The government on Wednesday unveiled the development outline for the Hong Kong section of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, with the gross floor area in phase one doubling from what was initially planned. The tech zone stretches across the Shenzhen River, covering 302 hectares in Shenzhen and 87 hectares in Hong Kong. The SAR section will be developed in two five-year phases, with phase one covering 1 million square metres. "After reviewing the future development, in particular the high demand from the market for the Hetao Hong Kong Park, we decided to greatly increase the floor area. And after the hard work and also discussion with the other bureaus and departments, eventually we are able to offer about 1 million square metres for the phase one development," Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said. The tech zone will feature three main areas, focusing on life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, and advanced manufacturing and new technology. More than two-thirds of the space in phase one is planned for laboratories and research areas, while there will be land set aside for accommodation, visitor lodges and commercial spaces. In addition, a contact-less clearance process will be implemented to link the parks in Shenzhen and Hong Kong to facilitate personnel flow, and to allow people crossing the border to travel to other parts of the SAR as well. Deputy Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Carrie Chang said the government will discuss details with mainland authorities. "At this point in time, our thinking is that those people would have to be pre-registered. In terms of who they are, they should be the employees of the tenants of the two parks because they do have the need to commute between the two parks frequently," Chang said. "And then the list should be accepted by both authorities because after all, it's cross-boundary travel. When we have further details, after further discussion with the mainland authorities, we will inform the members of the public suitably." The government added that there are plans to build footbridges over the Shenzhen River to link the Shenzhen and Hong Kong parks as well, but details are still being discussed.
