GoGBA Development Day Explores New Business Opportunities in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office holds GoGBA Development Day to help enterprises seize new opportunities in Greater Bay Area under National 15th Five-Year Plan

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), organised the "GoGBA Development Day - New Opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) under the National 15th Five-Year Plan" today (October 29).

Featuring keynote speeches by official bodies from Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao, thematic panel discussions fromindustry representatives and a business matching and networking session, the event aimed to facilitate participating enterprises in understanding the policy directions and business opportunities under the National 15th Five-Year Plan and Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan. It also explored how businesses can capitalise on the strengths of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to pursue innovation-driven development and expand into international markets. The event attracted about 430 government representatives, academics, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups from the three places, as well as industry practitioners interested in expanding their business in the GBA.

The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa; the Director General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Jinsong; and the Director of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Ms Elaine Wong, delivered keynote speeches on the new opportunities arising from GBA development under the National 15th Five-Year Plan. The Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Miss Pamela Lam, and the Executive Director of the HKTDC, Ms Sophia Chong, delivered welcome remarks respectively.

In her keynote speech, Miss Tse noted that the scope of Hong Kong's development blueprint and market scale have expanded beyond the confines of the HKSAR, establishing a strategic foothold across the three overlapping domains, namely the GBA, the overall nation, and the international market. By serving the country's needs and leveraging Hong Kong's strengths, Hong Kong can better utilise the unique advantages of "one country, two systems". She highlighted that the GBA chapter of Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan sets out five key directions, including strengthening co-operation in technological innovation; promoting the "hard connectivity" in infrastructure; fostering "soft connectivity" by deepening the alignment of rules and mechanisms; achieving "connectivity of hearts" among residents in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao; and advancing the development of the major co-operation platforms within the GBA, including Qianhai, Nansha, Hengqin and Hetao. In addition, the Northern Metropolis is an important engine for Hong Kong's deep engagement in GBA development, and the Northern Metropolis University Town will pool the strengths of industry, academia, research and investment to drive the co-ordinated development of the GBA.

Miss Tse added that Hong Kong will continue to fulfil its roles as a "super connector" and "super value-adder". On the one hand, it will attract more overseas enterprises and talent to use Hong Kong as a gateway to the GBA; on the other hand, it will assist GBA enterprises to go global by leveraging Hong Kong's high value-added services. In addition, dedicated GBA sessions at mega events such as the Asian Financial Forum and the InnoEX will be staged to tell the good stories of the GBA to the world. Looking ahead, Hong Kong will proactively explore new directions such as commercial aerospace development and the sustainable aviation fuel value chain, continue to consolidate and enhance the advantages of the "four centres and one hub", and make greater contributions to the country's high-quality development.

Addressing the economic and trade co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Mr Zhang said that, riding on the favourable wind, now is the time for co-operation. Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will join hands to open up new avenues for international trade, build new springboards for enterprises to go global, foster a new ecosystem for smart industries, and share new opportunities in the Chinese Mainland market.

Ms Wong said that Macao is proactively and comprehensively aligning with the National 15th Five-Year Plan while implementing the "1+4" strategy for appropriate economic diversification. Leveraging its role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and the advantages of Hengqin-Macao integration, Macao will assist enterprises in going global and expanding into the markets of Portuguese-speaking countries.

At the panel discussions, industry experts, academics and entrepreneurs shared their successful experiences and exchanged insights on the themes of "Capitalising on Opportunities under the National 15th Five-Year Plan: Empowering Mainland Enterprises to Go Global" and "Unlocking New Business Opportunities through AI Applications". To further facilitate exchanges and expand collaboration networks among participants, a business matching and networking session was also organised. Supporting partners from Hong Kong and other GBA cities provided on-site one-on-one consultation services to SMEs and start-ups, providing advice on business development and operations in the GBA.

For more information about the development of the GBA, please visit the dedicated website www.bayarea.gov.hk/en/.

Source: AI-found images

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office holds GoGBA Development Day to help enterprises seize new opportunities in Greater Bay Area under National 15th Five-Year Plan Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office holds GoGBA Development Day to help enterprises seize new opportunities in Greater Bay Area under National 15th Five-Year Plan Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office holds GoGBA Development Day to help enterprises seize new opportunities in Greater Bay Area under National 15th Five-Year Plan Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office holds GoGBA Development Day to help enterprises seize new opportunities in Greater Bay Area under National 15th Five-Year Plan Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images

Statement by ExCo Non-official Members

The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:

Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo Non-official Members) today (October 29) issued the following statement on the Government's follow-up work in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court:

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today released the report of the Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The Chief Executive and Principal Officials also held a press conference to give an account of relevant matters to the public. ExCo Non-official Members expressed full support for the Government in facing up to the problems, shouldering responsibility, and pursuing comprehensive reforms.

The Convenor of ExCo Non-official Members, Mrs Regina Ip, said, "The Chief Executive and Principal Officials have clearly explained to the public the Government's follow-up work, and, on behalf of the HKSAR Government, apologised to the residents of Wang Fuk Court and the community, demonstrating sincerity and political commitment. The Chief Executive also called on his team to continue to give their utmost in their respective positions in pressing ahead with various reforms and the extensive work ahead, while drawing lessons from the incident and better exercising leadership to step up the implementation of the result-oriented governing approach. I support this position."

"The Government's plans to implement comprehensive reform on the basis of the Independent Committee's report are comprehensive and pragmatic, addressing the crux of the issues. I concur with the seven major directions of systemic reform put forward by the Government. These include combatting bid-rigging in building maintenance and renovation projects, establishing a cross-departmental task force to combat crimes related to bid-rigging in such projects, establishing a Building Maintenance Support and Services Council, reforming the operation and regulatory system for building maintenance and renovation, reforming the structure of the Buildings Department, establishing a centralised data system and reforming the complaint mechanism, and establishing a steering committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration to follow up on the Independent Committee's recommendations."

As regards accountability, the Government has demonstrated its determination to pursue responsibility comprehensively and enforce accountability at various levels. On criminal liability, law enforcement authorities have successively instituted prosecutions against the companies and individuals involved in the incident. The Government has also initiated the Administrative Responsibility Two-tier Investigation Mechanism under the Heads of Department Accountability System, and is strictly following up on the administrative responsibility of the civil servants concerned. As for political accountability, the Chief Executive, having considered a wide range of factors, decided that the Secretary for Housing should take political accountability, and has accepted the Secretary's resignation.

The fire at Wang Fuk Court has exposed a number of long-standing inadequacies at different systemic levels, and the issues involved are complex and intertwined. Properly addressing these issues requires firm resolve as well as precise and decisive decision-making. ExCo Non-official Members will give their full support to the Government in taking forward comprehensive reforms and will continue to fully support its governance. ExCo Non-official Members firmly believe that, as long as society works together with dedication to turn grief into the strength to move forward, learns from the experience, and thoroughly implements systemic reforms, similar incidents can certainly be prevented, making Hong Kong a safer and better home.