Hong Kong, Shanghai solidify partnership
20 agreements, a consensus on 65 projects mark increased collaboration
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Shanghai municipality further solidified their partnership on Friday by signing 20 cooperation agreements, enhancing ties in key sectors such as technology, finance, the digital economy, healthcare and legal services.
At the sixth plenary session of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Cooperation Conference, held in Hong Kong, heads of the two cities’ governments said they expect the strengthened cooperation and friendship will contribute to the development of new quality productive forces and the nation’s high-quality growth.
The high-profile event was marked by the attendance of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng.
Lee and Gong witnessed the signing of the cooperation agreements, which also cover a broad scope of urban planning, innovation technology, culture, trade and education.
The two cities have also reached a consensus on 65 projects in 15 specific areas, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the digital economy, logistics, creative industries, talent development, environmental governance, sports, and social welfare, as well as measures facilitating Hong Kong people’s residency in Shanghai.
“It gives me great pleasure to join hands to witness Hong KongShanghai cooperation reaching new heights,” Lee said in his welcoming speech.
He highlighted the intensified interactions between Hong Kong and Shanghai since their inaugural high-level meeting in 2003. From 2003 to 2023, Hong Kong’s investment in Shanghai increased from $2 billion to $17.4 billion, making the SAR one of Shanghai’s largest sources of external investments. Hong Kong has also become one of Shanghai’s major export markets.
Lee said that Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages under the “one country, two systems” principle and work with Shanghai to develop new quality productive forces — advanced productivity driven by innovation and technological breakthroughs — for the nation’s benefit.
Gong, who led the Shanghai delegation visiting the SAR, said Shanghai and Hong Kong are two of the most cosmopolitan and modern cities in the nation, and their cooperation is crucial to propelling national progress.
Under the Shanghai-Hong Kong cooperation mechanism, the two cities have yielded substantial benefits in economics, trade, technology and culture, as well as people-topeople exchanges, Gong said.
The conference also set the stage for 2024 Hong Kong-Shanghai Week, a promotional event launched with a global investment conference in Hong Kong.
Addressing the event, Lee likened the Hong Kong-Shanghai cooperation to a symphony, saying it harmoniously enhances the socioeconomic growth of both parties.
During a meeting on healthcare collaboration between Hong Kong Secretary for Health Lo Chungmau and a delegation led by Wen Daxiang, director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, an agreement was signed to promote ties in traditional Chinese medicine, community health services, and high-quality development of public hospitals, as well as prevention and control of infectious diseases and health emergency responses.
Legal cooperation also received a boost with the signing of an agreement between Hong Kong’s Department of Justice and the East China University of Political Science and Law, aimed at facilitating the exchange and training of legal professionals between the two cities.
The Justice Department and the university also co-organized a lecture featuring foreign legal systems and international laws following the signing ceremony.
During a meeting in Hong Kong on Thursday, Hong Kong and Shanghai authorities reached a consensus on continuing promotion of the mutual market-access programs, such as the ShanghaiHong Kong Stock Connect — which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year — the Bond Connect and the Swap Connect, and exploring deeper cooperation between the two cities’ securities markets.
A Shanghai food festival in Central featured traditional dishes such as xiaolongbao — Shanghainese soup dumplings — and fresh meat mooncakes, inviting residents to savor a taste of Shanghai culinary culture until Sunday.
Since its establishment, the Hong Kong/Shanghai Cooperation Conference has convened six times, with each occasion expanding collaborative frontiers. The previous meeting in August 2021 saw collaboration fostered across 13 fronts, including the BRI and talent development.