John Lee to attend online border-reopening talks with Guangdong officials

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will attend an online meeting on Thursday with officials from Guangdong province to discuss cooperation and travel arrangements between the two sides.

Speaking at the sidelines of the Belt and Road summit, held on Wednesday and Thursday, Lee said that leaders of Guangzhou and Shenzhen will also attend the meeting, exchanging views on how to deepen collaborations.

Lee, who was earlier expected to visit Guangzhou on Wednesday, said the online meeting was arranged in light of the pandemic situation in the region. Hong Kong has recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases recently. On Tuesday, the city reported 8,848 infections. Meanwhile, its neighbor, Shenzhen, has tightened its pandemic controls, with a new virus variant being found and schools postponed.

Lee added that he hopes the meeting will promote the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while the two sides can reach a consensus on the free travel between Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Lee will also participate online in the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) in Guangzhou, and that of the Minxin Hong Kong School (Guangzhou Nansha) — a school that provides primary and secondary education to Hong Kong students residing on the mainland and other nonlocal children.