February 16, 2023
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s large pool of top professional talent could contribute to the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port and create a win-win situation for the SAR and Hainan province, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Wednesday.
Lee made the remarks during a meeting with Secretary of the Communist Party of China Hainan Provincial Committee Shen Xiaoming to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s cooperation with Hainan.
Chief Executive John Lee welcomed Hainan’s proposed 10 measures to open its professional services market, holding that such a move could expand the market for Hong Kong professionals and provide greater room for their development
Also attending the meeting were the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Carol Yip Man-kuen.
Lee welcomed Shen’s visit to Hong Kong with his delegation and said that the relationship between Hainan and Hong Kong has always been close, with frequent flow of people, goods and capital, in particular on the trade and economic front.
He added that quite a number of Hong Kong enterprises operate businesses in Hainan, adding that Hong Kong is the largest source of external investment in the province.
Noting that Hong Kong has a large pool of top talent in various professional service sectors including accountancy, finance, law and innovation and technology, Lee said he held that such talent could mutually benefit the SAR and Hainan.
He welcomed Hainan’s proposed 10 measures to open its professional services market, holding that such a move could expand the market for Hong Kong professionals and provide greater room for their development.
Lee encouraged Hong Kong’s professional service sectors to fully grasp development opportunities in Hainan.
As the Hong Kong SAR has fully resumed travel with the Chinese mainland, Lee expressed the hope that youth exchange between the two places can be restarted.
He noted Hainan and Hong Kong had reached consensus in 2021 on introducing a thematic program for Hong Kong youths to have internship opportunities at the Hainan branch of the Aerospace Information Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and hoped that the program could be launched within this year.