Cross-border connectivity ‘to top agenda’ of efforts to link Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area
- Insider says talks between Beijing’s top man in Hong Kong and Guangdong officials produce push for stronger connections along lines of infrastructure, rules and regulations
- ‘More measures will be launched to make sure the people and goods flow even more smoothly,’ source adds
Beijing’s top official in Hong Kong and the Chinese Communist Party chief for Guangdong province have agreed to make boosting cross-border connectivity a “main priority” in the wider effort to link the city and the rest of the Greater Bay Area, the Post has learned.
A source who was briefed on the matter told the Post on Friday that the meeting would lay the groundwork for Beijing’s further deliberations on connectivity proposals, including the return of a multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents to Hong Kong and discussions on extending service hours at border crossings for festive breaks.
But officials at the meeting did not go into extensive details about the proposals, the insider said.
A mainland Chinese media outlet earlier quoted provincial party chief Huang Kunming as saying he hoped Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong would continue to guide and support measures that improved the “hard connectivity” of infrastructure and “soft connectivity” of systems within the bay area.
Liaison office director Zheng Yanxiong was among those at Thursday’s meeting, joining Huang, Guangdong governor Wang Weizhong and other top officials from the province, according to the report.
The exchange focused on “deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation” and “pressing ahead with the Greater Bay Area development”, referring to Beijing’s plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities into an economic powerhouse.
“This meeting mainly discussed the broad directions and laid down the frameworks … Both parties agreed that pushing for better ‘hard connectivity’ and ‘soft connectivity’ within the bay area is a top priority,” the insider said.
