The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Mr Andrew Leung, hosted a spring luncheon today (February 18) in the Dining Hall of the LegCo Complex for the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, Executive Council Members, senior government officials and LegCo Members. More than 100 guests and Members attended the luncheon to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

     Mr Leung wished Hong Kong prosperity and great fortune in the Year of the Pig. Meanwhile, he wished that the executive authorities and the legislature would demonstrate mutual respect as well as continue to perform respective functions for the benefit of the public.

      

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (February 18) welcomes the Central Government’s promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Outline Development Plan), which sets out the directions guiding the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area). She expresses gratitude to the Central Government for placing importance on the views of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government in the course of formulating the Outline Development Plan.
 
    A Government spokesman said, “The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a national strategy personally devised, personally planned and personally driven by President Xi Jinping. It is a key development strategy in the country’s reform and opening up in the new era. As the preamble to the Outline Development Plan points out, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is not only a new attempt to break new ground in the country’s pursuit of opening up on all fronts in a new era, but also a further step in taking forward the implementation of ‘one country, two systems’. The Outline Development Plan also clearly provides that through further deepening co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the objectives of the development of the Greater Bay Area are to promote co-ordinated economic development in the Greater Bay Area, leverage the complementary advantages of the three places, and develop an international first-class bay area for living, working and travelling.”
 
     The spokesman said, “Fully and faithfully implementing the principle of ‘one country, two systems’ under which ‘the people of Hong Kong govern Hong Kong’ with a high degree of autonomy, as well as acting in strict adherence to the Constitution and the Basic Law, are the guiding ideology for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In fact, under ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong enjoys unique dual advantages.  On the one hand, Hong Kong is part of China; on the other hand, our economic, legal and social systems are different from those of the Mainland.  As a highly open and international city, Hong Kong can extend its international connections and experiences to the Mainland and help bring in foreign investments.  Hong Kong can also join hands with Mainland enterprises to develop overseas markets and explore development opportunities, thereby enhancing economic development on the Mainland.”
 
     “The opportunities for Hong Kong brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area involve two aspects. First, it can help identify new areas of growth for Hong Kong and foster the diversified development of its economy and industries. Second, it will expand the space for living and development of Hong Kong residents.”
 
     “The Hong Kong SAR Government will fully seize the opportunities brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area, integrate the needs of the country with the strengths of Hong Kong and fully leverage the market-driven mechanism, enabling Hong Kong to enjoy brighter development prospects amid its integration into the overall development of the country.”
 
     The spokesman pointed out that according to the Outline Development Plan, Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are identified as core cities, as well as core engines for driving regional development. The four cities will leverage their comparative advantages and strengthen the radiating effect in leading the development of nearby regions.
 
     He said that the Outline Development Plan clearly supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as international financial, transportation and trade centres as well as an international aviation hub, strengthening Hong Kong’s status as a global offshore Renminbi business hub and its role as an international asset management centre and a risk management centre, promoting the development of high-end and high value-added financial, commercial and trading, logistics and professional services, making great efforts to develop the innovation and technology industries, nurturing emerging industries, and establishing Hong Kong as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.  These areas of work are all conducive to developing Hong Kong into an international metropolis with enhanced competitiveness.
 
     The Hong Kong SAR Government will proactively work with the relevant central ministries, the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the Macao SAR Government to jointly take forward the development of the Greater Bay Area in accordance with the guiding directions offset out in the Outline Development Plan.
 
     “The Hong Kong SAR Government will also continue to maintain close contact with Members of the Legislative Council, industries, business associations, professional bodies and relevant stakeholders, and listen to their views on how to effectively take forward the development of the Greater Bay Area, in order to ensure that relevant measures would better suit the needs of different sectors of society.  The Hong Kong SAR Government will endeavour to play the role of “facilitator” and discuss with central ministries, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and the Macao SAR Government to help industries with the required policy innovation and breakthrough in the process of expanding opportunities,” the spokesman said.
 
