Chan says AI is reshaping Asia trade chains
Bastillepost · 3 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago5 MIN
Summary
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po (陳茂波) said on Monday that artificial intelligence is accelerating trade growth across Asia and reshaping regional supply chains, as Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation opened its first Co-Acceleration Industry Summit. The six-day summit also announced the first batch of investments under the Co-Acceleration Fund, covering four high-potential technology companies in areas including self-powered wireless internet-of-things sensing systems and AI-driven wall-climbing inspection robots.
Key Points
- The Co-Acceleration Industry Summit opened on Monday for six days, with its first two days at Hong Kong Science Park before moving to Dongguan and Hangzhou.
- Chan said innovation and technology has become the strongest engine of global economic growth, while AI is changing industries, lifting Asian trade and reshaping supply chains.
- He said Hong Kong's electronics and semiconductor exports have recorded strong growth, and investor demand for listings by AI companies in the capital market is strong.
- Chan said investors affected by geopolitics want stability, security and solid returns, and added the government is reviewing listing rules to better meet innovative firms' needs
- The Co-Acceleration Fund is described as Hong Kong's first public-private partnership focused on innovation and technology, with nine limited partners and assets of HK$500 million
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong, the message is that officials are trying to connect research, testing, financing and market access in one pipeline, rather than treating technology and capital as separate policy areas. The emphasis on complementarity with Greater Bay Area cities also points to a model in which Hong Kong focuses on finance and talent while nearby mainland cities provide manufacturing, commercialisation and scaling capacity.