Propel Investment in Chinese Tech Startups, Support Their Global Expansion, and Accelerate Smart City, Sustainability and AI Innovation BEIJING and HONG KONG, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MTR Lab Company Limited ("MTR Lab", a wholly owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation) and Beijing Zhongguancun Science City Innovation Development Co., Ltd. ("ZGC Science City Ltd") are forming an ecosystem partnership. Focusing on smart city and sustainable development, the collaboration will accelerate the investments in and global expansion of frontier tech enterprises across AI, robotics, smart mobility, rail, retail, property and construction. This cross‑border partnership between Hong Kong and Beijing leverages the strengths of both ecosystems to accelerate the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation, aligning with the national development strategy of "new quality productive forces (新質生產力)." MTR Lab and ZGC Science City Ltd establish an ecosystem partnership to jointly drive innovative and technological development in Beijing and Hong Kong. Chinese Mainland's innovation ecosystem has surged in recent times with rapid advances in AI and related technologies, powering a major acceleration in smart city and sustainability development. According to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, as of September 2025, there were 5,300+ AI companies in the Chinese Mainland, accounting for around 15% of the global total. Beijing's Haidian District, the AI innovation hub of China, is home to over 35% of China's AI companies, with a significant concentration of "specialised and sophisticated 專精特新)" enterprises and unicorns. These emerging trends align closely with MTR Lab's strategic investments in smart‑city and sustainable development. Last year, MTR Lab received nearly double the number of investment proposals and opportunities in AI and robotics compared with 2024. Among them, proposals originated from the Chinese Mainland accounted for more tha
