The chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has welcomed more Beijing- and Chinese mainland-based enterprises to use the SAR as a springboard for exploring overseas markets and going global.

John Lee Ka-chiu made the call while meeting Beijing Mayor Yin Yong at the Government House on Wednesday to exchange views on deepening cooperation between the two cities, according to a government statement.

The CE said he expects Beijing and Hong Kong to continue deepening innovation and technology (I&T) cooperation, complementing each other's strengths and better contributing to the country's development as a science and technology powerhouse.

As the country's capital, Beijing boasts strong capabilities in I&T, while Hong Kong ranks third globally in terms of technology in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, he said.

Hong Kong is vigorously developing into an international I&T center, including actively advancing the development of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone and promoting the I&T industry, added Lee.

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Yin and his delegation are in Hong Kong to attend the 28th Beijing Hong Kong Economic Cooperation Symposium, which opened on Wednesday.

During their meeting, the CE highlighted that since its establishment, the Hong Kong/Beijing Cooperation Conference mechanism has received great importance and support from the central government and the Beijing municipal government.

Noting that the SAR enjoys the dual advantage of having national and global opportunities under the “one country, two systems” principle, he said Hong Kong is fully committed to deepening international exchanges and cooperation, and leveraging its role as a two-way platform for enterprises to go global and attract external investment.

Lee, in this connection, mentioned that the HKSAR government has established the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global to proactively engage mainland enterprises to expand overseas via Hong Kong, gathering professionals from various sectors to provide comprehensive support to mainland enterprises.

Noting that the country will expand the scope of its high-level opening up and explore opportunities for two-way investment cooperation, he said Hong Kong will continue to actively strengthen its cooperation with Beijing across different areas, jointly serving the country's high-quality development.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Professor Sun Dong, and Director of the Chief Executive's Office Carol Yip Man-kuen also attended the meeting.