HK, Guizhou clinch 8 deals
Hong Kong signed eight cooperation agreements with Guizhou province on Friday, paving the way for long-term strategic cooperation in trade, education, women’s affairs and youth development between the special administrative region and the southwestern province.
The collaboration between Hong Kong and Guizhou is a good example of collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative, which presents great opportunities for Hong Kong and Guizhou, said Lin Wu, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR.
Lin made the remarks during a Belt and Road cooperation conference between Hong Kong and Guizhou held in the province’s capital Guiyang. High-ranking officials in Guizhou and a 650strong Hong Kong delegation attended the conference, including representatives from Hong Kong’s business, education sector and youth, women and children groups.
Lin noted that there is extensive scope for cooperation between Hong Kong and Guizhou under the Belt and hada Road Initiative. Hong Kong, as an international hub for finance, trade and tourism, plays a super-connector role, linking countries and regions involved in the initiative. As a result, Hong Kong has an important role in helping Guizhou pursue greater connectivity and achievement on the world stage, he said.
While Guizhou, with its rich natural resources, low operating costs and a developing transport network, attracts Hong Kong investment, he added.
According to official data, there were 870 Hong Kongowned enterprises in Guiz- hou last year, with total investment reaching $7.98 billion, accounting for 70.5 percent of the province’s investment from overseas. There are 15 Guizhou corporations in Hong Kong, all with sound development.
Official data also showed 206,500 Hong Kong travelers visited the landlocked province last year, accounting for 18.7 percent of the province’s inbound tourists.
Lin praised Guizhou for actively aligning its own development with the Belt and Road Initiative by enhancing its transport network as well as fostering the big data industry.
The mainland is to build a digital silk road, focusing on digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and quantum computing, President Xi Jinping said during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing last month.
Xi also stressed that it is of vital importance to advance the development of big data, cloud computing and smart cities.
Guizhou gained central government approval to set up the country’s first pilot zone to develop the big data industry. So far, the province has held three large-scale big data expos, attracting such key brands as Baidu, Alibaba and Microsoft to come and invest.
The province is the proud home to the 500-meter-wide radio telescope “Eye of Heaven” which was established in September last year. The facility can receive and identify signals from deep space.
Lu Yongzheng, vice-governor of Guizhou, said the province welcomes Hong Kong, both for cooperation and tourism. He said for business cooperation, the province looks forward to collaboration in fields such as logistic as Guizhou aspires to become the transport hub in southwestern China.
The Hong Kong delegation is on its four-day visit in Guizhou. Besides signing cooperation agreements, forums with different themes are held, inviting local people to exchange ideas with the delegation on such topics as business and trade, education and youth, and civil group development.
Guizhou is located in the highlands of the YunnanGuizhou Plateau, known for its distinctive ethnic groups such as Miao and Dong people as well as its karst landscape.
About 2,000 years ago, Guizhou was an important part of the route for China’s silk and tea exports to South Asia.
Hong Kong has an important role in helping Guizhou pursue greater connectivity and achievement on the world stage.” Lin Wu, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR