Phoenix TV:

Currently, Nansha also attaches great importance to scientific and technological innovation. Voices from Hong Kong ask if this will be a challenge to Hong Kong and other places? How to better leverage their complementary advantages for cooperative development? Thank you.

Guo Yonghang:

Thank you for your question. General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed that the core position of innovation in the overall modernization drive must be upheld and innovation must be actively encouraged and supported as a national policy. Any innovator, regardless of where they come from, will be supported by us as long as they contribute to national development. The plan's release marks that the development and construction of Nansha has gained national significance, thus giving Nansha great responsibility. Nansha should not and will not be absent in China's efforts to enhance its independent scientific and technological capabilities and foster a new development paradigm.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the development of both Guangzhou and the Nansha district has become more integrated with that of Hong Kong and Macao, showing sound momentum of integration and mutual promotion. For example, in terms of sci-tech infrastructure, a team of professors from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) studied cycling aerodynamics with the "Tianhe-2" supercomputer installed in the Nansha branch of the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou, thus helping Hong Kong athlete Lee Wai-sze win a precious medal in track cycling at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Data showed that over the past five years, more than 200 HKUST teachers used the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou, which is as convenient as using a local area network. For another example, in terms of implementing major sci-tech special projects, the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), which is located in Nansha, has set up a branch in Hong Kong, and the laboratory allocated 38 million yuan in cross-border scientific research funds to the branch in 2019, the first of its kind by a mainland city. Over the past two years, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao have also made vigorous research cooperation against the pandemic.

The plan emphasizes coordination with Hong Kong and Macao, thus pointing out the path for Nansha's development. It also emphasizes a global perspective, which is a shared goal for the development of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. In fact, the needs and aspirations of Nansha are just the strengths of Hong Kong and Macao. For example, in terms of facilitating the transfer and application of international advances in science and technology, the strength of Hong Kong as a "super contact person" and the strength of Macao as a bridge connecting to Portuguese-speaking countries are incomparable. At the same time, Nansha has an outstanding advantage in industrialization. Therefore, cooperation is far greater than competition for Nansha, Hong Kong, and Macao.

A Chinese saying says, " When brothers are of the same mind, they have the power to cut through metal." We will follow the top-level design from the central government and commit to complementarity of advantages and coordination to strengthen joint innovation among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Efforts will be made to accelerate the progress of a number of major projects, including the big science facilities for cold-seep ecosystem observation and simulation, the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), the Mingzhu Science Park of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Headquarters Base for the Transfer and Application of HKUST's Scientific and Technological Innovation Achievements. We will actively support Nansha as a destination of transfer and application of Hong Kong's innovation achievements in electronic engineering, computer science, marine science, artificial intelligence, smart city, and other fields. We will strive to make the pie of cooperation bigger and better so we can all enjoy more pie. Thanks!