ENG-2019 — Page 54

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Constitution and Administration

On 16 May, the Chief Executive and the Governor of Guangdong Province, leading the delegations of the HKSAR and Guangdong Province respectively, co-chaired the 21st Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference in Guangzhou, setting out clear directions and goals on the implementation of the Outline Development Plan and further collaboration between Hong Kong and Guangdong. The Chief Executive told the meeting that fruitful outcomes had been achieved in nine areas, brought about by the joint efforts of both sides to strive for policy innovation and breakthrough under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits.

On 26 September, the Financial Secretary and the Macao SAR Secretary for Economy and Finance co-chaired the 11th Hong Kong Macao Cooperation High Level Meeting in Macao. Both sides reviewed the achievements made since the last meeting and held an in-depth discussion on further collaboration between Hong Kong and Macao. Under the principle of 'one country, two systems, Hong Kong and Macao will jointly take forward the Greater Bay Area development to achieve a win-win outcome in the diversified development of industries and the economic and social developments of both places.

The Chief Executive attended a meeting of the Leading Group on 6 November. Priority areas of work in the next stage were discussed and planned. The Chief Executive reported on Hong Kong's work since the last plenary meeting of the Leading Group in five key areas, namely I&T, infrastructural connectivity, finance, meteorology and commerce, and outlined the future focus of work in these areas. She also welcomed the 16 policy measures introduced by the CPG after the meeting, which would benefit people from all walks of life and facilitate the development of various sectors in the Greater Bay Area?.

The HKSAR Government has also strengthened its internal coordination efforts. The Chief Executive is chairing a high-level Steering Committee for the Development of the Guangdong- Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, whose membership comprises all Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaus. It provides guidance and advice for Hong Kong's participation in the Greater Bay Area development, which includes formulating strategic directions, policies and implementation plans. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau will set up a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office and appoint

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The 16 policy measures involve facilitating property purchases by Hong Kong residents in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area; supporting mobile electronic payment by Hong Kong residents in the Mainland; a pilot scheme for Hong Kong residents to open Mainland personal bank accounts in the Greater Bay Area remotely by attestation; ensuring the children of Hong Kong and Macao residents enjoy the same education as those of Mainland residents; exploring a cross-boundary wealth management scheme; facilitating the travel of non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents to and from the Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area; permitting the use of Hong Kong-registered drugs and common medical devices in designated Hong Kong-owned healthcare institutions in the Greater Bay Area; measures on partnerships formed by Hong Kong and Mainland law firms, on legal consultancy and on special examinations; further extending the scope of mutual recognition of qualifications for construction professionals; expanding the scope of liberalisation measures for construction professionals from Hong Kong and Macao to practise in the Mainland; preferential treatment on insurance regulation; removing the requirement on years of operating experience for Hong Kong service suppliers to provide insurance loss adjusting services in the Mainland; supporting bond market development, such as in catastrophe bonds, in Hong Kong and Macao; supporting the development of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Co-operation Zone; facilitating customs clearance of imported animal-derived biomaterials; and relaxing the limitation on exporting Mainland human genetic resources to Hong Kong and Macao.

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