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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Hon Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, announced today (April 29) that in response to the requests raised earlier by the LegCo Panel on Economic Development and Panel on Environmental Affairs for conducting a visit to the Mainland, the Guangdong Provincial Government has extended an invitation to members of these two Panels to a three-day visit to the Pearl River Delta (PRD).
Mr Tsang received the invitation from the Guangdong Government yesterday (April 28). He believed that the visit will enable LegCo members to gain a better understanding of the economic development and environment protection efforts in the PRD area, and facilitate communication and cooperation between members and the Guangdong authorities.
As this will be the first delegation of the current LegCo to visit the Mainland, Mr Tsang accepted the Guangdong authorities' invitation to lead the delegation. The delegation will depart from Hong Kong in the afternoon of May 15, and will stop at Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nansha and Zhuhai, returning to Hong Kong at noon on May 18.
Mr Tsang pointed out that in accordance with the two Panels' requests, the Guangdong authorities have arranged for the delegation to visit facilities related to logistics, tourism and environment protection, including tourist spots, a logistics centre, port and airport facilities, household waste incineration and power generation facilities, and a wetland park. The delegation will also meet with officials of the Guangdong Provincial Government to discuss issues of mutual interest.
The LegCo Secretariat will liaise with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Guangdong Provincial Government to draw up the detailed itinerary for the visit. The two Panels will hold a joint meeting on May 5 to discuss the details of the visit, and will then report to the House Committee on May 8.
Ends/Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:15
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