Hong Kong’s John Lee wants to fast-track I&T sector growth. So what’s the plan?

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Oscar LiuJanuary 22, 2026 at 02:26 PM

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Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee pledged to accelerate the growth of the city's innovation and technology (I&T) sector at the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences' 10th-anniversary ceremony. The government aims to streamline the product development cycle, from research to market, using a "dual-engine" strategy involving the finance industry. This initiative is part of a broader commitment to transform Hong Kong into an international I&T hub, supported by significant capital investments and infrastructure projects like the Northern Metropolis. Lee highlighted the sector's growth over the past decade, including a doubling of R&D expenditure to HK$36 billion and a 70% increase in the I&T workforce to 59,000. The city currently boasts 20 unicorn companies and approximately 4,700 start-ups.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Northern Metropolis 50% Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 60% John Lee Ka-chiu ×290% Hong Kong ×3100%

Keywords

innovation and technology 100% i&t sector growth 90% hong kong 80% research and development 70% start-ups 60% northern metropolis 50% finance industry 50% unicorn companies 40%

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Positive

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South China Morning Post

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Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

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90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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innovation and technology i&t sector growth hong kong research and development start-ups northern metropolis finance industry unicorn companies

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