Chief Executive John Lee today met the Governor of Anhui Province Wang Qingxian at Government House to discuss deepening co-operation between Anhui and Hong Kong.

Mr Wang and his delegation had come to Hong Kong to attend a conference promoting co-operation on innovation between the two places.

Welcoming Mr Wang, Mr Lee highlighted that this year marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, which seeks to promote co-ordinated regional development, including consolidating and enhancing the roles of the Yangtze River Delta and the Greater Bay Area as driving forces.

He outlined that Anhui is an important engine for high-quality development in the Yangtze River Delta Region, while Hong Kong is a core city and key driver of the bay area’s development.

Emphasising that the two places enjoy close cultural and business ties, and maintain close co-operation, Mr Lee expressed confidence that they can deepen co-operation, promote the Yangtze River Delta and the bay area as world-class city clusters, and jointly seize the new opportunities brought by the National 15th Five-Year Plan.

The Chief Executive mentioned that Hong Kong has long been Anhui's largest source of external investment, and that the two places enjoy close economic and trade ties.

He said Hong Kong is ranked number one in the world on economic freedom, and enjoys the unique advantage of enjoying both national and international opportunities under the “one country, two systems” principle, which gives play to its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”.

Mr Lee explained that the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global, established by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, features a cross-sector professional services platform that serves Mainland enterprises in “going global” and also attracts international capital to Hong Kong.

He urged more Mainland enterprises, including those from Anhui, to make use of Hong Kong’s highly internationalised market and high value-added professional services to enhance their business competitiveness, and to use Hong Kong as a springboard to expand into global markets.

He also remarked that Anhui has experienced rapid economic development, having made proactive efforts to foster emerging industries such as the digital economy and artificial intelligence.

He added that Hong Kong is currently preparing its own first five-year plan, and is making every effort to develop as an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre and an international hub for high-calibre talent, thereby opening up a new chapter of high-quality development and better integrating into and serving the country's overall development.

Mr Lee said Hong Kong will expand co-operation with Anhui in cutting-edge I&T fields and promote the development of the I&T sectors in both places to jointly drive the development of new quality productive forces and contribute to building a technologically advanced nation.

The two places will also deepen and broaden co-operation in areas such as finance, economics, trade, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, thereby realising mutual benefits and win-win outcomes, Mr Lee added.

Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Janice Tse and Director of the Chief Executive's Office Carol Yip also attended the meeting.