As a city connected with Asia’s innovation frontier, Hong Kong welcomes New Zealand stakeholders to participate in promoting global industrial transformation, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said on Thursday.
In his keynote speech at the China Business Summit 2026 in Auckland, Sun said the city has identified life and health technologies, AI and robotics, advanced manufacturing and new energy as strategic tech industries, and wants to attract New Zealand talent and investment to join its innovation and technology (I&T) sector, which has a full pipeline from research to industrial application.
“Like New Zealand, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has identified AI as the core industry. We are building an ecosystem that supports ‘industries for AI and AI for industries’, echoing China’s national AI+ initiative.”
On the subject of chips, the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute was set up in 2024, focusing on technologies related to the third-generation semiconductor. The pilot lines for R&D will commence operation this year.
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To promote industrial transformation, Hong Kong has deployed substantial policy and financial support, including three HK$10 billion ($1.27 billion) initiatives, namely the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme to foster transformation of R&D outcomes; the New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme to support the setup of smart production lines in Hong Kong; and the I&T Industry-Oriented Fund to encourage market capital to invest in strategic industries.
In 2025, Hong Kong ranked fourth globally in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking. And the city’s start-up ecosystem has grown by 40 percent in five years, reaching 5,200 start-ups, and it has witnessed the birth of 20 unicorns.
Besides the existing I&T ecosystem, “Our commitment to new industrialization is further reinforced by a recent joint statement with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to advance industrial development, innovation and digital transformation,” Sun said.
In addition to the city’s local opportunities, cooperating with Hong Kong means access to the gateway to Asia’s innovation frontier, Sun said.
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As the freest economy in the world for many years, Sun said through Hong Kong, New Zealand companies can reach not only the Chinese mainland, but also the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the broader Asia-Pacific.
For example, the Hetao Hong Kong Park, which opened last December, is designed to be a world-class I&T hub connecting the mainland and the world. With seamless cross-border access, shared research facilities, joint laboratories, and preferential policies for global talent and enterprises, it is an ideal testing ground for innovation that blends Hong Kong’s R&D strength with the manufacturing power of nearby Shenzhen and the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
As a natural extension of the Hetao, the San Tin Technopole will be Hong Kong’s flagship I&T industrial base, enabling prototyping, pilot production and mass production base. Together, Hetao Hong Kong Park and San Tin Technopole form a powerful bridge linking global tech talent and enterprises with the Greater Bay Area’s 88-million-strong market and comprehensive supply chain.
Contact the writer at thor_wu@chinadailyhk.com
