FS to lead delegation to visit Nanjing
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Nanjing tomorrow morning (October 12), leading a delegation of more than 30 members. The delegation comprises representatives of public organisations, innovation and technology (I&T) parks and professional bodies, as well as heads of enterprises in financial services, legal services, e-commerce and various I&T fields (Note).
The delegation will attend a promotion conference on supporting Mainland enterprises in going global, themed "Jiangsu-Hong Kong Partnership: Setting Sail Together", in Nanjing on October 13. It will also take part in a series of business-matching, exchange and promotional activities to showcase to Mainland enterprises Hong Kong's unique advantages as a platform for developing international business, and how Hong Kong's diverse financial and professional services can support their overseas expansion. The delegation will also highlight Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem and strengths, promote the matching of I&T resources between the two places, and explore opportunities for co-operation in areas including technology research and development (R&D), commercialisation of R&D outcomes and industry development.
The delegation will also visit institutions engaged in technology transfer and commercialisation, as well as I&T enterprises specialising in green technology and biotechnology, in Jiangsu Province to exchange experience.
During his stay in Nanjing, Mr Chan will visit Nanjing University to deliver a keynote speech to faculty members and students. He will also visit the university's research institutes undertaking frontier technology R&D. In addition, he will meet with Hong Kong business people and residents in Jiangsu to learn about their business operations, daily lives and development in the province.
Mr Chan will call on the leaders of Jiangsu Province and Nanjing City separately to discuss further strengthening co-operation in economic and trade matters, investment and I&T, as well as enhancing personnel exchanges, with a view to fostering closer, mutually beneficial co-operation between Hong Kong and Jiangsu.
Mr Chan will depart for Hong Kong in the afternoon of October 14. During his absence, the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will be the Acting Financial Secretary.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, Photo source: reference image
Note: Delegation members include heads or management representatives of the following organisations: Invest Hong Kong; the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises; the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited; the Hong Kong Trade Development Council; the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited; the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation; the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited; the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited; the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants; the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association; and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. The delegation also includes heads or management representatives of enterprises engaged in financial services, venture capital, legal services, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, green technology and construction technology.
CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port
The redeveloped Huanggang Port will open at 6.30am tomorrow (October 12). The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, officiated at the opening ceremony at the Mainland Port Area of the Huanggang Port today (October 11) alongside the Director of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, Mr Huang Chuping; the Standing Committee Member of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and the Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr Jin Lei; the Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Mr Li Yun; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Mr Luo Yonggang; the Director General of the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, Ms Zhang Geping; the Director of Bureau III of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Zou Jinsong; and the Deputy Director of the Department of Border Security Check of the National Immigration Administration, Ms Mo Haiying.
The National 15th Five-Year Plan proposed consolidating and enhancing the role of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an engine for high-quality development, as well as strengthening regional infrastructure connectivity. The redevelopment of the Huanggang Port signifies the proactive alignment of the HKSAR Government with national development strategies, representing a key project through which Hong Kong actively integrates into and serves the overall national development. The Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan announced by the HKSAR Government last month explicitly set out to leverage the strengths of the redeveloped Huanggang Port, implement the co-location arrangement, and adopt the novel "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode. The official opening of the Huanggang Port signifies a major milestone achieved by Hong Kong and Shenzhen in enhancing the layout of boundary control points, and improving clearance efficiency, and facilitating cross-boundary flow of people.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Lee said that the Huanggang Port redevelopment project is a landmark undertaking built upon the close partnership and concerted efforts between Hong Kong and Shenzhen for joint contribution and shared benefits. The official opening of the redeveloped port reflects that connectivity within the Greater Bay Area has reached a new height, serving as a faithful demonstration promoting "hard connectivity" in infrastructure, fostering "soft connectivity" of rules and mechanisms, and achieving "connectivity of hearts" between the residents of the Mainland and Hong Kong.
The redeveloped Huanggang Port is positioned as the most important 24-hour passenger land boundary control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The design flow of the redeveloped Huanggang Port is 200 000 passenger trips per day, and could be further increased to about 300 000 upon the future commissioning of the Northern Link Spur Line of the MTR Corporation Limited. With the staunch support of the Central Authorities, the Huanggang Port implements the co-location arrangement with clearly delineated Hong Kong Port Area and Mainland Port Area. The Huanggang Port is also the first land boundary control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen adopting the "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode, further enhancing passenger clearance experience and efficiency. Under this new clearance mode, clearance time will be significantly reduced from around 30 minutes at the original Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port, to approximately five minutes.
The 23rd Meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) passed the decision to authorise the HKSAR to exercise jurisdiction over the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas (Hong Kong Port Area) on June 26 this year. Subsequently, the State Council issued an Official Reply on July 8, stipulating the specific co-ordinates and area of the Hong Kong Port Area, and agreeing that the Hong Kong Port Area is to be commissioned beginning at 00.00 hours of July 31, 2026, and is to be subject to the jurisdiction of the HKSAR in accordance with the laws of the HKSAR. The Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Ordinance (Cap. 659), together with the relevant subsidiary legislation, came into operation on July 31.
Since the establishment of the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area on July 31, the HKSAR Government has been pressing ahead at full steam with the various preparatory tasks for the opening of the port, including conducting drills and tests of various scales, as well as continuously enhancing detailed arrangements to prepare comprehensively for the opening of the port. Having confirmed that the port is ready for safe, smooth and efficient operation, Hong Kong and Shenzhen issued a joint statement on October 9, announcing that the redeveloped Huanggang Port will officially open at 6.30am of October 12, 2026, providing 24-hour clearance services for passengers and passenger vehicles.
Officials of the HKSAR Government attending the ceremony included the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse; the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming; the Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok; the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Chan Tsz-tat; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip.
CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CE attends opening ceremony of Huanggang Port Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
