Published: 09:40, August 27, 2024 | Updated: 09:59, August 27, 2024
PDF View
Leaders: Hong Kong’s vibrant innovation can bolster country
By Stephy Zhang in Hong Kong
Officials and scientists attend an opening ceremony of the Bauhinia Academician Lecture of the Bauhinia Culture Forum at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in Wan Chai on Aug 26, 2024. (ADAM LAM / CHINA DAILY)

Officials and scientists said at a high-profile forum on Monday that Hong Kong’s vibrant innovation sector can inject more momentum into the nation’s unprecedented progress in scientific research and benefit from the development of new quality productive forces.

The event, held by the Bauhinia Cultural Group, saw the participation of about 150 political, business and scientific heavyweights from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Indonesia, and other regions. They gathered to share insights on the development prospects of the nation and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The forum also marks the upcoming 75th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. In his opening speech, Cui Jianchun, commissioner of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR, said the mainland and Hong Kong are facing the same challenges, such as global geopolitical instability and climate change.

Cui Jianchun, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Bauhinia Academician Lecture of the Bauhinia Culture Forum at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in Wan Chai on Aug 26, 2024. (ADAM LAM / CHINA DAILY) 

He urged the global community and Hong Kong to study the resolution adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in July, as it is important for the world to understand China’s development and the implementation of “one country, two systems” in the SAR.

Michael Wong Wai-lun, Hong Kong’s deputy financial secretary, said that the country is vigorously developing new quality productive forces — referring to productivity featuring high technology, high efficiency and high quality. He said the SAR should seize the opportunity to promote innovative technologies and woo professionals. 

ALSO READ: Chan: Local economic climate may stabilize for the rest of the year

He said Hong Kong’s roles as a super-connector and super value-adder between the country and the global community have been further underlined amid geopolitical tensions, which provides the city with broader development space.

Michael Wong Wai-lun, Hong Kong’s deputy financial secretary, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Bauhinia Academician Lecture of the Bauhinia Culture Forum at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in Wan Chai on Aug 26, 2024. (ADAM LAM / CHINA DAILY) 

The city’s confidence in innovation has been further bolstered by the increased land supply for developing technology, such as the first three buildings of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park at the Lok Ma Chau Loop, which are expected to become operational late this year, Wong said.

The SAR government will make greater efforts to help the city integrate into the nation’s overall development and contribute to the country’s progress in science and technology, Wong said.

READ MORE: CE listens to public views at Policy Address district forum

Bauhinia Culture Group Chairman Xu Zhengzhong said the group plans to invite 50 top scholars from diverse disciplines globally to Hong Kong in the coming three years, organizing a variety of academic exchanges and technology seminars aimed at engaging Hong Kong’s community, especially its young people, to contribute to the country’s innovation system and inject vitality into Hong Kong.

Xu Zhengzhong, Chairman of Bauhinia Culture Group, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Bauhinia Academician Lecture of the Bauhinia Culture Forum at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in Wan Chai on Aug 26, 2024. (ADAM LAM / CHINA DAILY) 

During his keynote speech, Chan Ching-chuen, a Hong Kong member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, highlighted China’s qualitative leap in basic research in recent years.

He stressed that China’s emphasis on scientific and technological development and the needs of scientists are both unprecedented, presenting unparalleled opportunities for global scientists.

Chan urged Hong Kong to understand and utilize its unique advantages, such as international connectivity, its legal system, and talent base, to contribute to national development and play a key role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative.

READ MORE: Top Chinese market analyst: HK stocks bottom out, but rebound evasive

By attracting international professionals and collaborating with local experts, the city can empower itself for high-quality development and contribute to the nation’s progress in developing new quality productive forces, Chan said.

Another keynote speaker — Arieh Warshel, the US 2013 Nobel laureate in chemistry — noted China’s significant progress in life science and related technologies, which has made the country a leader on the global innovation landscape.

Prominent scholars, including Martin Jacques, former senior fellow at the University of Cambridge; Shi Yigong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Lau Siu-kai, professor emeritus of sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, also shared their views on China’s milestones in scientific and technological development, as well as Hong Kong’s promising future under the unwavering and accurate implementation of “one country, two systems”.

Contact the writer at stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com