John Lee calls for Hong Kong and Dongguan cooperation on innovation, citing close ties between Greater Bay Area cities

Chief executive cites cities’ complementary strengths: Dongguan in hi-tech manufacturing, Hong Kong in connecting the Greater Bay Area to the world
More than 8,000 Hong Kong-based enterprises have operations in Dongguan, Lee says

Greater Bay Area

Yulu Ao

Published: 8:30pm, 4 Jan 2024

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Hong Kong and Dongguan leaders on Thursday pledged closer links on technology and innovation development as they eye greater collaboration to capitalise on the relative strengths of the two cities in the Greater Bay Area.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, in his first 2024 appearance outside Hong Kong, called for technology and innovation collaboration between the two cities in a bid to boost high-quality development in the bay area.

“Among the cities in the Greater Bay Area which have strong strengths in [different] industries, Dongguan has obvious advantages in hi-tech manufacturing,” Lee told the forum in Dongguan. “The city, where more than 8,000 Hong Kong enterprises are operated, about one third of those in the Greater Bay Area, has a close tie with the special administrative region.”

Lee’s call comes five years after the Chinese government issued the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area in 2019.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee attends the 2024 Greater Bay Area iForum, hosted by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, in Dongguan on January 4, 2024. Photo: Handout

The Hong Kong leader cited his visit last year to a new logistics park in Dongguan, which was developed in collaboration with Hong Kong, as an example of what the two cities can accomplish together.

Hong Kong needs to play the dual role of “superconnector” and “super value-adder”, with a view to connecting the bay area to the international market, proactively integrating into national development while consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s international competitiveness, Lee said.

Officials and business leaders from Hong Kong and Dongguan echoed Lee’s rallying cry.

“The collaboration between Hong Kong and Dongguan will play complementary effects, as Hong Kong is the international hub for finance, trade and aviation, while Dongguan is a world-renowned manufacturing city with rich experience to transform technology research into real achievements,” said Lv Chengxi, mayor of Dongguan Municipal Government.

“One out of 10 Hongkongers came from Dongguan,” he noted, citing a long history of close ties and cooperation between the two cities, from investment to technology to talent.

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Hong Kong’s industrial and commercial sectors should leverage the city’s distinctive advantage of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, Lee said.

Dongguan, which is home to 10.47 million people and some 200,000 manufacturers, has seen rapid growth over the last few years thanks to its burgeoning hi-tech industries. Samsung, Philips, DuPont, Nestle and Huawei Technologies are among the big names with facilities in the city.

Themed “Innovation Meets Smart Manufacturing: Uniting Hong Kong and Dongguan on a Journey to GBA’s Infinite Possibilities”, the forum drew more than 300 political and business leaders and representatives of enterprises in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau to jointly discuss development opportunities in the 11-city cluster.

The forum was organised by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI), the Pearl River Delta Council under the FHKI, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute.

About 1,000 business leaders in different sectors from the two cities attended a gala dinner, or “Thousand-people Banquet”, an annual event that dates back to 2002 and resumed this year after postponement during the Covid-19 period.