Beijing’s point man for Hong Kong to visit city on Tuesday, check on Northern Metropolis

Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs will visit the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a check on the progress of the Northern Metropolis as part of his itinerary, while sources say the chief executive will join him as he looks into a cross-border technology cooperation platform.

The Hong Kong government announced on Monday morning that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, would be visiting the city for two days.

“[Xia will] inspect Hong Kong’s alignment with the national 15th five-year plan and the advancement of the Northern Metropolis,” it said, referring to the megaproject to turn 30,000 hectares (74,131 acres) of land into an economic growth engine and housing hub.

The top official’s visit will take place just a day after the launch of a two-month public consultation on Hong Kong’s first five-year plan, which aims to integrate the city into the broader national development.

Sources said Xia aimed to assess the local government’s progress in drafting the plan, and look at how to improve cooperation mechanisms among Greater Bay Area cities.

The Northern Metropolis megaproject aims to turn 30,000 hectares of land into an economic growth engine and housing hub. Photo: Eugene Lee

“The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone in Lok Ma Chau will be one of his stops,” an insider said, adding that Xia would be accompanied by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply