Hong Kong “will accelerate” an ambitious initiative along the border with Shenzhen in continental China and establishes artificial intelligence as a “main industry” to accelerate economic growth, said general director John Lee on Wednesday in his annual speech.
The address, which has reaffirmed a target of economic growth from 2% to 3% for 2025, comes in the middle of a broader Puekin thrust to resuscitate the economic growth of China and emerges from a long -standing real estate crisis. Last year, the Chinese Communist Party called on the Hong Kong elite to stimulate the overall fortune of China.
The Northern Metropolis Project would create accommodation for around 2.5 million people and would plant a new business district between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
The project had been an objective of the former Carrie Lam leader, announced in 2021. It is also likely to be integrated into the wider plan of the Grande Baie de Beijing to connect Hong Kong, Macao and cities in the region of the Delta de Pearl River.
Cantonese RFA reported in February that nearly a third of contracts linked to Northern Metropolis and other Hong Kong projects were going to Chinese state societies.
Activists and some residents postponed the project, citing concerns about the city’s environment and finance impacts.
Lee also said that Hong Kong would affect $ 1 billion HK to create a center to seek artificial intelligence – and that the government would use AI to improve its efficiency.
Includes agency reports France-Presse and Reuters.