On December 22, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, located in the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Cooperation Zone, was officially opened, marking a new stage in the development of the park.
Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Cooperation Zone
Recently, Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, stated that in terms of investment promotion, more than 60 enterprises and institutions from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and overseas have signed leases and moved into the park one after another, covering sectors such as life and health technology, microelectronics, new energy and artificial intelligence. He emphasized that the HKSAR Government will actively explore institutional and policy innovations, break various constraints, introduce high-quality, high-efficiency and low-cost construction resources into the park, and develop in coordination with the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Area to push the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area to a new level.
First Three Buildings Completed
Follow-up Efforts to Facilitate Cross-border Flow of “Four Elements”
Sun Dong indicated that the Development Blueprint for the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Cooperation Zone was released in November last year. At present, the first three buildings of Phase I, including two wet laboratory buildings and one talent apartment building, have been completed. The remaining five buildings of Phase I are under full-speed construction, with the goal of completion one after another starting from 2027. The park will adopt a “construction and occupancy simultaneously” model to accelerate its development and utilization.
To realize the development concept of “two shores along one river” and “one zone with two parks” in the Hetao Cooperation Zone, the key is to facilitate the convenient cross-border flow of four innovation elements between the Hong Kong and Shenzhen parks, namely the flow of people, logistics (such as biological samples), capital and data. Sun Dong revealed that the HKSAR Government has been in close consultation with relevant mainland authorities, exploring groundbreaking policy measures on the premise of complying with relevant national laws and ensuring risk control. Specific implementation plans have been formulated for the cross-river pedestrian bridge (to facilitate the flow of people), cross-border transportation of biological samples (logistics) and cross-border transfer of sensitive data (data flow).
Leveraging Market Forces
Accelerating the Layout of “Northern Innovation and Technology Hub”
Sun Dong said that next year, the HKSAR Government will gradually put the remaining land in the park on the market and invite the industry to participate in joint development. According to the results of a previous intention survey, the HKSAR Government received a total of 27 submissions on the development of selected plots in Phase I of the park from developers, technology enterprises and other potential users, reflecting the market’s strong interest and high expectations.
Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Cooperation Zone
Sun Dong emphasized that as a “special zone within a special administrative region”, the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Area has both the institutional advantages of “one country, two systems” and the unique conditions of being “outside the mainland but within the country’s borders”. It is the ideal location for policy innovation and pilot reforms. The HKSAR Government will make full use of Hong Kong’s advantage of being connected with the international community, promote and optimize measures to gather global innovation and technology resources and talents, and enhance the international attractiveness and development vitality of the park. Meanwhile, the coordinated development of the innovation and technology industry between the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Area and the San Tin Technopole will form Hong Kong’s pattern of “southern financial hub and northern innovation and technology hub”, driving the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong and enabling it to better integrate into the overall national development.
