CE speaks on Belt and Road Initiative and Greater Bay Area development in Davos
24.1.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (January 24, Davos time) continued to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. She met with the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and attended a series of events and delivered speeches yesterday and today on Hong Kong’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This morning, Mrs Lam met with the Prime Minister of Vietnam . Mrs Lam said she was pleased to meet Mr Nguyen again following their meeting last November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Papua New Guinea. Mrs Lam said ties between Hong Kong and Vietnam on the economic and trade fronts have grown stronger in recent years and that along with the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which will take effect in the months to come, the business and professional services sectors are set to be presented with more opportunities. To strengthen people-to-people bonds between the two places, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has recently decided to grant visa-free access to holders of Vietnamese diplomatic and official passports. She expressed the hope that the Vietnamese Government would actively consider to provide greater convenience to Hong Kong people travelling to Vietnam for business or vacations. Accompanied by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, Mrs Lam also attended a breakfast meeting organised by the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited in the morning. Mrs Lam introduced to the participants from investment banks and financial corporations the latest developments of Hong Kong’s financial services, in particular the various initiatives rolled out by the current-term Government to further advance financial development and the unique position of Hong Kong in the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. After the breakfast meeting, Mrs Lam and Mr Yau joined the third Belt and Road Davos Forum hosted by Tsinghua University, the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and co-organised by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government. In her opening address, Mrs Lam said Hong Kong has been performing unique functions in the process of the reform and opening up of the country in the past 40 years, and will continue to contribute proactively to the Belt and Road Initiative, including the promotion of the five areas of connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative, namely policy co-ordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds. At noon yesterday, Mrs Lam attended a seminar to discuss with dozens of major private and institutional investors from around the world economic growth trends and future development potential in Asia. In the afternoon, Mrs Lam attended the WEF special address sessions by the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Ms Angela Merkel, and the Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Wang Qishan. Mrs Lam then, accompanied by Mr Chan, met with the Chairman of Julius Baer Group, Mr Daniel Sauter, to exchange views on the development of the asset and wealth management industry in Hong Kong. In the evening, Mrs Lam attended a reception on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area hosted by a Hong Kong enterprise. She briefed the participants on various favourable conditions for the development of the Greater Bay Area, especially the support of the Central Government, the closer links between cities and the people-to-people bonds in the region. The Vice Minister of Transport, Mr Dai Dongchang, and the Mayor of the Guangzhou Municipal Government, Mr Wen Guohui, also addressed the reception. Mrs Lam, Mr Chan and Mr Yau then attended the China Night banquet which was organised by WEF for the Chinese participants of Annual Meeting. Mrs Lam is continuing her visit to Davos this afternoon. Ends/Thursday, January 24, 2019 Issued at HKT 23:46 NNNN