China News Service, Beijing, March 6th: How can the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area further speed up the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, where traffic is smooth, people are prosperous and wealth is prosperous?

　　Author Li Jinlei Zeng Yue Ma Shuaisha

　　2024 marks the fifth anniversary of the public release of the "Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area".

Over the past five years, the "hard connectivity" of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao's infrastructure and the "soft connection" of rules and systems have been continuously expanded.

Standing at a new starting point, all walks of life are looking forward to further speeding up the connectivity, collaboration and integration of software and hardware in the Greater Bay Area.

　　"After the full restoration of customs clearance, Hong Kong and the mainland have achieved a 'two-way journey.'" Li Huiqiong, a representative of the National People's Congress and a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR, told a reporter from China News Service that the demand for "Hong Kong trains going north" is increasing day by day, and many Hong Kong residents are willing to go to the Greater Bay Area. area and other mainland cities for consumption and experience.

On November 28, 2023, the main line of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Super Project was fully completed.

The picture shows the Lingdingyang Bridge in the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel.

(Drone photo) Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Jimin

　　The well-connected highway network and efficient and fast customs clearance measures have accelerated the realization of the "one-hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area.

Relying on convenient transportation, diverse culture, and integrated mechanisms, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is increasingly attractive to talents.

　　Wu Xiaoli, a representative of the National People's Congress and president of the Macau Federation of Neighborhood Associations, said that Guangdong and Macau have become more closely connected, and many Macau residents go to the Greater Bay Area to work, start businesses or retire, and "there are more development opportunities than in the past."

　　With the implementation of the "Macau cars going north" and "Hong Kong cars going north" policies, the number of Hong Kong and Macao passenger cars entering and exiting through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port has increased significantly, and Hong Kong and Macao residents "going north" for consumption has become a trend.

During this year's Spring Festival, a total of about 2.52 million mainland residents visited Hong Kong and Macao; about 2.49 million Hong Kong and Macao residents visited the mainland; the inbound and outbound passenger and vehicle flows at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ports have repeatedly reached new highs.

　　Liu Jieyi, deputy secretary-general and spokesperson of the Second Session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said at a press conference that these data represent the "two-way rush" of Hong Kong, Macao and mainland residents "going north and south" and are the "two-way rush" of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A vivid portrayal of the strong vitality of "smooth traffic, prosperous people and prosperous wealth".

　　How to further promote connectivity in the Greater Bay Area in the future?

Li Huiqiong suggested continuing to optimize measures for personnel exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, such as launching a "one visa for multiple travels" and "multiple travels for one week" travel visa models between cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to allow more tourists to experience the "one-hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area convenience.

　　The "hard connection" of infrastructure makes personnel exchanges more convenient, while the "soft connection" of rules and regulations helps improve the level of market integration, create a globally competitive business environment, and achieve collaborative and integrated development.

　　Today, the total economic volume of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area exceeds 13 trillion yuan, and its patent capabilities rank first among the four major bay areas in the world, making it one of the most promising growth poles in the world.

On November 22, 2023, a special job fair for talents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was held at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Wen

　　Wu Qiubei, a representative of the National People's Congress and a member of the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council, pointed out that in the past five years, Hong Kong and Macao and nine cities in Guangdong Province have continued to deepen cooperation through the four national-level Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperation platforms: Qianhai, Nansha, Hengqin and Hetao. Especially in terms of high-tech development, Hong Kong's basic research and professional talents can be connected with the mainland's industrial upgrading to promote high-quality development and achieve win-win results.

　　Chan Chun-ying, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR, said that the launch of closed-loop capital channels such as Bond Connect and Cross-border Financial Management Connect has further improved the efficiency and integration of the financial markets of the two places and promoted capital circulation and market connectivity between the two places. Provide convenience for investors at home and abroad.

　　With the release of the "Three-Year Action Plan for Building a World-Class Business Environment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" in 2023, the level of market interconnection in the Greater Bay Area is expected to be further improved.

Chen Zhenying said that building a world-class business environment can attract more funds, investors and enterprises and inject new momentum into the development of the Greater Bay Area.

　　Wu Xiaohui, deputy to the National People's Congress and mayor of Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, said that Jiangmen continues to deepen the docking of rule convergence mechanisms, and mutual recognition of cross-border corporate credit ratings, Hong Kong and Macao cross-border government services were selected as the first batch of typical cases for the docking of rules convergence mechanisms in the Greater Bay Area. The country's first cross-border government services service area jointly built by provinces and cities has been built to facilitate citizens and enterprises in Guangdong and Hong Kong to access more than 100 high-frequency services in the Bay Area without leaving the border.

　　“If we can systematically connect the technological innovation and financial factor markets between Hong Kong, Macao and the Mainland, we can have a multiplier effect and comprehensively enhance the status of the Greater Bay Area in the global financial and technological innovation fields.” Jin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Vice President of Southern University of Science and Technology Li said.

　　"The speed of integration can be faster." Liu Zhipeng, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and associate vice-president of Lingnan University in Hong Kong, said that Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao should build on the advantages of the three parties in integrated development, advance interactively, and build a better economic center.

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