For Immediate Release
The Greater Bay Area offers unique opportunities for Hong Kong. Stephen Ng, Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), led a 35-member delegation to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in Guangdong on 13-14 July, where delegates met with He Zhongyou, Vice Governor, Guangdong Province, and Wen Guohui, Mayor of Guangzhou. The main objective of mission was to learn about the Guangdong Provincial Government’s views on the development of the GBA, in addition to getting a clearer understanding of the latest economic developments in Guangzhou, especially the growth of the information technology sector and the positioning of Guangzhou in the GBA.
Vice Governor He told members that Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have significant opportunities for new areas of cooperation: "In the future, we can be more pragmatic in promoting the synergies and complementarity advantages of the three areas to build a world-class Greater Bay Area." He added that the GBA can stand shoulder to shoulder with any bay area around the world, with Hong Kong’s international expertise and leading professional services, together with Guangdong’s solid industrial base all combined will produce synergies and enhance the overall competitiveness of the GBA. He stressed that speeding up interconnectivity of all three regions, and boosting integration of innovation, science and technology industries will help build a quality living circle.
Chamber Chairman Stephen Ng said that since the signing of the “Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area” on July 1, the initiative is now elevated to a national strategic level. This is encouraging for business communities in all three regions.
“From the business community’s point of view, we look forward to seeing the GBA economy growing from strength to strength. In the past, Hong Kong put a lot of effort into helping Guangdong’s development. Therefore, Hong Kong will leverage its own strengths to take an active part in the development of the GBA initiative,” said Ng. “We will leverage our international experience and work with Guangdong and Macao in key areas, such as financial, shipping, trade, professional services, offshore RMB business and international asset management, etc., to build the GBA into a world-class bay area.”
Yu Pang Chun, Chairman of HKGCC’s China Committee, said Hong Kong is looking forward to the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opening as soon as possible. He added that both projects will further reduce travel times between Hong Kong and Guangdong, and bring the “one-hour living circle” closer to reality. “To strengthen and grow the Greater Bay Area even further, we must actively consider how we can further improve the flow of passengers, logistics and capital so that they are seamless,” he said.
Guangzhou Mayor Wen Guohui, said the success of the GBA concept is also key to enhancing the region’s international competitiveness. Guangzhou and Hong Kong should combine their strengths to effectively integrate their international high-end and high-quality resources. This would lead to improved interconnection of cities and flow in the region to facilitate the integration and allocation of resources.
Guangzhou is now working to develop three international hubs for shipping, aviation and creative technologies. “The expansion of Bai Yun Airport has been completed, and its fourth and fifth runways will be built soon. Guangzhou is also building an inter-city rail line, a subway system and a new railway station to improve linkages of traffic network in the region,” said Wen.
During the mission, the delegation also met with Chen Jie, Director General of the Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Lei Weiju, Deputy Director-General of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office. They also visited the Tianhe CBD and several leading technology enterprises in Guangzhou, including the National Supercomputer Centre, HeyGears, eHang, KingMed Centre for Clinical Laboratory Co., Ltd and iFlytek Co., Ltd.
Photo Captions:
Photo 1: He Zhongyou, Vice Governor, Guangdong Province (4th from right), told the Chamber’s delegation that the Greater Bay Area offers significant new opportunities for cooperation for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.
Photo 2: Guangzhou Mayor Wen Guohui (centre), said the success of the GBA concept is also key to enhancing the region’s international competitiveness.
Media inquiries: Please contact Mr William Ngo at 28231291 / [email protected]