The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government unveiled the Conceptual Outline of the Development Plan for the Innovation and Technology Industry in the San Tin Technopole on Nov 20, setting out the positioning, spatial layout and development model for new innovation and technology land in the area. The blueprint provides a clear strategy for the city’s future.

Under the plan, the new innovation and technology land parcels will be divided into three hubs and three industry corridors. Given the vast scale of San Tin Technopole, the government expects it will take nearly a decade to complete land clearance and site formation. Development will begin next year, with four of the five phases requiring about eight years. The goal is to establish the basic industrial framework within 10 years.

The government has identified three key roles for San Tin Technopole; namely, providing space for prototyping, pilot testing and small-scale production; developing high-quality local innovation and technology industries; and attracting global resources and talent. Government officials say the positioning reflects extensive consultation with industry stakeholders.

San Tin Technopole will offer large tracts of land to support the strategic industries outlined in the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint. These include life and health technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, microelectronics and smart devices, new materials, new energy, and green technology. The city will focus on building an advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

The “three hubs, three corridors” layout will comprise the Lok Ma Chau Loop, Chau Tau and Ki Lun hubs, alongside corridors dedicated to life and health technology, AI and robotics, and microelectronics and advanced industries.

Unlike Cyberport and Hong Kong Science Park, which nurture existing sectors, San Tin Technopole and the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone are designed to target future industries. The Lok Ma Chau Loop will concentrate on research and development, while San Tin Technopole will focus on turning those results into industrial applications.

Opportunities in global innovation do not wait. For San Tin Technopole to succeed, its planning and development must be agile enough to keep pace with change

Risks of falling behind

Global innovation industries are evolving at breakneck speed, with shorter life cycles for many technologies. Artificial intelligence, in particular, could bring “creative destruction”, and some analysts have warned of an impending AI bubble. If San Tin Technopole takes a decade to materialize, Hong Kong risks missing the opportunity to align with the central government’s push to make the city an international innovation and technology hub and to drive the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area economy.

The author advocates a broader approach: building a twin cities special zone along both sides of the Shenzhen River, stretching east from the Lok Ma Chau Loop to Lo Wu, Man Kam To, and the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai boundary crossings. The concept of “dual headquarters and dual enclaves” would leverage the institutional advantages of Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Three-in-one development model

The proposed model would use government land south of the Shenzhen River, much of it already under official control, and some land within closed areas. Proximity to boundary facilities ensures convenient road access. Development would follow a “three-in-one” approach — planning, investment promotion, and approvals carried out simultaneously and iteratively.

This arrangement would allow market information and industry needs to feed directly into planning, ensuring land is allocated under conditions most beneficial to Hong Kong’s long-term economic interests. With strong government backing, procedures could be streamlined once key enterprises commit to settling in the area.

Shenzhen’s Nanshan district offers a precedent: Its rapid growth has been driven by major players such as Huawei, Tencent, ZTE, and DJI establishing headquarters there.

To attract similar anchor enterprises, Hong Kong must act swiftly. Opportunities in global innovation do not wait. For San Tin Technopole to succeed, its planning and development must be agile enough to keep pace with change.

The author is chairman of Doctoral Exchange, a Hong Kong-based think tank

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.