Guangdong and HK agree to give clearer picture on smog and discuss food safety
Guangdong and Hong Kong will issue daily air quality data for the Pearl River Delta as part of measures to tackle the choking smog that often blankets the region.
The move is likely to give a much clearer picture of the source of the pollution that has become a major issue in talks between the two sides.
As part of a package of co-operation measures agreed at the Hong Kong-Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference yesterday, companies on both sides of the border will also come under pressure to sign a clean-air charter pledging to take action to reduce emissions.
Also agreed at the meeting in Hong Kong, headed by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua , was the establishment of a food safety notification system, in the wake of health scares involving food from Guangdong. Officials will communicate directly instead of via Beijing.
Cross-border trucking regulations are also to be relaxed, giving trucking companies more flexibility in assigning drivers to vehicles.
The agreements follow a call two weeks ago from Premier Wen Jiabao for Shenzhen to step up co-operation with Hong Kong. Mr Wen said it was the neighbouring city's 'unshirkable responsibility' to support the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.