FS continues visit in Shanghai (with photos/video)

    The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit in Shanghai today (July 7).

    Mr Chan met with the President of the New Development Bank and former President of Brazil, Ms Dilma Rousseff, today and exchanged views on topics including the global economic situation, financial services development, and Hong Kong’s assistance to the New Development Bank on its businesses and development.

    Mr Chan also met with the President of the China Foreign Exchange Trade System, Ms Zhang Yi, and exchanged views on continuously enhancing the connection of financial infrastructure between the Mainland and Hong Kong. He then visited a leading Mainland pharmaceutical company and discussed the development of the biomedicine industry.

    Mr Chan delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference Satellite Conference – A New Chapter of Hong Kong-Shanghai Collaboration this morning. He said that the maritime industry is crucial to the development of the national economy and the building of a great maritime country. The country supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing its status as an international maritime centre. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will promulgate an action plan on the development of a high value-added maritime services industry this year, and will strive to promote the development of digital ports and green ports, with the development of a high value-added maritime services industry, so as to further expand the maritime cluster and lead the maritime industry toward a high value-added development direction. The HKSAR Government will also make full use of the advantages of Hong Kong’s common law system to develop maritime arbitration. Mr Chan said that Shanghai and Hong Kong are the world-class ports of the Yangtze River Delta Region and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area respectively. Both places can join hands and leverage their strengths to explore more areas of co-operation, so as to enhance the efficiency of cargo delivery to places all over the world.

    The Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference has been held in Hong Kong since 2011. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a co-operation mechanism between Hong Kong and Shanghai, and to strengthen and promote co-operation in the maritime, aviation and logistics industry between the two places, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai and the Shanghai Lingang Group have organised a satellite conference in Shanghai this year.

    Mr Chan also attended and spoke at a luncheon jointly organised by Invest Hong Kong, the Hong Kong and Economic Trade Office in Shanghai and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, to promote Hong Kong's distinctive advantages to leaders of Shanghai's commercial and industrial sectors, and encourage them to make use of Hong Kong for international expansion.

    Mr Chan met with Hong Kong people and enterprises in Shanghai in the evening. He will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning (July 8).