FS Calls for Unity Among Investors, Start-ups to Accelerate Innovation at HKSTP Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026

Speech by FS at HKSTP Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the HKSTP (Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks)Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026 today (September 7):

Cordelia (Chairman of the HKSTP, Ms Cordelia Chung), Terry (Chief Executive Officer of the HKSTP, Mr Terry Wong), Lillian (Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong), investors, start-ups, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you at the inaugural Co-Development and Investment Conference. I must say the name of this conference goes straight to the heart of the matter: co-development and co-investment. When capital markets and the technology industry are properly connected - when they work as one - innovation accelerates.

Over the next two days, this conference brings together some 300 investors and more than 500 start-ups, along with leading figures from finance and academia, for a full and inspiring programme of discussions, pitching and business matching. And the journey doesn't end in Hong Kong. The Conference continues for another four days in Dongguan and Hangzhou, linking three cities and three innovation centres in a single, six-day programme.

Innovation and technology are, without question, the global economy's most powerful engines today. Artificial intelligence is advancing at extraordinary speed, setting off a wave of capital spending - on computing power, equipment and infrastructure - and opening up practical applications in almost every field. We see this across Asia, where AI is lifting trade and reshaping regional supply chains. And we see it vividly here in Hong Kong, in the strong growth of our electronics and semiconductor exports and in our capital market's appetite for AI-related listings.

More important still, AI is transforming industry after industry. In biomedicine, for instance, it is dramatically compressing the time it takes to discover a new drug. And as AI moves into the physical world - into factories, shops and homes - it will generate a difference in kind rather than one merely of degree, with the range of applications expanding exponentially.

Opportunities of this magnitude call for real-world settings, where new technologies can be tested and proven. They call for innovation that is able to translate scientific discovery into commercial application. And they call for a capital chain deep enough to take innovation to the global market.

That is why both sides of this room are essential. For global investors, in a world overshadowed by geopolitics, the requirement is twofold: stability and security on the one hand, attractive returns on the other. For innovators and entrepreneurs, capital alone is not enough. They need an industrial ecosystem, a steady supply of talent and access to the full range of innovation resources.

Nowhere is the combination of finance and innovation stronger than in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong is an international financial centre, a magnet for talent from around the world and home to fast-rising innovation. That makes Hong Kong a natural complement to our sister cities in the Greater Bay Area, with their formidable strengths in advanced manufacturing, commercialisation and scaling.

Indeed, Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou is the world's leading innovation cluster, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization. This year's ranking will be released tomorrow, and we await it with unshakeable confidence.

I understand my colleague, Lillian, the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, will have more to say about Hong Kong and innovation in her keynote shortly. Let me just say this: our innovation flagships, including Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks, play an indispensable role: nurturing start-ups, building networks, developing talent and deepening collaboration with regional and international partners.

For the next few minutes, allow me to talk about capital.

We are building a capital ecosystem that works for start-ups and serves innovation. According to the HKEX (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited), the technology sector's share of turnover in our market has increased over the past decade from 15 per cent to 47 per cent, and the turnover itself has grown more than eightfold.

That's the result of sustained reform, carried out hand in hand with the market, to make it easier for technology companies to list here. In 2018, Hong Kong opened to companies with weighted voting rights structures. In 2023, we introduced Chapter 18C to the Main Board Listing Rules for specialist technology companies yet to turn a profit. And we are now, once again, reviewing the listing regime, so that it fits the needs of innovative companies even better.

At the front end of the funding spectrum, we are also committed to developing patient capital - capital willing to take risk, invest early and invest for the long term - in support of emerging and future industries.

The Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) is central to that effort, investing with the market and drawing private capital into these fields. The Corporation has now invested in more than 200 projects, and for every dollar it commits, more than eight dollars of long term capital follow. Its initial HK$62 billion capital has been substantially deployed and, as I mentioned in the Budget, we will inject further capital into the HKIC at the appropriate time, giving greater momentum to our innovation development.

Behind all these efforts is a simple vision: that a company at any stage of its development can find the right capital partner in Hong Kong. And our proposition is straightforward. We want global investors and innovators to meet each other - right here.

Ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to innovation, Hong Kong remains wide open to every investor and every innovator. We welcome you all - from Asia, from the Middle East, from the Americas, from Europe and beyond. It's right here in Hong Kong, where ideas take shape, where capital moves freely, where talent chooses to stay.

And where your next business and investment opportunity awaits.

