From 26 to 29 April, Lai Kin-ming, Director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) of the Hong Kong SAR Government, led a delegation to Qinghai for study visits covering agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, ecological conservation, national park development, and economic and trade exchanges. The visit aimed to deepen engagement between Qinghai and Hong Kong, leverage each side’s comparative advantages, and explore further areas for collaboration. Yuhu Group Hong Kong was the only Hong Kong company with major investments in mainland China to be invited to participate.

Members of the delegation included Britney Choi Gi-lam, Acting Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Chengdu Economic and Trade Office (Chengdu ETO); officials from AFCD and the Chengdu ETO; representatives of the Agriculture and Fisheries Advisory Committee; and representatives of Yuhu Group Hong Kong, Hong Kong Ocean Park, and the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong.

▲ Qinghai Vice Governor Liu Tao (right) meeting with AFCD Director Lai Kin-ming’s delegation

On 27 April, the delegation held a roundtable in Xining with Qinghai Vice Governor Liu Tao and senior officials from the provincial Ecological Environment Department, Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office. Jiang Wensheng, Director of Yuhu Group Hong Kong and Chairman of Yuhu Cold Chain Sichuan, briefed Vice Governor Liu Tao on Yuhu Cold Chain’s development. Liu Tao acknowledged cold chain logistics as a key enabler for the long-term development of agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries, and instructed the relevant Qinghai departments to strengthen communication with Yuhu Cold Chain.

The delegation visited a series of sites including Haidong Wanmu Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Development Co., Ltd., the Qinghai Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Husbandry Trading Centre, Lake Qinghai National Nature Reserve, the Przewalski’s Gazelle Conservation Research Centre, Longyang Fresh (Qinghai) Co., Ltd., and the Sanjiangyuan National Park Ecological Exhibition Centre. The visits provided first-hand understanding of Qinghai’s standardised management of agriculture and fisheries, the outcomes of highland ecological conservation, and scientific research and rescue efforts for rare and endangered wildlife. According to the Qinghai Daily, the delegations exchanged experience and development approaches on the quality enhancement of agri-fishery industries, natural ecosystem conservation, and the scientific management of wildlife resources, and reached preliminary consensus on establishing a regular exchange and long-term cooperation mechanism.

During the visit, Jiang Wensheng highlighted to AFCD Director Lai Kin-ming and Acting Director Britney Choi Gi-lam of the Chengdu ETO the key distinctions that set Yuhu Cold Chain apart from traditional Hong Kong enterprises:

Beyond the conventional “quick-win” investment mentality: Yuhu Cold Chain commits substantial capital to building capital-intensive, real-world infrastructure — a genuine exercise in long-termism.

Beyond the “landlord mentality” of rent collection: Rather than simply leasing out space, Yuhu Cold Chain has built an Online-Merge-Offline (OMO) business model that delivers end-to-end services across both physical and digital channels.

Beyond the traditional model of government–business relations: Yuhu Cold Chain proactively aligns itself with national strategic priorities, and actively participates in the development of international standards — turning “Hong Kong solutions” into “Chinese practice,” and further into “global standards.”

Where traditional Hong Kong investors tend to operate as financial investors, Yuhu Cold Chain acts as an industrial reconstructor — binding the international outlook and strong capital base of Hong Kong capital with the people’s livelihood infrastructure and digital transformation of mainland China, and forging a distinctly contemporary “new Hong Kong capital” model.

Jiang Wensheng noted that AFCD brings extensive administrative experience in agricultural product quality management and food supply assurance for a mega-city. Yuhu Cold Chain, for its part, operates a vast cluster of trading centres across Greater China, and could serve as a platform for AFCD. Working together, both parties could more effectively promote Hong Kong’s food safety expertise on the mainland — helping mainland agricultural products upgrade in quality and enabling them to enter the Greater Bay Area, supply Hong Kong, and reach international markets. AFCD Director Lai Kin-ming responded positively, expressing his interest in exploring further cooperation and collaboration with Yuhu Group.

AFCD operates across three main areas: fisheries, agriculture and food wholesale (covering fisheries, farming, and wholesale market operations); nature conservation and country parks (flora and fauna conservation, national park management, and trade in endangered species); and animal, plant and fisheries regulation and technical services (including animal and plant quarantine, animal welfare, and disease control).

The Chengdu Economic and Trade Office (Chengdu ETO) was established in 2006 and is one of five Economic and Trade Offices maintained by the Hong Kong SAR Government in mainland China. Its primary functions are to strengthen communication and cooperation between Hong Kong and seven provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions — Sichuan, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, and Qinghai — promote exchange in economic, trade, and related fields; deepen mainland communities’ understanding of Hong Kong; and provide practical assistance to Hong Kong residents who encounter difficulties in the region.