Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong led a delegation to begin their visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Upon their arrival in Riyadh, they visited King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology and met its President Munir Eldesouki.

The group was briefed on the tech city's innovative projects and solutions for research applications, such as the Saudi semiconductor and genome programmes and water harvesting from thin air, and visited an innovation centre for promoting advanced manufacturing and a number of laboratories as well as satellite manufacturing facilities.

They went on to The Garage in the tech city, an accelerator providing support to local and international emerging startups in Riyadh with the required infrastructure and a range of supportive integrated services. Prof Sun engaged in exchanges with technology enterprises of the accelerator.

Prof Sun noted that support for startups is essential to building a vibrant innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem. Hong Kong's two I&T flagships, the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation and Cyberport, have been committed to providing comprehensive support to I&T startups, including incubation programmes, rent concessions, workspace, shared facilities, subsidy grants, and marketing and business development support.

Prof Sun then met Saudi Chinese Business Council Vice Chairman Anas Mohammed Alfadda to brief him on Hong Kong's latest I&T developments and business opportunities.

Apart from expressing the hope, via the Hong Kong's delegation’s visit, of building up a partnership with Saudi business and technology sectors, he invited Saudi enterprises and investors to explore investment opportunities in Hong Kong.