[Explanation] On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam said in an exclusive interview with China News Agency’s “Focus on China” column recently that Hong Kong has been a witness and participant in Shenzhen’s earth-shaking changes in the past 40 years. As the Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region, he will definitely bring Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation to a new level and actively promote Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of the country.
[Explanation] The 40th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was held in Shenzhen on the 14th.
Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, State President, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission delivered a speech at the conference.
Carrie Lam, who attended the conference in Shenzhen, said that in President Xi's speech, there were two words that impressed her most.
[Concurrent] Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
I was sitting on the stage listening to President Xi’s speech. What impressed me most were two words, one is "persistence" and the other is "reform".
I believe that 40 years ago, it was not long after the country's reform and opening up. There must be a lot of opposition to the establishment of a special zone in a small border town. So I felt that the leadership must have persistence.
After 40 years, everyone has seen that Shenzhen has had an earth-shaking development and has created a miracle of the world economy.
So at this moment, we still have to persist. For the right thing, we must persist on the right path.
As far as Hong Kong is concerned, these two words have a profound impact on me. In the past year or so, many things have happened in Hong Kong, so we still have to be firm, or stick to the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems", and stick to us. As a part of the People’s Republic of China, we must persist in safeguarding national security, so I think persistence is very important.
[Commentary] Carrie Lam said frankly that in the era of global economic integration, if we do not reform, we will easily lose our competitiveness. In the future, we will continue to review every system, system and policy in Hong Kong and seize reform opportunities.
[Concurrent] Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
The road to reform may not be easy, but it has to go on.
Because if you do not reform, you will easily lose your competitiveness and your unique advantages in the current global economic integration, which is also right for Hong Kong.
I now see the future economic development of Hong Kong. In fact, at this time, we should be more able to grasp the reform opportunities brought by our integration into the overall development of the country.
[Explanation] A Shenzhen River flies on both sides.
Carrie Lam said that Hong Kong has been an active participant during the 40 years of Shenzhen's reform and opening up.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, many Hong Kong companies invested and set up factories, which not only drove the development of Shenzhen, but also provided solutions to the land and human resources problems faced by Hong Kong enterprises. Once Shenzhen has developed, Hong Kong is also "introducing "Coming" and "going out" have played an important role of "contact"; looking into the future, on the road of developing scientific and technological innovation, the two places will certainly achieve complementary advantages.
[Concurrent] Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Now in terms of technological innovation (in terms of), Hong Kong’s advantage (yes) is because we have very good institutions of higher learning and very good scientific research capabilities, but since we basically have no manufacturing industry, the transformation and commercialization of scientific research is only Rely on Shenzhen's advanced manufacturing industry.
But the most important complementarity between the two places is "one country, two systems." We are in one country, so the central government gives us support, and the cooperation between the two places is more dynamic. However, we have retained Hong Kong’s own system, which seems to be our law. The system, our scientific research capabilities, our integration with international standards, the free flow of funds and currency that we are guaranteed under the Basic Law, can also provide a good impetus for the further development of Shenzhen.
[Explanation] This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and it is also the 40th year of Carrie Lam's career as a public servant.
During her tenure as Director of the Development Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government, Carrie Lam has begun to pay attention to the development of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border area, actively promoting the cross-border infrastructure project at the Liantang-Heung Yuen Wai port and the planning and construction of the Lok Ma Chau Loop.
She emphasized that as the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, she will definitely push Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation to a new level.
[Concurrent] Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
This year is my 40th year as a public servant. It is the same as the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. So every time I see a project I have participated in can be successfully completed, it is a great satisfaction, especially since these jobs are beneficial to the people. .
I am now the Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region, and the scope of my influence on promotion is much wider than that of a Secretary for Development. Therefore, I hope that in the future, the cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong can be promoted in technological innovation, in culture and art, and in youth exchanges. Go up to a new step.
[Explanation] Carrie Lam said that in recent years, she has visited many first- and second-tier cities in the Mainland. He is often told that Hong Kong is the largest source of foreign capital in the region. Many Hong Kong entrepreneurs entered the Mainland as pioneers and witnessed the development and changes in the Mainland.
Looking to the future, she believes that Hong Kong should continue to leverage its own advantages and integrate into the new development pattern of domestic and foreign dual cycles promoted by the state, paving the way for mainland enterprises to enter the countries along the “Belt and Road”.
[Concurrent] Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
In general, I think the Mainland is now a major economy in the world with (economic) growth after the epidemic. It is equivalent to Hong Kong having a good opportunity, so how to make good use of our unique advantages and how to better Integrating into the overall situation of national development is also the focus of my future work.
Reporter Li Yuqi, Li Yue, Hu Dingxuan, and Chen Shuo reporting from Hong Kong
Editor in charge: [Liu Xian]