Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam unveils Beijing-backed boost for city’s innovation and technology sector

After unprecedented meeting attended by Vice-Premier Han Zheng, leader announces setting-up of central government-funded laboratories in city’s science park

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Carrie Lam (centre) and Fernando Chui (second right) were at the meeting, the first time that the chief executives of Hong Kong and Macau were in a working group chaired by a top Beijing leader directly reporting to the State Council. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:34pm, 15 Aug 2018Updated: 6:41am, 16 Aug 2018

Hong Kong’s innovation and technology sector is due for a significant boost from a slew of initiatives announced in Beijing on Wednesday, including the setting-up of two new state-backed laboratories in the city’s science park and a cross-border cooperation arrangement to be signed later.

The new measures were unveiled after an unprecedented meeting in the Chinese capital attended by Vice-Premier Han Zheng and other central government officials as well as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her Macau counterpart Fernando Chui Sai-on.

This was the first working group meeting on strategising the next steps for the ambitious “Greater Bay Area” project, which aims to develop Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities into a financial and innovation powerhouse to rival Silicon Valley.

Han, who chaired the session, said the project would unleash the full potential of the region, which would tie into national economic development plans, as well as President Xi Jinping’s dream of a revived China.

He spoke of “allowing Hong Kong and Macau people to shoulder the national responsibility of achieving the great revival of the Chinese nation … and sharing the motherland’s great glory of being prosperous”.

Han, ranked No 7 in the Communist Party hierarchy, is Beijing’s point man on the project as well as the top state leader in charge of affairs concerning the two former European colonies – officially confirmed on Wednesday for the first time by Zhang Xiaoming, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office.

Hong Kong’s leader joins Beijing body making ‘final decisions’ in Bay Area project

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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam unveils Beijing-backed boost for city’s innovation and technology sector

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}After unprecedented meeting attended by Vice-Premier Han Zheng, leader announces setting-up of central government-funded laboratories in city’s science park

After unprecedented meeting attended by Vice-Premier Han Zheng, leader announces setting-up of central government-funded laboratories in city’s science park