Young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong visit Hainan

A group of SAR young entrepreneurs visits Sanya China Merchants Science and Technology Plaza on July 11. [Photo provided to ehainan.gov.cn]

The development prospects of a free trade port in Hainan province look promising, and Hainan and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region can cooperate further in fields such as scientific and technological innovation, said participants during a visit by young Hong Kong entrepreneurs to the Chinese mainland.

The visits have been held each year since 2016, and more than 800 participating youths from Hong Kong have visited over 20 provinces.

A total of 100 young entrepreneurs from the SAR recently visited Hainan on the first stop of their tour, which aims to foster cooperation and exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland, providing valuable insights into the latter's industrial development, innovation and entrepreneurship policies, and business environment.

During their trip from Sunday to Wednesday, the entrepreneurs visited Sanya, Qionghai and Haikou cities, as well as key industrial parks and the Hainan-Hong Kong economic cooperation and development demonstration zones. They engaged in productive discussions with local government officials, leading enterprise executives and fellow entrepreneurs, investors and park representatives to explore potential business opportunities and cooperation.

Wu Zhaohui, vice-minister of science and technology, said in a video speech on Monday that young entrepreneurs in Hong Kong are the main drivers of innovation and development in the SAR, and like their counterparts on the mainland, they should shoulder the important historical mission of building China into an innovative country.

The cooperative relationship between Hong Kong and Hainan has a long history. Hong Kong has more than 400,000 citizens originally from Hainan, so the city has become the main source of foreign investment and the largest service trading partner for the island, said Zhang Huawei, deputy secretary-general of the Hainan provincial government.

Hainan sincerely hopes to better connect with Hong Kong and use this event to enhance interaction, explore more cooperation opportunities and tap the potential of scientific and technological innovation, education and personnel exchanges, he added.

As a young Hong Kong entrepreneur working in Hainan, Wong Kam-ko, founder and general manager of Hainan Good Source Technology, discussed her achievements with the visitors, as well as the advantages and potential of starting businesses in the province.

"Hainan has done an amazing job of integrating resources and creating a favorable entrepreneurial environment. Meetings and competitions to share science and innovation are often held to display the research and development results of enterprises and individuals," she said.

Wong hopes that in the future, Hainan will cooperate more with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the field of science and innovation.

After visiting the Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City in Sanya on Monday and Tuesday, Match Fan, who works in the IT industry, said he thought highly of the city's subsidy policies for enterprises and the housing policies for talent. He said he would take these into consideration if he decides to invest in Sanya.

Colin Luk co-funded a company that specializes in the research of applying isotope traceability technology in food safety. He said he came to Hainan mainly to learn about cooperation prospects with local agriculture and fisheries, and that he would keep an eye on possible government clients and collaboration with local industry associations.

Alex Chiu, co-founder and CEO of a start-up technology company focusing on blockchain, is confident in the future development of Hainan. He said he pays attention to the preferential tax policies of the Hainan free trade port, and is very much looking forward to learning about the use of blockchain technology in the province's agriculture, transportation and medical sectors, and finding more scenarios for technical application.

"We welcome aspiring Hong Kong youths to invest and pursue their dreams in Hainan. We will do our best to support their careers and help them better adapt to life here," said Ma Yankun, executive deputy head of the Hainan Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association.