BRI, Bay Area hold great promise
Senior officials from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have showered high hopes on the city’s role as an international portal linking mainland enterprises and overseas Chinese entrepreneurs — a capacity that has been given greater impetus by the nation-led Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Entrepreneurs were urged to give full play to their capabilities in order to grasp the vast pool of opportunities up for grabs.
“Hong Kong, which has been rated the world’s freest economy for 24 consecutive years, is a platform that not only promotes its advantages in professional services, but also facilitates the free flow of innovative resources from the Chinese mainland and overseas,” Gu Shengzu, vicechairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, told the CGCC World Chinese Entrepreneurs Summit in Hong Kong on Thursday.
The one-day summit, organized by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and supported by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, was aimed at exploring development prospects, as well as the opportunities for businesses and professionals in the BRI and Bay Area markets.
The gathering brought together senior mainland and SAR government officials, business leaders, experts, academics and Chinese entrepreneurs from across the globe.
In her keynote address at the summit, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor vowed that Hong Kong will serve as the facilitator and promoter in further strengthening communication among the various parties.
“Both the BRI push and Bay Area development offer great opportunities for entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, the mainland and all over the world,” she said.
The Bay Area, which embraces the Hong Kong and Macao SARs and nine cities in southern Guangdong province, will develop into a world-class bay area that’ll benefit the diverse development of Hong Kong’s economy and society, Lam said.
CGCC Chairman Jonathan Choi Koon-shum referred to last week’s first plenary meeting in Beijing of the leading group for the development of the Bay Area to discuss and plan priority work areas, marking the next stage of the Bay Area’s development.
With the Bay Area’s total gross domestic product exceeding 10 trillion yuan ($1.45 trillion) last year, Choi said the region is transforming itself into a technology powerhouse under “one country, two systems”.
In his view, Hong Kong has huge potential in many sectors covering financial services, manufacturing, shipping, innovative technology and other professional services.