Mission to Guangdong 總商會廣東訪問團
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| Special Reports 專題報導 | Mission to Guangdong 總商會廣東訪問團 Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation is set to reach new heights as development in Nansha, Qianhai and Hengqin takes off 粵港合作進入新階段,南沙前海橫琴三區成焦點 uangdong-Hong Kong cooperation is on track to of trade in services between Hong Kong and Guangdong. reach new heights as businesses and governments Led by Chamber Chairman C K Chow, and accompanied Gwork towards developing new strategic platforms in by Yin Xiaojing, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Nansha, Qianhai and Hengqin. Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, the delegation Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan told the Chamber’s called on the province’s Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan, 40-member delegation to Guangzhou on January 21 that he as well as CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee Secretary hopes cooperation will continue to deepen. He expressed his Wan Qingliang, and Guangzhou Mayor Chen Jianhua. wish to expand cooperation with the Chamber to drive forward As Guangdong and Hong Kong share the same roots, Chow the restructuring and upgrading of Hong Kong enterprises in said the two areas are closely entwined and as such mutually Guangdong, while at the same time accelerating liberalization benefit from each other’s success. Many Chamber members 10 FEBRUARY 2013 The Bulletin 工商月刊 Members of HKGCC’s delegation pose for a group photograph with Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan (front row, centre). have invested in Guangdong, not only in the manufacturing 總商會訪問團成員與廣東省省長朱小丹(前排中)合照。 sector, but also in finance, trade and professional services. With their international expertise, he said Hong Kong businesses can contribute to the rapidly growing demand for high-end services in the province, and will encourage more members to new period of continuous and steady growth,” said Zhu, add- explore these opportunities. ing that the province’s GDP growth hit 8.5% last year, and is expected to reach 8% in 2013. New strategic platforms He said that Hong Kong entrepreneurs, especially those “After China’s three decades of double-digit growth, Guang- engaged in manufacturing, have contributed significantly dong is moving away from rapid economic expansion into a towards Guangdong’s economic growth over the past 30 years. �The Bulletin 工商月刊�FEBRUARY 2013 11 | Special Reports 專題報導 | CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee Secretary Wan Qingliang (second, from right), and Mayor Chen Jianhua (right), told members that Hong Kong can serve as a platform to bring in international expertise to boost Nansha New District’s software. 廣州市市委書記萬慶良(右二)及市長陳建華(右一)向會員表示,希望可借助香港平台,為南沙新區引入國際項目和資訊,提升城市的軟實力。 Going forward, Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation should During Vice Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Hong Kong at the focus on its current development stage to drive forward coor- end of 2011, he said trade in services between Hong Kong and dinated economic growth and sustainability in the province, the Mainland will be liberalized by the end of 2015. To make which will require strengthening high-end services. Given this possible, the Guangdong Government is working on per- Nansha, Qianhai and Hengqin’s national strategic status, the fecting cooperation mechanisms under CEPA, and addressing focus of these new districts is clearly on the development of a the problem of “the big doors are open but small doors are not modern service industry, which provides a new platform for yet open.” Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation. Zhu hopes Chamber Governor Zhu said the main difficulty with CEPA is that members can play a key role in this development. entry thresholds are unduly high, which discourage some With Hong Kong’s comprehensive investment products and service industries. But some progress is being made, as he financial services, Zhu said the SAR can help improve Guang- said business registration approval procedures are expected to dong’s financial services and futures market. Chow echoed his be simplified. Efforts are also underway to allow Hong Kong comments and pointed out that just last December, the HKEx, enterprises in Guangdong to enjoy national treatment as soon of which he is chairman, bought the London Metal Exchange. as possible, and he welcomed HKGCC’s views and suggestions He hopes the exchange can link up with the Mainland’s metal on facilitating the service sector. As such, the Chamber will futures to meet the needs of the market. In addition, the joint work closely with the Guangdong Government to help deliver venture between the HKEx, Shenzhen and Shanghai stock this goal. exchanges will drive the development of new financial prod- In his Policy Address, C Y Leung proposed setting up an Eco- ucts and services. The move will help