Representatives from the Fujian provincial government met
officials from the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) about allowing its
residents to travel to the island on an individual basis, as the
two places agreed yesterday on a series of measures to strengthen
economic ties.
Welcoming the extension of the opening-up of the tourism market
on the Chinese mainland, the government of the HKSAR pledged to
improve various facilities and promote individual tours from
Fujian.
The agreement was announced after a meeting between Fujian
Governor Lu Zhangong, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Henry Tang and
other officials from the two areas.
Tang is in Fujian to attend "Fujian-Hong Kong Week," leading the
first business mission from Hong Kong to the mainland after the
mainland-Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA)
was signed in June. The event was launched last Friday.
The two sides pledged to push forward co-operation in all
fields, especially in service sectors as laid out in the CEPA.
The SAR government will encourage Hong Kong firms in sectors
such as financial services, insurance, professional services and
logistics to set up branches or offices in Fujian.
Fujian will conversely encourage qualified enterprises to list
on Hong Kong's stock exchange and to set up offices in the SAR.
Great potential exists in the opening-up of the market as Fujian
has a population of about 34 million and about 15 per cent of Hong
Kong's population is of Fujian origin.
Seven cities in Guangdong Province are already allowed to travel
to Hong Kong without having to join tour groups, to be followed by
Beijing and Shanghai next month.
(China Daily August 27, 2003)