Hong Kong Economic Herald:

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, regional development strategies and major initiatives have been issued. What has been their effect? Going forward, how will the government further promote the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area?

Zhao Chenxin:

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally planned, deployed and promoted a series of major regional strategies with overall significance, including the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of the Yangtze Economic Belt, the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. In addition, a whole series of policies and systems to see the western region develop, northeast China revitalized, the central region rise, and the eastern region spearhead development have been unveiled, guiding China's coordinated regional development to historic achievements and historic changes. Specifically speaking:

First, the major regional development strategies have been advanced orderly. The top-level design of the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has been completed, with all areas of work being advanced steadily. Non-capital functions of Beijing have been gradually relieved, and a total of over 400 billion yuan have been invested in the Xiong'an New Area. The annual investment in Beijing's sub-center has reached more than 100 billion yuan. The development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt has upheld the principle of promoting well-coordinated environmental conservation and avoiding excessive development. Efforts have been sped up to deal with major environmental problems. As such, the proportion of water sections in the Yangtze River Economic Belt with good-quality water increased to 92.8%. Integrated development in the Yangtze River Delta has witnessed new momentum. Remarkable progress has been seen in developing a coordinated and innovative industrial system underpinned by the integration of scientific innovation and industrialization. Smooth progress has been made in constructing major open platforms, and new achievements have been made in ecological protection to push the green development of the region. Public services have become significantly accessible and much easier to share. More efforts have been made to accelerate the establishment of the "1+N+X" planning system regarding the ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. The plan outlines have been rolled out and implemented with stepped-up efforts. Sound progress has been achieved in the conservation and utilization of water resources.

Second, the gap has continued to narrow in regional development. The economic growth rate of the central and western regions has been higher than that of the eastern region for many consecutive years. The proportion of GDP of the central and western regions in the national total increased from 21.3% and 19.6% in 2012 to 22% and 21.1% in 2021, respectively. The economic development of the northeastern region has stabilized, and the structural adjustment has steadily advanced. In recent years, the three northeastern provinces have accounted for more than one-fifth of the country's grain output, about one-fourth of the commodity grain volume and about one-third of the grain transfer volume, with their status as China's "big grain barns" more consolidated.

Third, the revitalization of areas with special features has remained an ongoing process. All 128,000 impoverished villages and 832 designated poor counties have gotten rid of poverty; the per capita GDP in 20 key cities located in old revolutionary base areas exceeds 60,000 yuan; the resource output rate in resource-based cities has increased by more than 36%; and prosperity, stability and development in border areas have been boosted.

Regarding the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) you're concerned about, I would like to say notable progress has been made over the past five years. The "1+N" planning policy framework has been established. Great efforts have been exerted to promote the development of major cooperation platforms between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, such as Qianhai in Shenzhen, Hengqin in Zhuhai, Nansha in Guangzhou, and the Lok Ma Chau Loop. Meanwhile, the construction of the GBA into an international science and technology innovation hub is progressing steadily. We have accelerated the modernization of the industrial system and the infrastructure inter-connectivity has been enhanced. We have also deepened the convergence of rules and mechanisms. A high-quality, livable and business-friendly environment has been gradually created, and Hong Kong and Macao residents live more convenient life on the Chinese mainland.

We have always prioritized supporting Hong Kong and Macao and have continued improving the central cities' functions. At the new historical starting point, we will put focus on key areas like science and technology innovation, industrial coordination, and people's well-being improvement in line with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. We will set the pace of the construction of the major cooperation platforms of Qianhai, Hengqin, Nansha and the Lok Ma Chau Loop. We will speed up our efforts to develop the GBA into an international science and technology innovation hub and improve its spatial layout, with a focus on "two corridors" (the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong and the Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Macao science and technology innovation corridors) and "two points" (the Lok Ma Chau Loop, which occupies a strategic location on the border of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and Hengqin, which is next door to Macao). We will promote the integrated development of the GBA in an orderly manner, improve and upgrade the functions of its world-class airport and port clusters, and enhance the development and sharing of public services. In short, we will develop a world-class bay area and build a role model of high-quality development. We will fully support Hong Kong and Macao in participating in the building of the GBA, and consolidating their international competitive advantages, therefore enabling them to gain broader development space and constant impetus for growth from the overall national development.