The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, today (April 10) called on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and met with representatives from the National Railway Administration and China State Railway Group Co., Ltd in Beijing.
In the morning, Mr Lam called on the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xia Baolong, to brief him on the latest work progress on Hong Kong's maritime, aviation and logistics developments, including an introduction of the Action Plan on Modern Logistics Development and the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy promulgated late last year. Mr Lam said that under the support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Hong Kong will continue to consolidate and promote its status as an international maritime centre and aviation hub by leveraging its distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. Mr Lam also expressed his gratitude to the motherland's staunch support for Hong Kong in better utilising transport infrastructures such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link to facilitate the integration of Hong Kong and the Mainland. Mr Xia fully recognised the work of the Transport and Logistics Bureau.
Mr Lam also met with the Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Mr Song Zhiyong, in the morning to brief him on the latest developments in Hong Kong's aviation industry and discuss arrangements to further enhance the aviation connectivity between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Mr Lam also expressed gratitude to the CAAC and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. for arranging the visit of aircraft C919 and ARJ21 to Hong Kong in December last year, allowing Hong Kong citizens to share the country's achievements in aviation developments.
In the afternoon, Mr Lam separately met with the Administrator of the National Railway Administration, Mr Fei Dongbin, and representatives from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. He expected to maintain close communication with both sides so as to continuously enhance high-speed rail services to cater for the needs of passengers.
Mr Lam arrived in Beijing yesterday (April 9) and had a meeting with the Minister of Transport, Mr Li Xiaopeng. Mr Lam introduced to him Hong Kong's transport and logistics developments in air, land and sea. They exchanged views on how to bring high-quality development to the GBA. Mr Lam also visited Beijing Daxing International Airport yesterday where he toured the control tower and terminal to understand their operations.
Mr Lam concluded his visit and returned to Hong Kong this evening.
Ends/Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Issued at HKT 18:05
