Hetao Park Key to Northern Metropolis Growth, Government Touts Strategic Hub
SingTao · 1 SOURCES1 day ago3 MIN
Summary
Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau Permanent Secretary and Hetao Company Board Chairman Choi Kit-ming delivered a keynote address at the Sing Tao Real Estate Development Forum 2026, positioning the Northern Metropolis as Hong Kong's future economic engine and the Hetao Hong Kong Park as its core 'ignition device' . The 87-hectare park, situated in Lok Ma Chau and spanning four times the size of Hong Kong Science Park, officially opened in October 2025 and has already attracted over 100 tech enterprises and institutions . Choi emphasized that the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone's strategic planning has been elevated to a national level, marking a significant milestone in Hong Kong's positioning within China's 15th Five-Year Plan framework .
Key Points
- The Hetao Hong Kong Park opened in October 2025, covering 87 hectares in Lok Ma Chau—four times the size of Hong Kong Science Park—with over 100 innovation companies and institutions having signed contracts to set up operations
- Two completed laboratory buildings are fully leased, while Building 1 has reached 80% pre-leasing rate, with four additional government-funded buildings scheduled for completion by end of 2026
- The government has injected an additional HK$10 billion into the Hetao Company, with partial adoption of public-private partnership model to accelerate development of remaining park land
- A dedicated cross-river bridge connecting the Hong Kong and Shenzhen parks targets completion by mid-2027, enabling convenient movement of qualified researchers and specialized vehicles between the two zones
- The '1+3' life and health research model will establish a government-owned headquarters plus three branch hospitals operated by local universities within the park, complementing the InnoHK platform launch
Why It Matters
The integration of Hetao into China's 15th Five-Year Plan as a dedicated chapter represents a historic elevation of Hong Kong's innovation infrastructure to national strategic status, potentially unlocking policy support and cross-border facilitation that could transform the city into a global research hub. The three-tier development approach—linking Hetao's upstream research capabilities with New Territories Science City's 210-hectare downstream industrialization zone and the Greater Bay Area's manufacturing base—creates a complete ecosystem for 'Hong Kong R&D, Bay Area manufacturing, global sales' that could generate substantial economic diversification benefits for Hong Kong .
The integration of Hetao into China's 15th Five-Year Plan as a dedicated chapter represents a historic elevation of Hong Kong's innovation infrastructure to national strategic status, potentially unlocking policy support and cross-border facilitation that could transform the city into a global research hub. The three-tier development approach—linking Hetao's upstream research capabilities with New Territories Science City's 210-hectare downstream industrialization zone and the Greater Bay Area's manufacturing base—creates a complete ecosystem for 'Hong Kong R&D, Bay Area manufacturing, global sales' that could generate substantial economic diversification benefits for Hong Kong .