Construction of the Greater Bay Area delivers a qualified answer sheet

Building a vibrant and internationally competitive first-class bay area and world-class city cluster is the long-term development goal of the Greater Bay Area and a national strategic need. Always serving the national strategy is the core requirement for the construction of the Greater Bay Area, and it is also the guarantee for the success of the construction of the Greater Bay Area.

Zhang Yuge [Director of Institute of Hong Kong, Macao and Regional Development, China (Shenzhen) Comprehensive Development Research Institute

Building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a major national strategy personally planned, deployed and promoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping. The 12th Party Congress of the province, especially since the 19th Party Congress, under the guidance of the General Secretary and the Party Central Committee, and with the joint efforts of the governments and societies of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the comprehensive strength of the Greater Bay Area has been significantly enhanced, cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao has become deeper, and the people of the three places have gained a fuller sense of satisfaction. the total economic volume of the Greater Bay Area will be about RMB 12.6 trillion in 2021, an increase of about RMB 2.4 trillion compared with 2017; the number of enterprises entering the World 25 of the top 500 enterprises, 8 more than in 2017.

Looking ahead, the Greater Bay Area has a sacred mission and great responsibilities in the process of "grasping the new development stage, implementing the new development concept, and building a new development pattern", and needs to speed up the comprehensive bearing function of national strategies based on national development needs.

The construction of Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and the Great Bay Area is off to a good start with remarkable results

To promote the construction of the Greater Bay Area, the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have set up corresponding institutions. Guangdong Province and the nine cities in the Greater Bay Area have set up the Leading Group for Promoting the Construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and its office; the Hong Kong SAR Government has set up the Steering Committee on the Construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, chaired by the Chief Executive, and established the Office for the Development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau; the Macao SAR Government has set up the Committee on Integration into National Development, chaired by the Chief Executive, and the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau. The Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau provides the administrative, technical and logistical support necessary for its operation. The existing decision-making and implementation mechanisms have laid a solid foundation for the development of the Greater Bay Area in depth. Guangdong Province and municipalities focus on implementation by preparing specific annual work points and three-year action plans (programs). Under the leadership of the Central Government's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Construction Group, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have jointly promoted the construction of the Greater Bay Area to a new level.

The pace of innovation has accelerated. In the context of major changes in the global political and economic landscape, the importance and urgency of science and technology innovation has come to the fore. Over the past five years, the pace of science and technology innovation in the Greater Bay Area has accelerated around the construction of science and technology innovation centers and comprehensive national science centers and industrial development. Policies to encourage basic and applied basic research have been introduced one after another, large scientific devices have been put into operation, the quantity and quality of higher education institutions have been simultaneously improved, new R&D institutions have emerged in large numbers, the construction process of various science and technology innovation platforms at all levels has been accelerated, support for innovation and entrepreneurship of young people in Hong Kong and Macao has been continuously increased, the industrial innovation support system has been gradually improved, and the effect of innovation clusters has been remarkable.

The degree of openness is enhanced. The implementation of a greater scope, wider areas, deeper opening up to the outside world is an important way and means to enhance China's comprehensive competitiveness. In the past five years, in the international context of economic globalization shifting to regional integration and the rise of trade protectionism, the Greater Bay Area has steadfastly promoted and enhanced openness. The biggest highlight is to promote the convergence of rules and mechanisms of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and to promote the deep convergence of rules and mechanisms in specific areas, and to achieve convergence with international economic and trade rules by docking with Hong Kong and Macao. Among them, there is a major breakthrough in the recognition of professional qualifications, employment field liberalization, mutual recognition of standards system and other service trade rules convergence and docking.

Regional synergy is strengthened. In the past five years, the construction of the Greater Bay Area has actively promoted the city circle and metropolitan area strategy, and actively promoted the regional synergy under "one country, two systems". The integration process of the nine cities in the Greater Bay Area has been effective, the regional transportation infrastructure planning and construction process has been accelerated, the integration of the two metropolitan areas of Guangzhou and Shenzhen has been deepened, the linkage between the east and west sides of the Pearl River has been strengthened, and the industrial chain, supply chain and innovation chain of the nine cities have become closer. The enhancement of the level of integration of the nine cities in the Greater Bay Area has created favorable conditions and laid a good foundation for enhancing the regional synergy and level of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as enhancing the overall advantages and competitiveness of the region.

The cooperation platform system is taking shape. In the past five years, Shenzhen Qianhai, Guangzhou Nansha, Zhuhai Hengqin and other major platforms for cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have made innovations and breakthroughs, especially the "Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone Construction Master Plan" and "Comprehensively deepen the reform and opening up of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone", which inject new momentum and new vitality into the construction of the Greater Bay Area. Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone in the Loop, Dongguan Binhai Bay and other Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperation platform construction programs to speed up the preparation and successive introduction. In addition, a number of provincial cooperation platforms are also in the process of research and demonstration or preparation of construction programs. Multi-level and diversified cooperation platform system of the Greater Bay Area has taken initial shape.

