Forum explores way forward for Hong Kong in Bay Area
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor joined national and local leaders on Wednesday at a f orum to explore ways for t he city to heighten its role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Greater Bay Area Conference: The Way Forward, organized by China Daily and the Silk Road Economic Development Research Center, attracted over 400 people including government officials, business leaders and members of academia to share and exchange their views on how to enhance collaboration among all sectors in the Hong Kong and Macao SARs and Guangdong province.
Lam pointed out some important principles in guiding Hong Kong’s participation in the Bay Area blueprint.
“First, adherence to the ‘ one country, two systems’ policy,” she said in her speech. “The Bay Area should leverage this unique arrangement of ‘one country, two systems’, three customs jurisdictions, three legal systems, etc. It should also emphasize mutual cooperation and win-win arrangements to minimize unhelpful competition while synergy should be created.”
Innovation and technology should be put at the top of our agenda, the chief executive added.
This calls for out-of-the-box thinking in Hong Kong’s cooperation with the mainland cities, particularly Shenzhen, Lam said. Hong Kong should play a more proactive role in identifying new opportunities for joint actions.
And finally, greater emphasis should be placed on supporting young people and nurturing talent.
“It is time that we prepare the way forward for Hong Kong in this exciting region. I see three parts to this preparation, which are research, messaging and community engagement,” Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the
National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said in his address.