Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki (third right) visits the exhibition hall of the Vocational and Professional Education Services (Shenzhen) Company Limited on Jan 10, 2024. Next to him is Chairman of the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council Tony Tai (fourth right). (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki reaffirmed on Wednesday Hong Kong’s commitment to deepen all-round collaboration with Shenzhen in view of the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Chan made his remarks at a meeting with senior officials from Shenzhen before concluding his three-day visit to three Chinese mainland cities — Guangzhou, Huizhou and Shenzhen — in the Greater Bay Area.
Chan said that Hong Kong will continue to leverage its advantages under the principle of “one country, two systems” and promote a deeper, wider and higher level of collaboration with Shenzhen
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He described Hong Kong and Shenzhen as “sister cities bonded by mountains and rivers”, and said that Hong Kong will continue to leverage its advantages under the principle of “one country, two systems” and promote a deeper, wider and higher level of collaboration with Shenzhen through the Hong Kong/Shenzhen Cooperation Meeting, a regional cooperation mechanism established in 2004, as well as through the overall high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area.
Officials from Shenzhen, including Shenzhen’s Party chief Meng Fanli and Mayor Qin Weizhong, said the city will speed up the development of key platforms such as the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, align with the development strategies of Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis, and deepen its exchanges and cooperation with Hong Kong in science, technology, finance, logistics, tourism and other fields.
Chief Secretary for Administration EricChan Kwok-ki (sixth left) meets with Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee Meng Fanli (sixth right) on Jan 10, 2024. Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun-san (fifth left) and Under Secretary for Security Michael Cheuk (seventh left), also attended the meeting. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
Chan started the day in Shenzhen at the Vocational and Professional Education Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd, which serves as the mainland operation center of the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council (VTC).
He received a briefing on the company’s operations from Tony Tai Chark-tong, chairman of the VTC, and Donald Tong Chi-keung, executive director of the VTC. He also interacted with students from the VTC and Shenzhen Polytechnic University, learning about their collaborative scientific research projects. Chan also discussed various ways to strengthen vocational and professional education and training cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen while at the company.
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki (holding microphone) exchanges views on how to attract more mainland tourists to Hong Kong during a discussion on Wednesday with students of the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council and the Shenzhen Polytechnic University, held at the Vocational and Professional Education Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
Later in the day, Chan visited the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital. He met with Wu Hongyan, Party secretary and director general of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, Kenneth Cheung Man-chee, the hospital’s chief executive, and medical staff.
Chan said he was pleased to learn about the hospital’s collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on initiatives like healthcare vouchers and the Pilot Scheme for Supporting Patients of the Hospital Authority in the Greater Bay Area.
He said he welcomed the ongoing implementation of the Framework Agreement on Medical Collaboration between the two cities, signed in September to facilitate the exchange of talent, drugs, medical devices and healthcare services — a move that contributes to the Healthy China 2030 national project.
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Reflecting on his three-day visit to the GBA, Chan said he felt confident about the future. With the fifth anniversary of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA approaching, he said, the SAR government, Guangdong provincial government, and other authorities in the region are committed to accelerating coordinated development in education, technology, and talent integration.
Chan began his three-day visit to the GBA cities on Monday, during which he witnessed the signing of a talent cooperation agreement between Hong Kong and Guangdong province. He visited a tech startup and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) in Nanshan, Guangzhou, and met with entrepreneurs in Huizhou on Tuesday.
He wrapped up his trip and returned to Hong Kong on Wednesday.
