29th May 2023 – (Hong Kong) The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Mr John Lee, met with the Governor of Shandong Province, Mr Zhou Naixiang, on May 29 to discuss ways to deepen the co-operation between the two regions. The meeting was attended by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Carol Yip.
During the meeting, Mr Lee welcomed Mr Zhou’s visit to Hong Kong with his delegation to organise the 2023 Hong Kong-Macao-Shandong week. He expressed gratitude to the Shandong Provincial Government for their continued support of various departments on the work of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai and the Shandong Liaison Unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government.
Mr Lee highlighted that Shandong is a coastal and major economic province that plays an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative. He further noted that Hong Kong is an international financial centre and the world’s largest offshore Renminbi business hub, as well as an international trade, shipping, and logistics hub. Therefore, Hong Kong can provide Shandong with the investment and financing platform, as well as professional services support required by projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. It can also act as an essential bridge between Shandong and the global market. Mr Lee welcomed Shandong to continue using HongKong as the prime platform for Mainland enterprises to “go global” and attract foreign investments.
Mr Lee also emphasised that the HKSAR Government has always attached great importance to youth development. In recent years, Hong Kong and Shandong Province have collaborated to organise the Youth Internship Programme at Shandong on Marine Sciences. Additionally, an association for the development of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan students of Shandong University has been established, providing platforms for youth exchanges and further strengthening cultural integration between the two regions.