The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met with the visiting Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, Mr Keiichi Ishii at Government House this afternoon (May 2). The Ambassador and Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong, Mr Mitsuhiro Wada; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau; and the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, also attended the meeting.
Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Ishii’s visit to Hong Kong, noting that Hong Kong and Japan enjoy close ties and that she had visited Japan twice since assuming office. She said that her visit last October had laid a solid foundation for co-operation between the two places in various aspects, while the trip early last month was the first joint overseas promotion by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao after the promulgation of Outline Development Plan for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and is testimony to the importance Hong Kong attaches to relations with Japan. Pointing out that 2019 is “Hong Kong-Japan Tourism Year”, she said she had also participated in tourism promotion activities during her visit to Japan last year. She expressed the hope that more Japanese tourists will visit Hong Kong and other Greater Bay Area cities on multi-destination itineraries.
Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong has always invested heavily in infrastructure to improve the livelihood of the general public and maintain the long-term competitiveness of the city. Given the high quality of their work, their advanced technology and their concern for industrial safety, she encouraged Japan’s construction companies to actively participate in Hong Kong’s works projects. She added that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has set up the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund and would promote the wider adoption of innovative construction methods and technology by the construction industry to meet the challenges presented by labour shortage and an ageing workforce in Hong Kong.
