The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (January 10) visited Shenzhen and concluded his three-day visit to Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). 
 
     In the morning, Mr Chan visited the Vocational and Professional Education Services (Shenzhen) Company Limited (VPES), which is the first Mainland operation centre of the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council (VTC), to receive a briefing on its operation by the Chairman of the VTC, Mr Tony Tai, and the Executive Director of the VTC, Mr Donald Tong. He also talked with students of the VTC and those of Shenzhen Polytechnic University to learn about their joint scientific research projects, and exchanged views on strengthening Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation in vocational and professional education and training (VPET).
 
     Mr Chan was pleased to learn that the VPES, since its formal opening last year, has been operating smoothly. As a VPET exchange platform, it has been fostering the VTC's co-operation with education institutions, enterprises and organisations on the Mainland in areas including programme exchanges, field studies and workplace attachments. It seeks to help more Hong Kong young people understand the country's development; and enable Mainland young people to learn about the VPET scene as well as different progression pathways in Hong Kong. Such pathways include staying in Hong Kong for one year after graduating from the VTC's designated full-time professional Higher Diploma programmes to seek jobs relevant to their disciplines under the Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme announced in the Policy Address last year. 
 
     Thereafter, Mr Chan met with the Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr Meng Fanli, and the Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Mr Qin Weizhong, to discuss issues of mutual concern as well as the strengthening of exchanges and co-operation on various fronts. Mr Chan said that, since the Hong Kong/Shenzhen Co-operation Meeting was successfully held in Hong Kong in February 2023, the relevant government departments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen have been making good use of the co-operation mechanism to deepen exchanges and co-operation in an array of areas, including finance, business and trade, innovation and technology, culture, tourism, education and youth development.
 
     Mr Chan added that Hong Kong and Shenzhen have been expediting, under the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone released by the Central Government in August 2023, the development of the co-operation zone; and that both places will fully leverage their "dual engine" roles to drive Qianhai development in the GBA further to the Overall Development Plan for the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone released by the Central Government in December 2023. At the same time, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will steadfastly implement the Northern Metropolis Action Agenda published in October 2023, with a view to achieving deeper integration with the planning of Shenzhen and other GBA cities as well as better integration of Hong Kong into the national development.
 
     Mr Chan said that Hong Kong will continue to fully capitalise on its distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the "one country, two systems" principle. He looked forward to Hong Kong and Shenzhen's continued pursuit of deeper and higher-level exchanges and co-operation in more areas under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits to foster the high-quality development of the GBA.
 
     Before returning to Hong Kong this afternoon, Mr Chan visited The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) and conversed with the Party Secretary and Director General of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, Ms Wu Hongyan; the HKU-SZH Chief Executive, Professor Kenneth Cheung; and the hospital's medical staff. He was pleased to learn that the HKU-SZH has developed rapidly in just over 10 years since its establishment. It has made a number of achievements, including attaining the status of a Grade 3A General Hospital, a High-level Hospital of Guangdong Province, and a pilot hospital for the high-quality development of public hospitals of the National Health Commission.
 
     Mr Chan was also pleased to learn that the HKU-SZH has been working hand in hand with the HKSAR Government to take forward initiatives such as health care vouchers and the Pilot Scheme for Supporting Patients of the Hospital Authority in the GBA, so as to enhance medical services for Hong Kong people living on the Mainland. He looked forward to the two cities continuing to steadfastly implement the Framework Agreement on Medical Collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong signed in September 2023, so as to facilitate the flow of talent, drugs, medical devices and healthcare services, and underpin the important national strategy of "Healthy China".
 
     Concluding the three-day visit to GBA Mainland cities, Mr Chan said that upon the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA this year, he has every confidence in the governments of Guangdong Province, the HKSAR and other GBA cities forging ahead by jointly expediting the co-ordinated and integrated development of education, technology and talent in the GBA, so as to inject new impetus into and make new contributions to the high-quality development of the GBA and the country at large.  

Ends/Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Issued at HKT 19:02

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