Xi’s response a game changer in city’s sci-tech development
When I turned 80, I did something I had in mind for a long time. I wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping. It wasn’t on a whim. I had my reasons and it has been my historic mission and responsibility to call for action to address the scant attention being paid to Hong Kong’s sci-tech development.
As a scientist, I don’t consider myself old enough to retire. It’s a never-ending quest for me to continue exploring the laws of nature in the hope of blessing all mankind. That’s why I wrote to Xi to draw his attention to Hong Kong’s scientific development.
I was born in Indonesia and returned to the country in 1953. As a foreigner living in Indonesia, I constantly felt insecure without a strong motherland. China, which used to be a powerful country but weak in sci-tech development, was being bullied then.
Technology is the name of the game if Hong Kong is to punch above its weight, transforming itself into a brand-new “Pearl of the Orient” and becoming an international metropolis desired by all.
As a Chinese person, I was thrilled when President Xi vowed in 2016 to make the nation a tech powerhouse. I knew then that the time was ripe for Hong Kong to seek greater sci-tech advancement as part of the nation’s lofty goal.
Heavy attention has been given to technology by generations of State leaders. Be that as it may, national tech-related funding was still out of reach of Hong Kong scientists. I brought up the idea when I was a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. But, the matter was up in the air as I was told it would involve many departments.
Xi’s letter was a game changer. His letter went down in history as a milestone for Hong Kong’s sci-tech development, both spiritually and materially. It pointed out the directions for Hong Kong’s scientific-technology development — the SAR has to participate deeply in national blueprints and make itself a global innovation and technology hub. This inspired many Hong Kong scientists.
Whether Hong Kong should develop technology has long been debated since the handover. When Hong Kong was ruled by the British, there was no need for the city to develop technology as it only had to rely on the colonizers. But, following the handover, Hong Kong is now a special administrative region of the country — a fundamental transformation. However, trade has long been the main component of Hong Kong’s economy. The city has deep-water ports, its residents are up to the mark in business and, naturally, it’s a trading, shipping and financial center. It has no space for technology.
When the SAR’s former chief executives planned to develop technology, there were always different voices in the community. But, this time, Xi pointed out that Hong Kong should be an international innovation and technology hub, affirming the city’s critical role in the nation’s scientific-technology development. The president’s instructions have enriched “one country, two systems” and the connotation of the Basic Law in terms of science and technology.
On top of that, Xi’s instructions have helped Hong Kong resolve many of the city’s deeprooted problems. In line with his instructions, central government departments issued a series of policies that have enabled Hong Kong scientists to apply for funds for national scientific projects, and offered tariff cuts for Hong Kong universities’ branches on the Chinese mainland in purchasing overseas scientific facilities.
As far as I know, at least HK$620 million ($79 million) in national scientific project funds has been allocated to Hong Kong scientists to support about 310 scientific projects.
At the national level, Hong Kong has gained growing attention for its sci-tech ambitions, as shown in the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan (202125), which explicitly laid out eight lofty goals for the SAR to become international centers in various sectors, including innovation and technology.
Although I’m now 85, it’s not the end of my career. I want to waste no time in developing science like my idol, the “father of hybrid rice” Yuan Longping, who returned to a farm in Hunan province after receiving a national award at the Great Hall of the People.
If I had the chance to write to Xi again, I would tell him that “one country, two systems” is being steadily implemented in Hong Kong and, under his instructions, Hong Kong scientists will fulfill their responsibilities and take practical action to make the SAR a better place.