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14 September, 2012
Mr. C.Y. Leung Led New HKSAR Delegation at the
15th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong
Co-operation Joint Conference
On September 14, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delegation, led by Chief Executive Mr. C.Y. Leung, met with the governor of Guangdong, Mr. Zhu Xiaodan, and his delegation in Guangzhou for the 15th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference. The two sides reviewed the results of Guangdong-Hong Kong co-operation over the past year and aligned on the direction for future bilateral efforts. The delegates also expressed satisfaction with the progress on the finalization of 86 joint projects this year.
From left to right: Professor Cheung Bing Leung, Secretary for Transport and Housing of the HKSAR; Mrs. Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR; Mr. C.Y. Leung, Chief Executive of the HKSAR; Mr. Wang Yang, Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Committee.
The meeting marked Mr. Leung’s first visit to Guangzhou since he assumed office. Before the meeting, Mr. Leung and his party were received by Mr. Wang Yang, Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Committee. Mr. Leung said he was confident that the joint conference would build upon the past yet remain forward-looking at the same time. Ready to embrace change, the two sides would no doubt take a progressive view and find the best way forward for Guangdong-Hong Kong co-operation in the years ahead.
Mr. C.Y. Leung and Mr. Zhu Xiaodan before the conference.
The conference was co-chaired by Mr. Leung and Governor Zhu. One of the key items on the agenda was the plan for Guangdong and Hong Kong to take the lead in achieving basic deregulation of the trade in services. The Guangdong government has already targeted 2014 for implementation, and has started drawing up the legislative framework and action plans.
The government leaders of Guangdong and Hong Kong announcing the results of the joint conference.
The conference also reported robust growth for the renminbi business between Guangdong and Hong Kong, a topic that has attracted widespread interest. In the first 7 months of 2012, the business transacted in Hong Kong in renminbi cleared the RMB14 trillion mark, 20% of which was generated by trade between the two neighbours.
The two governments have also instituted policies to facilitate the ever-increasing cross-border exchange. So far this year, Hong Kong’s Octopus Card has already launched 2-in-1 cards in collaboration with Guangzhou’s Lingnan Tong and Shenzhen’s Shenzhen Tong. The Regional Co-operation Plan on Building a Quality Living Area was also announced jointly by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau in June.
The signing ceremony is marked by a warm and cordial atmosphere.
The joint conference concluded with 7 accords and agreements, including the <Co-operation Agreement between Hong Kong and Guangdong on speeding up Transformation and Upgrading of Hong Kong-funded Processing Trade Enterprises in Guangdong>, <Framework Agreement on Exchanges and Co-operation in Food Safety for Hong Kong/Guangdong>, <Letter of Intent on Co-operation between Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and Guangdong Software Industry Association>, <Strategic Co-operation Agreement between the People's Government of Nanhai District, Foshan City and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation>, <Long-term Co-operation Agreement between Guangdong Meteorological Bureau and Hong Kong Observatory in Numerical Weather Prediction Technology>, <Memorandum of Understanding between Foshan Municipal Government in Guangdong Province, Guangdong Provincial Railway Construction Investment Group Company Limited, MTR Corporation Limited and China Merchants Group Company Limited>.
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