(From ninth left) Li Xiaohong, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Leung Chun-ying, a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; and Lu Xinning, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region join guests for a group photo at the International Bay Area Summit 2023 organized by the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences on Monday. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
Hong Kong should further strengthen cross-border collaboration with mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to promote innovation and technology development by leveraging the nation’s support and making strategies and priorities in regional integration, officials and pundits said on Monday.
Leung Chun-ying, a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said Hong Kong needs to have a strategy and priority when integrating with the “finite resources” of the Greater Bay Area’s mainland cities
They made the call on the opening day of the two-day International Bay Area Summit, organized by the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences.
Otto Poon Lok-to, the immediate past president of Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, said in his welcoming remarks that Hong Kong plays an important role in the nation’s “dual circulation” development strategy, offering equal opportunities of investment and operations for businesses all over the world.
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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu highlighted the importance of the “one country, two systems” principle, which enables Hong Kong to enjoy national support while maintaining international connectivity.
The Greater Bay Area blueprint released in 2019 aims to develop the city as a global innovation and technology powerhouse. Lee said the strategy “is set to open doors for Hong Kong to synergize with other Greater Bay Area cities and the whole wide world”.
He added that the development of the 300-square-kilometer Northern Metropolis will not only provide much-needed land for innovation and technology, but also help gather local, GBA and overseas talents.
Leung Chun-ying, a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said Hong Kong needs to have a strategy and priority when integrating with the “finite resources” of the Greater Bay Area’s mainland cities.
Leung, who was the fourth-term chief executive of Hong Kong, said Hong Kong’s resources are limited and by concentrating its efforts on a specific city, the financial hub can “sharpen skills, build networks and create a critical mass for greater engagement with all the Greater Bay Area cities in the future”.
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“We need to monitor the various impacts on Hong Kong for being part of and for entering and engaging a huge, fast-growing and fastopening-up neighborhood,” said Leung.
Leung acknowledged that competition exists among the Guang dong cities, but said that Hong Kong should welcome that, as it will keep the city on its toes.
Zhang Guangjun, the vice-minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, expressed the central government’s support for Hong Kong becoming a global technology hub, saying that the ministry is working with relevant departments on promoting a cross-border flow of scientific research funds and resources, and supporting Hong Kong and Macao to build national major research bases and innovation platforms.
Lu Xinning, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said the local community can further leverage Hong Kong’s advantages as a highly internationalized and free economy to establish a comprehensive modern industrial system.
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The Greater Bay Area, with its nine mainland cities in Guang dong plus Hong Kong and Macao, aims to become a global technology powerhouse to rival Silicon Valley.
According to official data, the region had a total population of 86 million last year, with the GDP of the 11 cities reaching 12.6 trillion yuan ($1.8 trillion), an increase of almost 24 percent compared to 2017. The metropolitan cluster also recorded per capita GDP of nearly $22,585 in 2021, according to the global statistical database Statista.
tianyuanzhang@chinadailyhk.com