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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, began her visit to Malaysia by visiting Malacca and Kuala Lumpur yesterday (June 3) and today (June 4).
Before commencing the official programme in Kuala Lumpur, Mrs Lam had a brief visit to Malacca. Mrs Lam called on the Chief Minister of Malacca, Datuk Seri Ir Haji Idris bin Haji Haron, to exchange views on a number of issues, including conservation of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, economic development, tourism, housing and urban planning. She also visited the heritage sites at Malacca.
"Malacca is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its experience in heritage conservation is enlightening for us. We also welcome Malacca businesses to use Hong Kong as a fund-raising platform, and we look forward to receiving a delegation from Malacca to attract investors from our region," Mrs Lam said.
In Kuala Lumpur, Mrs Lam first visited the local monorail system to understand its mode of development and operation. She then spoke at a luncheon hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (HKETO) for representatives of major chambers of commerce to update Malaysian business leaders on investment and business opportunities in Hong Kong and using Hong Kong as a platform to enter the Mainland Chinese market.
Mrs Lam paid a courtesy call on the Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, Madam Ma Jia, to express appreciation for the Embassy's care and assistance provided to Hong Kong residents in need.
This evening, Mrs Lam officiated at the opening ceremony of a major tourism promotion event, the "Hong Kong's Evolving Harbour" exhibition and a travel fair organised by the HKETO and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Last year, Hong Kong welcomed almost 650,000 Malaysian visitors, making Malaysia the ninth largest source of visitor arrivals. There are more than 130 flights between Hong Kong and Malaysia every week. Mrs Lam highlighted in her speech the various initiatives to enhance the harbourfront for public enjoyment.
Mrs Lam also had a dinner gathering with Hong Kong people living and working in Kuala Lumpur. She briefed them on the latest developments in Hong Kong and encouraged them to contribute to a closer relationship between Hong Kong and Malaysia.
The Director of the HKETO, Mr Fong Ngai, accompanied Mrs Lam during the visit.
Mrs Lam will continue her visit in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow (June 5). She will attend and deliver a keynote speech at the forum on "Hong Kong - ASEAN Regional Cooperation", witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on investment promotion and meet with key government officials before departing for Penang.
Ends/Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Issued at HKT 20:05
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