Xie Xiaohua: Hong Kong's development blueprint and scale are based on the three overlapping spaces of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the country as a whole, and the international market.

On October 29, Xie Xiaohua, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of Hong Kong, delivered a speech at the "GoGBA Greater Bay Area Day New Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area under the 15th Five-Year Plan" event, stating that the Greater Bay Area is a major national development strategy. With the full rollout of the national 15th Five-Year Plan and the official release of Hong Kong's "Five-Year Plan," Hong Kong's development blueprint and scale are no longer confined to the tiny territory within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, but are based on three overlapping spaces: the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the country as a whole, and the international market. As the world undergoes accelerated evolution of changes unseen in a century, Hong Kong faces both challenges and rare opportunities. Hong Kong must better leverage the unique advantages of "One Country, Two Systems," and, based on what the country needs and what Hong Kong excels at, precisely grasp its positioning in the overall national development landscape and the international competitive landscape. Hong Kong's development over the next five years will inevitably be closely tied to the Greater Bay Area in which it is situated. Hong Kong's "Five-Year Plan" includes a dedicated chapter on the Greater Bay Area, clearly stating that Hong Kong will participate in building the Greater Bay Area into a world-class bay area and world-class city cluster with global influence, and implement the strategic positioning of the Greater Bay Area as "one point, two places." It sets out five key directions, and the policy measures proposed in the "Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address" are also in the same vein, translating the plan into action and continuously injecting new momentum into Hong Kong's participation in Greater Bay Area development. The first of the five key directions is to strengthen cooperation in technological innovation and build the Greater Bay Area's innovation and technology ecosystem and industrial chain. Innovation is the primary driving force for development. Hong Kong will spare no effort in accelerating the construction of the Northern Metropolis, with the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone as the focus, strengthening strategic alignment with other Greater Bay Area cities, deepening the two-way integration of innovation chains and industrial chains, and injecting stronger innovation momentum into Greater Bay Area development. In its "Five-Year Plan" and the 2026 "Policy Address," Hong Kong also advocates developing a regional intellectual property trading center and strengthening the independent examination capability of the original grant patent system, which will help enhance the international competitiveness of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong innovation corridor. Second, advance hard connectivity of infrastructure to build a more convenient, faster, and more efficient Greater Bay Area. The SAR government is pressing ahead at full speed with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Railway and the Northern Link spur line projects, and will strengthen new-type infrastructure construction across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, promote 6G network development, and enhance the overall competitiveness of the Greater Bay Area. Third, deepen soft connectivity through regulatory harmonization and mechanism alignment. The SAR government will establish a dedicated task group, led by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, to accelerate regulatory harmonization and mechanism alignment among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, coordinating relevant policy bureaus to study ways to speed up Greater Bay Area regulatory and mechanism alignment. It will continue to promote mutual recognition of professional qualifications in the Greater Bay Area; expand the promotion of Greater Bay Area standards and Greater Bay Area certification; and facilitate the flow of people, goods, capital, and data, making cross-border flows of factors more convenient and unleashing the Greater Bay Area's greater development potential. Fourth, achieve heart connectivity among residents of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Hong Kong will encourage young people to seize Greater Bay Area opportunities, and continue to strengthen cross-border elderly care service linkages, cross-border medical collaboration, cooperation among higher education institutions, and the integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism, so as to build a livable, workable, and travel-friendly cultural Greater Bay Area. Fifth, advance the construction of major Greater Bay Area cooperation platforms such as Qianhai, Nansha, and Hengqin. Hong Kong will actively promote complementary advantages and coordinated development of these platforms, foster institutional innovation, industrial collaboration, and high-level opening-up, and accelerate the formation of a modern industrial system with international competitiveness, creating a bigger stage for enterprises and talent. For example, the government will support the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone in playing a pioneering and pilot role, and through mechanisms such as the Qualified Foreign Limited Partner (QFLP) scheme, promote Hong Kong's modern service industries in establishing a foothold in Qianhai and expanding into the mainland market. It will also encourage industry participation in Nansha's infrastructure development and mutually beneficial industrial chain cooperation, and the Hong Kong Investment Corporation will promote the establishment of startup high-tech enterprises in Nansha, among other initiatives. Hong Kong will also participate deeply in building the Greater Bay Area port cluster. Following the release of Hong Kong's first "Five-Year Plan," the next five years will be a critical period for fully unleashing synergy, cultivating new quality productive forces, and enhancing international competitiveness. Among these, the Northern Metropolis is an important engine for Hong Kong's deep participation in Greater Bay Area development. The construction of the Northern Metropolis and the Northern Metropolis University Town is being accelerated, developing the Northern Metropolis into an important platform for driving innovation and technology development, attracting high-end talent, and promoting industrial collaboration. Through alignment with the five key directions just mentioned, the Northern Metropolis University Town will not only provide higher education but also pool the strengths of industry, academia, research, and investment from various places, driving economic development and high-quality development, and achieving maximized coordinated development in the Greater Bay Area. Xie Xiaohua continued that Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantages of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world, and is the most internationalized city in the Greater Bay Area. We will attract more overseas enterprises and talent to use Hong Kong as a gateway to the Greater Bay Area market; at the same time, we will support enterprises from Greater Bay Area cities in establishing a foothold in Hong Kong and using Hong Kong's high-value-added services such as professional accounting, legal services, and listing and financing to go global, creating more development opportunities for Hong Kong professionals and young people. On the other hand, Hong Kong will actively promote Greater Bay Area opportunities and Hong Kong's important role in them through international events held in Hong Kong. At the 20th Asian Financial Forum in January next year, a dedicated Greater Bay Area session will be held for the first time, with overseas, Greater Bay Area, and local business and financial leaders invited as speakers, and representatives from Guangdong Province and Macao invited to attend. In addition, there are plans to hold a dedicated Greater Bay Area session at the Hong Kong International Innovation and Technology Expo in April next year, inviting innovation and technology enterprises and experts from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, and overseas as speakers to promote technological innovation cooperation in the Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong will continue to leverage its favorable conditions in convention and exhibition, and by holding dedicated Greater Bay Area sessions at major international forums, deepen the understanding of the Greater Bay Area among business communities and industry leaders from around the world, and build platforms to promote cooperation and exchange. Xie Xiaohua said that through new formats, we hope to tell the world the story of the Greater Bay Area on the international stage, showcase Hong Kong's unique role in Greater Bay Area development, and attract more international enterprises and talent to learn about, invest in, and establish roots in the Greater Bay Area, continuously injecting new vitality into regional development. Today's Greater Bay Area has become one of the regions with the highest degree of openness and the strongest economic vitality in the country. As an important component of the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong is both a participant and beneficiary, as well as a connector and promoter. Looking ahead, Hong Kong will continue to uphold the spirit of reform and innovation, seize national development opportunities, deepen cooperation with Greater Bay Area cities, and continue to consolidate and enhance its advantages as "four centers and one." It will also strive for innovation and move toward more directions with development potential, such as commercial aerospace, sustainable aviation fuel industrial chains, and more. These will bring unlimited business opportunities for Hong Kong and for everyone present. Hong Kong will continue to play the role of "super connector" and "super value-adder," joining hands with Greater Bay Area cities to make new and greater contributions to the country's high-quality development.