The SAR's biggest political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), wants to set up another platform for communicating with the mainland - especially Guangdong province, party leader Starry Lee Wai-king said on Friday.

Lee made the remarks after party members returned from what she described as a fruitful two-day meeting with Guangdong officials.

The 17-strong delegation, led by Lee, brought up four major areas and 13 measures for discussion on the economy. This included improving people's livelihoods and enhancing cross-border exchanges between young people.

"By establishing a platform to regulate talks, we can provide more channels for both parties - the mainland and Hong Kong societies - to better understand each other's policies," Lee said.

Earlier this month, the Hong Kong government signed five new agreements with Guangdong officials after the 18th plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference.

As the city's official cross-border communication platform, the joint conference has seen a lot of new changes over the years since it was first introduced in 1998.

Lee, however, believed that a new platform, set up by her party, could provide a different perspective.

There are policies on the mainland that are often very complicated to local professionals. The DAB, with several Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), would be better equipped to handle this, the DAB chairwoman said.

In the meantime, the party could also collect different sectors' concerns and suggestions in Hong Kong and show the results to Guangdong's leaders, Lee said.

Over the years, various Hong Kong sectors self-organized visits to the mainland to boost their businesses as the mainland economy grows. Tours and investment meetings have also been arranged with their mainland counterparts.

But with the city's retail industry suffering and the mainland economy facing difficulties, there are concerns about how to prevent a financial crisis in Hong Kong.

Lee said Hong Kong should work more closely with Guangdong in dealing with these challenges.

The DAB has urged Guangdong officials to speed up recognition of the qualifications of Hong Kong professionals, such as lawyers and accountants. This is to allow them more flexibility in order to work in the mainland's free-trade zones.

"This is one of the few opportunities for us to have a deep and meaningful exchange with Guangdong. Thus, we think there is need for us to act as a bridge for both sides to get through this challenging time," Lee added.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 09/19/2015 page6)