Hong Kong manufacturers seek stronger links with delta

Hong Kong manufacturers want to strengthen co-operation with the authorities in the Pearl River Delta as part of the push for a free-trade zone involving Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau.

"Hong Kong will play its role as the super bridge for foreign enterprises that seek to enter China and mainland enterprises that seek to expand overseas," Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said in Zhongshan yesterday at a ceremony to mark the 12th anniversary of the Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta Co-operation Forum.

Federation of Hong Kong Industries chairman Stanley Lau Chin-ho said the three regions would need to agree to be supplementary to each other in the proposed free-trade zone, building on what had been achieved within the Pearl River Delta.

Two memorandums of understanding were signed yesterday to foster channels for Hong Kong manufacturers to provide feedback to Guangdong officials, seek their advice and request support.

One of the MOUs, signed by the federation and the Guangdong Customs Bureau, renewed a three-year-old agreement on keeping a channel open for discussions.

Federation deputy chairman Willy Lin Sun-mo said it had proved "very helpful" during a strike by Hong Kong dock workers in April and May, with Hong Kong manufacturers given quicker tax rebates for exports from Shenzhen.