CS in Guangzhou to begin visit to GBA Mainland cities (8.1.2024)
8.1.2024

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, arrived in Guangzhou today (January 8) to begin his visit to Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). In the morning, Mr Chan visited the Guangzhou National Laboratory to learn about its breakthroughs in the field of respiratory diseases and relevant prevention and control. He also visited the Innovation Center of High-performance Medical Device Industry in the GBA to learn about its good progress to strengthen independent research and development (R&D) capability and industrialisation of high-tech, high-precision and cutting-edge medical devices. During the visits, he exchanged views with academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Professor Zhong Nanshan and other local innovation and technology (I&T) personnel on medical I&T co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Mr Chan said that according to the Global Innovation Index 2023, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster has ranked second globally for four consecutive years, which shows that the three places embrace great potential for I&T development. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will continue to promote basic life and health technology research. Further to the announcement of the Policy Address last year, it will also develop Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub and foster collaboration in the GBA. Among other things, it will establish a GBA International Clinical Trial Institute in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone to support innovative applications of advanced biomedical technologies, and attract more pharmaceutical and medical device enterprises, both locally and from around the world, to conduct R&D and clinical trials in Hong Kong. In the afternoon, Mr Chan and Standing Committee member, the Director of the Organization Department, and the Director of the Talent Work Leading Group Office of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Cheng Fubo, attended the signing ceremony of a framework agreement on promoting Guangdong-Hong Kong talent co-operation. They witnessed the signing of the agreement by the Director General of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, Ms Li Huanchun, and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, on behalf of the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the HKSAR Government respectively to set up a co-ordination mechanism on Guangdong-Hong Kong talent co-operation. Mr Chan and Mr Cheng then co-chaired the inaugural meeting, with the theme “building a talent hub and promoting integrated development”, under the mechanism. Other attending officials of the HKSAR Government included Mr Sun; the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lilian Cheong; and representatives of the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB); Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) under the LWB; the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB); the Innovation and Technology Commission under the ITIB; and the Education Bureau. During the meeting, government officials of Guangdong and Hong Kong reported on their respective work progress of building a high-calibre talent hub in the GBA, and exchanged views on deepening integration of talent development in the GBA. Mr Chan pointed out that Hong Kong, as the country's leading cutting-edge and highly open international city, is well positioned with competitive advantages to serve as an international talent hub and talent gateway for the GBA and attract top-notch talent from around the world to underpin the GBA development. Over the past year, the HKSAR Government steadfastly implemented the policy initiatives of attracting and retaining talent, and achieved remarkable results. Among other things, through the newly established Top Talent Pass Scheme coupled with the various existing talent admission schemes with enhancements made, over 220 000 applications were received. Over 130 000 related applications have been approved, with about 90 000 talents having come to Hong Kong, thus far. Mr Chan said that the HKSAR Government established the physical office of HKTE in October 2023. One of the office’s key tasks is to foster talent exchanges, training, deliberations, project matching, etc in the GBA. HKTE will organise the Global Talent Summit and GBA High-quality Talent Development Conference in May 2024, so as to showcase to the world Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the "one country, two systems” principle, and drive regional exchanges and co-operation in talent attraction. He welcomed government units, manpower-related organisations and enterprises from Guangdong and the GBA cities to join this important event. Afterwards, Mr Chan met with the Vice-Governor of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Xin, and then the Acting Mayor of the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality, Mr Sun Zhiyang. Also attending the meetings were Mr Chris Sun; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; and the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung. Issues of mutual concern to Guangdong/Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and the strengthening of exchanges and co-operation on various fronts, were discussed. Mr Chan said that Guangdong and Hong Kong have been pursuing high-level co-operation and high-quality development at full steam since the full resumption of normal travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong last year. Among other things, the 23rd Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference was successfully held in Hong Kong in March 2023. Guangdong and Hong Kong have been fostering the flow of people, goods, information and capital within the GBA, with a view to developing the GBA into a vibrant and internationally competitive first-class bay area and world-class city cluster. In recent years, Guangzhou and Hong Kong have been actively taking forward a series of co-operation initiatives, including the high-quality development of Nansha, equine industry development, investment by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited in the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, and opening of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). Upon the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA this year, Mr Chan said he looked forward to Guangdong, Guangzhou and Hong Kong continuing to pursue deeper and higher-level exchanges and co-operation in more areas under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits, with a view to strengthening the new positioning of the GBA as a strategic fulcrum of the new development pattern, a demonstration zone of high-quality development, and a pioneer of Chinese modernisation. Mr Chan will continue his visit to Guangzhou, and then head to Huizhou, tomorrow (January 9). The accompanying Secretaries and Under Secretary will return to Hong Kong today. Ends/Monday, January 8, 2024 Issued at HKT 19:52 NNNN