Fruitful discussion: Chief Secretary Donald Tsang and the Executive Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province Tang Bingquan co-chair the fourth working meeting of the Hong Kong-Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou.

Preparatory work for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project has been approved along with the continuation of studies on the feasibility of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.

This was the message from Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang today speaking after the fourth working meeting of the Hong Kong-Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou.

Both governments agreed to monitor closely the construction progress of the HK-Shenzhen Western Corridor with the objective of seeing through its opening by the second half of 2006. Discussion has already begun on the regulation of cross-boundary traffic following its opening.

Both sides reviewed progress since the Seventh Plenary of the Joint Conference in August, and agreed on priority areas for the coming six months.

Info exchange

To follow up on the implementation of the second phase of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement in Guangdong and to make timely and appropriate responses, both governments agreed to exchange contact information on working counterparts in the newly added service sectors.

The Hong Kong Government also plans to complete a study on the economic impact of CEPA within the first quarter of this year.

The Hong Kong side will continue to organise promotional activities. The Business Fair for Hong Kong-Guangdong Economic, Technology & Trade Co-operation, for example, scheduled for May in Hong Kong, will encourage Mainland investment and listing.

Further co-operation

The Mainland's Customs General Administration announced that from January 1, freight vehicles' tractors, trailers and containers would no longer be "tied together" for cross-boundary trips. This relaxes the original "4-up-4-down" rule, and is welcomed by both sides as it enhances the efficiency of cross-boundary freight transportation.

The two sides have also launched discussion on other initiatives that promote cross-boundary road freight transport, such as the relaxation of the "one truck, one driver" requirement, arrangements for the issue of Guangdong-Hong Kong road freight licences and improvements to customs clearance services at inland control points.

To improve control point facilities and operation, the new boundary bridges at Lok Ma Chau and Sha Tau Kok, and improvement works for the Lo Wu footbridge, will be completed soon.

On air transport and related services, new cross-boundary ferry routes running between Hong Kong International Airport and Lianhuashan and Zhongshan were launched in December.

The Airport Authority, airline companies, and ferry and terminal operators are planning to provide check-in services to sea-to-air transit passengers at PRD ports.

On co-operation in technology, a funding scheme jointly set up by the Guangdong and Hong Kong governments to support research and development projects will be in full swing this year. Under the funding scheme, both governments will support a total of 67 projects.

Township study to launch

The Expert Group on Hong Kong-Guangdong Town Planning & Development will launch a study on the Co-ordinated Development of the GPRD Township this year.

Mr Tsang said the study will take a proactive approach when considering the direction for GPRD development. Both sides will also be able to formulate a strategy that was beneficial to the co-ordinated development and enhanced competitiveness of the region.

A regional monitoring network covering the entire PRD region with 16 monitoring stations will come into operation early this year. Both sides will strive to report the monitoring results to the public in the earliest possible instance.

Reports on air quality will be submitted to the two governments every six months after the operation. The data gathered by the monitoring network will be helpful in monitoring the change in air quality within the region in the long run. It will also help the two sides understand the effectiveness of the measures taken in improving air quality.  

The two governments signed an agreement in December to exchange civil servants. In the next two years, each side will select up to 15 civil servants each year to participate in the exchange programme.

Intellectual property

On the protection of intellectual property, the No Fakes Pledge scheme launched by Hong Kong's Intellectual Property Department has been introduced in Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen and Shantou. It will be extended to other cities in Guangdong province.

Last September 15 accomplished language teachers from Guangdong came to Hong Kong to embark on the Collaborative & Exchange Project in local schools focusing on Chinese language and Putonghua.

Forty Guangdong primary school English teachers will partake in English language training courses and conduct exchanges with Hong Kong English teachers in January and February.

Co-operation between the two sides in other areas, like tourism, culture, sports, and the communication mechanism for infectious disease control will continue.

Commercial sectors involvement essential

In the afternoon they met with members of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council and members of Guangdong Sub-groups. The two sides discussed co-operation of business organisations.

During the meeting, Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council Chairman Dr Victor Fung gave a briefing on the progress the Business Council made since its inception in March last year and gave their views on a number of co-operation areas.

Mr Tsang said the involvement of the business and commercial sectors in the development of the Greater Pearl River Delta was essential.

The views rendered by the Business Council will have a positive effect in promoting co-operation and development of Hong Kong and Guangdong, he said, adding the two governments will study these views and comments and take appropriate follow-up action.