Chief Executive Carrie Lam attended the thematic meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou this afternoon.

The meeting was hosted and convened by State Council Vice Premier Han Zheng.

Secretary for Innovation & Technology Alfred Sit and Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui sat in on the meeting.

In her remarks, Mrs Lam said with the leading group’s guidance, the strong support of the relevant ministries and commissions, and the joint efforts of the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau governments, work is in full swing in many different areas with remarkable results.

The vast majority of the policies and measures announced after leading group meetings have been implemented and have greatly assisted Hong Kong residents, enterprises and professionals to reside, work and develop in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.

Mrs Lam said the Shenzhen/Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Co-operation Zone provides key impetus to developing an international innovation and technology hub in the bay area.

She thanked the central authorities for their support in the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan for the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Loop to be a platform for co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

The Chief Executive noted that Hong Kong and Shenzhen have established a working group with a view to realising the “one zone, two parks” concept under the auspices of “one country, two systems” as soon as possible.

On co-operation in Qianhai, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government fully supports and wishes to see Qianhai continue to leverage its function as an area for early and pilot implementation to introduce more policy breakthroughs to advance the development of a high-end modern service industry.

The policy initiatives in respect of the legal and construction professions in recent years have been well received by the sectors in Hong Kong.

Mrs Lam pointed out that it is clear from the central authorities' overall requirements for the development of the bay area that the guiding ideology is the full and faithful implementation of the principle of “one country, two systems”, under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macau administer Macau with a high degree of autonomy.

It also includes acting in strict adherence to the Constitution and the Basic Law, as well as fully understanding and utilising the institutional strengths of “one country, two systems”. 

In the past year, the central authorities have made two major moves, comprising the enactment and implementation of the National Security Law and improving the Hong Kong SAR's electoral system, to put the implementation of “one country, two systems” in the Hong Kong SAR back on the right track, safeguarding the institutional strengths of the development of the bay area.

The Chief Executive added that the development of the bay area and the support for Hong Kong in the country's 14th Five-Year Plan will provide ample room for Hong Kong's development.