Hong Kong’s global gateway role ‘irreplaceable’, nation’s top legislature says
Beijing will offer more support for city’s participation in bay area development, NPC spokesman Lou Qinjian says
The nation’s top legislature has recognised Hong Kong’s “irreplaceable” role as the country’s gateway to the rest of the world, pledging to conduct more studies to promote future Greater Bay Area development.
As political elites gathered in Beijing for the annual “two sessions”, National People’s Congress (NPC) spokesman Lou Qinjian said on Tuesday the central government would offer more support for the participation of Hong Kong and Macau in the development of the bay area.
“Hong Kong and Macau have been an important window for our country’s opening up,” he said. “They have unique positions and made significant contributions in the more than 40 years of reform and opening up. Their roles are irreplaceable.”
The bay area, a national development blueprint combining Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities into a new economic powerhouse, will mark its sixth anniversary this year.
Lou said the bay area had enjoyed continued improvement in infrastructure connectivity, policy alignment and connections among people.
He stated the area’s total economic output had climbed to more than 14 trillion yuan (US$1.9 trillion) in the past five years, with the “one-hour living circle” evolving from vision to reality as the flow of goods, capital and people became more convenient.