Hong Kong is aiming to become an international innovation and innovation hub with artificial intelligence at its core, contributing to a global push to green innovation in the face of growing climate urgency, the city’s finance chief said on Thursday.
“Hong Kong is committed to making our transport systems smarter and greener, both as an innovator of new technologies and a user of cutting-edge solutions,” Paul Chan Mo-po said while delivering a speech at the International Conference on Roads and Railways 2025.
Saying that the momentum towards smart and sustainable mobility is accelerating around the world, he underscored the necessity of green infrastructure.
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A city’s transportation systems should be built “smarter and greener”, he said, describing it as the backbone of economic and societal growth.
A key means to do so is transit-oriented development, a planning approach that integrates high-density urban development with efficient public transport systems, according to the financial secretary.
Citing Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis strategy, he said the densely populated special administrative region has been a pioneer in transit-oriented development.
“With a projected population of 2.5 million and over 650,000 new jobs, its development will be ‘infrastructure-led’ and ‘capacity-creating’ – with key projects such as the Northern Metropolis Highway and the Northern Link driving connectivity and growth in the region.”
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Highlighting the SAR’s technological expertise and experiences in developing cross-boundary land transport infrastructures, he said Hong Kong aims to become an innovation hub.
“We are investing heavily in four key technology areas: AI and robotics, biotech, fintech, and new energy and materials,” he said.
Hong Kong welcomes tech innovators from around the world to exchange solutions, co-create new applications, and shape the future of mobility together, he said.
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Touting Hong Kong’s status as a global financial center and Asia’s leading green bond market, Chan said the city can provide practical and scalable solutions to accelerate the delivery of essential and sustainable transport networks, hence smoothing infrastructure funding.
“I believe the path to smarter and greener mobility is full of potential, and it is through collaboration, innovation and shared commitment that we will realize it,” he added.
