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The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, today (December 17) attended the 2nd World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, and addressed the Forum on Internet Innovation.
Prior to the Forum, Mr Yang met with the Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Mr Lu Wei. Mr Yang said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is committed to strengthening the co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong in innovation and technology and promoting the further development of the information technology industry. The proposals of the National 13th Five-Year Plan set out the implementation of the "Internet Plus" action plan, development of technology and application of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet economy, unleashing new opportunities.
In his speech on the topic of innovation opportunities for cross-boundary e-commerce, Mr Yang said the HKSAR Government has been working towards stronger collaboration with the Mainland in pushing ahead the development of cross-boundary e-commerce. Riding on the advantages of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong, as an international trade and financial centre and global logistics hub with a robust legal system and free flow of information, provides a favourable environment as a bridge for Mainland e-commerce enterprises in exploring the international market.
He said,"The highlights of the National 13th Five-Year Plan will integrate with 'Internet Plus', the 'Made in China 2025' strategy and the 'Belt and Road' Initiative.
"In the development of standards and platforms for the next-generation Internet, IoT and international e-commerce, the HKSAR's soft power will no doubt help in transforming the standards and platforms of the Mainland into the international ones."
He pointed out that momentum is gathering steam when it comes to the ecosystem for technology start-ups in Hong Kong. The number of start-ups has exceeded 1,500, increasing by 40 per cent when compared with last year. In addition to the incubation centres and incubators funded by the HKSAR Government, 45 co-working spaces, incubation centres and accelerators have been put in place in the past five years and most of them are privately funded. Many start-ups nurtured in Hong Kong have gained support from international and Mainland investors and opened up the overseas markets.
He added, "Several multinational corporations have launched accelerator programmes for various industries in Hong Kong, covering medical and health services and smart city initiatives.
"The FinTech Innovation Lab set up in Hong Kong is the third of its kind in the world after similar accelerator programmes launched in New York and London."
Also speaking at the Forum on Internet Innovation were the Founder of Yahoo, Mr Jerry Yang; the Chairman of China Broadband Capital, Mr Edward Tian; CEO and Co-founder of Airbnb Mr Brian Chesky; the Founding and Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital China, Mr Shen Nanpeng; the Vice President of Baidu, Mr Zhu Guang; and the Founder of NovuMind, Mr Wu Ren.
On the margins of the World Internet Conference, Mr Yang held a meeting this morning with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hon Hai/Foxconn Technology Group, Mr Terry Gou, to introduce the work of Innovation and Technology Bureau and exchange views on re-industrialisation.
With a theme of "An Interconnected World Shared and Governed by All - Building a Community of Common Future in Cyberspace", the 2nd World Internet Conference is co-organised by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government.
Ends/Thursday, December 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:00
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