Peter Helis Emphasizes Greater Bay Area's Shift from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China' in Exclusive China Daily Interview
- helis66
- Jun 17, 2023
- 2 min read
Hong Kong SAR – June 16, 2023 – Peter Helis, Chief Adviser at Guangzhou Huangpu Development District, highlighted the transformative journey of Chinese innovation in a recent interview with China Daily. Drawing from nearly two decades of experience in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, Helis discussed how the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is evolving into a powerhouse of the knowledge economy, driven by advancements in smartphones, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, new energy, and new materials.In the interview, Helis praised the region's shift from traditional manufacturing to original creation and design. "The old days of manufacturing goods for clients in the United States or Europe using their technology, and selling the products at very low profit margins, are gone," Helis stated. He pointed to his own smartphone as an example of world-leading Chinese innovation, emphasizing that Chinese companies are now investing heavily in research and development to produce unique, high-quality products.Helis identified 2008 as a pivotal year, when the global financial crisis prompted Chinese firms to focus on building their own brands and moving toward higher-end manufacturing. He cited investments from companies like Hyundai, which established its first offshore fuel-cell plant in Huangpu, and Swiss firm Lonza, which provides advanced bioreactor manufacturing in the China-Singapore Knowledge City. These developments, according to Helis, position Huangpu as a key engine in the Greater Bay Area's innovation ecosystem.Looking ahead, Helis underscored Hong Kong's vital role in this transition. As the Special Administrative Region integrates deeper into the Greater Bay Area, it serves as an ideal hub for translating innovative ideas into commercial success through technology transfer, intellectual property sales, and cooperative agreements. "Hong Kong should strive hard to retain its relevance as 'Asia's world city', but at the same time, it needs to embrace the opportunities of the Greater Bay Area," Helis advised, calling for mutual learning and leveraging each other's strengths.Helis also addressed challenges in attracting global talent amid geopolitical tensions, stressing the need for better access to information in English and other languages to counter distorted views in Western media. He drew parallels to Silicon Valley's success with immigrant innovators, envisioning Hong Kong as a bilingual, Western-lifestyle gateway to the mainland's dynamic market. With over 50 percent of China's patents now originating from the Greater Bay Area, and companies like Huawei, Shein, Xiaopeng, and BYD leading globally, Helis noted significant progress in intellectual property protection, including specialized courts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou that have reduced infringement cases."The mainland is an incredibly dynamic place, and the situation there is constantly changing," Helis concluded, urging foreigners to overcome biases and recognize the opportunities in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.The full interview is available on China Daily's website.
