​Greater Bay Area to offer vast opportunities for HK,Macao: political advisers

Rita Fan Hsu Lai Tai,deputy with China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress and former president of Hong Kong's Legislative Council. [Photo: Chinaplus]

National lawmakers and political advisors attending the "two sessions" in Beijing have shared their insights into the Greater Bay Area, which joins Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao, saying it can become a major new economic driver for the country.

Deputies from Hong Kong and Macao have pointed to the huge potential for economic development in the Greater Bay Area. 

Rita Fan Hsu Lai Tai is a deputy with China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress, or NPC. She's also the former president of Hong Kong's Legislative Council. 

She says the Greater Bay Area development strategy will help Hong Kong to deal with many challenges, especially some issues concerning the livelihood of local residents. 

"Looking into the future, we will have high-speed railways and motorways. When the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge opens to traffic, a "one-hour life circle" will be established to help commuters travel from one place to another in the area within one hour. More services for the elderly will be provided, and nursing homes could be built within the circle. For young people who want to live in the circle, the one-hour drive allows them to live in Shenzhen while working in Hong Kong. We hope to help young people in Hong Kong to solve their housing problems. "

66 million residents live in the Greater Bay Area, which covers 9 cities in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. 

The ambitious plan aims to build a world-class city cluster like the ones in New York, Tokyo, and San Francisco.

The area is also expected to become a science and technology innovation center, as China heads towards further reform of its industrial economy.  

Kenneth Fok Kai-kong is a member of China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and vice president of the Fok Ying Tung Group. He says that young people need to be open-minded when it comes to looking for new opportunities. 

"I think it's important for young people to have the right mindset about the Bay Area. It's not just thinking about [only] Hong Kong, you know. Everyone thinks "I'm from Hong Kong", "I'm from Macao", "I'm from Guangzhou", but let's all think that we are from the Bay Area. If we can change our mindset, I think then you automatically open yourself up to a lot of opportunities."

He also suggests that more interesting events could be used to attract young talents and to make them aware of the opportunities that are available.

Wu Xiaoli is an NPC deputy from Macao. She notes that as well as encouraging economic growth, the Greater Bay Area project will help improve social services in Macao. 

"Besides the economic development, the initiative will also be conducive to the development of social services in Macao, through its interaction with other regions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Macao is small and has limited human resources. As I work in social services sector, I believe that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area initiative has a great potential for the development of social services."

Officials from Guangdong Province have said that plan for developing the Greater Bay Area will soon be released.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is the signature project of the Greater Bay Area. The main structure of the bridge was completed in July last year, and it is expected to open to traffic later this year.