SmartHK, a flagship event during Guangdong-Hong Kong Cooperation Week, kicked off in Guangzhou on Wednesday, to further promote cooperation and exchanges between Hong Kong and ciities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The event, jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Guangdong Department of Commerce, featured an exhibition area, start-up pitching sessions and on-site business matchmaking to facilitate connections and cooperation between companies from Hong Kong and Guangdong.

Hong Kong-Guangdong Cooperation Week runs from Wednesday to June 7 in the GBA, with more than 20 business and trade activities across GBA cities, to accelerate collaboration and exchange between Hong Kong and Guangdong government departments, organizations, chambers of commerce and trade associations.

John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Wang Weizhong, governor of Guangdong province; Yin Zonghua, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government of the HKSAR; and Zhang Xin, deputy governor of Guangdong, attended the opening ceremony.

Peter K.N. Lam, chairman of the HKTDC, presided over the opening ceremony of event. Lam said that Hong Kong's development has been closely tied to that of Guangdong for many years.

As two core cities in the GBA, Hong Kong and Guangzhou have long maintained close cooperation, and they complement each other's advantages in various fields, including finance, innovation, technology and the creative sector.

About 1,000 government officials, business representatives, experts and scholars attended the event.