The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), organised the "GoGBA Development Day – New Opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) under the National 15th Five-Year Plan" today (October 29).
Featuring keynote speeches by official bodies from Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao, thematic panel discussions from industry representatives and a business matching and networking session, the event aimed to facilitate participating enterprises in understanding the policy directions and business opportunities under the National 15th Five-Year Plan and Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan. It also explored how businesses can capitalise on the strengths of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to pursue innovation-driven development and expand into international markets. The event attracted about 430 government representatives, academics, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups from the three places, as well as industry practitioners interested in expanding their business in the GBA.
The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa; the Director General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Jinsong; and the Director of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Ms Elaine Wong, delivered keynote speeches on the new opportunities arising from GBA development under the National 15th Five-Year Plan. The Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Miss Pamela Lam, and the Executive Director of the HKTDC, Ms Sophia Chong, delivered welcome remarks respectively.
In her keynote speech, Miss Tse noted that the scope of Hong Kong's development blueprint and market scale have expanded beyond the confines of the HKSAR, establishing a strategic foothold across the three overlapping domains, namely the GBA, the overall nation, and the international market. By serving the country's needs and leveraging Hong Kong's strengths, Hong Kong can better utilise the unique advantages of "one country, two systems". She highlighted that the GBA chapter of Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan sets out five key directions, including strengthening co-operation in technological innovation; promoting the "hard connectivity" in infrastructure; fostering "soft connectivity" by deepening the alignment of rules and mechanisms; achieving "connectivity of hearts" among residents in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao; and advancing the development of the major co-operation platforms within the GBA, including Qianhai, Nansha, Hengqin and Hetao. In addition, the Northern Metropolis is an important engine for Hong Kong's deep engagement in GBA development, and the Northern Metropolis University Town will pool the strengths of industry, academia, research and investment to drive the co-ordinated development of the GBA.
Miss Tse added that Hong Kong will continue to fulfil its roles as a "super connector" and "super value-adder". On the one hand, it will attract more overseas enterprises and talent to use Hong Kong as a gateway to the GBA; on the other hand, it will assist GBA enterprises to go global by leveraging Hong Kong's high value-added services. In addition, dedicated GBA sessions at mega events such as the Asian Financial Forum and the InnoEX will be staged to tell the good stories of the GBA to the world. Looking ahead, Hong Kong will proactively explore new directions such as commercial aerospace development and the sustainable aviation fuel value chain, continue to consolidate and enhance the advantages of the "four centres and one hub", and make greater contributions to the country's high-quality development.
Addressing the economic and trade co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Mr Zhang said that, riding on the favourable wind, now is the time for co-operation. Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will join hands to open up new avenues for international trade, build new springboards for enterprises to go global, foster a new ecosystem for smart industries, and share new opportunities in the Chinese Mainland market.
Ms Wong said that Macao is proactively and comprehensively aligning with the National 15th Five-Year Plan while implementing the "1+4" strategy for appropriate economic diversification. Leveraging its role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and the advantages of Hengqin-Macao integration, Macao will assist enterprises in going global and expanding into the markets of Portuguese-speaking countries.
At the panel discussions, industry experts, academics and entrepreneurs shared their successful experiences and exchanged insights on the themes of "Capitalising on Opportunities under the National 15th Five-Year Plan: Empowering Mainland Enterprises to Go Global" and "Unlocking New Business Opportunities through AI Applications". To further facilitate exchanges and expand collaboration networks among participants, a business matching and networking session was also organised. Supporting partners from Hong Kong and other GBA cities provided on-site one-on-one consultation services to SMEs and start-ups, providing advice on business development and operations in the GBA.
For more information about the development of the GBA, please visit the dedicated website www.bayarea.gov.hk/en/.
Oct292026