The chief executive of Hong Kong has said the special administrative region will promote pragmatic cooperation with Vietnam in high value-added areas such as finance, innovation and technology, trade, and the green and digital economy.

John Lee Ka-chiu made the statement while meeting the visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Ho Duc Phoc, in the city on Friday, the SAR government said in a press release.

Welcoming Ho and his delegation to Hong Kong, the CE said that Vietnam is Hong Kong's sixth-largest trading partner with bilateral merchandise trade reaching $49 billion in the first three quarters this year, a 67 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Lee led a high-level business delegation to Vietnam last year, during which both sides signed 30 memoranda of understanding and agreements covering various areas.

While meeting the Vietnamese delegation on Friday, he expressed his confidence that Hong Kong and Vietnam will continue to strengthen multifaceted cooperation and achieve mutual benefit.

Highlighting that the government has relaxed immigration arrangements for Vietnamese citizens visiting, working or pursuing post-secondary studies in the HKSAR, the CE said the government introduced new measures in March to give convenient immigration arrangements for those invited from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, including Vietnam.

These measures will further promote people-to-people exchanges and bilateral cooperation in trade, professional services, and other sectors, he added.

He emphasized that the SAR will actively play its role as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" and fully leverage its unique advantages of connecting the Chinese mainland and the world under the "one country, two systems" principle.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun and Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu also attended the meeting.