Deputies of the National People's Congress (NPC) from Macao recently convened to deliberate on the forging of cooperation between Macao and Zhuhai in Guangdong Province, during the ongoing annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body in Beijing.

Zhuhai.[File photo]

Confronting land limits and insufficient human resources, Macao is expected to enhance cooperation with its neighbor Hengqin, a 106-square-kilometer isle in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.

Hengqin is three times the size of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the cooperation between the two regions is aimed at building an integrated economic belt. This kindled the interest of the deputies of the National People's Congress (NPC) from Macao during a recent panel discussion at the ongoing "two sessions" – the annual sessions of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the National Committee of the CPPCC, China's top political advisory body.

The geographical conditions of Zhuhai's Wanzai Port have facilitated the cooperation between Macao and Guangdong Province. Riding on the tide of the 13th Five-Year Plan which starts this year, the regions flanking at either side of the river will intensify economic cooperation for common interests, mutual benefits and comprehensive prosperity, said Chui Sai Peng, an NPC deputy and member of the Legislative Assembly of Macao SAR.

Coinciding with Macao's plan to transform the region into a global resort center, Guangdong Province has also carried out a blueprint for building a tourism industry following international standards. Chui proposed complete research in the transport sector by making full use of adjacent airports and coordinating the operation of maritime, land and aviation facilities directly after the launch of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao Bridge.

Io Hong Meng, an NPC deputy and director of the General Union of the Macao Neighborhood Association, also highlighted transportation as a key aspect of enhancing communication between Macao and Zhuhai.

Hardware and software services for transport between Macao and Hengqin should be improved for the convenience of vehicles coming from the SAR, Io said.

Multitudes of laws and security regulations are expected to be well prepared for the smooth operation of Hengqin Customs which is scheduled to tackle the random visits of hundreds of thousands of vehicles from Macao.

"Without considerable hardware and software services provided by Hengqin Customs, the place could hardly afford these visits even with one-tenth of the number of total vehicles from Macao,"?Io said.

Despite his worries regarding the rising trend of integration between Macao and Zhuhai, Io revealed a positive view point concerning the development of Hengqin New Area, which, according to the deputy, has made certain contributions to diversifying economic development in Macao. He also advised relevant departments of the Zhuhai government to increase the frequency of communication with Macao.

Rong Yong'en, an NPC deputy and vice director of the Women's Federation in Macao, said that the progress of Guangdong-Macao cooperation has, in recent years, resulted in a massive increase of Macao residents seeking jobs, settling down or investing in the neighboring areas of Zhuhai.

Last year, residents in Macao paid 26 million visits to the exit and entry administration between the SAR and the Chinese mainland, averaging roughly 70,000 visits per day.

More than 10,000 people commuted between Macao and Zhuhai last year for jobs or schooling and the figure is expected to grow this year.

"There is a huge demand for Macao residents who intend to look for jobs or settlement in the neighboring areas. But they are still reluctant due to worries over the resulting inconvenience of the different systems and uncoordinated policy mechanisms," Rong said.

Therefore, the deputy proposed that the governments from the two sides should encourage the implementation of preferential policies to speed up the improvement of social administrations and public services, making them consistent and well arranged. They should also improve healthcare and cultural amenities to improve the living conditions of migrant Macao residents so that cooperation between Guangdong and Macao can be actually achieved, the deputy added.

By 2015, Zhuhai had attracted 1,414 projects from Macao with investment capital totaling US$4.18 billion. The figures respectively took up 42.9 percent of the total number of the projects and 11.9 percent of local investments.