Published : 2023-08-20
From the concept of cross-regional cooperation to a major national strategy, when did the idea of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) emerge? And what are its key milestones?
GBA Major Events｜First included in national documents in 2015
The construction of the Greater Bay Area initially was a cross-region cooperation concept among Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao.
In 2005, the Guangdong Provincial Government proposed in the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration Coordinated Development Plan to delineate "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cross-boundary Cooperation and Development Areas" and called for incorporating the development of the "Bay Area" into significant action plans.
In 2008, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) proposed in The Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta to support the three regions of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao in planning and implementing the "Greater Bay Area" action plan around the Pearl River Estuary, which is the "Pearl River Estuary Greater Bay Area."
However, this plan was ultimately shelved, which was regarded as the prototype of the Greater Bay Area.
The concept of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area first appeared in a national document in 2015.
China released the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, promoting the "Belt and Road" construction with an open stance, and proposed to "build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Big Bay Area."
GBA Major Events｜Included as a national strategy in 2017
In 2016, the Greater Bay Area was included in the national 13th Five-Year Plan and the State Council's Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Cooperation of the Pan Pearl River Delta Region.
During the "Two Sessions" in March 2017, the Greater Bay Area was first mentioned in the State Council Government Work Report, which proposed to "promote the integrated cooperation between the Mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, and study and formulate the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster."
This is recognised as a milestone event marking the elevation of the Greater Bay Area to a national strategy.
On July 1, 2017, marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, the National Development and Reform Commission and the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao signed the Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area in Hong Kong, under the witness of President Xi Jinping.
This action initiated the construction of the Greater Bay Area at the national level.
From 2017 to the present, the Report on the Work of the Government has mentioned the construction of the Greater Bay Area for nine years.
GBA Major Events｜Establishment of the leading group in 2018
In 2018, the leading group of the Greater Bay Area was formally established, responsible for the construction matters of the Greater Bay Area.
In August of the same year, the first plenary meeting was held, chaired by then Vice Premier of the State Council Han Zheng, with then Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam and then Chief Executive of Macao Fernando Chui as members of the group.
This is also the first time that the Chief Executives of Hong Kong and Macao have been included in the central decision-making organisation.
GBA Major Events｜Launch of "Outline Development Plan" in 2019
In February 2019, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (The Outline Plan) was officially released, defining the strategic positioning, development objectives, and spatial layout of the Greater Bay Area initiative.
The plan outlined seven key development areas, including building an international innovation and technology hub and enhancing infrastructure connectivity. As the top-level design for the Greater Bay Area, this document marked the beginning of the comprehensive implementation phase of the construction.
Thus, together with the strategies for "Coordinated Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region," "Yangtze River Economic Belt" "Integrated Regional Development of the Yangtze River Delta" and "Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development of the Yellow River Basin", China's five major regional development strategy systems were officially established.
GBA Major Events｜Three Major Platform Plans in 2021
The Outline Plan clarifies that Hengqin in Zhuhai, Qianhai inf Shenzhen, and Nansha in Guangzhou are major cooperation platforms in the Greater Bay Area, bearing the experimental and demonstration task of promoting opening and cooperation.
In 2021, the State Council issued the Construction Plan for the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin (Hengqin Plan) and the Overall Plan for Comprehensively Deepening the Reform and Opening-up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone (Qianhai Plan).
In 2022, it issued the Overall Plan for Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Comprehensive Cooperation Facing the World in Nansha, Guangzhou (Nansha Plan).
The "Hengqin Plan" mainly focuses on serving Macao and promoting the moderate diversification of Macao's economy by introducing a batch of supportive policies.
The "Qianhai Plan" focuses on supporting the development of Hong Kong, emphasising "expansion" and "reform and opening-up," including the expansion of Qianhai cooperation zone, supporting Hong Kong youth to start businesses in Qianhai, and deepening Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation such as modern finance and technology services.
The "Nansha Plan," on the other hand, highlights "comprehensive cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao" and "facing the world."
The implementation of these three major cooperation platform plans is regarded as a new milestone in the construction of the Greater Bay Area.
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