The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a major national strategy personally planned, deployed and promoted by President Xi Jinping. Over the past five years, the main pillars of the GBA have gradually taken shape. With openness and cooperation being its signatures, this whole-new bay area and world-class city cluster is gaining ever-more global traction.
Faced with the fluid international situation and shaky world economic recovery, the GBA, as an epitome of China’s high-quality development, injects “Chinese certainties” into an uncertain world.
Bright future of China’s development
Over the past decade, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, China has made remarkable achievements in economic and social development. For example, the country has put a historic end to absolute poverty and grown into a moderately prosperous society in all respects with a per capita GDP of more than $10,000 and a 30 percent contribution to global growth. Before these hard facts, the “China collapse theory” has fallen flat.
China is implementing a new development philosophy and building a new development paradigm in accordance with the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), in which the GBA is a crucial part, and what lies ahead for countries around the world is a broader market and greater opportunities.
China’s resolve to open up at a high standard
Take the GBA as an example. Over the past five years, cities in the GBA have become increasingly interconnected. Since 2017, the total economic output of the area has grown by 2.4 trillion yuan ($335 billion). With less than 0.6 percent of the country’s land size, the GBA has amounted to 12 percent of the national GDP.
In the past half-decade, 16 million global talents have chosen to live or work in the area, and the GBA has been given a name of “the place where dreams come true”.
The story of the GBA tells the world that China values openness and cooperation, and it opposes isolation and decoupling. As for the outside world, one thing is for sure — China will only open even wider in the future.
Huge advantages of ‘one country, two systems’
The foundation of “one country” must be firmly upheld and the benefits from “two systems” well-leveraged in the development of the GBA.
At the meeting in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, President Xi pointed out that the central government fully supports Hong Kong in aligning with the 14th Five-Year Plan and other national strategies such as the GBA and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. He also stressed that the central government fully supports Hong Kong in carrying out more extensive exchanges and close cooperation with the world
As cooperation between the cities of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao is deepened and a series of supportive measures taken, institutional differences within the area are turning into institutional benefits, which will unleash greater vitality in the practice of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong.
At the meeting in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, President Xi pointed out that the central government fully supports Hong Kong in aligning with the 14th Five-Year Plan and other national strategies such as the GBA and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. He also stressed that the central government fully supports Hong Kong in carrying out more extensive exchanges and close cooperation with the world.
Facts have proved that the Chinese mainland is the strongest backing for Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and the GBA is the best stage for the “Pearl of the Orient” to shine.
By participating in the GBA and integrating with other national strategies, Hong Kong will create another miracle of its own development and serve as a GBA bond of win-win cooperation between China and the rest of the world.
Actions speak louder than words. We warmly welcome international stakeholders to board the express train of the GBA development. On this journey, you will have a window into the amazing scenery and achieve your own faster and better development.
As always, our Commissioner’s Office will continue to do whatever we can for mutual benefit between Hong Kong and the global family.
In just 9 days, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held in Beijing. At such a new historical point, China will work with all parties to seek win-win cooperation, pursue openness and inclusiveness, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
We believe that with the staunch support of the central government, the hard work of the new HKSAR government, the common efforts of Hong Kong society and contributions of international stakeholders, the GBA will certainly scale new heights and a new chapter will surely open in the practice of “one country, two systems”.
The author is Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.