Hong Kong signs deal for projects with Sichuan ahead of quake anniversary
Carrie Lam leads delegation to Chengdu, agreeing with provincial officials to work together on technology, innovation, education, tourism and transport
Hong Kong moved to deepen ties with Sichuan through a raft of new cooperative projects ahead of the 10th anniversary of a devastating earthquake that struck the southwestern province.
Officials from both sides signed an agreement for 29 projects across fields such as technology innovation, education, tourism and transport after a high-level delegation from Hong Kong, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, travelled to provincial capital Chengdu on Friday.
The deal would build on a relationship that has expanded over the past decade after Hong Kong provided HK$10 billion (US$1.27 billion) to Sichuan for 190 reconstruction projects in the wake of the magnitude-8 quake. The massive earthquake hit Wenchuan county on May 12, 2008, killing more than 87,000 people and injuring another 370,000, and requiring vast resources for rebuilding work.
Sichuan earthquake, 10 years on: how a tragedy changed China
“The deep emotional connection we’ve built after the Wenchuan earthquake will bring the relationship between Hong Kong and Sichuan to a new level, expanding the scope of our cooperation and playing an important role in our respective development,” Peng Qinghua, Communist Party chief of Sichuan and former director of Hong Kong’s liaison office, said.
The fresh cooperation framework between the two sides, agreed in Hong Kong in August, also aims to promote Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, a sprawling infrastructure development plan.
