Li Jiachao: The SAR government is fully committed to promoting Hong Kong's deep involvement in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Chief Executive John Lee stated in a video speech at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Hong Kong members of the Guangzhou Municipal Political Consultative Conference on Monday (26th) that in recent years, Hong Kong and Guangzhou have actively promoted various cooperation projects. They are jointly advancing the construction of the Nansha Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao major cooperation platform. Since the implementation of the "Nansha Plan" in 2022, significant achievements have been made in several key tasks.

John Lee mentioned that Nansha is currently implementing "Hong Kong people, Hong Kong taxes," bringing new development opportunities for Hong Kong people and enterprises in the mainland. In terms of education, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) has opened a campus in Nansha, dedicated to cultivating innovative talents with an international perspective and promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. In terms of financial connectivity, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has invested in the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, marking the first time an overseas institution has been allowed to invest in a mainland futures exchange, jointly promoting the development of a green and low-carbon market in the Greater Bay Area. In the horse industry, both sides are jointly promoting cooperation in cross-border transportation of horses and cultivating talents in the horse industry, advancing the transformation and upgrading of horse sports in the Greater Bay Area.

He stated that in the "Global Innovation Index" released last year, the "Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou" cluster ranked first globally for the first time, after holding the second position for five consecutive years, reflecting the high international recognition of the innovation capability of the Greater Bay Area and demonstrating the effectiveness of the complementary advantages between Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

John Lee expressed that the SAR government is fully committed to promoting Hong Kong's deep participation in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, better integrating and serving the national development agenda. The Policy Address pointed out the need to continue deepening the regulatory alignment and mechanism connection among the three regions, enhancing the flow of people, logistics, data, and capital, and actively leveraging Hong Kong's role as a "bridge" to serve more mainland enterprises in going global through Hong Kong.

He also indicated confidence that higher-level cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangzhou will emerge in the future, playing a key role in advancing the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The cooperation opportunities between Guangzhou and Hong Kong are limitless, and an indispensable part of this is the patriotic and pro-Hong Kong forces represented by the Hong Kong members of the Guangzhou Municipal Political Consultative Conference and the political consultative conferences of the eleven districts under the city