After attending the 2021 Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Co-operation Chief Executive Joint Conference today (September 24), the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, departed for Chongqing in the afternoon to continue her visit programme and met with the Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and the Mayor of Chongqing.
Accompanied by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, Mrs Lam met with the Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, Mr Chen Min'er, and the Mayor of Chongqing, Mr Tang Liangzhi, and attended a dinner hosted by them. Mrs Lam said that when she met with the delegation led by Mr Tang in Hong Kong in September 2018, both sides agreed to strengthen co-operation between the two places in various areas including port logistics, innovation and technology and professional services, and that she had also expressed the hope to visit Chongqing soon. She said she was pleased to arrive in Chongqing today and expressed the hope that the meeting would strengthen exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Chongqing.
Mrs Lam noted that Hong Kong has remained the largest source of external investment in Chongqing over the past few years and Hong Kong was one of the top three trading partners of Chongqing in the first half of 2021. Apart from economic and trade activities, exchanges between Chongqing and Hong Kong in such areas as culture and art and youth development are also frequent. She said that despite the epidemic, Chongqing last year achieved positive economic growth that is higher than the national average growth rate. Coupled with the promotion of the establishment of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle by the nation, the growth potential of Chongqing down the road is highly anticipated. Pointing out the double safeguards provided by the National Security Law and the improved electoral system in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mrs Lam said Hong Kong is better positioned to enhance collaboration with the Mainland and integrate with the development of the nation. The HKSAR Government will help enterprises and businesspeople from Hong Kong to seize the opportunities arising from the development of Chongqing in the western regions of the country to boost their own development.
Noting that 2022 will be the 25th anniversary of both the return of Hong Kong to the motherland and Chongqing becoming a municipality directly under the Central Government, Mrs Lam said she hopes that the year will become an important milestone signifying a new level of relations between the two places. She expressed her gratitude to the leaders of Chongqing for their long-standing support for the work of the Chongqing Liaison Unit of the HKSAR Government. She said that the Unit will continue to act as a bridge to promote further co-operation between Hong Kong and Chongqing.
Mrs Lam was arranged a tour of the city at night and will continue her visit to Chongqing tomorrow (September 25).
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