CE meets Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia (with photo)

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     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, today (May 23). Also attending the meeting were the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, Datuk Mohamad bin Alamin; and the Consul General of Malaysia in Hong Kong, Mr Muzambli Markam.

     Mr Lee welcomed Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's visit to Hong Kong. He said Hong Kong and Malaysia have long enjoyed a close relationship in trade, noting that the bilateral trade in goods between the two places reached US$23.9 billion last year. Malaysia is Hong Kong's ninth-largest trading partner and the third largest among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he added. Mr Lee also expressed his gratitude to Malaysia for its continued support for Hong Kong's early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, with a view to making greater contributions to regional co-operation.

     Mr Lee noted that the strategy of attracting and retaining talent is one of the priorities of the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. The Top Talent Pass Scheme welcomes graduates of the world's top 100 universities, including Universiti Malaya, to come to Hong Kong for development. The HKSAR Government will continue to work closely with Malaysia to promote talent exchanges in such areas as healthcare and vocational training. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is determined to develop into an international hub for post-secondary education. With the upcoming increase in the quota of the Belt and Road Scholarship starting from the next academic year, more students from Malaysia are welcome to study in Hong Kong to deepen exchanges among young people between the two places, he added.

     Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong will continue to foster exchanges and collaboration with Malaysia in such areas as trade and commerce, investment, innovation and technology, as well as culture and tourism, contributing to the further consolidation of the bilateral relationship between the country and Malaysia.

Ends/Thursday, May 23, 2024
Issued at HKT 18:00

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The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee (right), meets with the visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (left), today (May 23).