Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone
On Oct. 14, 2020, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivered an important speech at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, emphasizing the significance of "planning and building the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as the Hetao Cooperation Zone)." On Aug. 8, 2023, the State Council officially issued the Development Plan for the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as the Hetao Plan), granting the Hetao Cooperation Zone three development orientations: "pilot area for deepening tech innovation cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, experimental zone for adopting advanced international tech innovation regulations, and aggregation zone for trial transformation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area." The Hetao Plan clearly stipulates the need to advance the construction of the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Cooperation Zone with high quality, high standards, and high levels. It also states the phased advancement of the Shenzhen Park's construction with 2025 and 2035 as key milestones. By 2025, an efficient cooperative mechanism for tech innovation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong will be established, showing positive results in open tech innovation cooperation. By 2035, a comprehensive pattern of collaborative innovation with the Hong Kong Park will be formed, making it a world-class research hub.