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The Central Policy Unit (CPU) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Research Association and the China Development Institute held the second Hong Kong-Shenzhen Co-operation Forum today (August 13) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The forum was initiated by the research institutions of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, with the first forum held in August last year in Shenzhen. The theme of today's forum is "Jointly Developing a World-Class Metropolis". More than 300 participants from the two places, including government officials, experts and academics, representatives from the business sector and overseas organisations in Hong Kong, attended the forum.
The Acting Chief Executive, Mr Henry Tang, and the Shenzhen Mayor, Mr Xu Zongheng, each delivered a keynote address.
Mr Tang said that Hong Kong and Shenzhen, as close partners, shared the vision of moving forward through closer integration. "The vision is crucial to the sustained development of the two cities. It is in line with the trend of integration among Asian economies and supports the long-term development needs of our country," he said, adding that it was necessary for the two cities to establish a strategic partnership and work together to develop a world-class metropolis.
"Since 2004, under the framework of Hong Kong/Guangdong co-operation, the governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen have established direct communication mechanism and closer relations by concluding agreements such as the Memorandum on Closer Co-operation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen and the co-operation agreement on 'Shenzhen/Hong Kong Innovation Circle'. This has provided a solid foundation for intensifying our co-operation," Mr Tang said.
"The long-term objective of our co-operation is to jointly develop a world-class metropolis comparable with Greater New York and Greater London. This metropolis, covering 3,200 square kilometres and a population of about 20 million, will be one of the top metropolises in respect of economic size, trade volume and investments," he said.
"In jointly developing Hong Kong and Shenzhen into a metropolis, we should be guided by the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle, the spirits of development and pragmatism, and should not lose sight of the big picture. Apart from opening up to each other, we should also strive to promote the free flow of key economic elements such as personnel, goods, capital and information between the two cities," Mr Tang said.
"The strategic concept of building a Shenzhen/Hong Kong world-class metropolis not only concludes and confirms the fruitful results of Shenzhen/Hong Kong co-operation over the past decade, it also enhances and deepens our co-operation. It fully reflects the actual circumstances and development trend of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Moreover, it expresses the common wish of the governments and people with insight from both cities, representing a significant milestone and symbolizing a new historic stage and a brand new chapter of our co-operation," Mr Xu said in his keynote address.
"When I took up the office of Shenzhen Mayor, I put forward the concept 'to learn from Hong Kong and to serve Hong Kong', and that's what Shenzhen has been doing. I would like to take the opportunity today to further enrich this concept, that is: 'to learn from Hong Kong, to serve Hong Kong, to integrate with Hong Kong, and to jointly build a world-class metropolis'."
Mr Xu proposed that the co-operation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong should adhere to the principles of "consensus, pragmatism, innovation, and mutual success". "I believe that with the concerted and pragmatic efforts of the people of the two cities, we could surely overcome all obstacles to jointly build a world-class metropolis, and to achieve success for our country, our people, our region and our cities," he said.
In his welcome address, Head of the CPU, Professor Lau Siu-kai, said: "Through past three decades of reform and opening up of our country, Shenzhen has developed itself into the most vibrant city on the Mainland and Hong Kong's closest economic and trading partner. Shenzhen and Hong Kong have built up a complementary and mutually beneficial relationship. On-going interaction and co-operation at the community and business levels have also forged a close tie between the two places."
The Chairman of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Research Association and Executive Vice-chairman of the China Development Institute, Mr Li Hao, said in his address, "The development strategy of such an international metropolis means that we should co-operate in a more active, open and efficient manner. We should not only respect economic rules and fully make use of the market mechanism, but also make use of the government's driving and co-ordinating functions." He stressed that "we should not only develop a more powerful and much larger economy, but also promote our cultural environment. In particular we should upgrade the quality of our residents, attract and groom more talents, and cultivate a unique, advanced urban culture.
Concluding the forum, Professor Lau said: "After the discussions and exchanges today, I think we have identified new opportunities and challenges. We have also gathered valuable views and recommendations for exploring the feasibility of jointly developing a world-class metropolis, as well as the circumstances and problems that may arise in the process. These will serve as a reliable basis for policy consideration by the two Governments."
Director of the National Economic Research Institute Professor Fan Gang and Professor Saskia Sassen from the Department of Sociology of Columbia University, USA, both gave keynote speeches at the forum. Professionals and academics from Hong Kong and Shenzhen were also invited to exchange their views with the participants.
Ends/Monday, August 13, 2007
Issued at HKT 20:03
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