Hong Kong's AI sector soars with record talent pool despite global headwinds

Hong Kong is positioning itself as a rising leader in artificial intelligence (AI), driven by a record talent pool, robust government backing, and a "dual circulation" model that bridges Chinese mainland and global markets to fuel innovation and growth.

Amid global tech tensions and escalating geopolitical challenges, Hong Kong's AI sector remains on an upward trajectory, with nearly 4,700 startups now calling the city home -- marking a 10 percent year-on-year increase.

This growth is powered by two key drivers: a top-tier talent pool and relentless innovation, supported by 30 billion Hong Kong dollars in government funding dedicated to AI development.

At a media event on Saturday, Shen Xiaoyong, co-founder and CEO of SmartMore, a smart manufacturing startup, warned that global competition in the sector would continue to intensify.

"China-US or East-West competition will intensify further, with no major easing expected as we foresaw years ago. So, we have been focusing on innovation, develop leading, indispensable products," said Shen Xiaoyong, whose company is pioneering the future of smart factories.

Founded in 2019, SmartMore has developed an intelligent manufacturing inspection system that learns and adapts to different environments, improving efficiency through automated quality control, task management, and materials tracking.

Meanwhile, SenseTime, another leader in AI-powered computer vision, continues to attract top-tier global talent.

"We recruit global top-tier talent for advanced AI R and D and deployment. In Hong Kong, 66 percent of our team holds master's degrees or above, with over 70 percent in R and D, mirroring our global talent structure," said Jane Zhang, chief human resources officer at SenseTime.

Despite challenges posed by escalating tech wars, Hong Kong's AI sector has demonstrated resilience, driven by strategic foresight and historical adaptability.

"Over two years ago, certain countries explicitly introduced technologically unfriendly policies targeting Hong Kong. At that time, I quoted an ancient Chinese saying to express my view: 'No mountain can block the river, it keeps flowing east.' This symbolizes how the broader global trend of 'the East rising while the West declines' cannot be altered by the policies of a few nations," said Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation Technology and Industry at HKSAR Government.

As global trade and technological challenges continue, Hong Kong's unique blend of innovation, talent, and government support is enabling its AI sector to thrive, positioning the city as a key player in the global technology landscape.

Hong Kong's AI sector soars with record talent pool despite global headwinds

The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.

On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.

"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.

Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.

US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar