Chief Executive John Lee met Qinghai Governor Wu Xiaojun today to exchange views on deepening exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Qinghai.

After welcoming Mr Wu and his delegation to Hong Kong, Mr Lee emphasised that Qinghai is a major green resources province with abundant natural assets.

Apart from noting that Qinghai is actively promoting the development of various industries, while Hong Kong enjoys the unparalleled advantages of having the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under “one country, two systems”, Mr Lee added that there is ample room for collaboration between the two places in different aspects.

He pointed out that with its pool of top-notch international scientific research talent and strong capabilities in basic scientific research, Hong Kong can complement Qinghai's strengths, particularly in accelerating transformation of research and development outcomes, such as building a world-class salt lake industry base and a national highland for the clean energy industry.

Additionally, he stressed that Qinghai enterprises can leverage Hong Kong's role as an international trade centre to explore markets and enhance Qinghai's position as a supplier of green organic agricultural and livestock products.

Mr Lee indicated that Xining in Qinghai Province has become one of the applicable cities of the Individual Visit Scheme since May this year, while direct flights between Xining and Hong Kong were also resumed in July, facilitating the flow of people between the two places.

He highlighted that Qinghai can utilise Hong Kong as a platform to promote its rich and vivid cultural and tourism resources, developing itself into an international ecotourism destination and bringing new impetus for co-operation between Qinghai and Hong Kong.

The Chief Executive welcomes Qinghai tourists to visit Hong Kong to experience in person the city's unique charm as a metropolis where East meets West, with a view to further promoting cultural exchanges between the two places.

Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang also attended the meeting.