Forum highlights Hong Kong's opportunities in Greater Bay Area integration

HONG KONG, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- A conference held Thursday in Hong Kong highlighted the opportunities for the international financial hub in integrating into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

The integration of the nine GBA cities in Guangdong and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Macao Special Administrative Region will release new energy of a magnitude not experienced before, said Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying.

Hong Kong, as the most international city in the GBA, should reinforce its advantage as the "super-connector" to share its knowledge of the Guangdong cities to attract international business partners, said Leung in his video speech at the event themed "GBA: Integration Writes a New Chapter".

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said as one of the core cities of the GBA, Hong Kong will leverage its highly market-oriented and internationalized business environment, well-developed professional service sectors, as well as its status as an international financial, trade, and shipping center to join hands with the other GBA cities in developing a world-class city cluster for living, traveling and working.

Lee said in his video speech that as Hong Kong and other GBA cities continue to collaborate closely and complement one another, there is much more that can be achieved that will bring about enormous opportunities for the people, businesses, and communities.

The conference was co-hosted by China Daily and the Hong Kong Coalition.

Qu Yingpu, China Daily's publisher and editor-in-chief, said in his video speech at the event that the newspaper's Hong Kong edition has performed the all-important task of interpreting China for an international audience with diligence for 25 years.

Maria Tam, deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Coalition, said Hong Kong can play a vital role with its strong third-sector services and links to the world market, and can create a more powerful economic growth engine with Guangdong province.