‘HK’s future lies in younger generation, sci-tech industry’

OVER the past 25 years since returning to the motherland, Hong Kong has made huge progress in social and economic development. Speaking on how Hong Kong can open a new chapter of development, Samson Tam, a member of the Fourth Hong Kong Legislative Council Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting, told Shenzhen Daily that he believed that Hong Kong’s future lies in the younger generation and the sci-tech industry.

Samson Tam delivers a speech at a startup acceleration camp organized by Zebras. Photos courtesy of the interviewee

“It is very important to let the younger generation to have hope and embrace innovation and technology. Hong Kong should provide them with the seeds of innovation and entrepreneurship. There are enough tech talents in Hong Kong, but its sci-tech industry is underdeveloped, and the current land resource is inadequate for the industry’s development,” Tam said, adding that he expects the Hong Kong government to utilize the land resources in its northern part and build it into a base of Hong Kong’s sci-tech industry.

Samson Tam

Last year, Carrie Lam, the fifth-term chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), proposed the Northern Metropolis construction plan in her policy speech, which covers the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Boundary Control Points Economic Belt, Yuen Long and North districts, with a total land area of about 300 square kilometers. Lam said the metropolis will provide more land for housing and technology development.

Tam said it is also important for Hong Kong sci-tech companies to strengthen interaction with mainland industrial resources. He founded the Zebras startup accelerator in Qianhai in 2020 to offer Hong Kong startups more and easier access to industrial resources, capital and talents.

“I wish to help them grow strong and take root in the soil of the [Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao] Greater Bay Area (GBA) for better development at Zebras,” he said.

Tam also emphasized that Hong Kong should put in more effort to attract technology talents from around the world and make the city an international hub for scientific manpower. He said Hong Kong could serve as a window for sci-tech companies in Shenzhen and the GBA to tap the overseas market.

“To keep cultivating and attracting talents in the professional service industry is not enough for Hong Kong. What’s more important is to attract international scientific and technological talents, and let them fit in the development of the GBA,” Tam said.