Hong Kong and Guangdong Province can complement and integrate their resources to develop the logistics sector to benefit both regions simultaneously, a mainland official said.
“Since China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in the last decades, the country has gradually opened up to conform to the international standard, and leveraging the logistics sector to promote economic development which had become very important,” Qi Zhenli, Guangdong Province’s Economic & Information Commission Counsel, told delegates attending the Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference held in Hong Kong on Thursday.
“Hong Kong and Guangdong Province have achieved a greater degree of economic integration thanks to the contribution made by the logistics sector in the last 10 years,” Qi said. “As the economies of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province have strong complementing qualities, promoting the logistics sector growth can benefit both sides.”
Qi envisaged that with the completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2016 and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link in 2017, Hong Kong and Guangdong Province will be further linked up. At the same time, more railway networks will link up Shenzhen with Guangxi and Jiangsu Provinces, further enhancing linkages between Hong Kong and the mainland.
“With the rise of trading blocs in different regions, the ability to leverage on the logistics resources to maintain market competitiveness will become a very vital issue for both Hong Kong and Guangdong Province in the future,” Qi said.
Qi noted that there is still room for improvement of the Hong Kong-Guangdong logistics industry sector.
“Custom clearance is still not efficient enough as the two regions have different custom clearance systems. The Guangdong municipal government is looking at more ways to improve custom clearance efficiency, for example, through enhancing information exchange and promotion of more customs declaration electronically,” Qi said.
Source: China Daily
