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Since reunification, the HKSAR Government has made significant progress
in developing and maintaining a cordial working relationship with the
CPG and other Mainland authorities. Through a wide range of exchanges,
including visits, meetings, seminars and training programmes, various
bureaux and departments of the HKSAR Government have enhanced mutual understanding
with their Mainland counterparts. Some have also made arrangements to
underline the commitment of both sides to cooperate in such areas as postal
services, marine conservation and the fight against intellectual property
piracy.
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of
the State Council plays the role of a facilitator and provides assistance
to the HKSAR Government in developing official contacts with Mainland
authorities. Liaison with the HKMAO is maintained on arrangements of visits
by HKSAR Government officials and on other matters of mutual concern.
Article 22 of the Basic Law provides that no department
of the CPG and no province, autonomous region, or municipality may interfere
in the affairs which the HKSAR administers on its own in accordance with
the Basic Law. The HKMAO continues to play the role of a 'gate-keeper'
to ensure that the Mainland authorities at all levels conduct business
with the HKSAR in line with this principle.
As the closest Mainland province, Guangdong has probably
the most extensive network of communication with the HKSAR. For 22 years,
the Cross-boundary Liaison System has provided an effective mechanism
for Hong Kong and Guangdong to discuss and resolve practical issues of
mutual concern, including the fight against cross-boundary crime and the
regulation of the Shenzhen River. Cooperation with Guangdong was further
strengthened with the establishment of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation
Joint Conference (Joint Conference) in March 1998 by the HKSAR Government
and the Guangdong Provincial Government in conjunction with the HKMAO.
It provides a high-level forum to explore and coordinate major initiatives
in cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangdong. On August 5, the Joint
Conference held its Sixth Plenary meeting and announced a new cooperation
framework and a structured long-term cooperation agenda. Under the new
framework, the Plenary is to be chaired by the Chief Executive of the
HKSAR and the Governor of Guangdong, and the implementation of cooperation
initiatives to be spearheaded by the Chief Secretary for Administration
and the Executive Vice-Governor of Guangdong. Both sides will work towards
a common objective to turn the Pearl River Delta region into one of the
world's most vibrant economic hubs in the next two decades. To achieve
this objective, 15 expert groups have been set up to take forward various
cooperation initiatives which cover such matters as the implementation
of the Mainland/HKSAR Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA),
control point operation, infrastructure, tourism, innovation and technology,
education, intellectual property rights and environmental protection.
Alongside the 15 expert groups, there are the Hong Kong Guangdong Strategic
Development Research Group (Research Group) and the Greater Pearl River
Delta Business Council (Business Council). The Research Group undertakes
to conduct research into subjects which have a significant bearing on
Hong Kong/Guangdong cooperation while the Business Council is set up to
facilitate discussion and exchanges between Hong Kong and Guangdong enterprise,
trade and business associations.
Apart from the Joint Conference, the HKSAR Government
and the CPG set up the Mainland/HKSAR Conference on the Coordination of
Major Infrastructure Projects in January 2002 (Coordination Conference).
The Coordination Conference is co-chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration
and the Vice-Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission
to enhance coordination and cooperation between the Mainland and the HKSAR
in transport and major infrastructure projects. It has held four meetings
so far and has embarked on studies on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong
Express Rail Link, logistics cooperation and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao
Bridge. (See Chapter
13: Transport for more details of these projects)
In October, the HKSAR Government and the Shanghai
Municipal Government established the Hong Kong/Shanghai Economic and Trade
Cooperation Conference to foster closer economic and trade ties between
the two places, particularly to leverage on opportunities brought about
by CEPA. This newly established forum, chaired by the Chief Executive
of the HKSAR and the Mayor of Shanghai, held its first meeting on October
27. The two sides exchanged views on eight areas of cooperation and would
continue to liaise closely to follow up on implementation of the cooperation
initiatives. |
