The High-Level Meeting & the Second Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Sichuan Co-operation Conference was held in Chengdu today to review the achievements made since the last meeting and agree on the directions for future co-operation.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam and CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee Secretary Peng Qinghua led the delegations of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Sichuan governments to hold the session, with Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Deputy Director Huang Liuquan as special guest.

Mrs Lam said: “The Hong Kong/Sichuan co-operation mechanism was established by the current-term Government in May 2018, which has then become an important co-operation platform for the two places.

“It is precious to witness the holding of this high-level meeting twice in three years' time, especially as both sides have been unremittingly promoting economic and trade exchanges in the time of epidemics.

“Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on its strengths, and by leveraging the opportunities of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle development, Hong Kong and Sichuan will flourish through a deepening win-win collaboration.”    

Both places reached a consensus on numerous co-operation areas including the Belt & Road Initiative, finance, civil aviation, maritime transport and logistics, professional legal services, cultural and creative industries and tourism.

At the meeting, Chief Secretary John Lee and Sichuan Province Vice-Governor Li Yunze signed a memorandum on the Hong Kong/Sichuan Co-operation Conference. This is in addition to three agreements on economic, Chinese medicine and vocational education co-operation signed by government departments and statutory bodies of both places.