Belt and Road Forum Spotlights Tech Pivot: Can Hong Kong Move Beyond Mediation Role?
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The 11th Belt and Road Summit returns to Hong Kong on September 9-10 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, set against a shifting landscape where tech innovation has overtaken conventional infrastructure and trade as the core engine of high-quality Belt and Road collaboration. A commentary published Monday argues that Hong Kong's historical reliance on financing and professional services is no longer sufficient as cooperation evolves from building roads and bridges to joint research, technology transfer, and rule-making. The piece calls for Hong Kong to advance from a "super connector" earning commissions to a "super partner" sharing equity stakes.
Key Points
- The 11th Belt and Road Summit will be held September 9-10 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with tech innovation cooperation as the dominant theme .
- Africa hosts the world's fastest-growing mobile internet market, with AI projected to contribute US$2.9 trillion to Africa's economy by 2030, yet Africa holds only 1% of global AI talent and AI startups receive just 0.03% of global venture capital .
- The China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Plan (2026-2030) outlines over 40 cooperation areas focused on building a vibrant tech innovation ecosystem .
- China has proposed supplying ASEAN with 1,000 advanced technologies while supporting 300 ASEAN young scientists for exchanges in China over five years .
- China's CRRC Corporation implemented a "five-localization" model in Thailand, covering manufacturing, procurement, labor, maintenance, and management, that helped the country build its first vibration fatigue and static strength testing facilities .
Why It Matters
The summit arrives as Belt and Road cooperation fundamentally transforms from capital-intensive construction projects to knowledge-economy collaboration in AI, quantum technology, and green development. For Hong Kong, the stakes are high: failing to upgrade its participation model risks reducing the city to a transit point rather than a strategic node in the new innovation-driven partnership framework .
The summit arrives as Belt and Road cooperation fundamentally transforms from capital-intensive construction projects to knowledge-economy collaboration in AI, quantum technology, and green development. For Hong Kong, the stakes are high: failing to upgrade its participation model risks reducing the city to a transit point rather than a strategic node in the new innovation-driven partnership framework .