A high-profile delegation of consular officials and business leaders from Hong Kong embarked on a tour of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on Tuesday, aiming to explore the region’s rapid development as a global economic powerhouse and Hong Kong’s pivotal role in its expansion.

With the theme “Revisiting the Greater Bay Area to Embrace New Opportunities”, the four-day trip will take the delegation through Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai, with stops at key development platforms such as Qianhai, Nansha, and Hengqin.

The tour was organized by the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

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At the launch ceremony on Tuesday morning, Commissioner Cui Jianchun highlighted the itinerary, which includes firsthand insights into cutting-edge sectors like autonomous driving, biotechnology, and smart agriculture.

Participants will visit leading firms such as Tencent and Medprin Biotech, and attend policy briefings by Guangdong officials.

Cui underscored the Greater Bay Area’s immense potential to drive Hong Kong’s prosperity and attract global investment, encouraging participants to explore collaborative opportunities. He noted the 11-city cluster’s remarkable progress since 2017 — when the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao signed a framework agreement to jointly promote the overall development of the region — with its GDP now reaching $2 trillion, rivaling the Tokyo bay area and surpassing the New York and San Francisco bay areas.

Home to 87 million people and bolstered by world-class infrastructure like the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link and Huangmaohai Bridge, the Greater Bay Area is poised to become the world’s leading bay area economy by 2026, Cui said. He emphasized the region’s strengths in innovation, advanced manufacturing, and the green economy, supported by a deep talent pool and robust intellectual property capabilities.

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Cui also highlighted the synergy within the region, positioning Hong Kong as a superconnector that leverages its “one country, two systems” advantage to facilitate trade, finance, and professional services. At the same time, deeper integration with Guangdong’s industrial chains and consumer markets opens new avenues for Hong Kong’s economic growth, he added.

The delegation will learn about Shenzhen’s development through multiple site visits on Tuesday, and head to Guangzhou on Wednesday.

Contact the writer at lilei@chinadailyhk.com