Chief Executive John Lee today met Macao Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai at Government House and discussed ways of strengthening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Macau, as well as the Greater Bay Area’s high-quality development.

Highlighting that as the country’s special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau enjoy distinctive advantages under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, Mr Lee said the two cities enjoy frequent people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as solid economic and trade relations.

He stressed that alongside Macau Hong Kong will continue to firmly uphold the principle of “one country” and leverage the benefits of “two systems”.

He also outlined that as both are core cities in the bay area, Hong Kong and Macau can leverage their complementarity to promote bay area development together, thereby allowing the people of both places to benefit from the fruits of economic development.

Separately, Mr Lee said the Hong Kong SAR Government has long been dedicated to supporting cross-boundary transportation arrangements in relation to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in order to maximise its economic and transport benefits. Launched last July, the “Mutual Use of QR Code between Hong Kong SAR & Macao SAR Clearance Service” provides a convenient immigration experience, he added.

In terms of tourism, Mr Lee said Hong Kong and Macau will work together to expand the twin-destination tourism market, and collaborate with other bay area cities to establish a regional and international tourism brand.

Mr Lee added that he looks forward to working with Mr Sam in enhancing exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Macau in various aspects.