Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee today (the 13th) attended the "2026 Technology + New Quality Productive Forces Summit Forum" hosted by the Hong Kong Chinese Friendship Association, where he emphasized that as the global technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerate and break through, developing innovation and technology to lead new quality productive forces is no longer a multiple-choice question but a mandatory one.

In his speech, John Lee stated that Hong Kong's development of new quality productive forces adheres to three important directions. First, aligning with the national strategy and serving the building of a strong nation. This year marks the opening year of the national "15th Five-Year Plan," which explicitly proposes promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, developing new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, and, as always, supporting Hong Kong's development as an international innovation and technology center. The SAR government last month published the "Hong Kong First Five-Year Plan," which comprehensively aligns with the national "15th Five-Year Plan," proposing to accelerate the development of national strategic emerging industries and build a new quality productive forces system with Hong Kong characteristics tailored to local conditions. Hong Kong will continuously open up new economic tracks, become a breeding ground for new global technologies, products, and models, while vigorously advancing new industrialization, promoting the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and serving the nation's building of a strong technological power.

John Lee pointed out that the second direction is to consolidate collaborative forces and form a full-chain framework. Hong Kong must dare to break down barriers, promote efficient collaboration across different sectors of "government, industry, academia, research, and investment," and transform research achievements into market products. The authorities will continue to make good use of Hong Kong's advantages as an international financial center, guiding diversified capital into the innovation and technology sector. They will also accelerate the construction of the Northern Metropolis, using it as the primary growth engine for higher education and innovation and technology development, promoting the integrated development of education, technology, and talent, providing abundant land and spatial support for new quality productive forces, while continuously optimizing talent policies, attracting top global talent, and building a highland for international high-end talent.

The third is to leverage Hong Kong's advantages and expand its strengths in both internal and external connectivity. The key to Hong Kong's development of new quality productive forces lies in leveraging its world-leading professional services and unique advantages in international connections, making good use of the domestic and overseas research strengths gathered by Hong Kong's universities, integrating the vast mainland market with complete industrial chains, strengthening research and development in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, life and health technology, and new energy, and comprehensively promoting the deep integration of technological breakthroughs, industrial transformation, and data flows.