

The Hetao zone, a pioneering national innovation platform established under the vision of "one zone, two parks", includes the 87-hectare Hong Kong Park and the adjacent 300-hectare Shenzhen Park.

Addressing the ceremony on Monday, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee Ka-chiu said the first three buildings of Hong Kong Park's initial stage are in full operation. Among them, two wet-laboratory buildings have attracted over 60 enterprises from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and overseas. Meanwhile, an apartment building has also welcomed residents, while facilities such as a biobank and a data center have also opened, he said.

The remaining five buildings planned in the park's first stage will be completed starting in 2027, and the second-phase development will be expedited under a "public+private" mode, Lee said.

In the long run, the total gross floor area provided by the two phases of Hong Kong Park will reach 2 million square meters, 70 percent more than the original plan, to provide more space for enterprises, he added.

As a cooperative zone spanning two systems, the Hong Kong Park will coordinate growth across the industrial chain, boosting strategic industries such as life science technology and artificial intelligence, and facilitating cross-border flows of innovation and cooperation, Lee said.

He also said the Hong Kong government will also provide policy support and essential infrastructure to facilitate seamless travel for researchers between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, including a foot bridge across the Shenzhen River connecting the two parks — the construction of which began on Monday.

"I am confident that the Hetao zone will become a pioneering and experimental base for Hong Kong's innovation and technology development, and will also become a model area for innovation policies in the Greater Bay Area and even on the global innovation map," Lee said, adding that the hub will also serve the nation's high-quality development.

Xu Qifang, executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, also addressed the event, saying that the opening of Hong Kong Park is a milestone for the city's establishment of an international innovation and technology hub, and for its integration into the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Xu said he hopes that the cooperative zone will construct a world-class scientific research nexus, and urged businesses and investors both domestically and abroad to actively seize the historic opportunities available.

Yuanhua Tech, a Shenzhen-based robotics company, is among the first group of tenants in Hong Kong Park. Lily Meng, founder and chairperson of Yuanhua, said that she believes the ease of travel between the Hong Kong and Shen-zhen parks could save a lot of time.

She also noted that Yuanhua has established its global headquarters in Hong Kong, a strategy that has brought the company more overseas orders. She said she hopes the HKSAR government can provide more supporting policies to attract talent in the future.

atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com