Vice-Premier Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the leading group for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA), said Wednesday that the 11 GBA cities needed to fully utilise the area’s “comprehensive” advantages in their joint effort to build a vibrant and internationally competitive area and a vibrant world-class group of cities.
The Greater Bay Area refers to the central government’s scheme to link the cities of Macau, Hong Kong, Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai into an integrated economic and business hub.
The GBA project is also known in Chinese as “9+2” since it consists of nine
mainland cities in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and the nation’s two special
administrative regions – Macau and Hong Kong.
According to a statement by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the
State Council, Han made the remarks during the first plenary meeting of the leading group for the development of the GBA at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday.
According to the statement, Han said that President Xi Jinping personally
designed, planned, and promoted the development strategy of the GBA, adding that this national strategy was also a measure to fully open up the country in the new era, and a new practice for the principle of “one country, two systems”.
The statement also pointed out that the means of developing the GBA needs to be seen from the angle of national rejuvenation, adding that this requires the GBA cities to closely follow the “one country, two systems” principle, and also to utilise the “comprehensive” advantages of the GBA, so that this could create a world-class area with a group of cities, as a successful example of “fine quality” development
According to the statement, Han also said that the central government would provide further convenience for residents from Macau and Hong Kong to live and work on the mainland, such as by facilitating the use of Macau and Hong Kong residents’ IDs on the mainland and lowering the roaming charges for telecommunication services across the GBA by a large margin.
According to the statement, Han also said that “one country, two systems”
was the “best system” for ensuring Macau and Hong Kong’s long-term stability and prosperity, adding that the GBA development must closely follow the “one country, two systems” principle and the Basic Law systems of Hong Kong and Macau, and also strictly uphold the root of “one country” and utilise the advantage of “two systems”, so that the GBA can be successful.
According to Xinhua, Han also said the authorities “should strengthen planning and guidance for the setting-up of the area to combine the
advantages of different cities, and push for coordinated regional
development.”
Han also said that efforts should be made to attract global innovation
resources into the area and set up an international technology innovation
centre in the GBA.
According to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS), Chief ExecutiveChui Sai On attended the first plenary meeting of
the leading group for the development of the GBA as a member.
According to the statement, Chui expressed his gratitude for the help and
support provided by the central government for Macau’s participation in
setting up the GBA, adding that the setting-up of the GBA will bring
“unprecedented” development prospects to Macau.
According to the statement, Chui said Macau would fully cooperate with the national development strategy, actively utilise Macau’s own unique advantages to participate in the development of the GBA, in order to diversify Macau’s economy and continue to raise Macau people’s living
standards.
According to the statement, Chui also pledged that Macau will work closely
with the other GBA cities and create an auspicious environment to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Macau Special Administration Region (MSAR) next year, adding that this was also to consolidate the foundations for the city’s long-term prosperity.
