Hey tech fam! 🚀 The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has just claimed the top spot in WIPO’s 2025 Global Innovation Index, marking the first time this powerhouse cluster leads the pack.
On September 1, 2025, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) revealed the ranking, highlighting the rapid synergy between nine cities on the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR).
Cross-border vibes are real: researchers from HKSAR can now zip to Shenzhen’s Hetao Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone in just 30 minutes, and experimental gear can get inspection clearance within 48 hours. Joint projects across Guangdong, HKSAR, and Macao SAR have surged by 40% thanks to this innovation corridor.
Here’s what’s brewing in the lab 🔬:
- Deep-sea cold spring ecological research facility under construction in Guangdong.
- Jiangmen neutrino experiment released its first results.
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is leading a multi-functional lunar robot and mobile charging station project.
- “Macao Science No. 1” satellite has orbited Earth over 10,000 times, gathering precise data.
Even though the Greater Bay Area covers less than 0.6% of mainland China’s land area, it pumps out one-ninth of the country’s economic output. Talk about efficiency! 💪
The blend of the nine mainland cities’ manufacturing might with HKSAR and Macao SAR’s finance and modern services is deepening, fueling emerging sectors like AI (now worth over ¥220 billion, roughly US$31 billion) and massive trillion-yuan industrial clusters.
Fresh momentum came from December’s Central Economic Work Conference, which reiterated plans to turn the region into an international center for tech innovation. Next up? Riding the low-altitude economy (think drones and urban air mobility) and bio-manufacturing. Five new trillion-yuan clusters are in the pipeline, aiming to boost electronics and advanced equipment into high-end, smart development.
With lightning-fast cross-border links and top-tier labs, the Greater Bay Area is gearing up to be the next global tech playground. South and Southeast Asian innovators, take note—this is where ideas meet scale! 🌏✨
Reference(s):
China's Greater Bay Area eyes global hub for tech innovation
cgtn.com
