The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attended the Shaanxi High-Quality Opening-up and Cooperation Conference in Hong Kong today (September 4). Mr Lee and the Secretary of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, Mr Zhao Yide, jointly witnessed the signing of the Strengthening Hong Kong/Shaanxi Co-operation Agreement by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, and Vice Governor of Shaanxi Provincial People's Government Mr Chen Chunjiang.
Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Mr Yin Zhonghua and the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, Mr Cui Jianchun, also attended the conference. Officials of the HKSAR Government who attended the conference included the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau; and the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Ivan Lee.
Mr Lee said that over the years, Shaanxi and Hong Kong have maintained close economic and trade relations. Hong Kong has always been Shaanxi's largest source of external investment. Shaanxi and Hong Kong are both important links in the Belt and Road Initiative and can jointly play an important role in promoting domestic and international dual cycles and contribute to the country's high-level opening up to the outside world. Shaanxi and Hong Kong will further deepen co-operation, capitalise on their respective strengths to build new quality productive forces, and make greater contribution to the comprehensive promotion of Chinese modernisation to build a great country and achieving national rejuvenation.
Hong Kong and Shaanxi reached consensus on the following nine co-operation areas:
The Belt and Road Initiative
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Support and encourage Shaanxi enterprises to make use of Hong Kong as a platform for external investments and setting up headquarters and asset management centres. Encourage Shaanxi enterprises to actively participate in the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong, as well as exchange sessions with Hong Kong's professional services.
Explore to use tourism as a breakthrough point, enhance the connectivity among Hong Kong, Shaanxi, and Central Asia by leveraging air route connections, and jointly explore and develop a mode of co-operation in various areas of "Hong Kong+Shaanxi+Central Asia".
Finance
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Support financial authorities and institutions on both sides in conducting personnel and business exchanges and co-operation in areas such as the Belt and Road Initiative, green finance, digital finance, financial technology, and capital markets.
Encourage Shaanxi enterprises to utilise the Hong Kong financial market for fundraising through listing and bond issuance, so as to promote the deep integration of Shaanxi's real economy with Hong Kong's financial resources.
Trade and Investment
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Support Hong Kong enterprises to participate in the Hong Kong business missions as well as to join the "Shaanxi Trip" with overseas organisations and multinational companies. Support cities and districts in Shaanxi Province to deepen co-operation with Hong Kong and to organise investment promotion activities in Hong Kong with a view to promoting co-operation between enterprises of the two places.
Support exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Shaanxi in new industrialisation, and promote high-quality development of advanced manufacturing industries in both places.
Innovation and Technology
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Establish a long-term and stable co-operation mechanism between the science and technology management departments of the two Governments. Support the strengthening of co-operation between the research and development (R&D) organisations and I&T platforms in the two places.
Organise Shaanxi enterprises to participate in activities such as InnoEX to facilitate the exchange of technology and transformation of R&D outcomes between both sides.
Legal and Dispute Resolution Services
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Encourage the employment of Hong Kong legal practitioners as legal consultants by law firms in Shaanxi. Support and encourage the legal sector in both places to launch exchanges and visits, with a view to realising resource sharing and business matching.
Support the interface and the building of co-operative relationships among arbitral institutions in both places.
Facilitate the legal and dispute resolution professional services sectors in both places to develop an exchange platform and launch co-operation, training and exchange of talent.
Youth Development
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Deepen youth exchanges and co-operation in various areas between Shaanxi and Hong Kong, and support Hong Kong youths to start businesses in Shaanxi.
Education
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Encourage educational exchanges and collaborations between the post-secondary institutions of two places.
Encourage secondary and primary schools in the two places to form sister school pairs for conducting diversified exchange activities.
Support Hong Kong's youth and students to participate in study tours, practical activities during winter and summer breaks, etc, in Shaanxi.
Cultural Exchanges
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Support cultural exchanges and collaboration between Hong Kong and Shaanxi, and encourage Hong Kong's teachers and students to participate in historical and cultural study camps and join hands to promote the splendid history and culture of the country.
Strengthen regional tourism exchanges and co-operation between Shaanxi and Hong Kong. Enhance promotion of the implementation of the Individual Visit Scheme for promoting mutual connectivity between the people of Shaanxi and Hong Kong.
Encourage collaborations in academic exchanges, professional training for teachers, nurturing of professional talents, etc, between the cultural and tourism academies of the two places.
Facilitation Measures for Hong Kong People on the Mainland
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Shaanxi fully implements the policies and measures introduced by the relevant Central Government departments to facilitate the development of Hong Kong and Macao residents on the Mainland, and enable Hong Kong people residing in Shaanxi to enjoy the same treatments as Mainland residents in terms of education, study, employment, social security and daily life.
The co-operation agreement (Chinese only) is in Annex 1.
　　 In addition, five co-operation agreements were signed by government departments and organisations of the two places:
- Framework Arrangement on Co-operation in Legal Services to Support the "Belt and Road Initiative" between the Department of Justice of Shaanxi Province and the Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;
- Agreement on Tourism Co-operation between the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shaanxi and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;
- Memorandum of Understanding between Shaanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology and the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Launching Innovation and Technology Co-operation;
- Memorandum of Understanding between Shaanxi Provincial Department of Commerce and Hong Kong Trade Development Council on Promoting High-Quality Economic and Trade Co-operation and Development; and
- Memorandum of Understanding between Xi'an Municipal People's Government and Hong Kong Trade Development Council on Economic and Trade Co-operation.
The "Framework Arrangement on Co-operation in Legal Services to Support the 'Belt and Road Initiative' between the Department of Justice of Shaanxi Province and the Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region", the "Agreement on Tourism Co-operation between the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shaanxi and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region", and the "Memorandum of Understanding between Shaanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology and the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Launching Innovation and Technology Co-operation" (Chinese only) signed by government departments of the two places are in Annex 2, Annex 3 and Annex 4 respectively.
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