Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas Yang visited Seattle and California in September.
On September 16, Mr Yang updated the US technology sector in Seattle on the opportunities arising from the latest developments of innovation and technology in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, speaks at a leadership luncheon in San Francisco on the opportunities presented by Hong Kong's participation in developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into an international innovation and technology hub.
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During the meeting with Microsoft’s management, Mr Yang said he was glad to see the R&D collaboration that Microsoft has been building in Hong Kong with Cyberport, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and local tertiary institutes and hoped Microsoft will continue to work with various sectors of Hong Kong in accelerating digital transformation.
He also told the audience at a business luncheon co-organized by Greater Seattle Partners and the Washington State China Relations Council about the fast growing start-up ecosystem and that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is very determined in developing innovation and technology, with a commitment of US$ 12.8 billion in the past two years. A super tax deduction of up to 300 per cent has been introduced to incentivize private businesses to invest more in R&D. Two key research clusters are being formed, Health@InnoHK and AIR@InnoHK, focusing on healthcare and robotics technologies. With Hong Kong’s active participation for developing an international innovation and technology hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Mr Yang encouraged US companies to grasp new business opportunities in Hong Kong.
At the meeting with Amazon Web Services’ executives, Mr Yang said he was delighted to see Amazon Web Services launching a cloud region in Hong Kong earlier this year, enhancing Hong Kong’s position as an international data hub and promoting wider use of cloud among local small and medium enterprises.
In San Francisco Bay Area, Mr Yang spoke at a business luncheon on “Bay-to-Bay” connection and Hong Kong’s technology development. He said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) brings together the competitive advantages of the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao and nine cities in Guangdong Province. This far-reaching economic development concept generates enormous opportunities, via a vibrant consumer market of over 70 million people and a combined gross domestic product of US$ 1.6 trillion. The GBA development has a strong focus on I&T. He encouraged technology enterprises in the US to leverage on the opportunities brought about by the GBA development to achieve a win-win outcome.
During his stay in San Francisco, he visited Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s JLABS to learn more about its incubation program in accelerating healthcare innovation. Mr Yang encouraged Johnson & Johnson to strengthen collaboration with universities in Hong Kong and take part in the Health@InnoHK initiative.
Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang (right) with Senior Deputy Mayor of Seattle, Mr Michael Fong, in Seattle. |
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Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang (first left), visits Johnson & Johnson Innovation's JLABS in San Francisco and meets with its Director of Sourcing Innovation, Ms Erika Kula (second left). Next to them are the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco, Mr Ivanhoe Chang (second right), and the Head of the Biomedical Technology Cluster of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Professor W John Kao (first right).
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