Chief Executive Carrie Lam will lead a delegation of government officials to Shenzhen today to attend the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone on October 14.

The delegates will include Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng, Secretary for Security John Lee, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang, Secretary for Innovation & Technology Alfred Sit and Chief Executive's Office Director Chan Kwok-ki.

The Government said that Shenzhen attracted plenty of Hong Kong business people to invest there during the early stage of the reform and opening up of the nation, propelling rapid economic development in the city.

Today, Hong Kong is still Shenzhen's largest source of external capital, with nearly 80,000 enterprises operating there.

As Shenzhen continued to open up, Hong Kong played the role of a connector by providing two-way support and services for enterprises in Shenzhen and the Mainland to go global and attract foreign investment. In the process, Hong Kong has also developed into the international centre for finance, trade, logistics, transportation and professional services that it is today.

Hong Kong has been both a contributor and a beneficiary in the journey of the reform and opening up of Shenzhen and the nation, the Government added.

It also said that the high-level Hong Kong/Shenzhen Co-operation Meeting was set up as early as 2004 and the governments of the two places have established mutually beneficial and close relations in areas including economic affairs and trade, culture, tourism and youth exchanges.

In the past few years, collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen has become more extensive, covering innovation and technology, creative industries, medical services and more. The people flow between the two places has been greatly enhanced with the commissioning of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Liantang Port/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point.

As the core cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong and Shenzhen will complement each other to promote the development of the bay area together, especially in the work in relation to the establishment of an international innovation and technology centre.

Mrs Lam said: "On this occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, I, on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, extend my sincere congratulations to the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, the Shenzhen Municipal Government and the people of the whole city and look forward to raising collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen to the next level."

The Chief Executive will return to Hong Kong on the afternoon of October 14. During her absence, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung will be Acting Chief Executive.