The Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Mr Paul Chan, accompanied the members of the publicity delegation, who visited Hong Kong to speak on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to visit the Northern Metropolis this afternoon (November 24). The members were the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mr Hou Jianguo, and the Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs and the Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Affairs, CPC, Mr Zhu Weidong. 

     The two members of the publicity delegation first visited the Kwu Tung North New Development Area to understand the planning and construction progress of the Area and the whole Northern Metropolis. The Area, primarily focused on residential communities as well as government and community facilities, is the first new development area in the Northern Metropolis to enter the construction phase. The publicity delegation visited the site office to conduct an on-site inspection of the construction progress.

     The members of the publicity delegation then visited the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone. The Co-operation Zone consists of the Hong Kong Park and the Shenzhen Park. Located on the two sides of the Shenzhen River, it is established under the vision of "one zone, two parks". The Hong Kong Park will be officially open in December this year. The first batch of wet laboratory facilities starting operation in the Hong Kong Park provides important support for the life and health technology industry, in which Hong Kong holds strategic advantages. The members of the publicity delegation visited the wet laboratory facilities and talent accommodations, and exchanged views with innovation and technology enterprises that have already settled in the Park and specialise in life and health technology, artificial intelligence and robotics technologies respectively. They were also briefed on the future development of the Park by the Park's representatives and learned about the Park's operation. 

     During the inspection at the Northern Metropolis, members of the publicity delegation had in-depth interactions and exchanges with the management staff of the relevant development and representatives of enterprises. The members noted that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee outlined a series of key initiatives promoting the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and expressed hope that everyone can grasp the opportunities in the formulation and implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, leveraging Hong Kong's distinctive advantages and vital functions of enjoying the strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world. This will speed up the development of the Northern Metropolis, accelerate Hong Kong's development into an international innovation and technology centre, as well as its integration into and contribution to the broader national development landscape. 

     The Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, and others accompanied the publicity delegation during the inspection.

Ends/Monday, November 24, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:30

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