A team of government officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), led by the Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Ms Grace Lui, today (March 15) left on a five-day visit to Hunan Province. The visit is organised by the Constitutional Affairs Bureau and the Director of Highways Mr Mak Chai-kwong will also join part of the visit.

The purpose of the visit is to enhance understanding of the province and foster closer working relations and communication between the two governments, with a view to enhancing co-operation in the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region.

This is the fifth visit made by the HKSAR Government to the PPRD region. The first four visits (to Hainan, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Fujian provinces) took place between December, 2004, and March, 2005.

The PPRD region includes nine Mainland provinces - Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan - and Hong Kong and Macao SARs.

The delegation comprises representatives from the Constitutional Affairs Bureau; Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau; Highways Department; Census and Statistics Department; Invest Hong Kong; Trade and Industry Department; Labour Department; Planning Department and the Office of the Government of the HKSAR in Beijing. Also joining the visit is a representative from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

(Source: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government website)

Editor: Catherine