PR100301

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 1, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

In a recent move, the Chinese government unveiled the Development Plan for

Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation

Cooperation Zone. This release ushers in fresh opportunities for urban

collaboration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A wave of

scientific and technological innovation is sweeping across both Shenzhen and

the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone

is situated in the northern part of the HKSAR and the central-southern part of

Shenzhen, spanning an area of 3.89 square kilometers. Its two sections are

separated by the Shenzhen River, with the 0.87-square-kilometer Hong Kong Park

on the southern bank and the 3.02-square-kilometer Shenzhen Park on the

northern bank. These two parks are seamlessly connected through the Futian Port

and Huanggang Port -- the two land gateways that facilitate a direct linkage

between Shenzhen and the HKSAR.

"The City University of Hong Kong is only a thirty- to forty-minute journey

away from here," said Prof. Chen Fu-Rong, director of the City University of

Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, who is researching electron microscopes

at the Shenzhen Park. He underscored the critical significance of "eureka

moments" in scientific innovation. "Whenever I come up with an idea in Hong

Kong, I can promptly experiment with it in the laboratory here. This is

incredibly important," he added.

Scientific and technological innovation stands as the "common denominator" that

underpins the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation. With an array of policies in

play, the Shenzhen Park hones in on life sciences, information sciences, and

materials sciences as focal points for industrial development. Through vigorous

spatial reconfiguration, multiple policy support, and many other facilitative

initiatives, the park successfully draws in resources to cultivate sci-tech

innovation, thereby creating an ever more robust innovative atmosphere.

Dr. Wong Ying-ho, deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Coalition and a

member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, expressed, "In the

ever-competitive landscape of innovative technology, the HKSAR boasts

prestigious universities that are appealing to global talents. Simultaneously,

Shenzhen embodies a thriving culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Collaboration between these two powerhouses is poised to yield optimal

outcomes."

Given differences in legal, systemic, and regulatory frameworks, Shenzhen and

the HKSAR have faced various impediments in realizing the cross-border flow of

sci-tech innovation factors, open resource sharing, and cooperative

advancements in the technology sector. The promulgation of the Plan injects new

momentum into the Shenzhen Park, enabling it to surmount collaboration

challenges and address the "growing pains" along its development.

According to the development objectives in the Plan, by 2035, a comprehensive

pattern of collaborative innovation between the Shenzhen Park and Hong Kong

Park will have taken shape, forming a world-class research hub with globally

leading innovation capacities and a free and orderly cross-border flow of

innovation factors.

Source: Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology

Innovation Cooperation Zone