HK, Guangdong forge closer ties in conference

The director of the central government's liaison office on Monday urged Hong Kong and Guangdong to work together to bring positive developments for the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Speaking at the Guangdong-Hong Kong Deepening Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation Conference in Guangzhou, Zheng Yanxiong said Hong Kong's economy and society have seen improvements with the help of the central government. He hopes the SAR and Guangdong could lead the GBA on the development of innovation and technology. "I hope Guangdong and Hong Kong can make good use of the advantages of the innovation and industrial chains of the GBA, focusing on emerging fields like artificial intelligence, life sciences, low-altitude economy and green development," Zheng said. "The two places should accelerate the cultivation and creation of new industries, and develop new quality productive forces." Guangdong party secretary Huang Kunming said the GBA has unlimited prospects, with the size of the economy reaching over 10 trillion yuan last year. "I hope everyone can improve together with Guangdong, making use of different advantages, with Hong Kong serving as a super-connector and a super value-adder, and helping Guangdong and Hong Kong go global together," he said. Chief Executive John Lee, who is leading a delegation of government officials and business leaders on a visit to the GBA, also attended the conference. He said Hong Kong and Guangdong reached agreement on 126 economic and trade cooperation projects totalling more than 100 billion yuan at the meeting. Of these projects, 101 involve Hong Kong businesses investing in Guangdong, with a total value exceeding 91 billion yuan. "They cover areas like financial cooperation, modern logistics, smart productions, biomedicine and artificial intelligence, demonstrating the love for the country and family as well as practical actions by Hong Kong entrepreneurs in actively serving the development of Guangdong and the mainland," Lee said. The delegation arrived in Foshan on Monday night on the next leg of their visit. Lee will return to Hong Kong on Tuesday, with Chief Secretary Eric Chan continuing to lead the delegation that will also visit Dongguan, Huizhou and Shenzhen.