Shenzhen promotes economic and trade cooperation with Hong Kong
On Thursday, the "2024 Shenzhen (Luohu) - Hong Kong Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference" was held in Hong Kong, with seven high-quality projects signed on-site.
This exchange conference, focusing on "Two-way Openness and Deep Integration," aims to build a dialogue platform for enterprises from both regions to communicate, interact, and integrate. It seeks to expand cooperation fields, elevate cooperation levels, and promote mutual benefit and win-win results. This initiative also represents Luohu District's efforts to help local enterprises "go global," facilitating their entry into overseas markets and integrating into the global industrial and supply chains, thus creating opportunities for bilateral business engagements.
Luohu has always been committed to serving enterprises by helping them find markets, funds, and spaces, striving to create the best environment for business development. During the event, representatives from Shenzhen and Hong Kong introduced their respective business-friendly policies and development environments. Officials, scholars, and business leaders from both sides engaged in in-depth discussions, resulting in the signing and implementation of seven high-quality projects, thereby deepening cooperation in various fields such as trade, technology, and talent.
"Hong Kong is the largest source of foreign investment for Luohu and the preferred platform for Luohu enterprises to explore overseas markets. Under the 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong has the unique advantage of connecting China with the world. As an international financial, trade, and shipping center, Hong Kong allows the free flow of people, goods, capital, and information. Hong Kong should integrate into the national development strategy and play a dual role as a platform for both 'bringing in' and 'going out'," said Bernard Chan, Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong.
Sincere Efforts in Building a Bilateral Exchange and Cooperation Platform
At the beginning of 2023, with the full resumption of border crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Luohu, as a "bridgehead" for exchanges between mainland China and Hong Kong, saw accelerated flows of people, goods, capital, and information between the two regions.
In February last year, Luohu held its first economic and trade cooperation exchange conference in Hong Kong after the resumption of border crossings, releasing several significant favorable policies and signing multiple cooperation memorandums with Hong Kong across various fields. This laid the foundation for broader, deeper, and higher-level cooperation.
"In recent years, Luohu has formally proposed the development positioning of 'Three Forces and Three Zones.' This is not only aligned with Luohu's actual development but also makes Luohu the best choice to serve Hong Kong," said Lai Jianhua, member of the Standing Committee of the Luohu District Committee and Director of the District Committee (Government) Office. He detailed Luohu's advantages and services to the guests, highlighting the district's industrial policies, talent policies, and services for Hong Kong people and enterprises using data, charts, and case studies. Lai showcased the charm, vitality, and potential of Luohu's high-quality development and outlined new stages, new developments, and new opportunities for deepening cooperation between Luohu and Hong Kong.
Deep Exchanges Signal Strong Intent for Deepened Cooperation
This economic and trade cooperation exchange event attracted significant attention and enthusiastic responses from the industry in both regions, signaling a strong intent to jointly enhance the "big story" of deepening Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation.
During the dialogue session, experts, scholars, and business representatives from both regions shared their experiences and insights on coordinated industrial development, biomedical science, and the planning and construction of the Northern Metropolis. They expressed optimism about the prospects of deepened cooperation between the two regions.
Significant Signing of Seven High-Quality Projects
At the conference, seven high-quality projects were signed on-site, including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Partnership Joint Operation (Luohu) Law Firm, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Family Office Service Center Strategic Cooperation, the Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the Command Center for the Upgrading and Development of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Trade Service Industry in Luohu and Chuangzhi Hui International Industrial Investment Development Co., Ltd., the Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement between the Command Center for the Upgrading and Development of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Trade Service Industry in Luohu and Hong Kong International Innovation and Technology Industrial Park Co., Ltd., the Memorandum of Cooperation for the joint construction of an Education Innovation Practice and Research Base between the Education Bureau of Luohu District, Shenzhen, and the Education University of Hong Kong, and the Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the People's Government of Luohu District, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong Harbor Education Development Co., Ltd.
In the future, these projects will effectively contribute to the construction of the Northern Metropolis in Hong Kong and the "Three Forces and Three Zones" in Luohu, promoting broader, deeper, and higher-level practical cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Currently, Luohu is focusing on the three key areas of "consumption, Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation, and modern service industries," striving to develop the "Three Forces and Three Zones" industrial positioning: an international consumption center core area with global trend-leading influence, a pilot zone for Shenzhen-Hong Kong integrated development with global resource allocation capability, and a demonstration zone for the agglomeration of modern service industries with international market radiating power.
As an international financial center, Hong Kong is the global hub for offshore RMB business, international asset management, and risk management. It is also an international trade center and one of the world's freest economies, providing a vast market space for enterprises. In the "Northern Metropolis Action Plan 2023" released by the Hong Kong SAR Government, it is explicitly proposed to build a "port economy and industrial zone" that complements Luohu.