Hong Kong chief executive to make whistle-stop tour of key Greater Bay Area cities to cement ties and boost economy
- John Lee and several ministers to meet top officials in Shenzhen and Guangzhou on Thursday
- City’s No 2 official Eric Chan also attends conference on fostering talent in bay area organised by governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau on Monday
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu will visit cities in mainland China on Thursday in a move seen as paving the way for a later trip with other lawmakers to the Greater Bay Area.
Lee will visit Guangzhou in the morning and meet senior Guangdong provincial officials to discuss ways to develop high-quality talent in the bay area, the government on Monday said. He is expected to meet officials in Shenzhen in the afternoon to explore opportunities for deepening cooperation among the neighbouring cities.
Hong Kong is part of the Greater Bay Area, along with Macau and nine mainland cities, that Beijing wants to turn into an economic powerhouse and centre for innovation similar to Silicon Valley in the United States.
Lee will be accompanied by Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, constitutional and mainland affairs chief Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, commerce and economic development minister Algernon Yau Ying-wah, education chief Christine Choi Yuk-lin and Lee’s office director Carol Yip Man-kuen.
But Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will remain in Hong Kong, where he is expected to meet the media after the city’s budget for the next financial year is unveiled on Wednesday.
Hong Kong has launched a major drive to regain its economic position after three years of stagnation caused by strict Covid-19 curbs, focusing on luring international investment and talent and boosting business with the mainland.
The city’s No 2 official, Eric Chan Kwok-ki, attended a conference on fostering talent in the Greater Bay Area organised by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau on Monday. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han accompanied Chan.
Lee and Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, the president of the Legislative Council, earlier spoke about a joint trip by officials and lawmakers to the bay area in either April or May.
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Leung told the media at the time that lawmakers were expected to visit Shenzhen and Guangzhou as a group and decide later whether to separate into small teams to tour other mainland cities.
Lawmaker Gary Chan Hak-kan expressed hopes that one theme of their visit would be environmental protection, so legislators could better understand efforts to develop green transport, recycling facilities and the mainland’s carbon-neutral policies.
Lee is also expected to visit Nansha, a district of Guangzhou, soon.
A delegation from Nansha travelled to Hong Kong in mid-February and met Lee. Sources said another visit to explore further opportunities for cooperation was planned.
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The Nansha authority is understood to believe Hong Kong, as the country’s most international city, could not be replaced by mainland counterparts.
Nansha has been chosen as the planned headquarters of the Guangzhou Futures Exchange.
The area last November announced a policy to exempt Hongkongers who worked in the area from income tax greater than the 15 per cent at present levied in the city.
The tax break is expected to remain in force until at least late 2026.
