Li Jiachao: Establishment of a special class for mainland enterprises to go global, serving mainland enterprises in "going global" and bringing international capital "in".

On March 25, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, John Lee Ka-chiu, continued his visit to Hainan, meeting and exchanging views with leaders of Hainan Province and Haikou City. He also visited local high-tech enterprises and infrastructure. John Lee Ka-chiu stated that Hong Kong and Hainan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the People's Government of Hainan Province and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government last year, covering areas such as economic and trade investment, finance, tourism, and talent exchange to promote broader, deeper, and higher-level exchanges and cooperation. Economic and trade relations between the two regions have further deepened, with over 790 newly established Hong Kong-funded enterprises in Hainan last year, and Hong Kong investment exceeding 18 billion RMB, an increase of over 20% year-on-year. John Lee Ka-chiu noted that this year is the opening year of the country's 14th Five-Year Plan, and the Hainan Free Trade Port has fully sealed off its operations, helping to build a new development pattern nationwide. Both Hong Kong and Hainan are free trade ports, and the cooperation space between them will be broader. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to leverage Hong Kong's dual advantages of national and international opportunities under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", further promote the coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port, and set up a special team for mainland enterprises to go abroad. Through the team, cross-border professional service platforms will be established to assist mainland companies, including those in Hainan, to go global and bring in international capital, jointly promoting the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port and contributing more to the country's high-level opening-up. The original text is as follows: Chief Executive continues visit to Hainan Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu continued his visit to Hainan today (March 25), meeting and exchanging views with the leaders of Hainan Province and Haikou City, as well as visiting local high-tech enterprises and infrastructure. In the morning, John Lee Ka-chiu met with the Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee Feng Fei and the Governor of Hainan Province Liu Xiaoming to discuss continuing to strengthen cooperation between Hong Kong and Hainan. John Lee Ka-chiu stated that Hong Kong and Hainan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the People's Government of Hainan Province and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government last year, covering areas such as economic and trade investment, finance, tourism, and talent exchange to promote broader, deeper, and higher-level exchanges and cooperation. Economic and trade relations between the two regions have further deepened, with over 790 newly established Hong Kong-funded enterprises in Hainan last year, and Hong Kong investment exceeding 18 billion RMB, an increase of over 20% year-on-year. John Lee Ka-chiu said that this year is the opening year of the country's "14th Five-Year Plan", and the Hainan Free Trade Port has fully sealed off its operations, helping to build a new development pattern nationwide. Both Hong Kong and Hainan are free trade ports, and the cooperation space between them will be broader. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to leverage Hong Kong's dual advantages of national and international opportunities under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", further promote the coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port, and set up a special team for mainland enterprises to go abroad. Through the team, cross-border professional service platforms will be established to assist mainland companies, including those in Hainan, to go global and bring in international capital, jointly promoting the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port and contributing more to the country's high-level opening-up. John Lee Ka-chiu then visited a high-tech enterprise in Haikou City, learning about its innovative technology, the latest developments in high-tech, and opportunities. John Lee Ka-chiu said that the Special Administrative Region government attaches great importance to the development of innovative technology and emerging industries, welcoming more companies to establish a presence in Hong Kong. John Lee Ka-chiu attended a luncheon hosted by Fan Shaojun, member of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Haikou Municipal Party Committee. John Lee Ka-chiu stated that as the provincial capital and economic center of Hainan Province, Haikou City plays a crucial role in the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Hong Kong has maintained frequent interactions with Haikou City in various fields and will continue to play a good role as a "super-connector" and "super-value-adder", looking forward to deepening cooperation with Haikou City and jointly promoting high-quality development. John Lee Ka-chiu then inspected the New Haigang Port and Nan Harbor "Second Line Port" concentrated inspection point in Haikou, gaining an understanding of the basic infrastructure and actual operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The concentrated inspection point is a core infrastructure for the operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port, built to national first-class water transport standards, and is a pioneering initiative nationally, integrating two ports to share the same facility, reflecting Hainan's innovative practices in promoting the free trade port. John Lee Ka-chiu stated that Hong Kong is one of the busiest ports in the world, enjoying the reputation of a "hub port" with the advantages of a free port status, fast customs clearance, and high efficiency. The Special Administrative Region government is constantly strengthening port business and high value-added shipping services, promoting the construction of green ports, establishing "partner port" relationships with mainland and "Belt and Road" regions, deepening international shipping network connections, and further consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international shipping center. He is confident that the advantages of port shipping in the Hong Kong Free Port and Hainan Free Trade Port complement each other and mutually benefit, jointly expanding more opportunities. In the evening, John Lee Ka-chiu attended a dinner hosted by the organizers of the Boao Forum for Asia and the Hainan Provincial People's Government. John Lee Ka-chiu will continue his visit tomorrow (March 26) to attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference. End March 25, 2026 (Wednesday) 6:30 PM Hong Kong Time