HONG KONG - Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung on Wednesday pledged to strengthen economic ties between Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

Delivering his first policy address at the Legislative Council, Leung said Hong Kong will enhance governmental cooperation and economic partnership with provincial regions in the mainland.

Hong Kong will serve as an international financial center and a business hub of China and foster its cooperation with other provinces and municipalities, he noted.

"We will also take full advantage of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA),by setting up a new joint working group under the arrangement to offer help to sectors which have encountered relatively more entry barriers," Leung said.h   Furthermore, the government will seek to foster comprehensive cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangdong province in the areas of finance, modern service industries, industry collaboration, international shipping, logistics, trade, convention and exhibition, tourism, environmental protection, building of a quality living area and social administration.

"The Central People's Government has adopted the 'early and pilot implementation' approach in Guangdong Province to improve our service industries' access to the mainland market," Leung said, adding that he will take forward his proposal of extending this approach beyond Guangdong to other provinces and municipalities in the Pan-Pearl River Delta region with relevant ministries and provinces as soon as possible.

Leung addressed the problem of babies born to non-local mothers in Hong Kong. He decided to maintain the "zero delivery quota" policy for expectant mainland mothers whose husbands are not Hong Kong residents, as the cases of non-local women in labor gate-crashing hospital emergency wards have been largely lowered under the policy.

He added that the government will seek to tackle the root of the problem by legal means.

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