China News Agency, Guangzhou, February 23rd, title: Hong Kong Chief Executive Li Jiachao visited Guangdong to plan high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area
China News Agency reporter Cheng Jingwei
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Li Jiachao, led a delegation to Guangzhou and Shenzhen on the 23rd. This was his first visit to Guangdong after taking office.
In the morning of the same day, Li Jiachao and his entourage met with Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee Huang Kunming and Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor Wang Weizhong in Guangzhou. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on deepening practical cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong and promoting the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
In the afternoon, Li Jiachao met with reporters at Guangzhou R&F Grand Hyatt Hotel and introduced the meeting with the leaders of Guangdong Province. "During the meeting, I first thank Guangdong Province for its continuous support for Hong Kong, including supporting Hong Kong's development and supporting many of Hong Kong's policies. I Special thanks to Guangdong Province for its support to Hong Kong during the epidemic."
Guangdong and Hong Kong are not only connected by blood and help each other, but will also work together to create a better future for the Greater Bay Area.
Li Jiachao said that this time the two sides focused on how to work together to promote the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and both believed that there is unlimited room for cooperation.
At the same time, the two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in key areas such as talent flow, personnel training and education, application of technology and innovation, financing for different industries and enterprises, green economy, and medical care.
Li Jiachao believes that at present, the most important thing for Guangdong and Hong Kong is to promote trade and cross-border transportation, "because these are the things that must be done in the development of the real economy, so that they can exert the most effective strength."
He said that Hong Kong will implement 13 special teams jointly with Guangdong Province to implement different development projects such as the northern metropolitan area of Hong Kong and promote the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area.
It is understood that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has set up a "integration into the national development overall situation supervision team", with Li Jiachao as the team leader and three directors as deputy team leaders.
"I hope to actively and proactively promote the construction of the Greater Bay Area to a new level." Li Jiachao said.
Hong Kong proposed to "open a new chapter for Hong Kong", and Guangdong also proposed to "create a new Guangdong".
In this regard, Li Jiachao believes that the two "new" concepts of Guangdong and Hong Kong have similarities, and both sides have a consensus to promote a new atmosphere from high-quality development.
And high-quality development also has some new areas, including technological applications, green life, new energy, and innovative ways of doing things, etc. "These are our common goals in our new fields, new atmosphere, and new vision."
On January 15 this year, the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which has been out of service for nearly three years due to the epidemic, resumed operations, making travel between Guangdong and Hong Kong more convenient and faster.
Li Jiachao took the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail from Hong Kong to Guangzhou this time, and experienced the convenience of the "one-hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area.
"The high-speed rail does bring convenience to passengers, and the feeling is very positive." Li Jiachao said at a press conference.
Li Jiachao said that after the full resumption of customs clearance between the mainland and Hong Kong, the flow of people in Hong Kong has increased in many ways, Hong Kong's social economy and social activities have become lively, the atmosphere is good, and the citizens are happy; the number of overseas people and tourists visiting Hong Kong has also gradually increased.
"Hong Kong people are resilient, flexible, and have the ability to think of ways. More importantly, Hong Kong generally has a consensus that it must fight for the economy." Li Jiachao said that after a process, Hong Kong's economic activities will return to the state before the epidemic , he is confident about it.
Since the mainland and Hong Kong fully resumed customs clearance, exchanges between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan and other mainland cities have been active.
Li Jiachao said that in the future, he will lead the directors of various departments and other SAR government officials to visit the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area and Macau. Among them, he plans to visit Macau next week.
He also plans to lead members of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to form a delegation to visit mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area in April this year.
In addition, the leaders of Guangdong Province are also likely to visit Hong Kong in March this year.
Hong Kong has previously launched a "high-end talent pass scheme".
Li Jiachao said that Hong Kong hopes to attract talents not only from the Mainland, but also hopes to attract more international talents to Hong Kong, or enter the entire Greater Bay Area via Hong Kong.
Next, he will study the promotion work in this area.
In the afternoon of the same day, after the trip in Guangzhou, Li Jiachao and his party went to Shenzhen to discuss with the leaders of Shenzhen to comprehensively deepen the cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
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