Hong Kong's young entrepreneurs welcomed the nation's top legislator, Zhang Dejiang, on the second day of a three-day inspection tour, showcasing their inventions at Hong Kong Science Park.

Zhang, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, made a high-profile appearance at the park, where more than 600 startups, 182 of them from overseas, are located.

Accompanied by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, Zhang heard reports about Hong Kong's innovation and technology and met heads of local universities. After that, the founders of five HK innovation and technology startups that have excelled in different technology areas demonstrated their products, including face recognition and medical technologies.

Zhang said Hong Kong should strive to find new economic growth points, while maintaining its well-established pillar industries.

In response, Leung said that innovation and technology, which can make people's lives safer, more comfortable and more convenient, can be such growth points.

Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, professor of chemical pathology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, was one of the five entrepreneurs present on Wednesday afternoon.

Calling Zhang's visit a positive signal, Lo said the visit highlighted the central government's emphasis on innovation and technology and added that those are vital to Hong Kong's development.

The city's Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang explained developments in entrepreneurship and innovation, including city policies and the work of major supporting institutions, while highlighting the cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland and the city's role as a "super-connector".

Heeding the nation's call, Hong Kong entrepreneurs have begun to seek partnerships from entities on the Chinese mainland and to tap into the mainland market by advancing their technologies. Close cross-border collaboration has been encouraged.

Recent years have seen frequent collaborations between Hong Kong and mainland cities, including Shenzhen, when it comes to innovation and technology development.

Mao Zhenhua, director of the Shenzhen Innovation and Development Institute said Hong Kong should refresh its perspective on Shenzhen, a city that has experienced huge transformation and which has been recognized as China's Silicon Valley.

Jimmy Tao, chief executive officer of Vitargent, a bioscience startup that has thrived on cross-border cooperation since its founding in 2010, said: "The company wouldn't make it without the government's help."

The company's novel technology for detecting toxic chemicals in edible oil has earned financial support from mainland authorities.

The founding of the Innovation and Technology Bureau in 2015 signaled the Hong Kong government's commitment to boosting its competitiveness.

Li Xiange contributed to this story.

(China Daily USA 05/19/2016 page5)