The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, commenced her two-day trip to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area in Shenzhen and Zhongshan today (March 29).
 
     Accompanied by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip; and the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, Mrs Lam arrived in Shenzhen this morning to officiate at the Establishment Ceremony of Harmonia College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK Shenzhen). They also toured the campus and were briefed on the development of the university. Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Lam said that with the forthcoming promulgation and implementation of the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong is set to enter a new stage. Mrs Lam said she hopes that more industries which enjoy clear advantages in Hong Kong, including education, will extend their presence in the Bay Area. Noting that CUHK Shenzhen, which was set up in 2014, has already attracted top talent and established a number of world-class innovative research platforms in just a few years, she said the institution's success is a testament to the boundless scope for co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong.
 
     Mrs Lam and the other officials then met with the Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr Wang Weizhong, and attended a lunch hosted by him. Mrs Lam said that both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang stated their expectations of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area during the recent annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, expressing hope that it would be developed as a world-class Bay Area open to the world. She added that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up of the country, coupled with the forthcoming promulgation and implementation of the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, the co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong should carry on with past successes while creating new achievements in the future. Hong Kong and Shenzhen are close neighbours, have been collaborating well and should complement each other for mutual benefits down the road, she added. In particular, as Shenzhen is home to many advanced manufacturing and leading innovation and technology (I&T) enterprises, I&T will be an area that is highly complementary to both cities.
 
     In the afternoon, Mrs Lam, Mr Yang, Mr Nip, Mr Chan and the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, headed for Zhongshan to view the Zhongshan National Health Technology Park. Housing more than 200 companies, including renowned overseas high-tech enterprises, the Park provides pharmaceutical industries with an excellent environment for innovation and entrepreneurship with the integration of research and development, inspection and testing, transformation of achievements, financing and incubation. The delegation also visited a convenience store operated with artificial intelligence in the Park to experience the self-service sales model. The project was jointly developed by Hong Kong and Mainland teams, which fully demonstrates the advantage of the model of “designed by Hong Kong and manufactured by Zhongshan”.
 
     Mrs Lam and the other officials then headed for Tsui Hang New District to inspect the construction of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link. Expected to be opened in 2024, the link will greatly shorten the travelling time from Hong Kong to the west bank of the Pearl River via Shenzhen. They then visited the Zhongshan Tsui Hang New District Planning Exhibition Centre to learn about the planning of the new district and the infrastructure of Zhongshan.
 
     In the evening, Mrs Lam and the other officials met with the Secretary of the CPC Zhongshan Municipal Committee, Mr Chen Xudong, and attended a dinner hosted by him. Mrs Lam said Zhongshan can play an important role in the Hong Kong-Guangdong co-operation. Noting that Hong Kong’s edge is in research and development while Zhongshan is an excellent base for transformation of achievements, she said the two cities can join hands to develop the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area as a world-class I&T centre. In addition, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link which is under construction can complement with other infrastructure projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to develop the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area that falls within a reachable one-hour living circle, facilitating the flow of people and goods in the area. With the economic development in the cities in the Bay Area including Zhongshan, there is an increasing need for quality services. While Hong Kong hopes to develop industries which enjoy clear advantages such as medical services and education in the Bay Area, Zhongshan’s vibrant development in the healthcare industry presents an opportunity for co-operation between the two places to attract more overseas talent to develop in the Bay Area.   
 
     Mrs Lam headed for Zhuhai in the evening and will continue her visit tomorrow (March 30).

Ends/Thursday, March 29, 2018
Issued at HKT 23:53

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