2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

News> Hong Kong> Content
Published: 14:52, May 29, 2023 | Updated: 15:17, May 29, 2023
HK, Guangdong ink pact to boost elderly-care services
By Xi Tianqi in Hong Kong
Published:14:52, May 29, 2023 Updated:15:17, May 29, 2023 By Xi Tianqi in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivers a speech at the "Starting a new chapter in Hong Kong Social Welfare" Summit cum inaugural ceremony of Hong Kong Social Welfare Sector Heart to Heart Joint Action at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, May 29, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and Guangdong province signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to collaborate in and draw on each other’s strengths in elderly-care services.

The accord was signed at the launch ceremony of the Hong Kong Social Welfare Sector Heart to Heart Joint Action -- a joint alliance formed by the SAR’s welfare sector.

The social welfare alliance, which came into being during the fifth wave of the pandemic in 2020 and comprising more than 200 organizations, offers crucial support for those hard hit by the virus outbreak

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the SAR government will continue to prioritize cooperation with Chinese mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in areas like social-welfare services, to support those in need.

READ MORE: China releases document on advancing elderly care system

He said the Greater Bay Area’s development has provided continuous momentum to the region and is an optimal entry point for Hong Kong to better integrate into the nation’s development.

Lee recalled having reached a strong consensus with officials of Guangdong and other mainland cities on jointly promoting the region’s high-quality development during recent visits to several cities in the Greater Bay Area, along with HKSAR government officials and lawmakers.

The social welfare alliance, which came into being during the fifth wave of the pandemic in 2020 and comprising more than 200 organizations, offers crucial support for those hard hit by the virus outbreak.

With the SAR and the Chinese mainland having fully resumed normal travel earlier this year, Lee urged the social-welfare sector to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages of enjoying the motherland’s staunch support, as well as being closely connected to the world under “one country, two systems” to proactively promote high-quality development of the sector by actively engaging with domestic and overseas counterparts. 

Liu Zheng, vice-minister of civil affairs; and Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, also spoke at the ceremony.

Liu praised Hong Kong’s efforts to promote the community's aspirations for a better life by launching livelihood projects and diversifying social-welfare services with the central government’s support in recent years.

READ MORE: Elder-care potential in GBA?

He said the Ministry of Civil Affairs will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with Hong Kong in social welfare, striving to bring happiness to the people and work towards the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Guests take photos at the "Starting a new chapter in Hong Kong Social Welfare" Summit at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, May 29, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivers a speech at the "Starting a new chapter in Hong Kong Social Welfare" Summit at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, May 29, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Zheng said the next five years would be critical for Hong Kong’s future. He urged the social welfare sector, as an important link between the government and the public, to seize the opportunities up for grabs, such as those of the Greater Bay Area, to further integrate into the nation’s overall development, and strengthen professional exchanges between the SAR and overseas.

He stressed that the social welfare sector must uphold its original aspirations for unity and cooperation, carry forward the mainstream values of loving the country and Hong Kong, and focus on serving the community to ensure that the fruits of development benefit all residents in a fairer way.

Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !