SAR govt enhances B&R, bay area efforts

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) will cooperate closely with the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) to enhance Hong Kong’s participation in the State-level Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area project, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said on Wednesday.

Speaking during a media gathering, Yau said the government’s Belt and Road Office will be subordinated to his bureau to design policies for Hong Kong as a professional service provider. Currently the office reports directly to the chief executive.

Meanwhile, Yau said he planned to expand the Trade and Industry Advisory Board to include more talented people from diversified business sectors and focus more on B&R and Greater Bay Area policies.

He vowed to have more direct contact with central government departments such as the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is to improve the city’s role in the country’s overall development.

The CEDB will also work on providing timely business information to local enterprises, especially information on major central government policies, to help local enterprises grasp business opportunities in due course, Yau said.

The bureau opened a social media account dedicated to the cause on Wednesday.

At the same occasion as Yau, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen noted that his bureau will work on helping Hong Kong people study, work and live in cities in the Greater Bay Area.

Simplifying procedures for Hong Kong people on the mainland will intensify the flow of skilled people, capital and information between Hong Kong and mainland cities, Nip said.

He will make frequent visit to bay area cities during his term in an attempt to create better communication with relevant mainland authorities on mutual development.

The SAR government is in discussions with Greater Bay Area cities on such fields as building technology and innovation platforms and linking up infrastructure facilities, according to Nip.

The Greater Bay Area, covering 56,500 square-kilometers, comprises Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing in Guangdong province, and Hong Kong and Macao.

Simplifying procedures for Hong Kong people on the mainland will intensify the flow of skilled people, capital and information.” Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs