The review meeting of the Civil Service Staff Exchange & Collaboration Programme, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Mainland municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, was held in Shenzhen today.

The first batch of Hong Kong civil servants arranged by the Hong Kong SAR shared their experiences and insights gained from the three-month exchange in Shenzhen.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung, Guangdong Provincial Government Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) Director General Chen Liwen as well as CPC Shenzhen Standing Committee Member and Organization Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee Director General Cheng Buyi addressed the review meeting.

Mrs Yeung told the review meeting that Hong Kong civil servants play a crucial role in promoting the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

She noted that the Chief Executive proposed in the 2023 Policy Address the introduction of an exchange programme with civil servants from bay area cities, enabling Hong Kong civil servants to gain a deeper understanding of the development of the bay area and the work of the host government agencies, thereby better complementing the bay area's development strategy.

The civil service chief thanked the State Council HKMAO, the Guangdong HKMAO and the Shenzhen HKMAO for their support for the programme.

The first batch of participants began their exchange in Shenzhen in December last year.

They were assigned to the Futian District People's Government, the Agency for the Construction & Development of Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, the Shenzhen Municipal Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, the Shenzhen Municipal Ecology Environment Bureau and the Shenzhen Municipal Transport Bureau to engage in in-depth exchanges in areas such as district management, technology development, town planning, transportation and environmental protection.

Mrs Yeung said that the exchange period has been extended from four weeks to about three months.

She noted that this round of participants were assigned to projects that promote Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation and the city's development, deepening their understanding of the operations of Mainland government authorities and the formulation and implementation of policies, while also establishing closer ties with their Shenzhen counterparts.

They also visited major facilities and took part in cultural and sports activities in Shenzhen, experiencing first-hand the city's vibrancy and creativity.

Mrs Yeung encouraged them to actively share their experiences with their colleagues after returning to Hong Kong, integrate their learning from the exchange with the situation in Hong Kong, and apply it to their future work.