Science goes under the Xi microscope

Wallis Wang and Sophie Hui

President Xi Jinping made a visit yesterday to the Hong Kong Science Park in Pak Shek Kok, an important IT hub in Hong Kong, to express his support for innovation activities.

That saw him encouraging tech professionals and people in start-up enterprises to work harder.

Police extended a cordoned-off area in the park and stopped entry to all vehicles unless they had special approval.

Xi's fleet arrived around 5.30pm, escorted by police motorcyclists and a radio jamming vehicle.

The latest mainland-made "Sabertooth Tigers" armored vehicles were also deployed with counter-terrorism response unit officers to patrol, while government helicopters also kept an eye-in-the-sky watch for threats.

Accompanied by Carrie Lam, Xi inspected a laboratory under the InnoHK research clusters project.

The lab, the Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, focuses on Alzheimer's disease and is working on the early detection and treatment of the disease, its director and incoming Hong Kong University of Science and Technology president Nancy Ip Yuk-yu said while introducing the center's multi-disciplinary research team to Xi.

Xi delivered a speech to more than 30 scientists and young entrepreneurs during his visit, praising their work and encouraging them in their efforts.

Lam thanked Beijing for its decision to develop the Greater Bay Area as an IT hub in its 14th five-year plan.

Hong Kong will also implement the Northern Metropolis development strategy to further facilitate the IT collaboration between the SAR and Shenzhen, she said.

Outgoing secretary for innovation and technology Alfred Sit Wing-hang told Xi that the SAR administration has allocated HK$150 billion to the sector in a push for sectors such as healthcare, artificial intelligence and robotics.

The police had set up a media area at Science Park at around 2pm and deployed a sniffer dog.

A female reporter for the Epoch Times, wearing a raincoat with a British flag, was taken away by officers, questioned and asked to remove the raincoat.

The reporter also had her belongings searched before being allowed to return to the media area.

But the police later seized a piece of paper from her and banned her and an Epoch Times photographer from the area.

Park staff had on Wednesday been told to leave early, while others made arrangements to work from home for the coming days.

Some restaurants inside the park were open in the morning but had to close at 2pm.

In a visit to Wuhan on Wednesday, Xi had stressed China has to keep the lifeline of science and technology firmly in hand and make the country's development more independent, self-reliant and secure.