The Chinese central government backs Hong Kong in strengthening complementary cooperation with Hainan to promote joint development, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
Speaking at a regular press briefing on Hong Kong's role after island-wide special customs operations were launched in the Hainan Free Trade Port, the spokesman He Yadong said that the central government supports Hong Kong's deeper integration into the country's development and its bigger role in the nation's high-level opening up.
"Hong Kong is an international hub for finance, shipping and trade, and has unique advantage of enjoying the backing of the motherland and the close connection with the rest of the world," said He.
"The central government is committed to expanding high-level opening-up, and the Hainan FTP is a landmark initiative in promoting the development of new systems for a higher-standard open economy. For Hong Kong, the "one country, two systems" principle is its greatest strength, and the China's reform and opening-up its greatest arena. The more open the motherland, the broader the space for Hong Kong's development," He said.
"We will support Hong Kong in integrating into and serving the national development landscape, achieving complementary advantages and collaborative development with Hainan FTP and jointly playing a better role in the country's high-level opening-up," said He.
Central government supports HK in enhancing complementary collaboration with Hainan
Central government supports HK in enhancing complementary collaboration with Hainan
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
