Hong Kong has great potential in I&T in national blueprint: experts

HONG KONG, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Attenders at a seminar held on Tuesday on Hong Kong's opportunities in the national 14th Five-Year Plan said Hong Kong has a great potential in the field of innovation and technology (I&T) in the national blueprint.

The seminar, entitled "Strategic Planning of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Opportunities for Hong Kong", was jointly organized by the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, the Hong Kong Coalition, and "One country, two systems" Research Institute. Government officials, experts and scholars from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong attended the seminar offline and online.

Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that the aim of the seminar was to interpret the 14th Five-Year Plan by authorized persons so that all sectors of Hong Kong can understand the national development plan, and help Hong Kong to actively integrate into the overall development of the country and seize new opportunities in the next five years.

Hu Zucai, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, elaborated on key points, main goals and other content of The Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and The Long-Range Objectives Through the Year of 2035.

He said the outline has a whole chapter on continuous support for the development of Hong Kong and Macao.

He added that in other relevant chapters, the speeding up of the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the development of Hong Kong and Macao are deliberated jointly. This has fully demonstrated that the central government's firm support for the prosperity and development of Hong Kong and Macao will remain unchanged, Hu said.

Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang said that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the country will give strong support to Hong Kong in building a state-level research platform and deepening collaborative innovation between Hong Kong and the mainland so as to turn Hong Kong into an international center for science and technology innovation at an early date.

Noting Hong Kong is an important component of the national science and technology innovation system, Wang said that Hong Kong's talents, with strong skills and enthusiasm on innovation, have taken the initiative to jointly promote the development of national science and technology innovation with the mainland peers.

Young talents from Hong Kong are encouraged to study and do research in the mainland. In particular, the country will create more opportunities for them in mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, he said.

Xu Ze, president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong SAR and the Macao SAR have made substantial progress in cooperation on financial laws, health care, education and transport infrastructure since the launch of an outline development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area over two years ago.

He believed that participating in and promoting the Greater Bay Area is the most important way for Hong Kong to achieve greater development while integrating into the overall development of the country.

Xu also emphasized the importance of breakthroughs in key areas such as the International Science and Technology Innovation Center, as well as top-level design and implementation of policies among the three regions.

Liu Yuanchun, vice president of Renmin University of China, said Hong Kong's technological innovation positioning should shift from high-end and internationalized education to the technological innovation system and the real economy.

Lionel M. Ni, provost and chair professor of computer science and engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said Hong Kong should tap into its advantage in education and basic research, and cultivate an environment favorable for retaining technological innovation talents.

Charles Li, former chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, said that with its institutional advantages, Hong Kong plays a crucial role in the country's innovative development in the areas of talents, capital, intellectual property rules and others.