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The 10th Pan-Pearl River Delta Region Co-operation and Development Forum and Trade Fair (PPRD Forum) jointly held by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in Guangzhou concluded successfully today (October 13). The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, led a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delegation to attend the PPRD Forum and chaired the Chief Executive Joint Conference.
Mr Leung said, "This year's PPRD Forum, which marks the first forum of the second round, serves the purpose of building on past achievements to make new progress in the future. Being one of the hosts, the HKSAR Government attaches great importance to the relevant work, and specially held a business networking luncheon and a trade symposium yesterday (October 12) to make use of the PPRD platform to foster exchanges and co-operation between PPRD enterprises and Hong Kong and foreign business chambers of commerce and enterprises for the first time. The events, which received great support from various PPRD provinces/regions and attracted some 400 participants, helped complement efforts of the PPRD provinces/regions in implementing the development strategy of 'attracting investment' and 'going global', and created more development opportunities for Hong Kong business sectors."
In chairing the Chief Executive Joint Conference this morning, Mr Leung introduced an interactive session where leaders of the governments of various PPRD provinces/regions had focused discussions on issues relating to "commerce and trade" and "urbanisation". At the conference, the leaders signed the "Joint Declaration on Deepening PPRD Regional Co-operation (2015 - 2025)", providing a blueprint for strengthening PPRD regional co-operation.
Mr Leung said, "The interactive session had facilitated the PPRD provinces/regions to foster consensus. Leaders agreed to strengthen commerce and trade co-operation between the Mainland provinces/regions and Hong Kong, allowing Hong Kong to bring its unique advantage of being a channel bringing capital, talent and technology into the Mainland and its role as a 'super-connector' into full play. They also agreed to strengthen exchanges and co-operation between Mainland provinces/regions and Hong Kong on urbanisation, drawing reference from Hong Kong's experience in urban development accumulated over the years, and work jointly to push forward 'New Urbanisation' in the PPRD Region."
At the High-Level Forum held in the afternoon yesterday (October 12), the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, gave a speech entitled "Strengthening PPRD Regional Co-operation, Promoting New Urbanisation" to share experience in Hong Kong's urban planning, development and management and put forward three suggestions. Firstly, she suggested the PPRD provinces/regions to draw on Hong Kong's experience when taking forward urban planning in a scientific manner given that Hong Kong has developed a mature and transparent statutory system on urban planning. Secondly, she advised various PPRD provinces/regions to make good use of the measures under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and work with the Hong Kong service industries to build cities suitable for living and working by upholding the people-oriented principle. Thirdly, she suggested the exploration of ways to engage more private capital in the building and operation of public infrastructures by leveraging Hong Kong's financial services platform which is linked up with the global market and offers a wide spectrum of financial services.
The PPRD Region covers nine provinces/regions (Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan) and the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, accounting for one-third of the country's population and gross domestic product. Governments of the 9+2 provinces/regions in the PPRD jointly signed the PPRD Regional Co-operation Framework Agreement in 2004 to pursue co-operation in areas including infrastructure development, commerce and trade, financial services, tourism, new and high technology, environmental protection, etc. The relevant provinces/regions take turns to host the PPRD Forum.
The 10th PPRD Forum was held on October 12-13 in Guangzhou. Major activities included an opening ceremony cum agreement signing ceremony, the High-Level Forum and the Chief Executive Joint Conference conducted by the governments of Guangdong Province, Macao SAR and HKSAR respectively. In addition, the three places had held a total of 10 thematic seminars, of which the thematic seminar on urbanisation was held by the Development Bureau and Planning Department on September 25-26 in Hong Kong, while the Pan-PRD·HK Business Networking Luncheon and the Pan-PRD·HK Trade Symposium co-organised by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council were held in Guangzhou on October 12.
The Chief Executive returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.
Ends/Monday, October 13, 2014
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