Participants of the parallel session on the Development of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Today, nine parallel sessions were held at the 9th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, including the one on Development of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, wherein many of the guests shared their pioneering insight into the topics. These parallel sessions played a pivot role in promoting Macao’s participation in the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In addition, at this year's forum, business meetings and matching sessions for Macao and the Mainland’s enterprises were arranged. Some enterprises spoke highly of these meetings about being beneficial to connecting Macao and the Mainland’s enterprises and helping them to seize the opportunities arising from the Belt and Road infrastructure projects.
At the parallel session on the Development of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Zhang Jinwen, Engineering Director of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority, Lu Huaying, Senior Engineer of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority, Gao Jibing, Deputy Chief Engineer of Island Tunnel Work for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge; Yang Yi, Engineering Advisor cum Deputy Director of AURP; Lao Chi Ngai, member of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao Special Administrative Region and Director of the Strategy and Planning Office of the University of Macau; Yang Xiuyou, Deputy Director of the General Office of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, and Raymond Yip, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council were invited to be keynote speakers.
After seven years of construction, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will soon be opened. As the longest sea bridge in the world, it has achieved a number of breakthroughs in various areas including technological innovation, equipment manufacturing, and cross-border project management and coordination, drawing worldwide attention. With the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will serve as a cross-border channel linking Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, further supporting the integration and economic growth of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Also, it will further enhance the hardware facilities for the convention and exhibition industry of Macao, allowing Macao to give full play to its role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. At the forum, Dr. Lao Chi Ngai, member of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao Special Administrative Region cum Director of the Strategy and Planning Office of the University of Macao, said, Macao boasts multiple unique advantages in participating in the national development strategies, such as "One Country, Two Systems", "Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries", global trade network, and network of returned overseas Chinese, and so on. With a solid foundation of the infrastructure industry, Macao should seize the institutional opportunities, bring the role of the China-PSC platform into full play, and unite enterprises in the Greater Bay Area to "go global" together.
Furthermore, the exchange meetings between enterprises from Macao and Mainland China were arranged during the event. A total of 13 representatives of the co-organisers of the forum from Macao, including local governmental departments, business and industrial sector, overseas Chinese community, financial sector, construction industry, and other organisations, and more than 20 enterprises from Mainland China engaging in construction, environmental protection, equipment, energy and peripheral industrial chains exchanged their views at the exchange meetings. Nearly 50 participants attended the forum. President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute Jackson Chang said at the forum that central government-owned enterprises enjoy the advantages of being the leader of industrial innovation, concentrated talent and capital, and huge network of institutions. While Macao serving as the platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the strengths of central government-owned enterprises and the unique advantages of Macao can be organically combined to jointly open up the international markets including those ones in Portuguese-speaking countries, and strengthen bilateral international trade and investment co-operation to create opportunities.
Some Macao enterprises believe that Macao has its own advantages in joining the development of the Belt and Road. ASEAN and Portuguese-speaking countries boast language, legal professionals and human resources, and hope to work hand in hand with enterprises from Mainland China to harness even more business opportunities through the IIICF. Some enterprises from Mainland China gave feedback that they had achieved good results at the 9th IIICF and that the forum had effectively helped enterprises from Mainland China and Macao to understand the advantages of each other, inspiring them to enhance investigation and research in the future to gain more co-operation opportunities.
