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The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, led the HKSAR delegation to attend in Beijing today (September 27) the first meeting of the Inter-ministries Joint Conference on the Development of Qianhai Area in Shenzhen.
Mr So said, "The HKSAR Government welcomes the formal establishment of the Inter-ministries Joint Conference on the development of Qianhai into a Hong Kong/Shenzhen Modern Service Industries Cooperation Zone. The commencement of operation of this high-level, inter-ministry forum symbolises that the development of Qianhai has proceeded to the implementation stage."
The chapter dedicated to Hong Kong and Macao in the "Outline of the 12th Five-Year Plan for the National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China" promulgated in March this year recognises the co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong to develop modern service industries in Qianhai as one of the national development strategies. In his keynote speech delivered in Hong Kong during his visit in mid-August, the Vice-Premier of the State Council, Mr Li Keqiang, stated clearly that the Central Government would formulate preferential policies in the areas of finance and taxation, land, labour protection and human resources to vigorously develop the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone to support the active development of innovative finance, modern logistics, information services, scientific and technological services and other specialised services.
At today's meeting, representatives from relevant ministries of the Central Government, Guangdong Provincial Government, Shenzhen Municipal Government and the HKSAR Government reviewed the work progress of "Overall Development Plan on Hong Kong/Shenzhen Co-operation on Modern Service Industries in Qianhai Area" since the State Council approved it in August last year. They also conducted in-depth discussions on how to drive the development of Qianhai and enhance its business environment.
In future, the Inter-ministries Joint Conference on the Development of Qianhai Area in Shenzhen will co-ordinate policies relating to the development of Qianhai and serve as an important platform to drive the implementation of such policies with a view to ensuring that the policies of the Central Government are materialised in Qianhai.
According to the consensus reached between the governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the Shenzhen Municipal Government takes a leading role and is responsible for the development and management of Qianhai, while the HKSAR Government plays an advisory role by providing comments on development planning as well as the study and formulation of related policies. The HKSAR Government will actively facilitate the Shenzhen authorities to deepen their understanding of the Hong Kong business sector, especially the financial services, professional services and other services sectors, and the policies required to encourage them to set up operations in the Mainland under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems". This would facilitate the Shenzhen authorities to introduce timely and concrete policies that meet the needs of the business sector.
"Hong Kong - Guangdong co-operation has been delegated an important function in the development strategy during the National 12th Five-Year Plan period, of which the development of modern service industries in Qianhai is one of the most important parts. The HKSAR Government will continue to participate actively in the development of Qianhai. Our aim is, on the one hand, to help strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong's service industries and open up the Mainland market through supporting the development of Qianhai so as to foster the long-term economic development of Hong Kong. On the other hand, Hong Kong's experience can help expedite the development of a modern industry structure in the Mainland," Mr So added.
The meeting was chaired by the National Development and Reform Commission and attended by senior representatives of relevant ministries of the State Council, the respective governments of the HKSAR, the Guangdong Province and the Shenzhen Municipality, etc.
Other members of the HKSAR delegation included the Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Joshua Law; the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Ms Julia Leung; and the Solicitor General, Mr Frank Poon.
Ends/Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Issued at HKT 23:58
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