The governor of Guangdong province, Wang Weizhong, called for closer ties between Macao and Hengqin during the third session of the 14th Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress, which opened in Guangzhou yesterday.
Wang was cited by multiple media outlets as having listed Hengqin’s development among 12 tasks that the authorities needed to focus on in his Government Work Report. He called for a higher degree of economic cooperation between Hengqin and Macao, a deepening of the links between the two cities’ regulatory systems, and further growth in schemes promoting the flow of vehicles between the province and the SAR.
Wang also noted that the population of SAR residents residing and seeking employment in Hengqin had increased substantially, while the number of Macao-backed firms on the island had grown by 44 percent when compared to three years ago, with the total hitting over 6,600.
“‘Macao plus Hengqin’ is becoming a new paradigm to enrich the practice of ‘One Country Two Systems,’ a new highground to promote the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and a new platform to realise the country’s high level opening up to the outside world,” Wang said.
[See more: Sam Hou Fai calls for intensified cooperation between Macao and Hengqin]
Other key tasks mentioned in his speech included developing the railway network across the province, promoting a one-time immigration clearance procedure and intensifying the construction of a digital Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Wang’s proposals will find support among local officials. Macao’s transport secretary, Raymond Tam, made similar comments during a meeting with the Association of Returned Overseas Chinese Macau on Tuesday.
According to local media reports, Tam said that it was necessary for Macao to make an “all-out effort” to participate in the GBA’s growth. The secretary mentioned that enhancing Macao’s development in areas such as aviation was a necessary step to securing the SAR’s integration with the GBA.
Several points relating to the development of Macao’s economy, such as the promotion of marine tourism and aviation connectivity, were also suggested by the association during the meeting.
