About 90 firms have signed up, with mainland Chinese companies accounting for more than half of tenants, senior official says

The first phase of Hong Kong’s Hetao innovation hub, a key cross-border initiative under the Northern Metropolis megaproject, has been well received, with two of its wet laboratory buildings fully leased, its chairman has revealed.

Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Kevin Choi Kit-ming, who also chairs the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Chau Loop, said on Saturday that more than half of the tenant companies were from mainland China.

“As of the end of May, some 90 enterprises had signed contracts with us. Virtually all floor space in the two wet laboratory buildings has been leased out,” he told a radio programme.

“The companies come from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds, with mainland China accounting for about 51 per cent, local enterprises making up around 35 per cent and overseas companies comprising roughly 14 per cent.”

The overseas enterprises included companies from South Korea, Switzerland and Finland, he added.

About 10 of the tenants were listed leading corporations, while around 70 per cent were start-ups.