The third Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Business Conference opened on Monday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, gathering more than 1,200 people to discuss the development in the Greater Bay Area and explore new business opportunities.
Representatives from both domestic and international government bodies and business communities engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics including cross-border financial collaboration, commercial legal integration, and industrial linkages in artificial intelligence and biomedicine.
Themed "Empowering the Greater Bay Area, Unlocking New Opportunities," the two-day event focused on global supply chain innovation and trade risk mitigation.
"With the hope to meet the current demands and future vision of the development of the Greater Bay Area, the conference aims to build a consensus in the global business community, deepen cooperation in the Greater Bay Area, strengthen regulatory and institutional alignment, and boost international confidence in the region's development," said Li Qingshuang, vice chairwoman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
Guangdong's economic ties with Hong Kong and Macao have reached new heights, with over 260,000 enterprises from these regions operating in the province.
In 2024, trade between Guangdong's nine cities and the two special administrative regions surpassed one trillion yuan (137 billion U.S. dollars), and Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao jointly produce 70 percent of the world's consumer drones, 40 percent of smartphones, a quarter of China's new energy vehicles, and one-fifth of integrated circuits.
An important program of the conference was the release of the first Report on Supply Chain Promotion in the Greater Bay Area, offering a comprehensive review of recent developments from a business perspective.
The Report includes supply chain maps for smart vehicles and innovative pharmaceuticals, shedding light on new opportunities for industrial collaboration and innovation brought up by the supply chain promotion system.
It also outlines 39 policy recommendations on areas such as infrastructure development, coordinated supply chain policy, innovation-friendly environments, and inclusive financial services.
"We hope the report provides fresh insights into the latest industrial policies, trends, and international supply chain cooperation in the Greater Bay Area," Li said.
In addition, the Guidelines for Ad Hoc Arbitration in the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone were released as well during the conference. It outlines the legal frameworks and procedural rules for resolving cross-border commercial disputes, aiming to establish a model for international maritime arbitration.
3rd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Business Conference opens in Guangzhou
Marking China's 11th Space Day, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) introduced major space projects in the 15th Five-Year Plan period on Friday in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan in the southwest, the main venue of a series of events marking this day.
Jointly sponsored by the CNSA and the provincial government, the event revealed major sci-tech achievements and space industry updates, with Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, introducing China's major space projects to be implemented in the next five years.
"In the areas of entering space, utilizing space, exploring space, and governing space, we will intensify the efforts to carry out key projects including manned spaceflight, lunar probe, planetary probe, and the national satellite internet. We will pace up the demonstration and launch of a new generation of space-power initiatives such as heavy-lift rockets, reusable launch vehicles, and next-generation national space infrastructure. In the fields of lunar and planetary probe, asteroid defense, on-orbit service, and space debris mitigation, we will deepen international collaboration, build the International Lunar Research Station, have in-depth engagement in global space governance, and create an open and cooperative landscape for China's space industry to build a community with a shared future for mankind," Shan said.
The CNSA also released a series of updates marking the Space Day, including the latest lunar discoveries from the Chang'e-5 mission, two new minerals named magnesiochangesite-(Y) and changesite-(Ce), selected international partners for the Tianwen-3 Mars mission, announcement of international cooperation opportunities for the Xihe-2 mission, and the Version 1.0 of the Commercial Space Standards System.
On the same occasion, Xie Jun, deputy chief designer of the BeiDou system, Zhang Bing, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and veteran astronaut Ye Guangfu, were appointed as the 2026 China Space Public Welfare Ambassadors.
More than 30 side events will take place across Chengdu during the Space Day period. Highlights include a space science exhibition at the Chengdu New International Convention and Exhibition Center, a VR sci-fi drama aimed at extending space knowledge, and the Space Wish Initiative launched by the China Media Group (CMG), inviting the public to share their stories related to space.
"We plan to put up over 30 activities in various forms with rich content for the Space Day to give people a feeling for the evolution and dynamism of China's space program. Aside from offering academic exchange platforms for professionals, we place more emphasis on engaging the public, particularly young people, in carrying forward the spirit and culture of space exploration," said Wang Cheng, secretary-general of the China Space Foundation.
Officials introduces space projects in 15th 5-Year Plan period