satisfy the needs of nomic Development Commission to work on the overall strat- international investors, with Hong Kong acting as the gateway egy and policy to enhance our long-term development with for foreigners investing in Mainland products. the Mainland, and identify industries which present opportu- nities for Hong Kong’s further economic growth. To address Trade liberalization in Services the problem of “the big doors are open but the small doors are Over the past few years, CEPA has become one of the most not yet open,” the HKSAR Government will study the feasibil- important initiatives for Hong Kong service industries enter- ity of setting up new offices in large and medium-sized cities in ing the Mainland, especially the Guangdong market, which has China to request help for SMEs from local governments. to date implemented 64 pilot measures. A total of 17 liberali- sation pilot measures under Supplement IX have been intro- Guangzhou-Hong Kong Cooperation duced in Guangdong, including five measures specifically for CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee Secretary Wan Qianhai and Hengqin. Qingliang told the delegation that Guangzhou is pressing 12 FEBRUARY 2013 The Bulletin 工商月刊 ahead with new urbanization plans. “This requires world-class The delegation also visited Tianhe Central Business District, innovation, knowledge as well as talent, and Hong Kong can Zhujiang New Town and Guangzhou International Financial play a key role in contributing talent, capital and experience,” City, among other areas. Tianhe District officials told delegates he said. that they are focusing on developing the financial and com- The development of Nansha New District aims to create a mercial sectors, as well as attracting more companies to set up new Guangzhou. To facilitate this, Hong Kong can serve as a their headquarters in the districts. As these are Hong Kong’s platform to bring in international expertise to boost the city’s core strengths, officials said the HKSAR business community software. In addition to enhancing cooperation in services, can play a useful role in facilitating their development. Cur- urban planning and social management, he also suggested rently, 65 of Fortune Global 500 enterprises have set up offices strengthening ties between university research institutes. For in Tianhe CBD, as well as 70% of Guangzhou’s financial insti- instance, HKUST and Guangzhou University are jointly estab- tutions. The GDP of Tianhe CBD reached RMB150.3 billion lishing an integrated research university in the Nansha New in 2011, which is expected to soar to RMB400 billion by 2020. District. The delegation also called on Guangdong Provincial Rail- During the meeting, HKGCC’s Legco Representative Jeffrey way Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd. to learn about Lam proposed abolishing double taxation for Hong Kong per- development plans for Guangdong’s railway network, and manent residents working in Nansha. Wan promised to give new details about the national express rail link. The booming Lam’s suggestion serious consideration, but pointed out that it transport network will facilitate the flow of people, goods and would be challenging to implement because the tax systems in capital between Guangdong and Hong Kong. the two places are different. Chow concluded that members are looking forward to con- Although the Nansha New District has yet to announce tributing towards the growth of Nansha, Qianhai and Hengqin any preferential policies to attract investors, Wan said the time special zones. He believes the Hong Kong business commu- is ripe for Hong Kong enterprises to gain early access to its nity can play an active role in the construction and develop- booming market. He believes preferential policies in Nansha, ment of the three areas, as well as contribute towards enhanc- which have yet to be announced by the Central Government, ing the overall quality of the services industry in Guangdong. will be as attractive as those offered by Qianhai and Hengqin. Chamber CEO Shirley Yuen added that HKGCC will continue Guangzhou Mayor Chen Jianhua added that he and Wan will to strive to strengthen Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation, lead a delegation to Hong Kong soon to explain the policies and at the same time help members gain a more comprehen- and development plans in Nansha to attract investors. sive understanding of Guangdong’s future development. Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan hosted a dinner to welcome HKGCC delegates. Pictured from left to right are: Shirley Yuen, Y K Pang, Yin Xiaojing, Deputy Minister, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR, Zhu Xiaodan, C K Chow, Stephen Ng, and Jeffery Lam. 廣東省省長朱小丹主持晚宴,歡迎總商會團員。圖左至右為袁莎妮、彭耀佳、中央政府駐港聯絡辦副主任殷曉靜、朱小丹、周松崗、吳天海及林健鋒。 �The Bulletin 工商月刊�FEBRUARY 2013 13 | Special Reports 專題報導 | 港總商會主席周松崗率領40多名本會領導和會員,在中聯辦 副主任殷曉靜等領導的陪同下,於1月21日前往廣州,拜訪廣 香東省省長朱小丹及廣州市市委書記萬慶良、市長陳建華等領 導。朱小丹希望與本會共同推動在粵港資企業升級轉型,及加快推進粵