Chief Executive Carrie Lam attended the opening ceremony of the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing today.

At the NPC session this morning, Premier Li Keqiang delivered the government work report.

Premier Li reviewed the work in 2018, including the substantive progress made in the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

The report noted the development plan for the bay area will be implemented in 2019, strengthening regulatory interface, fostering efficient flows of factors of production and facilitating personnel exchange.

Premier Li reiterated the Central Government supports Hong Kong in seizing the immense opportunities brought about by the Belt & Road Initiative and the bay area’s development.

Mrs Lam said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will uphold the “one country, two systems” principle to proactively promote the development of the bay area.

In the afternoon, Mrs Lam toured Tianning No. 1 Cultural & Technological Innovation Park which was revitalised from an idle power plant.

The site has been transformed into an open-plan industrial park for projects featuring cultural-financial and cultural-technological integration.

The Chief Executive visited a media creative workshop and an art performance venue in the park.

She then attended a seminar organised by the Bank of China where she briefed more than 300 participants on the vision and actions of the HKSAR Government.

Stressing Hong Kong’s unique advantages under “one country, two systems”, she said the city will strive to boost its external relations and proactively participate in and contribute to the Belt & Road Initiative and the bay area’s development.

Hong Kong will seize the opportunities brought about by the country’s relaxation of market access in the financial industry, she added.