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Shenzhen officials cancel meeting with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on her metropolis plan at last minute

  • Mainland China side pulls out of the sit-down, citing unexpected commitments and without rescheduling, source says
  • Lam previously revealed she wanted to brief cadres on her plans for developing a Northern Metropolis, a vast development aimed at creating 68,000 jobs

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Hong Kong is planning to develop the northern New Territories, pictured with Shenzhen in the distance. Photo: Winson Wong

Shenzhen officials cancelled a scheduled meeting with Hong Kong’s leader at the last minute on Thursday, depriving her of the opportunity to lay out her plans for the development of a vast metropolis near the border.

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Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was supposed to brief top cadres in the Guangdong city on her ambitious blueprint for creating a Northern Metropolis. But the Shenzhen side pulled out citing unexpected commitments, a source told the Post, adding a new date had not been fixed.

Coincidentally, Shenzhen mayor Qin Weizhong was in Beijing earlier on Thursday morning for a press conference staged by the National Development and Reform Commission to update on the progress of Shenzhen’s programme of reforms.

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Lam on Tuesday announced she would visit Shenzhen on Thursday after attending the opening of the China Import and Export Fair and the Pearl River International Trade Forum in Guangzhou earlier in the day.

She revealed her intention to brief senior Shenzhen officials on the Northern Metropolis plan that she proposed in her policy address last week as part of her strategy to “dock with” developments in Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area. The metropolis aims to house 2.5 million people in 20 years and create up to 68,000 new jobs related to innovation and technology.

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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam gives last policy address of current term, ending on emotional note

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