(Yicai) April 21 -- Hong Kong is intensifying efforts to connect mainland Chinese technology firms with overseas markets through a new initiative aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Hong Kong Productivity Council launched the Cradle – Going Global Service Centre a day before the start of International Innovation & Technology Business Week, which featured the twin expos InnoEX and the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), held last week.

The events drew around 88,000 visitors from both local and international markets. "These exhibitions reinforce Hong Kong’s role as an international business hub and showcase its unique strengths in global connectivity," said Zhang Shufen, vice president of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

At the electronics fair, several mainland tech firms gathered at the Hong Kong/Shanghai Data Co-operation Pavilion in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, as exhibitors from 16 provinces and cities competed for international orders and market opportunities.

Tech Cradle

The Cradle’s mainland partners include the Zhongguancun Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Innovation Center in Beijing, the National Innovation Center par Excellence in Shanghai, and the Greater Bay Area National Center of Technology Innovation in Guangzhou.

Collaborating with these three mainland innovation hubs represents Hong Kong’s latest move to serve as both a "super-communicator" and "super-value adder" between mainland and overseas tech firms, Sun Dong, Hong Kong's secretary for innovation, technology and industry, said to Yicai.

The Cradle will facilitate project collaborations to help mainland-based SMEs unlock broader business development opportunities, Mohamed Butt, executive director of the productivity council, told Yicai.

Services offered by the Cradle include intellectual property guidance, technical validation, compliance with international standards, and consultations on government funding programs. Butt from the HKPC added that the center will support mainland enterprises in going global via Hong Kong, covering areas such as product development, technology, manufacturing, and management.

Jicui Huake Intelligent Equipment Technology, a manufacturer of automation and precision machine tools based in Wuxi, wishes that the Cradle would help it better understand overseas market demand and application scenarios, reduce compliance risks, accelerate global project implementation, and enhance its global business strategy, according to Board Secretary Song Yi.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine