The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, delivers a speech at the 2022 Global Investment Promotion Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area via video link.
The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, today highlighted Macao’s dedicated effort regarding pressing ahead with the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. This was in order to help fulfil the city’s new mission in terms of complementing development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Mr Ho was delivering a speech via video link, during the 2022 Global Investment Promotion Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Opening ceremony of the Conference took place in Nansha, Guangdong Province. The two-day Conference features a briefing session on policies relating to investment in the Greater Bay Area and a themed session. This first-ever large-scale global investment promotion event for the Greater Bay Area is being organised jointly by the Guangdong Government, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region.
In his speech, Mr Ho mentioned that the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China had laid a clear path for the Greater Bay Area. The 2022 Global Investment Promotion Conference provided an excellent opportunity for the world to understand better the strength and potential of the Greater Bay Area. Being able to attract a greater number of renowned investors drawn from around the world would carry great significance in terms of creating a world-class Greater Bay Area, he added.
Macao had always been seeking actively to seize opportunities from the Greater Bay Area, fully demonstrating the city’s advantages arising from the “One country, two systems” principle, and Macao’s role as a free trade port and as a separate customs territory, said Mr Ho. Macao had closely adhered to its strategic positioning relating to “One Centre, One Platform, and One Base”, while actively aligning with the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan.
Macao had also dedicated further effort to enhancing economic exchange and cooperation with economies in other places, with an aim to speed the local economic diversification effort. The Cooperation Zone in Hengqin was not only a new mission for Macao in terms of taking part in Greater Bay Area development, but also a new platform for Macao’s adequate economic diversification. Macao and Guangdong would maintain close ties, to give better play to the advantages of the Greater Bay Area and to make better use of favourable policies and measures, in order to accelerate development of the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
The Chief Executive underlined that Macao’s connecting role with the Portuguese-speaking countries would also be beneficial for other Greater Bay Area cities wishing to explore opportunities available in those countries. In addition, Macao would step up effort to advance its functions as a multiple-culture exchange and cooperation base with an emphasis on Chinese culture, added Mr Ho.
Currently, Macao had been devoting utmost effort to speeding economic recovery, said Mr Ho. There had been great effort made to realise Macao’s position as a world centre of tourism and leisure, with pledges for the enriched development of the integrated tourism and leisure industry. There had also been dedication to boosting development for four key industries, namely “Big Health”; modern financial services; high and new technology; and exhibitions and conventions, plus commerce and trade, and culture and sports. That made up the “1+4” strategy for advancing local adequate economic diversification, said the Chief Executive.
Mr Ho extended a general invitation to enterprises to set up a base in Macao, in order to share in the benefits arising from development of the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and of the Greater Bay Area.