The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attends the reception in celebration of the 75th Independence Day of the State of Israel on June 20, 2023. Photo shows (from left) Mr Lee; the Consul General of the State of Israel in Hong Kong, Mr Amir Lati; and Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr Pan Yundong, at the reception. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that Israel and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have the potential to deepen their cooperation in research and technological advancements because the two sides share similar strengths in those fields.

Lee, who congratulated the people of Israel for their achievements of the past 75 years, was speaking as the guest of honor at the 75th Israel Independence dinner reception that the Israeli Consulate General hosted on Tuesday.

Lee also said Hong Kong will launch the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme this year “in a scale of $10 billion” to incentivize universities in the transformation of their research outlets

“Hong Kong and Israel are both dynamic economies, and we share the same spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. I believe we have great potential in deepening our collaboration in such areas as trade, innovation and technology. Indeed, Hong Kong and Israel have all along shared cordial trade relations,” Lee said.

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In terms of merchandise trade, the chief executive said Israel has been Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East, with total merchandise trade amounting to $3.4 billion in 2022.

Under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong is bestowed with the unique advantage of having the strong support of national strategies while maintaining excellent connectivity with the rest of the world, Lee said.

“With the support of the 14th National Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Hong Kong is determined to develop into an international and innovation and technology center,” Lee said.

Lee also said Hong Kong will launch the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One‑plus Scheme this year “in a scale of $10 billion” to incentivize universities in the transformation of their research outlets.

“The exchange of experiences and best practices of Hong Kong and Israel is conducive to the advancement of technology developments,” Lee said, adding that the two sides “can certainly work together in contributing to the progress of mankind”.

In his welcoming remarks, Israeli Consul General to Hong Kong Amir Lati said 75 years is a milestone in the life of a nation-state, and Israel has transformed its economy from agriculture to technology and is home to multinational R&D centers. Israel has 90 unicorns, he said.

“We see a lot of opportunities and a lot of potential in our relations with Hong Kong in the fields of technology, healthcare, fintech, environmental technologies and more, as well as in people-to-people relations,” Lati said.

“Needless to say, the reopening of Hong Kong and the resumption of exchanges are very important steps in deepening the cooperation. I hope that in the near future, we can see more direct flights between Hong Kong and Israel,” he added. 

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The Israeli Consul General also noted that this year is the founding anniversary of the Ohel Leah Synagogue, the “symbol of the Jewish life in Hong Kong”, a community that had a continuous presence in the city for almost 200 years.

“The Jewish community here is part of the long-term friendship between the Jewish and the Chinese people,” said Lati, who also encouraged everyone to visit Israel.

“Finally, we see ourselves in the Consulate General of Israel in Hong Kong as a bridge between Israel and Hong Kong  and we are committed to promote our relations,” he added.\

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com