Sam Han says the idea could deepen Greater Bay Area collaboration and grant technology a practical and lasting impact

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Third Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM3) was held in Dalian, China, in August. At the APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) working group meeting, as well as other working group meetings during SOM3, one message was clear: Technology should further support sustainable and inclusive development across the region through digital transformation, artificial intelligence adoption and governance, green transition, and practical cooperation.

This message is timely. Technologies are creating new growth opportunities, but they are also raising important questions. How can the private sector, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), benefit from technology to sustain economic growth? How can innovation support climate action, health, public services and community resilience? How can older persons, women, youth and underserved communities participate in and benefit more meaningfully from technological change?

This is where the idea of “Tech for Good” becomes important. Technology should not only drive economic growth; it should also help people, societies and the environment solve real problems. The question is no longer simply what technology can do, but who benefits, who may be left behind, and how innovation can create broader public value. This is in line with the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, which provides a long-term framework for APEC’s development.  

During the PPSTI meeting, the draft findings of the APEC Tech for Good Report, developed following the APEC Tech for Good Workshop held in Shenzhen in July, were unveiled. The report brings together policies, case studies and policy recommendations from across APEC economies, exploring how innovation can support people-centered development, sustainable growth, digital transformation, green transition, resilient communities and regional cooperation.

Based on the analysis of economy-level policy practices, the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, APEC priorities and workstreams, and future-ready growth needs, the report identifies five pillars: digital and AI enabling infrastructure; digital trade and resilient value chains; green and climate-smart transformation; smart and resilient communities; and human capital, skills and broad participation.

Thirty-two technology case studies from 18 APEC economies are identified under these pillars. They highlight a simple but important lesson: Successful “Tech for Good” solutions are usually problem-driven, not tech-driven.

For example, the Singapore-Shenzhen Cross-Border Data Validation Platform demonstrates how blockchain-enabled trusted data validation can facilitate secure, reliable, and traceable cross-border data flows. Breath AI in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region addresses healthcare access by using AI-enabled breath analysis to support faster, noninvasive and more accessible disease screening. Hyodol in the Republic of Korea addresses elderly care and community resilience, while Vulcan Coalition in Thailand creates AI-related work opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Based on these findings, the report proposes seven practical and voluntary policy directions for moving Tech for Good from vision to action across APEC economies. These include strengthening digital and AI foundations, advancing digital trade and resilient value chains, scaling affordable green and climate-smart technologies, supporting smart and resilient communities, investing in digital, AI and green skills, promoting responsible and trusted technology governance, and exploring a voluntary APEC Tech for Good knowledge and pilot cooperation mechanism.

These recommendations are not only relevant to APEC, but also meaningful for Hong Kong, as an APEC economy, where policy, business, research and social sectors can work together to turn technology into more practical public value.

The report also introduces the “Shenzhen Tech for Good Framework”. Why Shenzhen? First, the APEC Tech for Good Workshop was held in Shenzhen in July. More importantly, Shenzhen, as a tech city and the host city of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 2026, can serve as a practical testbed for the “Tech for Good” agenda.

The framework proposes Shenzhen as a starting point for experimentation, mutual learning and practical cooperation among APEC economies. Shenzhen has strong relevance to this discussion because of its strengths in digital technologies, AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, digital entrepreneurship, cross-border commerce, smart governance, green innovation and open platforms for cooperation.

For Hong Kong, this agenda is particularly relevant. The city should use APEC as a practical channel to strengthen cooperation with other economies in areas such as digital trade, cross-border data collaboration, smart logistics, green technology, digital health, aging-related innovation, youth development and MSMEs transformation.

Furthermore, Hong Kong has long played a connecting role between the Chinese mainland and the international community. In the context of “Tech for Good”, this role can become even more important. Hong Kong has strengths in international finance, professional services, universities, legal and compliance expertise, social innovation, philanthropy and international communication. These strengths can help translate technology innovation into trusted, scalable and internationally understandable solutions.

Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong and Shenzhen can work together to turn the region into a practical platform for testing how technology can serve public value. Shenzhen can provide strong application scenarios, innovation capacity and industrial ecosystems, while Hong Kong can contribute international finance, compliance expertise, research networks, professional services and global communication.

Looking ahead, the Tech for Good agenda offers a timely opportunity for Hong Kong to contribute to APEC cooperation, deepen Greater Bay Area collaboration, and turn technology into something that has a practical and lasting impact. For APEC, the next step is to turn this shared understanding into practical cooperation, from innovation to public value, and from vision to action, building an Asia-Pacific community to prosper together.

The author is a partner at Union Communications Hong Kong Ltd and a project researcher at APEC Tech for Good.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.