I wish you all a rewarding Conference, and for those coming from afar, an enjoyable stay in Hong Kong, Asia's world city. Thank you very much.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the HKSTP Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026 today (September 7). Photo shows Mr Chan (second left) touring an exhibition booth. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the HKSTP Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026 today (September 7). Photo shows Mr Chan (third left) touring an exhibition booth. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the HKSTP Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026 today (September 7). Photo shows (from fifth left) the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP), Ms Cordelia Chung; Mr Chan; the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong; the Chief Executive Officer of the HKSTP, Mr Terry Wong, and other guests at the event. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, speaks at the HKSTP Co-Development and Investment Conference 2026 today (September 7). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (September 7) took part in Two-Way Cross-Border Investment Promotion Exchange and High-Quality International Development Matchmaking Session for Going-Global Enterprises hosted by the Ministry of Commerce, held on the eve of the opening of the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen, Fujian Province. In the afternoon, InvestHK, together with the Department of Commerce of Fujian Province and other departments, jointly organised the Fujian enterprises going global and Fujian-Hong Kong economic and trade promotion and exchange seminar. The events encouraged Fujian enterprises to make use of Hong Kong's advantages as an ideal platform for Mainland enterprises to go global, and to leverage Hong Kong fully to achieve high-quality international development under the national Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Fujian-Hong Kong economic and trade co-operation mechanism.

The national 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly supports Hong Kong in leveraging its strengths in professional services to assist enterprises in going global, giving full play to Hong Kong's unique advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world. In October 2025, the Ministry of Commerce and other central authorities issued the "Guiding Opinions on Further Improving the Overseas Comprehensive Service System", which sets out how the advantages of Hong Kong and Macao in cross-border investment and trade, finance and legal services will be harnessed to jointly strengthen the capacity to serve enterprises going global. In February this year, the Ministry of Commerce and the Hong Kong Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government signed the Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening co-operation and exchange in the provision of comprehensive overseas services, providing solid top-level policy support for the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force).

Held under the theme "Connecting the World through Hong Kong", the morning promotion and exchange seminar and business matching session was jointly organised by the Ministry of Commerce, the Investment Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Commerce, InvestHK, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong (GDETO), and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). During the policy interpretation of the seminar, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Foreign Investment Administration of the Ministry of Commerce Mr Wu Di explained the policies relating to "bringing in" and "going global", while Associate Director-General of InvestHK Ms Loretta Lee outlined Hong Kong's policies for investment promotion.

MsLee said, "Under the 'one country, two systems' framework, Hong Kong, as an international financial centre, boasts a world-leading capital market that offers convenient and diversified financing channels. It is also deeply integrated with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, where complementary strengths facilitate global supply chain management for enterprises. Hong Kong is now actively developing the Northern Metropolis to build a world-class innovation and technology hub. Hong Kong is not only a 'super connector' but also a 'super value-adder' that creates tangible value for enterprises. InvestHK serves as one of the core members of the GoGlobal Task Force, which is steered by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, providing one-stop, tailored support for enterprises establishing a presence in Hong Kong."

In the afternoon, the Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce and the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, together with members of the GoGlobal Task Force, including InvestHK, the GDETO, and the HKTDC, jointly organised the Fujian-Hong Kong Joining Hands for Win-Win Development Seminar and Fujian Enterprises Going Global and Fujian-Hong Kong Economic and Trade Promotion Exchange Seminar. The event was attended and supported by Second-level Inspector of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Commerce Ms Yang Hao and Deputy Director-General of the Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce Mr Lin Bendong.

In his welcome remarks at the seminar, the Director of the GDETO, Mr Anthony Li, said, "Exchanges and co-operation between Fujian and Hong Kong enjoy natural advantages and deep-rooted ties. Hong Kong has long been Fujian's largest source of foreign investment, as well as a bridgehead for Fujian enterprises going global. Hong Kong can serve as a 'home port' platform for enterprises going global, helping them guard against risks and operate in compliance throughout the process, while pooling global capital and opening up business opportunities worldwide. Through the trio of the overseas Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices, InvestHK and the HKTDC, the GoGlobal Task Force builds bridges for Mainland enterprises in overseas markets and helps them find overseas partners. In early June, the Chief Executive led a delegation to two Central Asian countries. Among the Mainland enterprise representatives on the mission were two Fujian enterprises, which were successfully connected with the Central Asian market, helping them tap new markets under the BRI."

The afternoon's promotion and exchange seminar concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Deputy Director of the GDETO and the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion of InvestHK Guangzhou Office, Ms Helen Yip. Representatives from the HKTDC, Hong Kong financial and legal professional services providers, and a representative from a Mainland enterprise using Hong Kong to go global, shared views on how Hong Kong's advantages can empower Fujian enterprises to expand into overseas markets.

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

InvestHK highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages as go-global platform for Mainland enterprises in Fujian Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases