Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu officiates at the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign launching ceremony at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Feb 2, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will lead a delegation to visit Guangzhou and Shenzhen on Thursday, beginning his first visit since taking office to cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Lee said that with the implementation of full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, he had sought to visit Guangdong province, particularly cities in the GBA, as early as practicable.
After liaison with relevant mainland authorities, the visit to Guangzhou and Shenzhen cities has been scheduled for Thursday, the government said in a statement.
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Members of the government delegation will include Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Cheuk Wing-hing; Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Algernon Yau; Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin; and Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Carol Yip.
According to the government statement, Lee and the delegation will depart for Guangzhou Thursday morning to meet with leaders of Guangdong province to exchange views on Hong Kong's cooperation with Guangdong in promoting high-quality development of the 11-city Bay Area cluster.
They will depart for Shenzhen in the afternoon to meet with leaders of Shenzhen to discuss the comprehensive deepening of cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
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The Hong Kong leader said he would visit other GBA mainland cities and the Macao Special Administrative Region to discuss the promotion of high-quality development in the GBA, with a view to injecting stronger impetus to the growth of Hong Kong and the entire GBA and achieving mutual benefits.
The CE will return to Hong Kong in the evening the same day.