The 2016 Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co-operation Chief Executive Joint Conference (Joint Conference) was held in Nanchang, Jiangxi, today (October 14). The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, led the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government delegation, which included representatives of four policy bureaux and the Belt and Road Office, at the Joint Conference.
 
     ​​At the Joint Conference in the morning, Mr Leung had an interactive discussion with government leaders of the PPRD provinces/regions about implementing a regional development strategy and the State Council's guiding opinions on deepening co-operation within the PPRD region (Guiding Opinions). Mr Leung said that the PPRD forum was the only regional co-operation platform in the Mainland which included Hong Kong and Macau SARs. This gave full play to the dual advantages of Hong Kong under the "one country, two systems" principle. Mr Leung also pointed out that the National 13th Five-Year Plan mentioned for the first time the deepening of the PPRD regional co-operation, and that the Guiding Opinions also positioned the PPRD region as the core area for in-depth co-operation between the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau SARs. He suggested the PPRD provinces/regions leverage Hong Kong's "super-connector" role in jointly supporting the Belt and Road Initiative and enhancing innovation and technology.
 
     ​​On the Belt and Road Initiative, Mr Leung encouraged the PPRD provinces/regions to exchange information and join with Hong Kong in participating in different aspects of project development and management. As regards innovation and technology, Mr Leung stressed that Hong Kong possessed advantages in innovation and technology industry and had been promoting re-industrialisation. The HKSAR Government also proactively created an environment conducive to promoting "mass entrepreneurship and innovation" with the PPRD provinces/regions. 
 
     ​​In addition, the first consultative meeting between the PPRD provinces/regions and the central authorities (consultative meeting) was convened by the Governor of Jiangxi this afternoon. At the consultative meeting, government leaders of the PPRD provinces/regions, relevant officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and representatives from the China Development Bank exchanged views on PPRD co-operation matters requiring support from central authorities.
 
     ​​At the consultative meeting, Mr Leung remarked that the HKSAR Government would take part in the work of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Big Bay Area development plan under the "one country, two systems" principle and with reference to the mode of Hong Kong's participation in the National 13th Fiver-Year Plan. In the process, Hong Kong would foster development of the three places on mutually beneficial grounds and leverage the cross-boundary transport network in promoting regional social and economic development, especially the benefits brought by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.
 
     ​​During his stay in Nanchang, Mr Leung met with leaders of Jiangxi Province, Fujian Province, Sichuan Province and Hunan Province separately to discuss bilateral co-operation matters such as trade and commerce, the Belt and Road Initiative, innovation and technology as well as urban planning, development and management.
 
     ​​When meeting with the Secretary of the CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee, Mr Lu Xinshe, and the Governor of Jiangxi, Mr Liu Qi, Mr Leung expressed gratitude for Jiangxi's hospitality and pointed out that the two places might explore fostering exchanges and co-operation in urban planning, development and management. At Mr Leung's meeting with the Governor of Fujian, Mr Yu Weiguo, both sides were pleased to note that the Hong Kong-Fujian Co-operation Conference fostered exchanges and co-operation in various areas, including trade and commerce, finance, tourism, services industry, culture and education. Both sides agreed to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative through the co-operation mechanism. At Mr Leung's meeting with the Governor of Sichuan, Mr Yin Li, the two sides acknowledged that Hong Kong and Sichuan had established a good co-operation foundation in fields related to reconstruction work and agreed to further strengthen co-operation in service industries. When meeting with the acting Governor of Hunan, Mr Xu Dazhe, Mr Leung remarked that the HKSAR Government had set up a liaison unit in Hunan under the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan in May this year. The Liaison Unit would actively strengthen government-to-government liaison and promote potential exchanges and co-operation in innovation and technology between two places.
 
     The PPRD forum, which is an important regional co-operation platform, covers nine provinces/regions in the Mainland (namely Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan) and the Hong Kong and Macau SARs, accounting for one-third of the country's population and gross domestic product.
 
     ​​The Chief Executive returned to Hong Kong this evening.

Ends/Friday, October 14, 2016
Issued at HKT 19:48

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