Alfred Sit: Land is important to drive industrial and I&T development

Secretary for Innovation & Technology Alfred Sit on Monday (Oct. 11) engaged stakeholders on the innovation and technology (I&T) initiatives outlined in the Chief Executive's 2021 Policy Address.

Sit met representatives of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

This year's Policy Address proposes the concept of Twin Cities, Three Circles in which the San Tin Technopole and the Shenzhen I&T zone will together form the Shenzhen-Hong Kong I&T Co-operation Zone of 540 hectares.

The plan aims to complement I&T development in Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, making I&T a new impetus to the economy of Hong Kong and developing the city into an international I&T hub as promulgated in the 14th Five-Year Plan.

To consolidate Hong Kong's leading position in basic research, the Policy Address has earmarked a four-hectare site for the University of Hong Kong and a 2.5-hectare site for the Chinese University of Hong Kong for research use, and will continue to implement the Global STEM Professorship Scheme to pool local and non-local research and development (R&D) talent.

The Government will also explore the extension of the Immigration Arrangement for Non-local Graduates to cover graduates of Hong Kong universities' bay area campuses.

Sit expressed hope that by driving R&D and pooling talent, Hong Kong's edge in talents and basic research can be strengthened and the role of the local technology sector in promoting national technological advancement can be further enhanced.

As such, he emphasised that Hong Kong can better utilise its strengths and contribute to meeting the needs of the country.

Sit thanked industry representatives for supporting the Policy Address initiatives on the development of land and infrastructure for I&T and advanced industries.

He stressed that land is important to drive industrial and I&T development, noting that the Policy Address has earmarked several sites for I&T uses and the San Tin Technopole will be able to provide land for the relevant research and advanced manufacturing industries.

The Government has also invited the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation to start planning for the construction of the second Advanced Manufacturing Centre.

Sit added that such initiatives are illustrations of the Government's determination to develop a more comprehensive I&T ecosystem, enabling reindustrialisation to take root in the city.