4th Plenary Session of Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Conference held in Hong Kong (with photos)

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Mayor of Shanghai, Mr Ying Yong, each joined by their respective delegation, convened the 4th Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Conference in Hong Kong today (August 24).

Mrs Lam said, "The economic development of our country has moved into a new era, transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development. Both Hong Kong and Shanghai, each with its distinct advantages, are the important windows for the opening up of our country. In this new context, both Hong Kong and Shanghai will complement each other and join hands to seize the opportunities available to strive for closer and deeper co-operation, with a view to serving the country's needs, contributing to the country's development and creating a win-win situation for all."

Hong Kong and Shanghai reached consensus on the following 16 co-operation areas:

The Belt and Road Initiative
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The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will actively participate in the first China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November this year to encourage overseas enterprises to capitalise on the opportunities arising from the opening up of the Mainland, and to make use of Hong Kong as a base to tap into the vast Mainland market.

Hong Kong and Shanghai will encourage and support Hong Kong and Shanghai enterprises to participate in each other's trade and business events and exhibitions, promote to Shanghai enterprises the services of the Hong Kong platform, and partner with Hong Kong enterprises to explore opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Cultural Co-operation and Creative Industries
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The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) Authority signed co-operation agreements with the Shanghai West Bund (Shanghai Xuhui Waterfront Area Comprehensive Development and Construction Management Committee), the SMG Performing Arts Group and the Power Station of Art, and extended the term of the partnership agreement between the Xiqu Centre of the WKCD and the Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas, with a view to enhancing the cultural co-operation and exchange between the WKCD and Shanghai and promoting artistic creation and development together.

The HKSAR Government will hold a Hong Kong Week in Shanghai in 2019, and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government is planning to hold a Shanghai Week in Hong Kong in 2020. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will collaborate with the Center for China Shanghai International Arts Festival to showcase selected stage productions of both places in Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively.

Hong Kong and Shanghai will continue to support the development of creative industries by encouraging enterprises to participate in each other's creative activities and strengthening the training of and exchanges between the creative talents of both sides.

Education
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The Education Bureau and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote exchanges and developments in education, and support the establishment of the Shanghai-Hong Kong University Alliance.

Finance
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Hong Kong and Shanghai will capitalise on the Working Meeting of Hong Kong-Shanghai Financial Co-operation to promote the dialogue among government departments, financial regulators, financial markets and financial institutions of the two places. Efforts will be made to improve mutual access arrangements between the two financial markets, including the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and the Bond Connect, and support further co-operation between the two places in the areas of listing, product development, information exchange and financial technology.

Youth Development
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Hong Kong and Shanghai will strengthen summer internship projects for university students from Hong Kong, with Shanghai providing more quality internship places, such as internship opportunities at financial institutions in Shanghai. Support will be provided to the youth organisations of the two places to implement different exchange activities with a view to encouraging young people from different fields to conduct mutual visits and exchanges.

Innovation and Technology
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The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation renewed the co-operation agreement with the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center to continue the collaboration on co-working space, with a view to supporting start-ups of the two places, promoting technology exchange and nurturing talent.

The Hong Kong Productivity Council signed a co-operation agreement with the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information to strengthen co-operation on smart manufacturing and smart city, as well as technological innovation support services for small and medium enterprises.

The Hong Kong Software Industry Association and the Shanghai Software Industry Association signed a memorandum of understanding on promoting technological co-operation and talent exchange between Hong Kong and Shanghai in areas such as software development, big data and artificial intelligence.

Facilitation Measures for Hong Kong People
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The Shanghai Municipal People's Government will ensure that policy measures introduced by the relevant Central Government departments to assist Hong Kong people studying, working and living in the Mainland (facilitation measures) are smoothly implemented at the local level so that Hong Kong people in Shanghai can enjoy the same treatment as Mainland residents in areas including education, employment, setting up business and daily life matters. The Shanghai Municipal People's Government has rolled out a one-stop advisory services portal to serve Hong Kong people in Shanghai by providing information related to the facilitation measures.

Legal and Dispute Resolution Services
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To promote exchange and co-operation between the legal professions in the two places, Hong Kong and Shanghai will set up a co-operation mechanism between the legal departments of Hong Kong and Shanghai. Mutual support of the arbitration and mediation sectors in the two places will be encouraged, and the use of arbitration and mediation will be jointly promoted. Exchanges and collaboration on the nurturing of talents of international arbitration and mediation and the development of an international dispute resolution centre will also be launched.

Commerce, Trade, Investment and Co-operation in Relation to the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (SHFTZ)
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The Shanghai Municipal People's Government will implement the liberalisation measures of the modern services sector promulgated by the Mainland and those relating to the SHFTZ, and actively pursue measures to further open up various sectors to Hong Kong's service industries, including the financial services, telecommunications, cultural services, professional services and maritime transport services sectors, with a view to attracting Hong Kong enterprises to set up businesses in the SHFTZ.

The two places will continue to organise seminars, forums and briefings on the SHFTZ in a timely manner to introduce the latest developments and policies. Officials and the business sectors of the two places will be invited to attend these events.

Civil Aviation, Maritime Transport and Logistics
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In view of the expansion project of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the Shanghai International Airport Company Limited signed a management consultancy agreement with the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) in the first half of 2018, entrusting the AA with conducting evaluations and providing recommendations on terminal operations flow planning, commercial planning and terminal management.

Co-operation in talent training and exchange between Hong Kong and Shanghai airports will also be enhanced. In 2018, it is estimated that around 40 employees from the Shanghai Airport (Group) Limited will join the courses and on-the-job training relating to the operation and management of terminals and airfields held by the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy.

Exchange of Professionals
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The Hong Kong Vocational Training Council will liaise closely with WorldSkills China to explore enhancing co-operation and sharing of experience for the organisation of the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in 2021.

Healthcare, Food and Medicine
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In support of the development of Hong Kong's first Chinese medicine hospital, Shanghai will share its expertise and resources in the area of Chinese medicine with Hong Kong in facilitating knowledge and talent exchange, in order to provide a reference for Hong Kong in the development of the Chinese medicine hospital.

Other Co-operation Areas
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Apart from the above, Hong Kong and Shanghai will continue to pursue co-operation in other areas including urban planning, development and management; environmental protection; sports; tourism; and social and elderly services.

Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Agreement Signing Ceremony
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The Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Agreement Signing Ceremony was held at the HKEX Connect Hall after the meeting. Fifteen co-operation agreements, covering the areas of legal services, education, trade and commerce, innovation and technology, culture and finance were signed by the government departments, statutory bodies, professional organisations and relevant enterprises of the two places, including the following two signed by the governments of the two places:

Co-operation Arrangement on Legal Matters between the Department of Justice of the HKSAR Government and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice; and
Memorandum of Understanding on Education Co-operation between the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government.

Content of the co-operation documents (Chinese only) is in the annex.

4th Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Conference
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The 4th Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Conference was co-chaired by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Mayor of Shanghai, Mr Ying Yong. Officials of the HKSAR Government attending the meeting included the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau; the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan; the Director of Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; and other representatives of the relevant bureaux and departments.

Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Mr Huang Liuquan and Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Ms Qiu Hong also attended the meeting as special guests.