Ma Xiaowei (R), minister of National Health Commission (NHC), meets with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in Beijing on Nov 5. [Photo/nhc.gov.cn]

Ma Xiaowei, minister of National Health Commission (NHC), met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in Beijing on Nov 5.

Qiu Hong, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), also attended the meeting.

Ma spoke positively of the effective work by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the leadership of Lam in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, reviewed anti-virus collaboration between the mainland and Hong Kong, and briefed Lam on the current situation and major tasks of pandemic prevention and control on the mainland.

Ma said that the NHC will, as always, support the HKSAR in its efforts to prevent and control the pandemic, accelerate the pace of social and economic recovery, and continue to strengthen cooperation in health development within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including in biomedical technology innovation and traditional Chinese medicine.

Lam expressed appreciation for the NHC's support during Hong Kong's fight against the virus, including the universal community COVID-19 testing and improvement in Hong Kong's nucleic acid testing capabilities. She also introduced Hong Kong's current pandemic prevention and control measures and proposed ways to further enhance health cooperation between the HKSAR and the mainland.