Innovation and technology highlights in Policy Address

Measures to boost Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development will be among the major highlights of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s maiden Policy Address on Wednesday.

In a posting on Facebook last week, Lam called on the public to stay tuned to the government’s moves to support innovation and technology, saying the industry will not only inject new economic impetus into the city, but also help tackle problems such as social mobility and high-quality employment for youths.

Key players in the innovation and technology sector have welcomed the government’s intention to back the industry, saying this would enable Hong Kong to attain new heights in economic performance.

Chen Guanhua, co-founder of incubator Hong Kong X-Tech Startup Platform (HKX), said Lam’s proposals to boost innovation and technology development are in line with the need to enhance the mobility of the city’s youths.

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong — the city’s biggest political party — also backed Lam’s vision.

In a statement, it hoped that the government will set up a special committee for Hong Kong’s Smart City development and launch a data-sharing platform. By so doing, the government would offer a better public service to the people of Hong Kong, it said.

Soon after taking office on July 1, Lam said innovation and technology, along with artificial intelligence and the creative industry, would serve as Hong Kong’s new economic growth engines.