The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited Guangzhou and Shenzhen today (November 7) to meet with the leaders of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen to discuss how to take forward together the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) development and further co-operation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Also joining the meetings were the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan; the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki. The Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, attended the meeting with the Shenzhen leaders.

     In the morning, Mrs Lam met with the Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Li Xi, and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui. She expressed gratitude to Guangdong Province for the long-standing support for Hong Kong during the COVID-19 epidemic, including helping with implementation of anti-epidemic measures at various boundary control points, adding that the majority of the members of the support teams, who came to Hong Kong earlier to help with testing in the Universal Community Testing Programme, were from Guangdong. She expressed the hope that after Hong Kong has further controlled the epidemic, cross-boundary travel between the people of Guangdong and Hong Kong, with exemption of compulsory quarantine, can resume in a gradual and orderly manner as soon as possible. Mrs Lam said that she is confident of the prospects of Guangdong-Hong Kong co-operation down the road, in particular the GBA development, given the unique advantages of Hong Kong and the co-operation foundation built over the years between the two places. In addition, she said that the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area led by Vice Premier of the State Council, Mr Han Zheng, announced in batches a host of policy initiatives to support the development of the GBA, many of which had been implemented, including measures facilitating Hong Kong residents, in particular young people, to work, study and live in the GBA. Mrs Lam pointed out that she discussed with the leaders of the ministries and commissions support measures for the Hong Kong economy by the Central Government in Beijing, with the implementation of some of them requiring the support of Guangdong. Noting that the proposals for the nation's 14th Five-Year Plan and Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 were promulgated earlier, in which the development of a high-quality GBA was mentioned, she expressed the hope that the two governments will work together to contribute to the development of the nation and the GBA.

     Mrs Lam and the other officials attended a lunch hosted by Mr Li after the meeting and departed for Shenzhen.

     In the afternoon, Mrs Lam met with the Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr Wang Weizhong, and the Mayor of Shenzhen, Mr Chen Rugui. On the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, she extended, once again, her congratulations to Shenzhen on its distinguished achievements over the past 40 years. Pointing out that Hong Kong made contributions in the course of developments of Shenzhen in the past and was also the beneficiary, she said she believes that the close and mutually beneficial relationship can be further strengthened in the future. She said that the country recently promulgated policy initiatives on the development of Shenzhen and that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is studying them intensively in order to explore further room for collaboration in areas including the promotion of innovation and technology (I&T), attracting talent, improving people's livelihoods and facilitating movement of major production factors with a view to raising Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation to a higher level. Pointing out in particular that the Ministry of Science and Technology expressed staunch support for co-operation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen on I&T, she expressed the hope that while taking forward the development of the Hong Kong/Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Loop, both places can implement enhanced collaborative measures in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Co-operation Zone in Shenzhen as soon as possible to contribute to the development of an international I&T hub in the GBA. She also expressed her sincere gratitude to the Shenzhen Municipal Government for its support for Hong Kong amid the epidemic, including helping with the construction of community treatment facilities and a temporary hospital as commissioned by the Central Government.

     Mrs Lam and the other officials then attended a dinner hosted by Mr Wang and returned to Hong Kong in the evening.

Ends/Saturday, November 7, 2020
Issued at HKT 22:03

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