Chief Executive Carrie Lam today attended the opening ceremony of the 130th China Import & Export Fair & the Pearl River International Trade Forum in Guangzhou and met the city’s leaders.

In the morning, Mrs Lam met Secretary of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee Zhang Shuofu, Guangzhou Mayor Wen Guohui and other Guangzhou Municipal Government officials.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau, Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Chan Kwok-ki and Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Tommy Yuen also attended the meeting.

The Chief Executive introduced to the Guangzhou officials the 2021 Policy Address delivered last week, in particular the chapter on Hong Kong’s integration into the national development, a section that expressly stated that Hong Kong would leverage the central government’s policies in support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and give full play to its unique strengths to bring continuous impetus to the economy.

Noting that Guangzhou and Hong Kong, being the bay area’s core cities, have respective strengths in areas such as finance and technology, Mrs Lam said the two places can enhance co-operation to complement each other.

She pointed out that Hong Kong’s higher institutions possess strong capabilities in basic scientific research and that seven universities have already or are planning to set up a presence in Mainland bay area cities, including the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (Guangzhou) in Nansha, Guangzhou.

Mrs Lam thanked the Guangzhou Municipal Government for supporting the project, noting she is pleased that the school campus could be commissioned as soon as September next year.

In addition, knowing that the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation and the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology signed a co-operation agreement in August to establish an incubation base in Nansha, Guangzhou, she expressed hope that the Guangzhou Municipal Government would support the project to foster collaboration between the two places to nurture more innovation and technology enterprises in the bay area.

For the finance field, as stated in her Policy Address, the Hong Kong SAR Government would support the co-operation between the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing and the Guangzhou Futures Exchange in financial product development related to carbon emission trading.

At noon, Standing Committee Member of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee Zhang Yizhen hosted lunch for the Chief Executive and the officials.

Mrs Lam then attended the opening ceremony of the 130th session of the China Import & Export Fair & the Pearl River International Trade Forum where she listened to Premier Li Keqiang’s keynote speech and toured the fair.

Apart from the Financial Secretary who will stay in Guangzhou to attend a relevant forum tomorrow, the Chief Executive and other officials concluded the visit and returned to Hong Kong in the afternoon.

The meeting with Shenzhen leaders in Shenzhen will be rescheduled.