Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (right), meets with Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee Yi Lianhong (left), at Government House on June 26, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu met with Secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang Provincial Committee Yi Lianhong at Government House on Monday and exchanged views on deepening Hong Kong's cooperation with Zhejiang.

Lee welcomed Yi's visit to Hong Kong with his delegation to organize the Hong Kong & Macao - Zhejiang Week 2023 and witness the signing of a cooperation agreement and a number of memoranda of understanding between the two places, according to a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government statement.

Lee said he hopes that Hong Kong and Zhejiang will further expand the scope for development and start a new phase in deepened cooperation on all fronts

Lee said he hopes that Hong Kong and Zhejiang will further expand the scope for development and start a new phase in deepened cooperation through strengthened and high-level collaboration and exchanges.

The HKSAR government attaches great importance to deepening cooperation between Hong Kong and Zhejiang, Lee said, adding that it set up the Zhejiang Liaison Unit in 2017 to actively promote exchanges between the two places.

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He pointed out that Hong Kong has all along been the largest source of foreign direct investment in Zhejiang province, and is the best platform for enterprises to list outside Zhejiang.

Hong Kong is also one of the preferred locations for Zhejiang enterprises to explore foreign markets and “go global", Lee said.  

Noting that Zhejiang is a major powerhouse of the economy and local enterprises, he said Hong Kong and Zhejiang must be able to achieve complementarity and mutual benefit through close cooperation.

Lee expressed the hope that the two places will continue to have practical cooperation on various aspects including finance, aviation and culture and tourism, and seize opportunities arising from the National 14th Five-Year Plan to foster synergistic development and a bright future.

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Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen, and Director of the Chief Executive's Office Carol Yip Man-kuen also attended the meeting.