John Lee urges start-ups to seize opportunities through ‘golden gateway’ of Hong Kong

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu of Hong Kong urged global entrepreneurs and investment entities to take advantage of the city's status as a "golden gateway" to the Chinese mainland. Speaking at the inaugural Global Unicorn Summit, Lee emphasized Hong Kong's unique advantages as a strategic "superconnector" and "super value-adder" between the mainland and the international community.

He highlighted the city's world-class capital market, common-law system, low-tax environment, extensive global trade network, and pool of top-tier international professionals as reasons for its appeal to overseas companies and mainland unicorns seeking to expand internationally. Lee pointed out that Hong Kong serves as a testing ground for technological breakthroughs and a catalyst for transforming research outcomes into global markets.

He revealed that the city hosted over 11,000 mainland and overseas companies and incubated 20 unicorns in the previous decade, making it a premier launchpad for international innovation and technology firms seeking to penetrate the mainland market. Lee also announced the government's plans to develop high-caliber talent pools and advanced manufacturing bases in mainland cities, while reiterating efforts to create competitive innovation and technology zones, such as the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone and the San Tin Technopole.

Under China's 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is tasked with becoming a global innovation and talent hub, with a focus on artificial intelligence and research transformation. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong pledged to bolster start-up growth by expanding "patient capital" funding and introduced plans to launch an Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund, allocating HK$10 billion in investments across key sectors like life and health technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and semiconductors.