A delegation composed of Hong Kong officials and lawmakers poses for a photo on April 21, 2023, before heading for Shenzhen, one of the four Chinese mainland cities the group plans to visit in the Greater Bay Area. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
Nearly 100 Hong Kong lawmakers and senior officials have embarked on an intense four-day tour to four mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as they seek to experience in-person the achievements of innovation, environmental protection, youth work, and arts and sports development across the border, and to explore opportunities for collaboration.
Making the trip are 83 lawmakers and several principal government officials, including Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki.
This is the first joint visit to the mainland by the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the Legislative Council since the improvement of the city’s electoral system and the implementation of the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”
This is the first joint visit to the mainland by the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the Legislative Council since the improvement of the city’s electoral system and the implementation of the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”.
It also marks a major highlevel cross-border exchange since the full resumption of quarantinefree travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland on Feb 6.
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The delegation arrived at its first stop, Shenzhen, on Friday evening.
At the welcome dinner, Meng Fanli, Party secretary of Shenzhen, and Qin Weizhong, Shenzhen’s mayor, introduced Shenzhen’s latest economic and science developments.
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, president of Legco, told reporters that it had been five years since
Hong Kong lawmakers last visited the mainland.
On Saturday, the delegation’s first stop will be the Shenzhen automobile production base of leading electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, Leung said.
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Because of the substantial number of participants, the delegation will then be split into two groups.
One will go to the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub, while the other will visit the office of DJI, a world-renowned drone producer, and Nantou Ancient Town.
On Saturday evening, Lee will lead one group to Dongguan, and Chan will take the other to Foshan.
The two groups will visit various facilities, enterprises and projects in the two cities separately on Sunday, before joining up in Guangzhou on Monday to wrap up the tour.
Before departing for the mainland on Friday afternoon, Lee, who led the delegation, said the trip will enable participants to learn more about the latest developments and opportunities in the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.
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The trip is also a part of the SAR government’s efforts to strengthen Hong Kong’s communication with other GBA cities and promote GBA’s high-quality development, which was highlighted by President Xi Jinping in his recent inspection tour of Guangdong province
The trip is also a part of the SAR government’s efforts to strengthen Hong Kong’s communication with other GBA cities and promote GBA’s high-quality development, which was highlighted by President Xi Jinping in his recent inspection tour of Guangdong province.
Lawmaker Chan Wing-kwong told China Daily that during his trip to Foshan, he will focus on the development of medical robots and their applications in biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine.
Noting that Foshan is a TCM hub on the mainland, Chan also wants to enhance exchanges with TCM practitioners in Foshan to drive Hong Kong’s TCM development.
Lawmaker Tan Yueheng, who is from the business sector, said he hopes to learn more about Shenzhen’s development of new energy vehicles, and the operation details of the newly opened Hong Kong International Airport Logistics Park in Dongguan.
He said he hopes the in-depth visit will enable lawmakers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Greater Bay Area, which will be helpful for officials to formulate policies and lawmakers to propose suggestions related to GBA collaboration.
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Another lawmaker, Wendy Hong Wen, said she will pay close attention to the further improvement of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, or CEPA, a free trade
agreement signed between Hong Kong and the mainland in 2003.
She hopes officials from Hong Kong and Guangdong can reach a consensus during the trip to continue deepening CEPA’s implementation.
Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei, who is also in charge of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong’s communications with Dongguan, said he hopes to establish through the trip a liaison mechanism that allows the DAB and Dongguan authorities to facilitate policymaking regarding Hong Kong-Dongguan collaboration.
