HK, Macao key gateways to the world Cities are ideal testing grounds for products on way to overseas markets For an autonomous driving company, moving a vehicle from a left-hand-drive market to a right-hand-drive city is not just a matter of shifting the steering wheel. The work involves developing the system from the ground up, with everything from product definition and the vehicle platform to the autonomous-driving system and human-machine interface redesigned around the traffic rules, road conditions and user habits of right-hand-drive markets, according to Guangzhou, Guangdong province-based autonomous driving technology company WeRide. That is why WeRide's new right-hand-drive Robotaxi project began in Hong Kong. "Few cities offer a tougher real-world test for autonomous vehicles than Hong Kong, where dense roads, mixed traffic and a mature public transport system converge in one of the world's busiest right-hand-drive markets," said Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide. The autonomous driving developer recently announced that it is working with vehicle maker Geely Farizon and local transport operator Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings on a mass-produced model designed around Hong Kong regulations, road conditions and operating requirements. Han added that if the vehicle works in the city's dense traffic, the experience can support its expansion into other key right-hand-drive markets including Singapore, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia. WeRide is not alone in assigning Hong Kong a specific role in a wider innovation chain. For a growing group of Chinese mainland technology companies, Hong Kong and Macao are where products encounter new operating conditions, local partners and international capital before entering overseas markets. China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) calls for faster progress toward high-level technological self-reliance and again supports Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology center. Hong Kong is also preparing its first five-year plan, where technological development is expected to