Policy Address

12. The National 13th Five-Year Plan states that the Central Government will advocate the upgrading of the Mainland’s closer economic partnership arrangements with Hong Kong and Macao. The Agreement on Trade in Services signed under the framework of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) was implemented in June last year to basically achieve liberalisation of trade in services between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is exploring further with the Mainland the expansion and enhancement of CEPA in the areas of investment, economic and technical cooperation, etc. We expect to achieve some concrete results by the middle of this year.

13. The outline of the National 13th Five-Year Plan clearly expresses the need to expedite development of cooperation platforms among Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao such as Nansha, Qianhai and Hengqin. The planning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong in-depth co-operation zone (the cooperation zone) in Nansha has fully incorporated the concept, experience and advice shared by Hong Kong, and the construction of major transport facilities supporting the cooperation zone has fully commenced. The HKSAR Government will continue to co-operate closely with the Guangdong Provincial Government under the Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation mechanism and on the principle of achieving mutual benefits through active participation and joint planning, so as to better seize new opportunities for Hong Kong people and enterprises to start business, pursue employment and further career.

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