HONG KONG - The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong partners signed eight big economic and trade cooperation projects here on Wednesday at a ceremony attended by Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who is in this Special Administrative Region on a 3-day visit.

The eight deals included a loan cooperation between banking giant HSBC and textile company Chinatex, R&D cooperation between Chinese battery and electric car maker BYD and Hong Kong Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Center, a loan contract between Standard Chartered and Binhai New Area in Tianjin Municipality, Genius LTE cooperation between Hutchison Telecom and Hong Kong Telecom and Huawei Technology, an MOU between Hong Kong' s investment promotion agency InvestHK and the investment promotion department under the Ministry of Commerce, and among others.

These projects were aimed to support further development of Hong Kong as a global center for finance, trade and shipping, and to strengthen cooperation in the areas of logistics, technology, emerging industries, trade and investment between the mainland and Hong Kong.

The vice premier, along with Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Ping, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan and Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang, witnessed and toasted the signing of the eight projects.