High-level talks aim at boosting HK’s role in country’s economic strategy
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Wednesday that he had discussed initiatives to bolster the financial markets of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong during his meetings with the central government officials, as he wrapped up his three-day visit to Beijing.
A high-profile Hong Kong delegation led by Chan visited several central government bureaus on Wednesday. They explored concrete measures to deepen interconnectivity, promote the internationalization of the renminbi, advance financial cooperation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and strengthen cooperation in financial regulations and taxes.
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The delegation also visited the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security to explore ways to support the development of the mainland’s pension finance through Hong Kong’s capital markets, and to facilitate talent exchange and youth development.
The meetings have helped foster closer ties between the financial authorities of the mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Chan said.
During the meetings, he expressed his hope to accelerate the implementation of discussed measures, with the goal of further opening up China’s financial sector and promoting the development of the Hong Kong SAR’s financial market.
On Tuesday, Chan met with Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. Chan said that the meeting provided a deeper understanding of the guiding principle of the recent third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which he believes will “better enable us to drive Hong Kong’s economic development”.
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In the face of a complex external environment, the HKSAR government will proactively promote innovation in a bid to better integrate Hong Kong into the country’s overall development, the finance chief said.
“The government will ramp up its efforts to further consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center, while also accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces,” Chan said.
With the staunch support of the central government, the SAR can achieve high-quality development, and make new and greater contributions to the country, Chan said.
