Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has reaffirmed that advancement of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) conurbation project will always be at the forefront of the local government’s work, according to a statement released by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) this week.
Ho also pledged that Macau will make an all-out effort to support the strategic decisions taken by the central authorities' Leading Group for the Development of the GBA.
Ho made the remarks during a meeting of the Leading Group in Guangzhou on Thursday.
During the meeting Vice Premier Han Zheng gave instructions on the major work required to advance the GBA project, the GCS statement said.
Han, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC), heads the Leading Group for the Development of the GBA.
The GBA comprises nine cities in Guangdong province and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
In his remarks delivered at the meeting, Ho expressed his gratitude for the support and care for Macau conveyed by Han, as well as that from ministries and departments of the Central People's Government.
Ho pointed out that the country’s 14th Five Year Plan covers a crucial period in which Macau can integrate itself further into the nation's development, adding that the plan has created fresh momentum for local initiatives.
The chief executive also underlined that Macau is formulating is 2nd Five-Year Development Plan, which runs from 2021 to 2025. The plan will be compiled in line with the need for the GBA's high-quality development, as outlined in the central government's 14th Five Year Plan.
Ho stressed that it will also be in line with Macau’s strategic positioning as a world centre of tourism and leisure, as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and as a multi-cultural exchange and cooperation base with an emphasis on Chinese culture (collectively known as "the centre, platform, and base policies").
Macau’s 2nd Five-Year Development Plan will focus on how to facilitate adequate economic diversification, and how to promote comprehensive development concerning livelihood issues faced by Macau residents, Ho emphasised.
Regarding the future development of the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone planned for Hengqin, the Macau government will devote further effort to realise the aspirations raised by President Xi Jinping in a string of key speeches, and to implement comprehensively and precisely the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, Ho said.
Once the overall development plan for the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin Island is published, Macau will work even more closely with the Guangdong provincial government and Zhuhai municipal government, in pressing ahead with the project.
Guangdong CPC Provincial Committee Secretary Li Xi, the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) Director Xia Baolong, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and other members of the Leading Group also attended the one-day meeting.
Vice Premier Han Zheng (right) meets with Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng after a meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou on Thursday. Photo: GCS
