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19 August 2009

Dim Sum TV marks new chapter in
“Hong Kong-Guangdong Cooperation With Coverage Of
The 12th Hong Kong-Guangdong Cooperation
Joint Conference”

Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation has reached new heights. At the recently concluded Hong Kong-Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference, the two sides signed a total of 8 agreements on bilateral cooperation. These agreements will pave the way for cooperation between the service industries of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and give fresh impetus to the implementation of The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). A number of trial measures will be launched first in Guangdong in the areas of financial services, infrastructure, education, medical technology, environmental protection and intellectual property, and provide further scope and momentum for Hong Kong-Guangdong collaboration.

Donald Tsang shaking hands with Huang Huahua before the conference.
Donald Tsang shaking hands with Huang Huahua before the conference.

The 12th Hong Kong-Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference was held in Hong Kong on August 19, 2009. Of the 8 agreements signed, the most notable was “The Preliminary Agreement on Cooperation between the Modern Service Industries of Hong Kong and Shenzhen In the Development of the Qian Hai Area”, signed by the Chief Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR, Henry Tang, and the Acting Mayor Of Shenzhen, Huang Rong. On the basis of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle, the ‹Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta›, as well as the existing CEPA agreement, and within the contexts of Hong Kong-Guangdong and Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation, the two sides agreed to jointly undertake the development of modern service industries in the reclaimed Qian Hai area. This agreement calls for the strengthening of related infrastructure within the priority zones, and the accelerated establishment of modern operating systems for finance, commerce, logistics and other new industries. Support is also pledged to the development of Hong Kong’s service industries in the region. Besides the Qian Hai agreement, 7 other agreements were also signed.

Donald Tsang shaking hands with Huang Huahua before the conference.
Donald Tsang shaking hands with Huang Huahua before the conference.

Dim Sum TV has long worked to provide a common platform for Hong Kong-Guangdong-Macau trilateral exchange. Since it first went on air in Hong Kong and Guangdong, it has made Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation a key focus of its coverage. The Hong Kong-Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference has long been the brain trust for studying and setting directions for the next phase of Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation. And Dim Sum TV has been a continuous media presence at the annual conference to chronicle this iconic exchange between the two regional administrations.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Governor of Guangdong Province Huang Huahua witnessing the signing of the Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation agreement.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Governor of Guangdong Province Huang Huahua witnessing the signing of the Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation agreement.

Hong Kong and Guangdong have been collaborating on many fronts for years, and the two governments have been working ever closer. After the conference, Donald Tsang compared the relationship to dancing the tango. He humorously observed, “There’s great teamwork between us and Governor Huang’s team. Everything we do, every step we take is in sync, just as if we were dancing the tango together.”

Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Governor of Guangdong Province Huang Huahua meeting the press after the conference.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Governor of Guangdong Province Huang Huahua meeting the press after the conference.

To facilitate Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation, the governments of Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have been holding annual joint conferences since 1998. Hong Kong and Guangdong take turns hosting the conference, which were chaired by the Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province and the Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR. As a sign of the ever-growing significance of Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation, the conference was elevated to chief executive-level in 2003.

After the conference, on the evening of August 19, the Guangdong provincial government formally announced the “Decision of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province to Promote Closer Cooperation with Hong Kong and Macau”. The decision formalizes the objective of establishing the Hong Kong-Guangdong-Macau axis one of the world’s leading geo-economic entities in terms of core competitiveness. It also proposes a range of innovative measures, including: preferential treatment for modern service industries from Hong Kong and Macau that is equal to that enjoyed by mainland enterprises, full medical benefits for Hong Kong and Macau citizens requiring medical services in Guangdong, and joint planning of infrastructural projects.

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