China's Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) and Guangdong province have pledged to step up cooperation in their "meaningful discussions" during a three-day visit paid by a Guangdong delegation.

During the Tuesday talks respectively headed by visiting Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua and MSAR Chief Executive Ho Hau Wah, the two sides vowed to speed up the co-development of the Hengqin area, three km off Macao.

Huang Huahua told local media at the conclusion of the talks that the Hengqin development plan is to be focused on sectors of high-tech manufacturing, banking and finance, tourism and property.

Huang, dubbing Hengqin a "treasure island," reportedly said 40 of the island's 86 square kilometers remain as hinterland with a great development potential.

The governor said however, a number of major feasibility studies need to be carried out, including the drafting of an overall development scheme and rules for preferential policies, foreign investment and immigration procedures.

Chief Executive Ho Hau Wah agreed with the Guangdong governor while talking to the media, noting that the development of the " treasure island" will take much planning to carry out.

He said Macao and Guangdong will both "play more active roles" in the island's future development.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas Sands, an international gaming giant, signed an agreement with the Guangdong province in October to invest one billion US dollars in its Hengqin project, covering resorts and entertainments.

During the Tuesday talks, the two sides also discussed on issues involving food safety, quarantine inspections, environmental protection and bird-flu prevention.

The Guangdong governor, kicking off his Macao tour on Monday, reportedly repeated the eulogy that the economic ties between the MSAR and Guangdong province is "satisfactory."

The governor Monday toured the under-construction site of the Macao-Zhuhai Cross-Border Industrial Zone on his arrival and described the progress of the project as "absolutely good."

The portion of the industrial zone on Macao's side has been almost completed, Tam Pak Yuen, Macao's Secretary for Economy and Finance told media while accompanying Huang on his Monday tour.

A seven-floor customs building and a 10-floor factory building are nearing the topping-out, the official said.

The setting-up of the industrial zone was approved by China's State council in December 2003 to cement an infrastructure base for manufacturers from Macao and Guangdong.

The zone covers an area of 400,000 square meters, of which 290, 000 are for Guangdong and 110,000 for Macao.

The Guangdong delegation, during its stay, hosted a business promotion colloquium and visited a number of infrastructure development projects. It wrapped up the Macao tour on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua