Sun Dong: The special administrative region government will develop the Rivertide Hong Kong Park into a world-class hub of scientific and technological innovation that connects the mainland and the international community.

On April 21, the Secretary for Innovation and Technology of Hong Kong, Mr. Sun Dong, attended a meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Commerce and Industry and Innovation and Technology Affairs and stated that the River Trade Deep-Hong Kong Science and Innovation Cooperation Zone (River Trade Zone) is a major cooperation platform in the Greater Bay Area under the country's 14th Five-Year Plan. The cooperation zone is jointly built by the Hong Kong Park and the Shenzhen Park with the concept of "one river, two banks" and "one zone, two parks". By combining the advantages of "one country, two systems" and the geographical location of "one river, two banks", the Special Administrative Region government is determined to develop the River Trade Hong Kong Park into a world-class hub connecting the mainland and the international community for scientific and technological innovation, as well as an important source of new productive forces nurtured by the country. In terms of construction progress, the Hong Kong Park officially opened in December 2025, and companies and park companies are gradually moving in. The first batch of five remaining buildings are under construction at full speed and are expected to be completed one after another within this year. In terms of investment promotion, two wet laboratory buildings have leased nearly 90% of the floor area, attracting nearly 80 companies from local, mainland, and overseas, covering key industries such as life health, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics. Mr. Sun stated that the development of the Hong Kong Park has entered a key stage of acceleration and efficiency. With the support of everyone, we are confident that the Hong Kong Park will become an important base for gathering global technology talents and companies and promoting new productive forces. The full text is as follows: The Secretary for Innovation and Technology attended the opening speech of the meeting of the Panel on Commerce and Industry and Innovation and Technology Affairs of the Legislative Council to report on the latest developments of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Science and Technology Park The following is the opening speech by Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, at the meeting of the Panel on Commerce and Industry and Innovation and Technology Affairs of the Legislative Council today (April 21): Chairman, members: The River Trade Deep-Hong Kong Science and Innovation Cooperation Zone (River Trade Zone) is a major cooperation platform in the Greater Bay Area under the national "14th Five-Year Plan". The collaboration zone was jointly built by the Hong Kong Park and the Shenzhen Park with the concept of "one river, two banks" and "one zone, two parks". By combining the advantages of "one country, two systems" and the geographical location of "one river, two banks", the Special Administrative Region government is determined to develop the River Trade Hong Kong Park into a world-class hub connecting the mainland and the international community for scientific and technological innovation, as well as an important source of new productive forces nurtured by the country. The Special Administrative Region government released the "River Trade Deep-Hong Kong Science and Innovation Cooperation Zone Hong Kong Park Development Outline" in 2024, outlining the key development directions, strategies, and objectives of the Hong Kong Park to lead its development from a top-level design. In terms of construction progress, the Hong Kong Park officially opened in December 2025, and companies and park companies are gradually moving in. The first batch of five remaining buildings are under construction at full speed and are expected to be completed one after another within this year. In terms of investment promotion, two wet laboratory buildings have leased nearly 90% of the floor area, attracting nearly 80 companies from local, mainland, and overseas, covering key industries such as life health, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics. In addition to attracting more companies of different types to settle in and building a complete innovation ecosystem, to truly leverage the unique advantages of "one zone, two parks, one river, two banks", we must implement breakthrough measures for the cross-border flow of innovative elements such as personnel, materials, data, and funds. In this regard, the Special Administrative Region government is closely consulting with Shenzhen and relevant national ministries to promote convenient measures to facilitate the cross-border flow of innovative elements through the "White List" and "Green Channel" initiatives. To align with the implementation of these policies, we need to simultaneously improve the hardware facilities. The 2025-2026 budget has allocated HKD 3.7 billion for accelerating the infrastructure and public facilities of the first phase of the park. We propose to use the funds to expedite the construction of the park's road network, establish high-performance computing facilities, and set up a biosample bank and laboratory that meet international standards. These facilities are essential support for ensuring the secure and compliant cross-border flow of data and biosamples. I urge the members to support this funding proposal. Furthermore, the government is pushing for the establishment of the Institute of Life and Health Research. In response to the strategic deployment of artificial intelligence and biotechnology in the national "15th Five-Year Plan", as well as the unique advantages of the River Trade Cooperation Zone, we propose to optimize the existing funding programs and advance in a "1+3" mode: setting up a main institute in the Hong Kong Park focusing on "artificial intelligence + life science"; and at the same time, establishing branch institutes by three local universities to leverage their respective research strengths. This adjustment does not involve additional funding but focuses more strategically on the approved HKD 6 billion to meet the needs of the country and leverage Hong Kong's strengths. We also propose to rename the project as the Institute of Life and Health Research to reflect its actual operational mode. Chairman, members, the development of the Hong Kong Park has entered a key stage of acceleration and efficiency. With the support of everyone, we are confident that the Hong Kong Park will become an important base for gathering global technology talents and companies and promoting new productive forces. My team and I, including the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Science and Technology Park, Mr. Ma Weishan, are happy to answer any questions from the members. Thank you. End April 21, 2026 (Tuesday) 15:31 Hong Kong Time