CE ADVISER MEETING HELD

The Chief Executive's Council of Advisers on Innovation & Strategic Development Strategy held its 13th meeting today during which members gave advice on the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy and the future of re-industrialisation.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam shared with members that the development strategy is strategically planned to provide the spatial capacity and policy direction for Hong Kong to continue to flourish both socially and economically, especially in integrating into the national development.

She remarked that the Northern Metropolis with its focus on innovation and technology (I&T), together with the Harbour Metropolis which supports the city as international financial and business centre, will be the twin engines for Hong Kong’s economic growth in future.

Adopting a transport infrastructure-led approach, the development strategy proposed five additional new railway projects, three of which are cross-boundary, to improve local transport infrastructure connectivity and facilitate passenger flow between Hong Kong and the Mainland.

Members unanimously welcomed the development strategy as a visionary plan driving Hong Kong's future development.

Being the first strategic plan with a spatial concept going beyond the Shenzhen River, they appreciated that it would facilitate close collaboration between the governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen in areas such as economic development, infrastructure, I&T, people's livelihood and ecological development.

Members suggested establishing an institutional mechanism to strengthen liaison and co-operation with Shenzhen to assure smooth implementation of the development strategy.

With the vision of developing the Northern Metropolis as an international I&T hub, they recommended that the Government should proactively nurture local talent as well as devise suitable programmes to attract more Mainland and overseas talent. 

Members were also briefed on the findings of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries’ research project “Made by Hong Kong – The Way Forward for Hong Kong Industries”.

The federation’s three major advocacies to the Government include developing local re-industrialisation of selected industries to build core technological competence, strengthening producer services to become the hub of regional manufacturing development and reviewing economic data to reflect industrial development.

Members echoed the importance for Hong Kong to develop high value-added manufacturing through re-industrialisation and agreed that proper recognition should be given to the significant contributions of producer services in pushing forward the city’s industrial development.

Mrs Lam agreed to the need for building a more complete I&T ecosystem by allowing smart and technology-driven manufacturing activities to take root in Hong Kong.

She noted that the construction of Advanced Manufacturing Centre in Tseung Kwan O and Microelectronics Centre in Yuen Long, together with the recent strategic move of the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation to reposition existing three industrial estates as InnoParks, are part of Hong Kong's broader drive to move in that direction.

The development strategy has further boosted these efforts by earmarking more land for advanced manufacturing in the San Tin Technopole and recommended new land disposal approach to help lure overseas and Mainland firms to set up a manufacturing base in Hong Kong that would be conducive to the growth of priority I&T areas, she added.

The Chief Executive looked forward to working closely with the federation and other stakeholders to put in place the necessary enabling policy measures to invigorate industrial development.

She hosted a lunch before the meeting for members.

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