HONG KONG – Much before there was any visible progress on the formation of a city cluster, top policymakers were strongly feeling the need to give full play to the distinctive strengths of Hong Kong and Macao and their neighboring cities, which could elevate their respective positions and roles in the nation’s overall economic development and opening-up. With the workings of the brains giving full shape to a massive plan to develop an 11-city cluster in the southern part of the country, President Xi Jinping was himself present in Hong Kong to witness as the National Development and Reform Commission Chairman He Lifeng; Governor of the People’s Government of Guangdong province Ma Xingrui; Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Macao CE Chui Sai-on signed the “Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area”. I still remember the day: it was July 1, 2017 – a sunny, beautiful day and Hong Kong was brimming with all the excitement. And think about what a big day it was for Lam, who was sworn in as the leader of the Hong Kong SAR's fifth-term administration the same day.

Since the signing of the framework agreement, relevant central government departments and the governments of Guangdong province and Hong Kong and Macao SARs have strived for policy breakthroughs with an innovative and open mind in taking forward the GBA development jointly. The promulgation of the outline development plan on Feb 18, 2019 signified a new milestone in Bay Area development. And two years down the road, the achievements in the development so far have fully demonstrated China’s determination to open up wider to the world, said Liu Guangyuan, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR, aptly at a recent conference.

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My point in going through a flashback is to refresh our memory of how the development of the Bay Area is accorded the status of key strategic planning in the country's development blueprint, having great significance in the country's implementation of innovation-driven development and commitment to reform and opening-up. When the Greater Bay Science Forum 2021 themed "Exploring the Future, Sharing Scientific Achievement" kicked off in Guangzhou on Saturday, President Xi availed the opportunity to put his weight behind the development of the region, again. In a congratulatory letter sent to the forum, he urged the Bay Area to focus on its strategic positioning of building an international scientific and technological innovation hub and foster the development of emerging industries.

Pointing out that the world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, he said the global scientific and technological innovation is in full swing, and a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation have made a profound impact on global economic structure. Stressing that China is ready to work with scientists around the world and international science and technology organizations to conduct close international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, he urged the GBA city cluster, as one of the most open and dynamic regions in China, to strive to make itself a global highland for scientific and technological innovation. It’s high time everything falls in this line, in order to reap the best of the national resources being put to translate the dream into reality.

Working as a full-time journalist since 2003, Shamim Ashraf joined China Daily Hong Kong in 2016 and is currently serving as Editor, GBA Pulse. He previously worked as an assistant editor of Asia News Network and web editor of The Daily Star newspaper (Bangladesh). He can be reached at shamim@chinadailyhk.com .