The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (November 30) visited a number of Central Government bodies in Beijing to strengthen bilateral relations.

     Upon his arrival yesterday (November 29), Mr Cheung visited the Chinese Academy of Governance. He toured the facilities and was briefed on the operation of the Academy. During the tour, he exchanged views with the Executive Vice President, Mr Ma Jiantang, on training for civil servants.

     Mr Cheung thanked the Academy for the support that it had all along given to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government for national studies training for our civil servants. He added that Hong Kong planned to set up a civil service college to strengthen training for civil servants and hoped that both sides could foster closer co-operation.

     Today (November 30), he called on the Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, Mr Yin Weimin, and introduced to him Hong Kong’s human resources planning as well as the HKSAR Government’s latest measures on poverty alleviation, elderly care and support for the disadvantaged that aimed to support the needy, improve people's livelihood and alleviate inter-generational poverty.

     At his meeting with the Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Zhang Yesui, Mr Cheung thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its assistance rendered to Hong Kong residents in distress abroad. He also expressed deep appreciation for MFA's support provided to the HKSAR Government in setting up Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices overseas.

     Mr Cheung stressed that the HKSAR Government put much emphasis on Hong Kong's participation in the Belt and Road initiative and adopted a multi-pronged approach in introducing policies and measures to seize opportunities arising from the initiative, with a view to sustaining Hong Kong’s continuous development and contributing to this mammoth national development project.

     Mr Cheung then called on the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, Mr Zhang Xiaoming. He thanked the HKMAO for its continuous support the work of the HKSAR Government.

     Furthermore, Mr Cheung visited a WE+Plus co-working space in Beijing operated by Hong Kong people to understand the co-working office space and supporting services provided to start-ups and young people on the Mainland.

     Afterwards, he met with representatives of Hong Kong organisations and students living in Beijing to understand their life, work and study on the Mainland. Mr Cheung took the opportunity to brief them on the latest development of Hong Kong and encourage them to treasure the opportunities arising from the country’s new development. He reassured that the HKSAR Government would continue to provide assistance to Hong Kong people on the Mainland through various Mainland offices.

     Riding on his visit to Beijing, Mr Cheung, at the invitation of the Palace Museum, also paid a visit to see the “Landscape Map of the Silk Road” from the Ming dynasty and attended a luncheon hosted by the Palace Museum. The Map was returned from overseas and donated by a Hong Kong businessman.

     Tomorrow (December 1), Mr Cheung will continue his visit in Beijing.

Ends/Thursday, November 30, 2017
Issued at HKT 19:28

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