Chief Executive John Lee today officiated at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.

The Hetao Co-operation Zone is one of the four major co-operation platforms among the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. The Hong Kong Park is envisioned to develop into a world-class hub for technological innovation that connects the Chinese Mainland with the international community, and to serve as an important source for fostering and advancing new quality productive forces for the country.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Lee remarked that the development objective of the Hetao Co-operation Zone is set out to become a world-class innovation platform. As a major national technological innovation co-operation zone, it spans across two different social systems geographically, leveraging the strengths of the respective economic frameworks and judicial regimes.

“We will continue to drive forward the construction and development of the Hong Kong Park by optimising institutional integration, strengthening policy support, actively attracting high-quality enterprises and world-class research teams, etc. 

“I am confident that the Hetao Co-operation Zone will emerge as a bridgehead and testing ground for Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) development. It will also become a showcase for pioneering policies within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and across the global innovation landscape. It is a powerful Hong Kong engine for growth.”

The Hong Kong Park is developed in batches under two phases. Out of the eight buildings in the first batch of Phase 1 development, two wet-laboratory enabled buildings and a talent accommodation building have been completed, providing about 32,000 sq m of floor area and 100 apartment units respectively. 

More than 60 institutions and enterprises have begun moving into the wet laboratory buildings, while the talent accommodation welcomed the first batch of tenants this month. Construction work of the foundation and superstructures for the remaining five buildings have commenced and will be completed progressively starting from 2027 onwards. 

The planning and development layout for the park's Phase 2 development has been finalised. The two phases together will offer a total floor area of up to 2 million sq m. Functionally, the park will be divided into different technological zones focusing on pillar industries such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, new technologies and advanced manufacturing, thereby fostering the integrated development of upstream, midstream and downstream industries and building a comprehensive I&T industry chain.

To expedite the park's construction work, the park company has rolled out an expression of interest exercise to gauge the market's interest in selected plots of the remaining land of Phase 1 development, with a view to leveraging market forces to develop the park in an accelerated and efficient manner. The park company received 27 responses and is currently analysing them with a view to preparing for launching the land plots in an orderly manner starting from 2026. 

At the ceremony, Mr Lee also announced the official commencement of the Western Cross-River Link Bridge Project which will connect the two parks in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. This project will open up the transportation network of the Hetao Co-operation Zone. The two sides will adopt a design concept of integrating the cross-boundary bridge with the surrounding ecological environment and with an emphasis on low-carbon technology, safety and convenience, and pleasant scenery, as well as adopting a "single-span across the river" approach in construction, which will serve as a new landmark to connect the two parks under the concept of "one zone, two parks" while creating an innovation network in the Greater Bay Area.

Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Xu Qifang, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR Zhou Ji, Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Luo Huangho, Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn also attended the opening ceremony.

Mr Lee also visited the park's wet laboratory buildings to learn about its facilities, environment and the facilitation measures provided for the tenant enterprises by the park company. He also exchanged views with representatives of the I&T enterprises which have already set foot in the park.