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