Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Wednesday that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) should jointly explore new areas of cooperation as complementary gateways for China’s high-level opening-up.

Lee made the remarks during a visit to the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 in Hainan province, where he met with Feng Fei, Party secretary of Hainan, and Hainan Provincial Governor Liu Xiaoming.

Lee said economic and trade ties between the two places have strengthened since the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Hainan provincial government and the Hong Kong SAR government last year.

READ MORE: HK, Hainan explore deeper ties

More than 790 Hong Kong-funded enterprises were newly established in Hainan in 2025, and investment from Hong Kong in the province surpassed 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion), up more than 20 percent year on year.

Noting that this year marks the beginning of the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) and a milestone in Hainan’s island-wide independent customs operation, launched in December, Lee said “the scope for cooperation between the two FTPs is set to be enhanced”.

He added that the Hong Kong SAR government will continue to leverage Hong Kong’s dual advantage of enjoying both national and global opportunities under the “one country, two systems” principle, and promote collaborative development between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan FTP.

READ MORE: Experts urge boosting synergy between GBA and Hainan

During the trip, Lee also met with Fan Shaojun, Party secretary of Haikou, and visited facilities that support Hainan’s new customs operation. He said he is confident that “Hong Kong, as a free port, and the Hainan FTP will complement each other’s strengths and achieve mutual benefit in port and maritime development”.

Lee toured a high-tech company in the provincial capital Haikou, and said Hong Kong welcomes more enterprises to establish a presence in the city.

Lee will attend the opening plenary of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 on Thursday.

Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com