Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today attended an opening ceremony for two initiatives promoting the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in Dongguan – namely the fourth GBA High-quality Talent Development Conference and the third GBA Doctoral and Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

Addressing the ceremony, he said Hong Kong will continue to attract the talent required for its own and the country's development, and will work with other GBA cities to advance the alignment of rules and mechanisms that  facilitate the flow of talent within the area.

Mr Chan outlined that Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan proactively aligns with the National 15th Five-Year Plan and promotes the integrated development of education, technology and talent. He added that the Northern Metropolis University Town will closely connect Hong Kong's strengths in basic research and internationalised education with both the innovation and technology (I&T) and talent resources of the broader GBA.

After the ceremony, Mr Chan and Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun toured the exhibition hall and visited the Hong Kong Talent Engage booth.

Yesterday, Mr Chan and his delegation visited a key I&T enterprise in Dongguan to better understand the local model of fostering co-operation between the spheres of scientific research, innovation, and talent development. They subsequently toured the City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) to learn about synergies between Hong Kong and Dongguan in higher education and talent cultivation, and to explore ways of strengthening complementarity between the two places.

Mr Chan and Mr Sun concluded their visit to Dongguan this morning and returned to Hong Kong in the afternoon.