Hong Kong’s spring is full of vitality, and a warm wind from the Huangpu River is blowing over the beautiful Hong Kong. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai-Hong Kong cooperation mechanism. As the first district-level government team from Shanghai to go out for promotion in 2023, Hongkou has carried out a four-day economy and trade exchange activity in Hong Kong since February 27 to strengthen economy and trade cooperation between the two regions, and promote industry integration, talent exchange and cultural learning between the two sides.

Hongkou promoted the historical opportunity of the development and construction of the hot land of the North Bund to the world. The first choice is its "old friend" Hong Kong, which not only shows the pioneering spirit of Hongkou that the start is a decisive battle, the start is a sprint, but also reflects the sincerity of further strengthening the cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong, sharing the open opportunities, and seeking cooperative development.

On the afternoon of February 28, the Shanghai · North Bund Investment Environment Promotion Conference was held in Hong Kong. This is a promotion meeting with full sincerity and invitation, as well as a long-awaited external promotion activity, with more than 10 chambers of commerce and social organizations, 176 enterprises, and over 220 participants.

At the meeting, Chen Haolian, Deputy Director of the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hu Jianmin, Deputy Director of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Zhong Yongxi, General Representative of China’s Mainland of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, delivered speeches. Lu Ming, Deputy Chief of the Hongkou District Committee and Hongkou District Governor, made a keynote speech to promote the North Bund, and together with Chen Haolian, Hu Jianmin, and Zhong Yongxi, unveiled the establishment of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Investment Promotion Service Center on the North Bund of Shanghai. The promotion meeting was chaired by Zheng Hong, Standing Member and United Front Director of the CPC Hongkou District Committee. Representatives of Hillhouse Investment Co., Ltd., Chongbang Group Co., Ltd. (Chongbang Group) and Shui On Land Limited made speeches, respectively.

All-round promotion meeting opens a new chapter of cooperation

The exchange and cooperation between Hongkou and Hong Kong has a long history. Both of them are formed and prospered by water and share the same regional abbreviation HK. They have the same genetic code, common cultural memory and constant friendship. In recent years, the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides have become more and more close, especially in the fields of finance, shipping, urban renewal and youth training, with the fruitful results and broad space for the win-win cooperation.

The North Bund of Shanghai, the Golden Triangle of Huangpu River, the Grand Hall, and the New Landmark of Puxi are the new coordinates of Hongkou. The Grand Hall is a beautiful business card of the North Bund to show the solemn national image and the unique urban charm of Shanghai, and it is the landmark of the era transformation of Hongkou", Lu Ming introduced the profound historical and cultural heritage of Hongkou, shared the development of the North Bund’s industries in four aspects: “the North Bund is a charming city", "the North Bund is a dynamic city", "the North Bund is a city of strength", and "the North Bund is a city of the future", expounded the broad space for the cooperation and development between Shanghai and Hong Kong, demonstrated the new appearance, new actions and new opportunities of Hongkou in the new era, and aroused the strong interest of the participants.

"We strive not only to maintain the momentum of economic development, but also to build a business environment that will be widely recognized. The North Bund in the future will be an important display window of the Chinese path to modernization, a window for foreigners to view China, people from the any other areas in China to view Shanghai, and an excellent example for the future city", Lu Ming said that Hongkou is in a wave of "from Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley, and technology to return to the city". Hongkou focuses on the three leading industries of Shanghai, hopes to introduce a number of high-quality and forward-looking technological projects of Hong Kong institutions through the "two-city cooperation", accelerates the transformation of technological achievements, the development of technological service industry and the gathering of technological innovation headquarters, and builds the North Bund Technological Innovation Headquarters Cluster Zone and the North Central Ring Technological Innovation Industry Cluster Zone. He passionately invited Hong Kong’s entrepreneurs to invest and start business in Hongkou, giving priority to the layout of new business forms, new technologies and new models at the North Bund.

Over the years, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has always maintained a good strategic partnership with Hongkou, and it has developed well at the North Bund. As the promoter of the North Bund, Lu Mei, a senior director from JLL, deeply feltthe comprehensive advantages of the North Bund in policy services, business environment and other aspects. Lu Mei called for more enterprises to develop in Hongkou and write more win-win stories together in this spring.

The signing of key projects adds new impetus to the development of the North Bund

At the promotion meeting, the North Bund Development Office signed strategic cooperation agreements with five chambers of commerce, including the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong China Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Chinese Importers’ and Exporters’ Association, and four enterprises, including China Tourism Group Corporation Limited, Chongbang Group, Ernst & Young Consulting Services Co., Ltd., and JLL, covering tourism, finance, real estate and other fields. The cooperation will introduce continuous resources of industries for the construction and development of the North Bund.

In addition, the Shanghai-Hong Kong Investment Promotion Service Center at the North Bund, Shanghai was officially established on the spot. In the future, the center will smooth economic and trade exchanges, enterprise cooperation, youth exchanges, and cultural mutual learning between the two sides as a platform, achieve win-win cooperation at multiple levels and in multiple fields, and tell more splendid tales of two cities.

"Hong Kong and Hongkou have many common development opportunities, and they are expected to complement each other's advantages and develop more solid and broader cooperation", said Zhong Yongxi, General Representative of China’s Mainland of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

In the opinion of Liang Meifen, senior manager and director of Chongbang Group, the promotion meeting was carefully and effectively held, releasing the firm confidence and determination to deepen the opening-up. While promoting the in-depth and practical cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong, it also sent a clear signal to the world that the North Bund of Hongkou is building an important display window of the Chinese path to modernization. Chongbang Group has worked hard in Hongkou for many years, and it has launched many cultural and commercial landmarks, such as Shangbin Life Plaza and Jinchao 8 Lanes."The cooperation between the two sides is accelerating.We should cherish the opportunities of the development and construction of the North Bund, take the initiative to seize the opportunities and integrate into the overall development situation", said Liang Meifen.

Win-win cooperation is the main theme. At the promotion meeting, many representatives of Hong Kong’s enterprises said that they expected to radiate new landmarks in the center of the new pattern of Shanghai's urban space, share investment opportunities in the fields of economy, finance, trade, shipping, technological innovation, as well as culture and tourism, inject new vitality into the development of the North Bund, and add new impetus to the win-win cooperation between the two sides.