As the Greater Bay Area (GBA) gains momentum, the business community in Hong Kong is keen to find out where the opportunities lie in this major initiative. At a full house roundtable luncheon on 27 May, Michael Enright, Managing Director at Enright, Scott & Associates, and Professor of Business and Economics at the University of Hong Kong, discussed the findings of a nine-month study on the GBA with attendees. New infrastructure developments, such as the high-speed rail and bridge links, will make the planned one- and two-hour living circles within the GBA increasingly achievable, creating greater opportunities through closer business interactions.

China Committee Chairman Petrina Tam led a delegation to Longgang, Shenzhen on 12 April. Members first visited Vanke Longcheng Mall Project and Longgang City Planning Exhibition Hall to learn about the latest regeneration projects taking place in the city. Delegates then travelled to Longgang Smart Center to see how the centre is applying new technologies including the Internet, IOT and AI to everyday life. The mission ended with visits to Universiade Software Town, Shenzhen Longer 3D Technology Co Ltd, and Shenzhen Landing Medical High-Tech Co Ltd.

At the Greater Bay Area Forum on 10 April, the Chamber was delighted to have many distinguished speakers sharing their insights on how Hong Kong can capture the great opportunities arising from the Outline Development Plan for the GBA. The speakers discussed how the 11 cities should work together like a football team, with each focusing on its individual strengths.

Patrick Nip, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, said all the conditions in terms of timing, geographical advantage and human relations are now ripe for the development of GBA, and we cannot afford to miss it.

Liao Jingshan, Director General, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province, expressed his willingness to help Hong Kong enterprises enter the GBA by serving as a bridge for communication between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province Government. Liao is also Chairman, Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, CPPCC, Guangdong Province.

Members enjoyed an exclusive look behind the scenes at some of China’s tech giants during a mission to Shenzhen on 29 March organized by the Digital, Information & Telecommunications Committee.The delegation first visited Huawei’s Headquarters in Bantian Industrial Zone and learnt about its latest cloud and 5G developments. Members then travelled to Tencent Headquarter in Binhai to see how the company is applying new technologies to everyday life. At Forms Syntron Information, delegates toured the new headquarters and heard how the company is driving growth of ICT industries within the GBA. The mission ended with a presentation by WeBank, China’s first digital bank, to understand how virtual banks are transforming customers’ experience and the banking landscape.