“This trip only lasts for a day, but has demonstrated how we have resumed face-to-face exchanges on topics with consensus after the border reopening,” he said after meeting Guangdong party secretary Huang Kunming and provincial governor Wang Weizhong.

Speaking in provincial capital Guangzhou on Thursday afternoon following a closed-door discussion with officials, Lee called their exchanges “pleasant and proactive” in which both sides had reached a consensus on identifying four key areas of collaboration – talent flow, innovation and technology, tertiary education and financial services.

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“Huang pledged full support for Hong Kong’s development, and made it clear we should seek best development solutions in any projects ahead,” Lee said, pointing to the mutual goal of steering “high-quality development” of the bay area.

“He also expressed that the Northern Metropolis could allow us to create regional synergies via Shenzhen and vowed to ramp up efforts to maximise economic returns,” he added, referring to a mega development plan near the mainland border under which the government aimed to provide more than 900,000 homes for 2.5 million people.

Thursday’s high-level exchange came almost three weeks after quarantine-free travel fully resumed between Hong Kong and the mainland on February 6.

Lee said he had also reported on the work of the Steering Group on Integration into National Development that he chaired.

The group, established in December, is responsible for pressing ahead with initiatives across bureaus that dovetail with national strategies such as the 14th five-year plan, the Greater Bay Area project – which covers Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities – and the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s scheme to grow global trade.

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Lee, alongside several ministers, arrived in Guangzhou by high-speed rail on Thursday morning and met provincial leaders, before departing for Shenzhen to meet officials to explore opportunities for deepening cooperation between the neighbouring cities.

He said Hong Kong and Shenzhen had been “interdependent”, adding that he was glad both sides had signed three agreements and reached a consensus on more than 10 collaboration areas on Wednesday during a cooperation meeting co-chaired by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki and the neighbouring city’s mayor Qin Weizhong.

The Post learned that Lee also hoped through his latest trip to connect Guangdong cities with small and medium-sized enterprises from the Middle East, two weeks after he led a high-level delegation to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

On the controversy surrounding the visa granted to He under the new Top Talent Pass Scheme floated in his maiden policy address, Lee said his colleagues had responded “immediately” to resolve the matter in ensuring law and order.

But he did not comment on whether the Immigration Department, which was responsible for vetting applications, should be held accountable.

“In any new measures, we need to summarise experience and make timely improvements. I saw relevant departments immediately improve the procedure to ensure the arrival of talent is in line with our overall interest, especially the needs of law and order, as well as security,” he said.

Lee reiterated that the scheme did not only welcome talent from the mainland, but also from anywhere around the world. The authorities would study how to further promote the scheme to overall talent, he added.

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Late on Tuesday, the government, without naming He, said an individual’s visa had been voided after “false statements” were found in the application. It added that all future applications needed to include a declaration of criminal records if any.

A source told the Post that He’s false declaration was related to that fact that he could not possibly have three years of work experience within the past five years as required under the scheme. The Post has contacted him for comment.

In 2019, He was jailed for illegally experimenting with human embryos with gene alterations that resulted in the birth of twin girls with immunity to HIV. He was released last year, and recently announced on social media that his visa to seek collaborations in Hong Kong had been approved.