Zhang calls for more input to boost innovation

By Kahon Chan in Hong Kongkahon@chinadailyhk.文件倉comThe top central government official in the Hong Kong SAR urged the city's government and society to boost research efforts and investment to improve its capacity to innovate, or it may fall behind in global competition where innovation rules.Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, underlined the importance of innovation as an economic driver for the city at the opening of the 2013 Boao Youth Forum (Hong Kong) on Monday.The Hong Kong success story, he said, has been built upon a series of innovations which turned a manufacturing center that made artificial flowers to a service industry hub known for prime real estate. "The wisdom of the Hong Kong people shines through these models of innovation," he said.But there is pressure to raise the bar. While it was "enviable" that Hong Kong ascended two places on the World Economic Forum (WEF) competitiveness ranking on Sept 4, Zhang said it was alarming the city was placed 23rd for innovation.Hong Kong has scored 4.4 out of seven on the innovation category for two consecutive years. More than other concerns, "insufficient capacity to innovate" was picked by 18.4 percent of respondents in this year's WEF survey as the city's top obstacle for doing business."The situation is pressing that we must forge ahead, or we will fall behind," said Zhang, as he appealed to both government and all walks of life in Hong Kong to boost their investment and research efforts in order to sharpen the city's innovative edge.The youth, he said, have been proven by technology giants like Apple and QQ as very capable innovators, thanks to their ability to think out of the box.While Hong Kong has maintained its存倉characters of an international city and freedoms under the policy of "One Country, Two Systems", he said the city's youth also has the privilege of accessing the mainland market to unleash their potential to innovate.Many young people are used to the convenience of advanced technologies in everyday life, like WhatsApp and Taobao, but he said it was more important for them to show off their talents for innovation, which has become the core of an economy's competitiveness."Not only do you benefit from innovations, but you also set your sights on a broader scope and the longer-term future to become the dreamer that dares to innovate, and the doer that masters innovation," said Zhang.Zhou Bo, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, also pointed out at the forum that the traditional advantages of Hong Kong can no longer support its former glory. It is necessary for the city to find a new growth point for its economy as it consolidates existing attributes.Young people will get more help too. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief secretary for administration, revealed at the Boao-branded event that the government will launch the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund "very soon".A reserve of HK$500 million, allocated from the Lottery Fund, will be open to both organizations and individuals for startup proposals that serve to "tackle social problems".With the completion of the "Comix Home Base" in Wan Chai and "PMQ" in Central before the end of this year, Lam said she believes the creative industries will gain further thrust through the clustering of different genres of creators. Other forms of government support are also offered to young entrepreneurs, she added.InsideSee more,pages 13迷你倉