Rising Hong Kong tech firms that will make their debut at the China Hi-Tech Fair said the flagship exhibition serves as a premier platform for emerging players to make their mark, and is expected to expedite their technology iteration and broaden development trajectories.

Scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, through Sunday, this year’s event has attracted 5,000 enterprises from around the world, with an anticipated attendance of more than 450,000 professional visitors.

In an effort to enhance trade, the fair will for the first time create dedicated zones for international investors and buyers, inviting global financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs, along with top multinational companies, to seek collaboration opportunities.

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Meinong Robot, an exhibitor that develops agricultural robots for picking fruit like grapes, aims to tackle the labor shortages caused by aging workers, low income, and the demanding work conditions of the global agricultural industry.

Company founder and CEO Devin Li Deyong views the expo as a prime opportunity to expand the company’s customer base. He previously established a connection with a significant overseas client at a global grape cultivation forum in Hangzhou. Given the larger scale and international reputation of the Hi-Tech Fair, he said he believes the company’s inaugural appearance will yield fruitful results.

In addition to major agricultural provinces in China, potential clients from key overseas farming regions, such as Australia and Mexico, have also expressed interest in his products. He hopes to leverage the Hi-Tech Fair to find more cost-effective suppliers for future mass production, thereby enhancing the supply chain.

He added that because of the innovative nature of such robots, many suppliers are unaware that their components can fit the company’s needs. Broad communication through the fair is essential for precise matching with suppliers, Li said.

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Duan Zehui, CEO and chief technology officer of FluviusH2, has introduced advanced green hydrogen technology from the University of Oxford to cut the energy’s costs for industrial-scale application.

She said that a key objective of attending the fair is to help secure a new round of funding by the end of the year, which is expected to reach over ten million yuan. It can support the company’s research in the following year and expedite the development of new technologies.

Establishing a technological edge with a decade of research by her Oxford mentor, the company, though only a year old, has made rapid progress in product trials and expects to produce a mature prototype by the end of the year.

Compared to “gray hydrogen” and “blue hydrogen” produced from fossil fuels and industrial by-products, “green hydrogen”, generated through environmentally friendly methods, is the most sustainable option. Yet its high cost limits its widespread application.

Currently, the company’s enzymatic hydrogen production technology can reduce costs by half. Additionally, it is developing a new technology to produce hydrogen from seawater, addressing the fueling needs of oceangoing hydrogen vessels and suitable for regions like the Middle East, where freshwater resources are scarce.

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Haptron Scientific, an emerging optical force sensor company with a presence in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong, will unveil its latest touch perception technology for robot hands at the expo. The technology enables humanoid robots to achieve more realistic tactile perception, thereby advancing their precise movements.

Company founder and CEO Yu Chen said he hopes to explore wider applications of their technologies beyond humanoid robots through this national exhibition, such as in sports, toys, and medical fields.

He also wishes to keep up with cutting-edge trends in other innovation hubs across the country to refine the company's national strategy. “For example, Shenzhen has advantages in the consumer electronics sector, while Shanghai presents opportunities for collaboration with foreign enterprises. Hangzhou excels in algorithm development, and Beijing's concentration of universities is conducive to the expansion of emerging technologies.”

An increasing number of tech firms are pursuing cross-regional strategies to achieve optimal R&D and operational solutions, he said.

Contact the writer at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com