The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, continued her visit to Beijing today (February 2).

     In the morning, Mrs Lam called on the Minister of Commerce, Mr Zhong Shan, accompanied by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki.

     Mrs Lam said she was pleased to meet with Mr Zhong again following their meeting last August. She thanked the Ministry of Commerce for its continued support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, including the participation of the Vice Minister of Commerce, Ms Gao Yan in the Belt and Road Summit held in Hong Kong last September, and the seminar on Strategies and Opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative - Leveraging Hong Kong's Advantages, Meeting the Country's Needs (the Belt and Road Seminar) to be held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing tomorrow. She also expressed her gratitude for the Ministry's support on Hong Kong's signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Noting that Hong Kong will continue to promote regional economic co-operation, she said Hong Kong will enter into more FTAs and actively arrange for various parties to participate in the first China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November, and hoped that the Ministry would continue its support for Hong Kong.

     Mrs Lam, together with Mr Lau, Mr Nip and Mr Chan, then visited the headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) and was briefed by the Vice President of CCTV, Mr Wei Dichun, on CCTV's development strategies and production flow. Noting that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Mainland's reform and opening-up, Mrs Lam said she hopes to co-operate with CCTV to promote the nation's achievements as well as Hong Kong's past and future contributions, to which Mr Wei responded positively.

     In the afternoon, Mrs Lam had a working meeting with the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, Mr Zhang Xiaoming, at which she summed up the results of her visits to various central ministries during this trip. She also thanked the HKMAO for its support and assistance to the HKSAR Government in organising the Belt and Road Seminar to be held tomorrow.

     In the evening, Mrs Lam met with relevant personnel to prepare for the Belt and Road Seminar tomorrow. Jointly organised by the HKSAR Government and the Belt and Road General Chamber of Commerce, the Seminar aims to promote Hong Kong's competitive edges to the relevant Mainland ministries and state-owned enterprises with a view to jointly pursuing the opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Ends/Friday, February 2, 2018
Issued at HKT 21:51

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