The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, commenced her trip to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area in Huizhou and Guangzhou today (May 16).

     Accompanied by the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, Mrs Lam met with the Acting Mayor of Huizhou, Mr Liu Ji, and attended a lunch hosted by him. She said at the meeting that given the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government attaches great importance to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, she visited Huizhou today following her trip to three other Bay Area cities, namely Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, in March. Noting that the ties between Hong Kong and Huizhou have been close, she said frequent contacts between the people in the two places provide a good foundation and strong impetus for co-operation between the two places. With Hong Kong's heavy investment in Huizhou over the years, she expressed the hope that the two cities will explore more collaboration in various industries in the future to seize together the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area. She added that in particular in innovation and technology (I&T), Hong Kong, whose strength lies in scientific research, can be complemented by Huizhou which is large in area and can provide land for the transformation of achievements of scientific research of Hong Kong for mutual benefit.

     In the afternoon, she visited a large-scale Hong Kong enterprise to know more about its successful experience in the transformation from being an investor in the manufacturing sector in the early period of the reform and opening up in the Mainland to a modern service provider. She also visited Tonghu Ecological and Smart Zone which is under planning to learn about its plan to develop smart industries with the protection of the ecological environment in mind. She was told that the zone is poised to be a cluster of I&T industries and a university from Hong Kong will participate in a project to explore collaboration with Huizhou in academic and scientific research aspects.

     While in Huizhou, Mrs Lam also visited a residential project where many Hong Kong people live to know more about the project's planning and the lives of Hong Kong people who reside in the Mainland.

     Mrs Lam concluded her visit to Huizhou in the afternoon and headed for Guangzhou. Accompanied by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, and Mr Chan, Mrs Lam visited Ershadao Art Park with the Secretary of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, Mr Ren Xuefeng, to know the ecological development and city environment of Guangzhou.

     Mrs Lam and other officials then had a meeting with Mr Ren and attended a dinner hosted by him. During the meeting, Mrs Lam said that she was pleased to visit Guangzhou for the first time in the capacity of the Chief Executive and note the remarkable progress the city has made in various aspects. She said that the relationship between Hong Kong and Guangzhou has always been close. Along with the opening of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link in September this year, she said she believes that the level of co-operation between the two places will be enhanced, allowing them to jointly promote the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area and helping Hong Kong better integrate into the overall development of the country. She also believed that the economy in various cities in the Bay Area will be boosted and people's livelihood will be improved.

     Mrs Lam will continue her visit tomorrow (May 17).

Ends/Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Issued at HKT 23:23

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