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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, continued her Australian visit in Sydney today (September 17).
In the morning, Mrs Lam attended a briefing by the New South Wales (NSW) Government on Tomorrow's Sydney, which is the NSW Government's infrastructure development plan to support population growth and the economy.
Mrs Lam was then briefed on the Sydney Metro Northwest project, which is Australia's largest public transport infrastructure project under construction and first fully automated rapid transit network. Hong Kong's MTR Corporation is the majority shareholder of the joint venture which will run the rail operations of the project.
Afterwards, Mrs Lam called on the Deputy Premier of NSW, Minister for Justice and Police, Minister for the Arts and Minister for Racing, Mr Troy Grant, and exchanged views on various issues of mutual interest.
Mrs Lam then attended a lunch reception with some 90 Hong Kong people living in Australia. She introduced to the guests the Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents launched recently as a population policy initiative. She said, "We welcome the second generation of Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents who have emigrated abroad to return to Hong Kong and provide professional services in a wide range of areas and operate business start-ups."
In the afternoon, she paid a visit to the Goods Line project, an urban renewal project led by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority which has transformed a disused rail corridor into a pedestrian and cycle network. Mrs Lam visited the area back in 2008 in her former capacity as the Secretary for Development and was impressed by the progress made.
After the visit, Mrs Lam called on the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Ms Clover Moore. Mrs Lam said she looked forward to establishing stronger bilateral links with Sydney in the future, especially in the area of arts and culture, as Hong Kong is pressing ahead with the West Kowloon Cultural District project.
In the evening, Mrs Lam officiated at the premiere performance of "The Legend of Mulan" by the Hong Kong Dance Company at the Concourse Theatre. The performance is an original work that premiered at the 2013 Hong Kong Dance Festival and subsequently received two accolades at the Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2014 for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Ensemble Performance.
Mrs Lam will continue her visit in Sydney tomorrow (September 18).
Ends/Thursday, September 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:33
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