DEPUTIES and political advisers from Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao attending the country’s annual legislative and political consultative sessions are calling for an acceleration in both “hard connectivity” through infrastructure development and “soft connectivity” through alignment of regulatory mechanisms in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to unlock the full potential of the GBA and ensure its continued success, Dute News reported.

Wu Yihuan, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and vice chairwoman of the CPPCC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, advocated for the establishment of a GBA Alliance for Government, Industry, Academia, Research, Research Application, and Capital.

“Future industries are the frontier of innovation and will shape our economic landscape. By fostering an innovation network that harnesses technology, education, and capital, we can propel the development of new productive forces,” Wu said.

New productive forces refer to advanced productivity freed from traditional economic growth models. President Xi Jinping first proposed the concept during an inspection and research trip in Northeast China in September 2023.

Wu highlighted the concerted efforts of GBA cities in building an internationally renowned science and technology innovation hub and emphasized the need for sustained investment in technological transformation and innovation.

She proposed exploring a collaborative mechanism between central and local finance authorities to establish joint R&D foundations and incubation platforms. Additionally, she suggested implementing policies such as rewards for technological achievement transformation and equity dividends to further incentivize sustainable investment in technology.

“Each university in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao possesses distinct strengths,” Wu noted when suggesting enhanced cooperation among GBA universities in education and research. She emphasized the importance of sharing academic resources and facilities to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Huang Xiqin, a deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC), suggested a partnership between Shenzhen and Guangzhou to develop a pilot zone for scientific, innovation, and financial reforms. This collaboration, he envisions, will bolster the “dual-city linkage” and establish a comprehensive financial service ecosystem supporting technology-based enterprises throughout the industrial chain.

Chang Juping, another NPC deputy and deputy director of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, lauded Shenzhen’s efforts in facilitating cross-border medical practice and advocated for simplifying qualification criteria and procedures for Hong Kong and Macao health-care professionals. He proposed Shenzhen as a pilot city for streamlining these processes and urged for the establishment of an information-sharing mechanism to enhance collaboration between medical practitioners in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Nie Zhuqing, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, called for the planning of a Shenzhen-Nanning High-speed Railway and a Shenzhen-Heyuan High-speed Railway to enhance GBA connectivity.

Despite not being included in the country’s construction plan, Nie emphasized the potential of these railways to drive development in western Guangdong and forge direct links with the city cluster in the Yangtze River Delta region.

(Han Ximin)