CE concludes visit to France (with photos/videos)

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, concluded her one-week visit to France this afternoon (June 22, Paris time).
 
     In the morning, Mrs Lam met with the President of Ile de France region, Ms Valérie Pécresse. Ile de France is one of the 18 regions of France including the city of Paris. It has a population of more than 12 million which is 18 per cent of the national population. Noting that Hong Kong is keen to collaborate with different parts of France and that the Ile de France region is very influential in the country, she said that Paris and Hong Kong, both of which are international metropolitans, have a lot of room for co-operation in areas including investment, innovation and technology, culture and youth exchanges. She particularly introduced the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area to Ms Pécresse, encouraging the Ile de France region to explore the huge market of the Bay Area through Hong Kong.
 
     After the meeting, Mrs Lam visited the headquarters of Schneider Electric, a French multinational corporation specialising in digital transformation of energy management and automation. It has set up headquarters in Hong Kong in recent years. Mrs Lam toured the innovation hub of the company to understand the latest technology on energy saving and management, and smart solutions for various industries, cities and homes.
 
     Mrs Lam said the visit to France is very successful. By meeting with senior officials of France and participating in a range of events, members from different sectors of France have known more about the situation of Hong Kong and are more interested in strengthening co-operation with Hong Kong in various aspects, including the signing of two memorandums of understanding on co-operation in tourism and scientific research she witnessed during the trip. Mrs Lam welcomed the signing of two memorandums of understanding between the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) and Groupe ADP yesterday on strengthening co-operation between the Hong Kong International Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in airport management, aviation development and air cargo development. She said the collaboration is set to boost Hong Kong's role as an aviation hub in the region and is yet another testimony that there is limitless potential for co-operation between Hong Kong and France in various aspects. The Chief Executive Officer of AAHK, Mr Fred Lam, who signed the memorandums of understanding on behalf of AAHK also attended the business luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in Paris yesterday.  
 
     Mrs Lam left Paris in the afternoon for Zurich and will travel to Lindau tomorrow (June 23, Paris time) to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Opening Ceremony the next day. During her stay in Zurich, she will attend a dinner to be hosted by the Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in Zurich, Dr Zhao Qinghua.