Central authorities' measures benefit Hong Kong's I&T development: HKSAR official

HONG KONG -- Alfred Sit, secretary for innovation and technology of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said Tuesday that the latest measures announced by the country's Ministry of Science and Technology will strengthen the support for Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T).

Sit made the remarks at a seminar on the central government's science and technology policies benefitting Hong Kong.

He said that the new measures will help the Hong Kong research sector obtain more resources to conduct research and development work and allow Hong Kong researchers to better utilize the strengths of Hong Kong and contribute to meeting the needs of the country.

Sit stressed that the National 14th Five-Year Plan indicates clear support for Hong Kong's development into an international I&T hub.

"Outstanding researchers in Hong Kong are eager to give play to the strengths of Hong Kong in basic research with a view to developing Hong Kong into a global influential I&T hub and contributing to building the country into one which is strong in science and technology," he said.

The measures benefitting Hong Kong include opening up more national-level science and technology programs to Hong Kong, welcoming personnel and experts in Hong Kong's science and technology sector to participate in nationwide academic associations of the China Association for Science and Technology as well as be admitted to the National Science and Technology Expert Database and the Award Assessment Expert Database, deepening science and technology exchanges between people in the mainland and Hong Kong.

Tan Tieniu, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said at the seminar that Hong Kong has ushered in a new stage of governance and prosperity, and the central government will give unprecedented support to Hong Kong in building an international science and technology innovation center.

Tan hoped that Hong Kong's scientific and technological circles would firmly seize the historical opportunity.