SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a key speech in Shenzhen on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the establishment of China’s first special economic zone in the southern city 40 years ago, according to state media Xinhua.
On Sunday, the central government announced measures that will give Shenzhen greater control over land use and are intended to encourage foreign investment in the technology sector, while reducing red tape in energy and telecoms.
One of the testing grounds for the reforms that spurred China’s high-paced growth over the last four decades, the Chinese Communist Party touts Shenzhen as a gleaming symbol of China’s emergence as a global economic power.
Xinhua’s report on Monday morning did not say what Xi’s speech would cover, but it is likely to touch on further integration in the Greater Bay Area, a region that includes Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in China’s Guangdong province, including Shenzhen.
Xi is expected to meet with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam during the trip, according to the South China Morning Post. Lam was set to deliver a policy address in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
(Reporting by David Kirton. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
