The Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ms Maisie Chan, visited Zhongshan today (June 3) to meet with leaders of the Zhongshan Municipal Government and attend the Symposium for Promoting the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Zhongshan). She also visited a Hong Kong-invested pharmaceutical enterprise there.
 
     Upon arrival in the morning, Ms Chan met with member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Zhongshan Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Zhongshan, Mr Ye Hongguang, to learn about the latest development of Zhongshan and exchange views on deepening co-operation between Hong Kong and Zhongshan to jointly promote the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 
     In the afternoon, Ms Chan attended the Symposium for Promoting the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Zhongshan) to explore with the participating government officials and business leaders the significant opportunities brought about by Greater Bay Area development to Hong Kong and Zhongshan. The Symposium was co-organised by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Promotion Centre of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the Office of the Leading Group for the Development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area of Zhongshan Municipality of Guangdong Province, and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Bureau of Zhongshan Municipality of Guangdong Province.
 
     Speaking at the Symposium, Ms Chan said that since the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2018 and the implementation of "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" Scheme in July last year, the travelling time between Hong Kong and Zhongshan has been significantly reduced, which has fostered the flow of people and deepened co-operation between the two places. With the imminent commissioning of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link and the completion of the new Zhongshan ferry terminal, passengers can travel between Hong Kong and Zhongshan within an hour whether by land or by sea, which will further facilitate Hong Kong people's pursuit of starting business, working and living in Zhongshan. This is also of great significance in developing a "one-hour living circle" among major cities of the Greater Bay Area. There will also be closer exchanges and integration between Hong Kong and Zhongshan in various economic, social and cultural aspects in the future.
 
     Ms Chan said that under "one country, two systems", Hong Kong enjoys the unique position of having the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. In particular, Hone Kong enjoys distinctive advantages in various professional fields including finance, innovation and technology, commerce and trade, intellectual property, legal, accounting, engineering, etc. Hong Kong and Zhongshan can achieve complementarity and co-ordinated development, leveraging Hong Kong's dual roles in "going global and attracting foreign investment". Ms Chan also encouraged talents and enterprises in Zhongshan to seek new directions, expand new businesses and tap into new markets through Hong Kong, and enhance the development of related industries in the two places to achieve complementarity and mutual benefits.
 
     The Symposium has attracted about 2 400 guests, including government officials, representatives of trade associations, industry leaders and start-up entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and Zhongshan. Participants also had in-depth exchanges about the business and investment environment, policies on employment and entrepreneurship, as well as talent policies of Hong Kong and Zhongshan.
 
     Ms Chan then visited a large-scale Hong Kong-invested pharmaceutical enterprise to learn about the operation and latest development of the pharmaceutical industry in the Mainland. The enterprise benefited from the integration and development of the pharmaceutical industry in the Greater Bay Area and has been breaking new ground of "Hong Kong pharmaceuticals produced in Guangdong". She encouraged Hong Kong enterprises to capitalise on the business opportunities brought about by the enormous market of the Greater Bay Area and to contribute actively to the development of the Area.

Ends/Monday, June 3, 2024
Issued at HKT 23:40

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