Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng visited Guangdong’s provincial capital Guangzhou yesterday to meet the province’s top leaders where he pledged that Macau will continue to strengthen cooperation with Guangdong on intensively pushing ahead with Hengqin’s development, according to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday.
Ho headed a delegation consisting of top local officials for a one-day trip to Guangzhou yesterday where both sides exchanged views on further promoting Guangdong-Macau cooperation as well as the development of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Ho met with Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee Secretary Huang Kunming and Guangdong Governor Wang Weizhong.
According to the GCS statement, Ho said during the meeting that Macau had entered a new stage of its economic recovery and development last year when his government implemented various measures to promote economic growth and expand the sources of visitors, contributing to a rapid economic recovery.
Ho said that his government was pushing ahead with its “1+4” appropriate economic diversification campaign, adding that Macau will continue to join hands with Guangdong to develop the in-depth cooperation zone, with the aim of constantly giving new impetus to Macau’s continuous development and better serving the nation’s overall development.
The Macau government’s 1+4 model aims to consolidate and diversify the development of the city’s tourism and leisure industry while putting special emphasis on promoting the development of four nascent industries, namely 1) big health, 2) modern finance, 3) high-tech, and 4) MICE and commerce as well as culture and sport.
Ho noted that Macau celebrates the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland this year when the first-phase development goals of the in-depth cooperation zone are scheduled to be achieved, according to the statement.
The chief executive also pledged that Macau will firmly grasp the opportunities created by the GBA development and maintain close communication and cooperation with Guangdong on various aspects.
Macau will continue to work with Guangdong to promote enhanced connection of infrastructure between two sides, Ho said, adding that Macau will place special emphasis on industrial technology, financial openness, and cultural and sport tourism in its cooperation with Guangdong, according to the statement.
Ho underlined that Macau’s participation in the in-depth cooperation zone’s development has been one of his government’s most important tasks, adding that Macau will continue to firmly implement President Xi Jinping’s important instructions for Guangdong-Macau’s cooperation on developing Hengqin.
Ho pledged that Macau will work closely with Guangdong to ensure the smooth operation of Hengqin’s new “first-tier, second-tier” customs arrangements, which will start on Friday, the statement said.
Ho said that his government will give full play to the advantages created by the two-tier customs arrangements with the aim of enabling Macau to make “concrete” achievements in its appropriate economic diversification campaign.
GBA to become world-class bay area: Huang
During his meeting with Ho, according to the GCS statement, Huang expressed his gratitude to Macau for its long-term strong support to Guangdong’s socioeconomic development.
Huang said that under the strong leadership of Xi and the CPC Central Committee, Guangdong and Macau have been working closely to make achievements in a number of cooperation projects, such as last year’s commencement of the implementation of the current “Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles” policy that allows Macau cars to travel to the mainland, and last year’s completion of Hengqin’s Macau New Neighbourhood (MNN) residential project.
According to the statement, Huang said that the GBA is now more and more intensively covered by the high-speed railway network, facilitating the movement of production factors and resources in the area. Huang also noted that Macau marks the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland this year when it is also the 5th anniversary of the launch of the GBA Outline Development Plan.
Huang pledged that Guangdong will continue to closely cooperate with Macau on promoting the GBA development and the high-quality development of Hengqin, with the aim of promoting Macau’s appropriate economic diversification drive and enabling the nation’s development strategies to fully get off the ground.
According to the statement, Huang pledged that the Guangdong authorities will work intensively to develop the GBA into a world-class bay area endowed with high-level development. Huang also said that Guangdong will work to enable the in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin to become a regional cooperation zone with Chinese characteristics demonstrating the advantages of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
In addition to Wang, several senior members from the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and officials from the provincial government also attended the meeting.
Other members of Ho’s delegation to visit Guangzhou yesterday comprised Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário, and Ho’s chief-of-cabinet Hoi Lai Fong.
Ho and his entourage returned to Macau yesterday evening.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (left) shakes hands with Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee Secretary Huang Kunming during their meeting in Guangzhou yesterday. – Photo: GCS
