The SAR government will contribute to the development of the “Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area on the Rail” by advancing the Hong Kong‑Shenzhen Western Rail Link and the Northern Link Spur Line.

The government will strengthen the development of new infrastructure in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. It will promote the interconnectivity of computing infrastructure with other GBA cities and expedite the formation of enormous intelligent computing clusters, with a view to supporting the development of a cooperation hub for the computing power of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to go global, said the CE.

While delivering the five-year-plan, Lee said the government will actively participate in the technological and industry innovation of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area to develop an I&T industry chain in the 11-city cluster to foster the transformation of R&D outcomes.

The government will encourage Hong Kong’s scientific research institutions to participate in the establishment of Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Joint Laboratories and expedite the enhancement of the overall layout of the I&T ecosystem. With the Loop Hong Kong Park as the focal point, Hong Kong will further strengthen the strategic alignment with other GBA cities and facilitate the cross‑boundary flow of I&T factors.

“Seizing the strategic opportunities presented by collaboration in technological and industry innovation within the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area, we will deepen the two‑way integration of innovation chain and industry chain.”

The government will adopt a reform-oriented mindset and an early and pilot implementation approach to advance the diversified development of the Northern Metropolis.

“We will implement a series of reform measures, including the adoption of the early and pilot implementation, management, and operation mechanisms for NDAs in the Northern Metropolis, which will entail flexible land use planning to accommodate diversified industries and respond to market changes, as well as innovative and diversified development models, encouraging public‑private partnerships, etc,” said the CE.

The government will prioritize and advance the development of the Loop Hong Kong Park, with the focuses placed on development and establishing presence, in a bid to facilitate the scaling up of the I&T industry as soon as possible.

“We will coordinate and advance the development of the Hetao Shenzhen‑Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone under the vision of ‘one river, two banks’ and ‘one zone, two parks’, strengthening the alignment of the Hong Kong Park and the Shenzhen Park in terms of spatial layout, planning coordination, infrastructure connectivity, etc., and putting in place a unique and effective regulatory regime,” said Lee.

The government will support the Loop Shenzhen Park in aligning rules governing scientific research with those applicable in Hong Kong and the international arena, he added.

There are three university towns in the Northern Metropolis University Town – San Tin University Town, Hung Shui Kiu (HSK) University Town and Ta Kwu Ling (TKL) University Town. Developed based on the concept of “One Town, Five Elements”, each uniquely positioned university town encompasses the five elements of education, technology, industry, talent, and urban development for synergized development.

The educational facilities within the 300-hectare campus area of the university towns will be connected to the adjacent strategic industry area, distinctive conservation area, recreational, sports and cultural facilities, as well as the surrounding living community.

The SAR government will expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town – an internationalized university town – promote capacity expansion and quality enhancement for post‑secondary education and foster the integration of industry development with academic sectors where Hong Kong enjoys an edge, said Lee.

“We will, in a flexible and innovative mode, jointly organize top-tier programs, establish joint faculties and laboratories, and carry out high-caliber basic research with renowned mainland and overseas institutions.”

The government will leverage the strengths of Hong Kong’s internationalized post-secondary education sector to spearhead global education exchanges and will support institutions in strengthening international exchanges and connections in areas such as research collaboration, student exchange, and talent development, he added.

The SAR government will enhance the regulatory regime of the tourism industry and strengthen the talent cultivation mechanism while enhancing tourism services and bolstering infrastructure and ancillary facilities.

It will launch a new specialized tourist guide licensing program to enhance the professionalism of tourist guides and work with the tourism industry and educational institutions to expand the talent pool of tourism professionals.

Besides fostering hospitality spirit, upgrading Muslim‑friendly facilities and enhancing service quality, the government will drive the application of smart technologies in the fields of tourism to create a convenient, inclusive, and smart tourism environment, comprehensively elevating the experience of visitors.

To deepen the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism, the government will deepen thematic travel experience and promote festive events with distinctive local and international characteristics to highlight Hong Kong’s East‑meets‑West cultural edge.

It will explore more routes for city walks, foster horse‑racing tourism, promote Hong Kong’s culinary offerings, expand and strengthen our annual flagship events and enhance connections and cooperation with world‑renowned wine‑producing regions. It will consolidate the city’s position as Asia’s hub for international cruises by attracting cruise lines to deploy ships to Hong Kong and leverage Hong Kong as the homeport.

“We will fully capitalize on Hong Kong’s beautiful coastline and abundant island resources to develop island‑hopping tours and other water sports activities," said Lee.

The government will advance the extension of suitable international IP treaties to Hong Kong in an orderly manner to enhance the international alignment and overall competitiveness of Hong Kong’s IP regime. “We will deepen our cross‑boundary facilitation measures for, among others, providing enquiry services in more mainland cities, fostering business collaboration, and facilitating cross‑boundary protection, etc., so as to fast‑track the processing of eligible cross‑boundary applications for registration, so that applicants may enjoy protection in a more timely manner,” said the CE.

The government will deepen the reform of the patent system and develop a thriving and sound IP trading ecosystem. “Through institutional innovation and policy support, we will develop an IP trading hub where the cost is low and the liquidity is high, encouraging enterprises to centralize their management and exploitation of IP in Hong Kong.”

The government will develop Hong Kong into an important gateway for the country to open up and cooperate with the world in the field of I&T by strengthening global cross‑disciplinary cooperation with world‑renowned institutions, research institutes, and I&T parks, said Lee.

It will develop an international platform to facilitate exchanges among high-caliber academics and talent and host international academic conferences and publish academic journals with global influence.

It will expedite setting up a center of excellence on global advanced manufacturing in Hong Kong, which will focus on empowering frontier technology‑enabled fields such as AI+manufacturing, robotics, new energy and industrial design.