Hong Kong delegation in Guizhou to promote cooperation under Belt and Road

A 650-strong Hong Kong delegation comprising representatives from the business sector, youth organizations and women and children groups, started a four-day visit to Guizhou on Thursday to explore opportunities for cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The delegation is expected to sign agreements with the southwestern province in the areas of trade, education, women’s affairs and youth development, said Lin Wu, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Lin is also the honorary counselor of the delegation.

Lin said both Hong Kong and Guizhou had important roles in the Belt and Road Initiative. They would benefit from cooperation with each other as the SAR and province complemented each other in many ways.

Hong Kong enjoyed a great pool of talent in professional services, such as finance and management, while Guizhou had many large-scale infrastructure and management projects, Lin explained.

He said the landlocked province had more than 8,000 places of interest, creating a need for tourism management professionals and investment capital.

Sun Zhigang, governor of Guizhou who held a reception for the delegation, said that along with tourism, the province played a leading role in the country’s data industry.

In March last year the central government approved Guizhou’s establishment of China’s first pilot zone to develop the big data industry. In August last year the province received approval to establish an inland openeconomy pilot zone.

A 500-meter-wide radio telescope, “Eye of Heaven” — capable of receiving and identifying signals from deep space — was set up in Guizhou in September last year.

Sun said he hoped the delegation would refresh their knowledge of the province after the visit.

Kong Tak-ho, president of the Hong Kong Industrial and Commercial Association who leads the delegation, said the visit helped enhance the delegation’s understanding of Guizhou. It will also help future promotion of the province in Hong Kong.

Guizhou, located in the highlands of the YunnanGuizhou Plateau in South- west China, was an important route for China’s silk and tea products as they were carried to South Asia along the Ancient Tea Horse Road and the Southern Silk Road 2,000 years ago.

It is also known for its distinctive ethnic groups such as Miao and Dong people as well as its karst landscape. The province was on last year’s The New York Times list of 52 places to visit.