     Following the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan, a symposium will be held by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in the morning of February 21 in Hong Kong, during which the National Development and Reform Commission will introduce the contents of the Outline Development Plan.  Officials from the three governments and representatives from relevant sectors will also attend the symposium to explore opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. Members of the public are welcome to visit bayarea.gov.hk to read the contents of the Outline Development Plan and latest information relating to the development of the Greater Bay Area.
 
     The Greater Bay Area covers nine cities in the Guangdong Province, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, as well as the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

     Police today (February 18) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Sham Shui Po.

     Chan Wai-lin, aged 62, went missing after she left her residence in Fu Cheong Estate yesterday (February 17) afternoon. Her family made a report to Police on the same day.
  
     She is about 1.5 metres tall, 60 kilograms in weight and of medium build. She has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. She was last seen wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, a blue jacket, a red long-sleeved shirt, black trousers and grey sports shoes.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8036, 9020 6542 or email to rmpu-kw-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     â€‹After the completion of works for joining the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link (CWB) to the Rumsey Flyover westbound, the CWB will be fully commissioned at 7am this Sunday (February 24).
      
     Upon the full commissioning of the CWB, motorists travelling from Eastern District to Western District will be able to follow directional signs and get in the middle or fast lane before exiting the CWB tunnel, and then travel via Rumsey Street Flyover direct to Western District or the Western Harbour Crossing (WHC) instead of making a U-turn via the at-grade road of Connaught Road Central.  
      
     The Transport Department (TD) said that directional signs and road markings near the CWB entrance on the Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) in North Point, at the entrance at Tsing Fung Street and the exit in Central will be suitably updated to give motorists guidance on the new traffic routes. Sufficient distance has been allowed in the road design as well as on the road lanes to enable motorists to take heed of the directional signs and get in the appropriate lanes.
      
     Meanwhile, the TD earlier arranged for professional drivers (via the trade) to test drive the CWB westbound, as well as showing them the directional signs and road markings to be updated. The TD, the Highways Department and the Police also briefed the Traffic and Transport Committee of the Central and Western District Council about the traffic arrangements to tie in with the full commissioning of the CWB.
      
     After receiving feedback from the professional drivers, the District Council and members of the public, the engineering team has further enhanced the arrangements for the directional signs and road markings, and these works will be completed before the full commissioning of the CWB westbound.
           
     The TD anticipates that upon the full commissioning of the CWB, most of the motorists travelling to Western District and the WHC via the IEC westbound, or from the vicinity of Tin Hau, will make use of the CWB. The traffic conditions of the existing trunk roads including Gloucester Road, Harcourt Road and Connaught Road Central will thus be improved.
           
     A video showing the traffic route from the IEC (North Point section) to Western District via the CWB upon the commissioning of the CWB is now available at the TD's YouTube channel. Members of the public can obtain details of the traffic and transport arrangements of the CWB through TD’s mobile application "HKeMobility" or the TD's website, or call 1823 for enquiries.

     The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, visited Kwai Tsing District this afternoon (February 18) to learn more about the latest developments and needs of the community. He also met with local District Council members to exchange views on district matters.

     Accompanied by the Chairman of the Kwai Tsing District Council, Mr Law King-shing, and the District Officer (Kwai Tsing), Mr Kenneth Cheng, Mr Wong first called at Cheung Ching Estate in Tsing Yi to gain a better understanding of the proposed future planning and development plan for Ching Hong Road North and its adjoining areas. This includes a public housing development, reprovisioning of the Cheung Ching Community Centre, and exploring the "single site, multiple use" model for multi-storey developments on government land to provide more community facilities and make optimal use of land resources.

     He then proceeded to the Pok Oi Hospital Dental Service Support Base in Cheung Ching Community Centre. He toured the facilities of the Support Base and chatted with elderly people there to learn about their daily lives and needs.

     Before concluding his visit, Mr Wong met with members of the Kwai Tsing District Council to listen to their views and suggestions on the work of the Government. They also exchanged views on issues of concern to local residents.