Chief Executive John Lee arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday afternoon after visiting Beijing, where he attended the opening ceremony of the 29th Beijing Hong Kong Economic Cooperation Symposium.

In a Facebook post, Lee thanked representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, Beijing's Liaison Office in the SAR, and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, as well as colleagues from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai for meeting him at the airport.

Lee will attend the opening ceremony of the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Thursday.

"This year's CIIE has attracted participants from 162 countries, regions, and international organisations, with a total exhibition area exceeding 440,000 square metres," the post read.

The CE will also attend the Hongqiao International Economic Forum.

"There, I will highlight how Hong Kong is leveraging its unique strengths to integrate into and serve the nation's overall development, showcasing our achievements and opportunities."

Lee said Shanghai and Hong Kong share deep historical ties, with the SAR pushing ahead plans to establish a "sister port" relationship with Shanghai within this year.

He added that a pilot project for the mutual exchange of trade data was launched last month and is expected to benefit local small and medium-sized enterprises that export goods from the mainland.

Lee is also expected to meet with Shanghai officials to deepen cooperation before returning to Hong Kong on Friday.



Edited by Aaron Tam