Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis will adopt a multi-focused strategy to drive advances in technology, industry and education, while helping the city overcome its bottleneck in talent attraction.

Lee also said that the megaproject would need early success stories to attract mainland Chinese and international investors, with the Hetao cooperation zone set to be the first such successful draw.

Spanning about 30,000 hectares (74,130 acres) near the border with the mainland, the Northern Metropolis aims to serve as an engine of technological and economic growth, as well as a housing hub.

“Talent is always a bottleneck for any development. All countries, all economies, fight for talent. So we need to get talents to come. And Northern Metropolis gives us that opportunity,” Lee told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview.

“We have to let the talents really feel, and be able to plan for their further development. Northern Metropolis gives them this vision and this opportunity.”

Facing fierce global competition, Lee emphasised that attracting talent was crucial for Hong Kong to upgrade its industrial structures, including nurturing high-end and frontier industries and advanced manufacturing.