Li: HK, Macao integration ‘sticks to ‘one country, two systems’ policy’
The central government will adhere to the “one country, two systems” principle as Hong Kong and Macao integrate into the nation’s overall development with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area plan, Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday.
Li made this pledge before media from around the world at the annual press conference following the close of the National People’s Congress meeting.
China aims to build the Greater Bay Area into a world-class city cluster — an achievable goal since Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have their own “unique comparative strengths” and complement each other. Without this synergy, the bay area would not be competitive internationally, he said.
“As Hong Kong and Macao integrate into the nation’s overall development, we will still uphold the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, ‘Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong’, ‘Macao people governing Macao’ and ‘a high degree of autonomy’,” Li said.
China and other countries had achieved mutually beneficial and common development — not to mention these three regions of one nation under “one country, two sys- tems”, Li said.
The Greater Bay Area cluster comprises nine cities in Guangdong province — Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing — and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
Shenzhen is known for innovation, while Dongguan and Foshan have well-developed manufacturing industries. Hong Kong, an international financial center, has strengths in financial and other professional services. Macao can play its role in promoting tourism development in the bay area, with its rich resources in the industry.
Li expressed confidence that the three areas will draw upon each other’s strengths and work together to build a new and strong area for growth.
The State Council will gradually introduce measures to give Hong Kong and Macao residents who work and live in the city cluster the same treatment as their mainland peers in terms of access to housing, education, transport and other facilities, Li said.
“We would also like to share such opportunities with people from Taiwan,” he added.
The Greater Bay Area development plan is being formulated and will be made public for implementation “very soon”, Li revealed.
The combined regional GDP of the bay area amounted to more than 10 trillion yuan ($1.58 trillion) last year.