BEIJING — Efforts to promote the integration of science and technology innovation in Hong Kong and Macao into the national innovation system have made advances, an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) said on Feb 25.

Dai Gang, director-general of the Department of International Cooperation of the ministry, made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing.

Dai said that the country supported the sci-tech development in Hong Kong and Macao by providing research funds, and supported Hong Kong and Macao in the construction of national research platforms.

By now, Hong Kong has built 16 national key laboratories, and Macao has built four, said Dai.

Besides, efforts have been made in helping young people in Hong Kong and Macao engage in innovation and entrepreneurship, Dai said.

China also boosted the interaction and integration of science, industry and finance in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The area is a sci-tech innovation center of China, said Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang during the press conference, adding that science and technology are crucial for the high-quality development of the area.

In 2021, the research and development (R&D) spending of nine cities in the Pearl River Delta of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is expected to exceed 360 billion yuan (about $57 billion), according to Shao Xinyu, Vice-Minister of Science and Technology.

The cities have forged 57,000 national high-tech enterprises. And 780,000 items of patents were granted last year, among which the number of invention patents is expected to exceed 100,000.

According to the Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the innovation cluster of Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou ranked second in the world for two consecutive years.

By gathering innovation resources, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has built an international technology transfer hub to lead the development of emerging industries, Shao said.

China has laid out and constructed a series of major sci-tech infrastructures such as the spallation neutron source in this area, he said.

The country also promoted full access to national key R&D programs for Hong Kong and Macao, and further deepened cooperation in sci-tech innovation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, Shao added.