The construction of a quality living area is in full swing. The construction of a quality living area for living, working and travelling is a concentrated expression of the "people-oriented" development concept. In the past five years, the Greater Bay Area has been fully engaged in education, talents, humanities, leisure, employment and entrepreneurship, medical and health care, social security and social governance, ecological civilization construction and other areas closely related to the people's livelihood, with relevant policies being introduced one after another and key projects being accelerated. In particular, the importance and necessity of building a quality living area in the Greater Bay Area has been fully demonstrated in such areas as common control of epidemics and mutual synergy.

In the past five years, under the severe impact of major epidemics, the accelerated evolution of the century-old changes, the complex and severe external environment and the major pressures of contracting demand, supply shocks and weakening expectations, the construction of the Greater Bay Area still delivered a qualified answer sheet and a beautiful report card.

Accelerate the comprehensive bearing function of the national strategy of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area

Building a vibrant and internationally competitive first-class bay area and world-class city cluster is the long-term development goal of the Greater Bay Area and a national strategic need. Always serve the national strategy as the core, is the basic requirement for the construction of the Great Bay Area, but also to ensure the success of the construction of the Great Bay Area.

The 13th Party Congress of Guangdong Province will be held soon, the construction of the Bay Area will also enter a new phase of accelerated development. The next step should highlight the "five firsts" to accelerate the enhancement of the national strategy of comprehensive bearing function.

First, take the lead in building a new development pattern. The construction of a new development pattern with the main domestic circulation, domestic and international double circulation to promote each other is not only a national strategy, but also a national strategy. Large countries can not be overly dependent on external factor resources, especially not dependent on a single country, so as not to be blackmailed, "card neck". The Great Bay Area is an important tool for China to cope with the century-old changes, and has comprehensive advantages in opening up the "double cycle". Based on national strategic needs, we should focus on building the Greater Bay Area as an important strategic node in the new development pattern, and provide experience for other regions.

Second, take the lead in promoting institutional openness. One of the key points in building a new development pattern is to implement a high level of opening up to the outside world, especially to steadily expand system-based opening such as rules, regulations, management and standards. Systematic opening involves systemic reform and rule convergence, more extensive and systematic, more "within the border" and "rule-oriented", is a major strategy for China to participate deeply in the reform of the global governance system and enhance the right to speak. The Greater Bay Area has a natural openness "gene", should take the lead in promoting systemic opening, accelerate the establishment of a common market, and further promote the flow of factors, standards docking, mutual recognition of qualifications and other institutional innovation, to become an open highland to break the international economic and trade barriers.

Third, we should take the lead in building a unified market. The second focus of building a new development pattern is to build a unified large market. The key tasks are to strengthen the unification of market-based system rules, promote the high standard of market facilities connectivity, create a unified factors and resources market, promote a high level of unification of goods and services market, promote fair and unified market supervision, regulate inappropriate market competition and market intervention, etc. In essence, building a unified big market is a comprehensive deepening of reform, which is of great significance. The central government has requested that regions such as the Greater Bay Area give priority to the construction of regional market integration. The Greater Bay Area has the responsibility to take the lead in building a unified regional market and provide experience for the whole country to learn from.

Fourth, it is the first to explore high-quality development. One of the important goals of the Greater Bay Area is to "create a model of high-quality development. High-quality development is reflected in all aspects of economic development. For example, it will accelerate the advanced industrial base and modernization of the industrial chain in the Greater Bay Area to promote high-quality industrial development; it will deeply participate in market competition in developed economies and promote high-quality development of market players by "competing" with experts; it will focus on scientific and technological innovation, gather top international high-end scientific and technological innovation resources, accelerate scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, strengthen the development of new To focus on science and technology innovation, gather top international high-end science and technology innovation resources, accelerate science and technology self-reliance and self-improvement, strengthen new development momentum, enhance development capacity and international competitiveness, and promote high-quality development of science and technology innovation. In this regard, the Greater Bay Area is duty-bound to do so.

Five is the first to promote the "one country, two systems" new practice. The construction of the Greater Bay Area is to promote the integration of Hong Kong and Macao into the overall development of the country, to maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao major initiatives. General Secretary Xi stressed that "the implementation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area construction is a major plan based on the overall situation and the long term, but also to maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, Macao, a major decision." The construction of the Greater Bay Area should further strengthen the importance of "one country, two systems", focus on responding to the aspirations of Hong Kong and Macao residents, formulate targeted policies for different groups, pragmatically promote cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, promote the convergence of rules and mechanisms with Hong Kong and Macao in a rule of law and market-oriented manner, implement the rules of Hong Kong and Macao in specific areas, promote rules in education, medical care and other fields The government should also support the development of young people from Hong Kong and Macao in cities in the Greater Bay Area, implement "equal treatment" for Hong Kong and Macao residents in the Greater Bay Area, promote judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and improve the level of judicial assistance in civil and commercial matters among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.