At the start of the 21st century， the HKSAR Government undertook a review of Hong Kong‘s long-term development strategies， partly to cope with changes and to capitalise on the opportunities arising from reunification with the Mainland， and partly to respond to the many challenges brought about by globalisation and the emergence of a knowledge-based economy. The review followed a two-year study by the Commission on Strategic Development that encompasses a vision and a strategic framework for Hong Kong to become not just a major city in China， but Asia’s world city as well.

Asia's Cyber City for the Cyber Century

Hong Kong has set itself on course to become the centre for innovation and technology in East Asia—a cyber city in the cyber century. Much is being done to realise this goal and to capitalise on the enormous opportunities thrown up by the information revolution.

Cyberport

Cyberport—Hong Kong's IT flagship—is a project managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and wholly owned by the HKSAR Government. It is creating an interactive environment that will be home to a strategic cluster of more than 100 IT companies and more than 10 000 IT professionals. There were 64 tenants in Cyberport in mid-October 2007， occupying about 85 per cent of the office space there. This clustering of local and overseas companies and professional talent is seen as a catalyst and hub for the growth of IT applications， information services， digital game development and multimedia content creation. Cyberport will also provide IT education for the wider community.

Cyberport represents a commitment on the part of the Government of the HKSAR to facilitate Hong Kong‘s development as a leading digital city in the region. The project is being developed on a 24-hectare site at Telegraph Bay in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. The commercial facilities at the Cyberport are being completed and opened in phases from 2002 to 2008.

Science Park

The Science Park aims to establish and nurture a world-class technology community dedicated to applied research and development. It is being developed according to a clustering concept， involving four clusters of electronics， IT and telecommunications， biotechnology and precision engineering sciences. The first phase of the Science Park was opened in 2002. Phase Two is to be completed in stages between 2007 and 2010.

Infrastructure Projects for the 21st Century

An efficient and reliable infrastructure has played a key role in maintaining Hong Kong‘s position as a leading trade， finance， business and tourism centre in the region. Infrastructure development enables us to meet demands arising from population growth and helps support our economic and trade development.

Railway Development

Railways play a vital role in serving the transport needs of Hong Kong. They provide fast， reliable and comfortable services， reduce pressure on road networks and are more environmentally friendly. After the commissioning of the East Rail Line Tsim Sha Tsui Extension， the Ma On Shan Line and the Disneyland Resort Line， the extension of East Rail Line to Lok Ma Chau was opened in August 2007. It is a new boundary-crossing railway that extends from the East Rail Line Sheung Shui Station to Lok Ma Chau and connects with Huanggang in Shenzhen. In addition， the Kowloon Southern Link， which will connect the West Rail Line Nam Cheong Station with the East Rail Line East Tsim Sha Tsui Station， and the Tseung Kwan O South Station， are scheduled for completion in 2009.

There are several other rail lines under active planning. They are the South Island Line， the Shatin to Central Link，the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen- Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Northern Link. The MTR Corporation Limited is also proceeding with further planning and detailed design of the West Island Line， which will involve the extension of the existing MTR Island Line from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town. Upon completion of these rail links， Hong Kong‘s rail network will expand to over 270 kilometres. The railways’share of the public transport system will be increased from 35 per cent to about 40 per cent.

Road Projects

New strategic roads will reduce urban congestion and provide vital new links to the New Territories and beyond. Among the major road projects are Route 8 and Stonecutters Bridge.

The 1 596-metre Stonecutters Bridge， with a main span of 1 018 metres， will be one of the longest span cable-stayed bridges in the world. It will be the first long-span bridge located in an urban setting in Hong Kong and will be highly visible from Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula.

This bridge is an important part of Route 8 between Tsing Yi and Sha Tin. On completion in 2009， Hong Kong will have added an east-west strategic route， linking the eastern part of the New Territories to the airport. This new highway will provide direct access to Container Terminals No. 8 and No. 9 in Kwai Chung.