From October 20 to 22, Zhang Zhili, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, led a delegation to Hong Kong and Macao. During the visit, he held discussions separately with the Hong Kong Fishermen Consortium, the Macau Fishermen’s Mutual Help Association, and representatives of mobile fishermen from Hong Kong and Macao, learning about their production and living conditions. The meetings highlighted the central government’s concern and support for mobile fishermen from the two regions. 

Vice Minister Zhang said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) has actively supported Hong Kong and Macao’s integration into the overall national development strategy and has taken concrete measures to improve services and management for mobile fishing vessels and fishermen. It has also continuously introduced relevant policies to stabilize the mobile fishermen workforce, provide financial subsidies, and address their challenges. Going forward, MARA will study specific issues raised by fishermen during this visit and work on practical solutions so as to implement more policies benefiting Hong Kong, Macao, and the fishermen during the 15th Five-Year Plan. 

Fishermen’s associations from Hong Kong and Macao warmly welcomed the delegation, expressing strong support for the national strategy to promote integrated development in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. They pledged to facilitate industrial transformation and upgrading, as well as deepen cooperation with government departments, industry partners, research institutions, and universities, thus contributing to high-quality fishery development in Hong Kong and Macao. 

During his stay in Hong Kong, Vice Minister Zhang met with Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology of Hong Kong. The two sides held in-depth discussions on agricultural and fishery development in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, and agreed to jointly advance the implementation of Hong Kong’s Blueprint for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fishery. During his stay in Macao, Vice Minister Zhang attended the opening ceremony of the first China–Portuguese-Speaking Countries International Agricultural Expo at the invitation of Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, and delivered a speech.