Chief Executive Edmund Ho said today (22 August) that the MSAR Government was dedicated to boosting cooperation in tourism between Macao and Jiangmen.

On the second day of his visit to Guangdong, Mr. Ho met with the official representatives of Jiangmen, listening to introduction of the city's economic future and infrastructure developments.

The Chief Executive revealed that a consensus had been reached with the Guangdong governor, Lu Ruihua, on issues that concerned both territories. He believed that cooperation between Macao and Guangdong province would be enhanced.

Meanwhile, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Francis Tam, said that the two governors had expressed a wish to collaborate on developing Western Guangdong.

Mr. Tam pointed out that Macao, which was an entrepot in terms of labor and cargo, might serve as a regional service center in the Pearl River Delta.

Concerning the bond-zone between Macao and Guangdong, Mr. Tam stressed that the plan had yet to be approved by the Central Government and would need support from Guangdong province. He pointed out that the two governments would continue to discuss the location of the bond-zone.