HK leader speaks at China Daily Hong Kong's anniversary event

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (center); Yang Jian (second from right), deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR; Xie Feng (first from left), commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the SAR, are among the 340-plus guests joining China Daily Editor-in-Chief Zhou Shuchun (second from left) at China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable luncheon themed "Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area from the Belt & Road Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges" held on Monday in Hong Kong, in celebration of China Daily Hong Kong Edition's 20th anniversary. [Edmond Tang, Roy Liu/China Daily]

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor provided glimpses into her vision for Hong Kong's future on Monday during an event held as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations for the China Daily Hong Kong Edition.

Speaking to a gathering of 340 distinguished guests, including diplomats and leaders in the public and private sectors in the special administrative region, Lam talked about how that future links with the Belt and Road Initiative, launched by President Xi Jinping.

In her keynote speech at the China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable luncheon, Lam referred to the theme of the forum, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from the Belt and Road Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges.

Lam said the topic was "a most timely and relevant one" that is "inspiring", bringing together "two critically important national development strategies".

"Much synergy can be derived from interactions of both, particularly in shaping the future of Hong Kong," she said.

Editor-in-Chief of China Daily Group Zhou Shuchun. [Edmond Tang, Roy Liu/China Daily]

China Daily Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Zhou Shuchun told the story of the Hong Kong edition's two-decade journey.

"China Daily Hong Kong Edition was founded to cater to the city's huge community of English-speaking readers — to bring them news, views and in-depth research-based features from across China and beyond.

"Founded immediately after the Hong Kong SAR came into being, China Daily Hong Kong Edition was also tasked with upholding the values of the 'one country, two systems' principle, outlining its scope and clarifying the nuances according to the Basic Law for its Anglophone readers," he said.

While Lam said she couldn't disclose information about her first Policy Address, set for Wednesday, she stressed the importance of upholding 'one country, two systems' to enable the SAR to benefit from its strategic edge and make the most of opportunities that the Belt and Road brings.

Lam's proposed strategy to "minimize adverse competition and duplication of resources" between cities in the Greater Bay Area was echoed by Hong Kong Legislative Council member Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who is also the Maritime Silk Road Society co-chair. Ip advocated relaxing regulations on the movement of people and resources between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. [Edmond Tang, Roy Liu/China Daily]

"In the long term, ultimately, we should explore whether we could build this tremendous area for a population of 66 million and an aggregated GDP of $1.36 trillion into something like a single market," said Ip. "If we want to maximize the potential of the Greater Bay Area, we must work out how to overcome the existing hurdles to the free flow of people, goods, funds, data and services."

Shun Tak Holdings Group Executive Chairman and Managing Director Pansy Ho — whose business interests include Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland — also spoke of "capitalizing on collaborative advantages" between cities in the Greater Bay Area without necessarily sacrificing their "competitive" spirit.

"The governments need to work together, and try to assimilate the efforts so that there could be pooled resources to create what we call one journey multidestination travel," Ho said.

The distinguished board of panelists, chaired by Professor Edward Chen Kwan-yiu (first from left), Chairman of the HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education, comprised Pansy HO (first from right), Group Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Shun Tak Holdings Ltd; Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (second from left), Co-Chair of Maritime Silk Road Society; Li Xiaopeng (second from right), Vice-Chairman and Group President of China Merchants Group Ltd; and Nicholas W. YANG (center), Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government. They discussed ways through which Hong Kong can contribute to and benefit from the Greater Bay Area development, as well as the opportunities and challenges for key industry players in the area. [Edmond Tang, Roy Liu/China Daily]