Chief Executive John Lee today met Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee Zhou Zuyi at Government House to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Fujian.

While welcoming Mr Zhou, who is leading a delegation to visit Hong Kong, Mr Lee pointed out that Hong Kong is the largest source of external investment for Fujian.

The two governments have achieved fruitful results through comprehensive exchanges and collaborations in finance, trade and investment, innovation and technology (I&T) and youth exchanges, since the Hong Kong/Fujian Co-operation Conference mechanism was established in 2015.

The Chief Executive expressed confidence that the two places will continue to leverage their complementary strengths to jointly contribute to the country’s high-quality development.

He added that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to actively participate in and contribute to the country’s Belt & Road Initiative, playing fully its role as a functional platform for the initiative.

Mr Lee also remarked that Hong Kong is the only city in Asia with five universities ranked among the world's top 100, attracting research talent both at home and from abroad. With a strong foundation in basic research, Hong Kong is fully committed to developing into an international I&T hub.

Noting that several local universities are currently collaborating with universities in Fujian on research projects covering biomedical science, marine science and environmental ecology, Mr Lee said that he looks forward to further strengthening research co-operation between Hong Kong and Fujian, promoting the development of I&T industries in both places, and contributing to the country’s development into a nation that is strong in science and technology.

Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang and Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Carol Yip also attended the meeting.