Greater Bay Area Conference kicks off today

The Greater Bay Area Conference, co-organized by China Daily and the Hong Kong Coalition, kicks off today (Nov. 30). Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, and Liu Guangyuan, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HK Special Administrative Region deliver keynote addresses, which are followed by three panel discussions.

Under the theme of "Embracing New Opportunities: Connecting GBA to RCEP", the conference gathers thought leaders from across the region to discuss and provide updates on the latest developments of various sectors as well as new opportunities for HK and the GBA.

The first panel discussion, titled "How can HK benefit form the RCEP and turn it into a boon for the GBA?", will be chaired by Edward Chen, chairman of HKU SPACE. Five heavyweight speakers, including Jonathan Choi, chairman of Guangdong-HK-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Union, Victor Fung, group chairman of Fung Group, Witman Hung, principal liaison officer for HK, Shenzhen Qianhai Authority, George Lam, chairman of HK Cyberport and David Liao, co-chief executive of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp Ltd will examine how RCEP benefits HK and the GBA in the long run, and how to encourage collaboration in the regions.

Haiyan Song, associate dean and chair professor of tourism, Mr. and Mrs. Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, the HK Polytechnic University will chair the second panel discussion, themed "Unlocking Tourism Collaborations through Cultural Sustainability and Heritage Development in the GBA". Speakers in this session will have in-depth discussions about how cultural and heritage tourism can boost the economy, how the creativity and tourism sectors can work together for further growth of the industries, and whether cultural and heritage tourism will be the next key pillar for GBA collaboration.

The third session, an industries dialogue themed "HK: The international Business Hub for GBA" will be chaired by Edward Tse, founder and CEO of Gao Feng Advisory Co. Four business leaders who have invested in businesses in different GBA cities will provide valuable tips for those interested in exploring  opportunities in the region.