Chief Executive John Lee met Governor of Hainan Province Liu Xiaoming at Government House today to discuss deepening co-operation between Hong Kong and Hainan.

Mr Lee welcomed Mr Liu and his delegation, who are visiting Hong Kong for a Hainan Free Trade Port tourism and culture promotion event.

He noted that under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantages of strong national support and global connectivity, ranking first globally in economic freedom.

He highlighted that Hong Kong has become the world's largest cross-boundary wealth management centre, and the largest offshore renminbi (RMB) business hub.

Pointing out that the Hainan Provincial People's Government has issued offshore RMB bonds in Hong Kong multiple times since 2022, and a Hainan enterprise was listed in Hong Kong last year, Mr Lee said these moves demonstrate the city’s fundraising advantages as an international financial centre.

The Chief Executive welcomed more Hainan companies to leverage Hong Kong's capital market, alongside its professional and high value-added services, for fundraising and business expansion.

On tourism, Mr Lee stated that Hong Kong is committed to developing into an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism. The city is capitalising on its role as an East-meets-West centre for international arts and cultural exchanges to offer high-quality travel experiences.

Given the rich tourism resources in both places, Mr Lee said Hong Kong and Hainan can jointly develop a wider array of travel products.

He added that he looks forward to attracting more high-value-added international visitors to travel to both destinations through multi-destination itineraries, contributing to the country's goal of building a tourism powerhouse.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau, Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Janice Tse and Director of the Chief Executive's Office Carol Yip also attended the meeting.