Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (right) meets Party Secretary and Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Zheng Shanjie in Beijing, China, on Dec 20, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVT)

Chief Executive John Lee ka-chiu said Wednesday the Hong Kong government strives to develop a “headquarters economy” to explore opportunities brought about by the national and international dual circulation, capitalizing on the city’s advantages in financial services, and deepening mutual access with the Chinese mainland’s financial market.

The CE said this when he met the National Development and Reform Commission Party Secretary and Chairman Zheng Shanjie in Beijing to discuss the special administrative region’s proactive integration into the national development, according to a government statement.

The SAR government also strives to expand Hong Kong's global economic and trade networks and promote regional cooperation as well as adopt an industry-oriented approach to promote new industrialization, while promoting the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint, he said.

READ MORE: CE hails 'endless opportunities' for HK from nation's growth

Lee thanked the NDRC for supporting Hong Kong’s efforts in consolidating and realizing its development of the “eight centers” under the 14th Five-Year Plan and the city's participation in national strategies such as the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The SAR government is committed to enhancing Hong Kong’s development of the “eight centers” to provide impetus for the city’s competitiveness and sustainable economic growth, said Lee

NDRC support has facilitated the city’s better integration into the national development, providing a new and greater contribution to the country’s high-quality development, he said.

The HKSAR government is committed to consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s development of the “eight centers” to provide impetus for the city’s competitiveness and sustainable economic growth, said the CE.

The government will capitalize on the city’s advantages as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange to actively promote the development of cultural and creative industries, he said.

Highlighting the government’s Northern Metropolis Action Agenda, he said it adopts an industry-driven approach as its key planning axle in forging Hong Kong’s deeper integration into the Greater Bay Area’s overall development.

Patches of white clouds adorn the sky as the afternoon light is reflected on some skyscrapers on the northwestern tip of Hong Kong Island on Aug 16, 2023. (SHAMIM ASHRAF / CHINA DAILY)

The Northern Metropolis development will facilitate Hong Kong's closer cooperation with other Bay Area cities, creating a strong growth impetus for Hong Kong and injecting new vigor into the entire GBA development, Lee stressed.

He emphasized that the SAR government renders its full support to the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone promulgated by the central government. 

ALSO READ: I&T industry encouraged by 12 supportive measures

It will work with the Shenzhen municipal government to foster the synergistic development of the Hong Kong Park and the Shenzhen Park to achieve complementarity, he added.