HKSTP CEO announces ambitions to extend operations to the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates

Albert Wong, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), has unveiled the organization's strategy for expanding its footprint and enticing more companies from the UAE and the Middle East to explore business prospects in Hong Kong.

In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Wong disclosed Hong Kong's ambitious plans to establish itself as a hub for green technology and green finance. HKSTP is gearing up to host a dedicated session on green technology during the upcoming Summit. This announcement was made during a visit by media representatives from the UAE and Saudi Arabia to Hong Kong, where they were assessing preparations for the 8th Belt and Road Summit scheduled for September. Emphasizing the significance of enhancing collaboration with Middle Eastern nations, Wong outlined the goal of promoting the export of technological solutions developed within the HKSTP ecosystem. The CEO underscored the corporation's primary focus on healthcare technology, encompassing diagnostics, therapeutics, and medical devices. Additionally, he highlighted other pivotal areas of interest such as artificial intelligence, robotics, semiconductors, green technology, financial technology (fintech), Web 3, and the metaverse.

“The role of HKSTP is to build an ecosystem to encourage development of technologies from every part of the world," he explained. “We are investing a lot of resources in green tech such as new energy, solar panels, sustainability and carbon-zero, etc.”

Wong conveyed Hong Kong's openness to business, particularly in the realm of innovation, stressing the imperative of leveraging technological solutions to construct a better world. The initiatives outlined by HKSTP reflect the city's commitment to fostering collaboration with international partners and positioning itself as a leader in cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices.

About the role of the corporation as an incubator, Wong said, “We have almost 800 startups, for which we provide incubation support, so that they can start with an idea and turn this idea into technologies. We help them with product development, and even investments. We also want to attract technology from the Middle East to Hong Kong, which is a two-way track. I am looking forward to seeing more collaboration between Hong Kong and the Middle East,” he said in conclusion.