John Lee Ka-chiu speaks to the media ahead of an Executive Council meeting on March 21, 2023, and is scheduled to hold a press conference on March 21st, 2023. PHOTO HKSAR GOVERNMENT HONG KONG Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will lead officials, lawmakers and businesspeople on a visit to other parts of the Guangdong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the third week of the month.
The city s strong determination to restart GBA collaborations that the pandemic has impeded will be confirmed by the visit.
The upcoming high-profile tour, which is still being planned, is about two months after Lee's trip to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in late February, which was his first visit to the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area after becoming the city's top leader last year.
They expressed high expectations for the trip and said it would promote the development of the GBA and Hong Kong integration into the country's overall development.
According to a document submitted to the Legislative Council, the city's top leader and lawmakers will meet provincial and city leaders from the Chinese mainland and visit key facilities and projects relating to innovation, technology, smart city initiatives, environmental protection, youth development, as well as culture, arts and sports.
The visit aims to help lawmakers learn about the latest developments and opportunities in the GBA, to boost exchanges with mainland officials, and to promote high-quality development of the cluster.
Local media cited sources that the tour will be set on April 21 -- 24 and that the delegation will include over 100 members. The members will be divided into two groups to conduct activities, which will be led separately by LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yu en and Starry Lee Wai-king, chairperson of the House Committee.
Starry Lee said at a House Committee meeting held on Thursday to discuss arrangements for the trip, that the Hong Kong government, the Legislative Council, and the governments of mainland cities all acknowledge the importance of the tour. She hopes that the lawmakers will be able to attend the trip from start to finish.
She said that the mainland has achieved rapid developments in many areas, such as hydrogen energy. She hopes to have a chance to visit such facilities.
Stanley Ng Chau-pei, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said that the LegCo members were looking forward to this trip. He believes that the visit will help GBA cities work more closely, thus accelerating the development of the region.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung visited Guangzhou in late March, and Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau is currently on a three-day visit in Guangdong province.