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Geography
Learning and Teaching Resources on Guangdong- Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area)
Overview of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area)
Edited by The Education University of Hong Kong
Personal, Social and Humanities Education Section, Curriculum Development Institute, Education Bureau
February 2022
Guangdong-Hong
Kong-Macao Greater
Bay Area
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1 Basic overview of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area)
1.1 Geographical area of the Greater Bay Area
The core area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) consists of “Nine Municipalities and Two Special Administrative Regions”. ‘Nine Municipalities” refer to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing which are located near to each other in the Zhujiang Delta.
Two Special Administrative Regions refer to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR).
Figure 1: The Greater Bay Area consists of “the nine Zhujiang Delta municipalities” in Guangdong Province and the two special administrative regions
Source: The Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2017)
The Greater Bay Area is located in three major economic circles of “Guangzhou-Foshan- Zhaoqing” “Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou” and “Zhuhai-Zhongshan-Jiangmen” as well as the
Macao
3
deep integration of two cities in Hong Kong and Macao. Its geographical extent is commonly known as “Greater Zhujiang Delta1”.
1.2 City area and population of the Greater Bay Area
The Greater Bay Area covers a total area of 56,000 square kilometres in 2016 with a total population of approximately 67.74 million (Figure 2), accounting for 32% of the total population of Guangdong Province. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the area was about US$1.7 trillion, and the per capita GDP is nearly US$23,371. The overall scale is close to the economic scale of the developed regions in the world. Figure 3 shows the land area, GDP and population of the Greater Bay Area cities.
Figure2: The resident population of the Greater Bay Area cities in 2016
Source: Guangdong Bureau of Statistics (2017); Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department (2017);
Statistics and Census Service Government of Macao Special Administrative Region (2017)
1 Zhujiang is the largest river in South China. It consists of three main tributaries and other tributaries of the Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjiang. The transport materials of these tributaries are carried by the river water to the estuary (Zhujiang Estuary) and deposited at the estuary to form a fertile delta called the “Zhujiang Delta”. After the reform and opening up, the Guangdong Provincial Government designated Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, and the urban areas of Huizhou and Zhaoqing in the Zhujiang Delta as the Zhujiang Delta Economic Zone, which became the prior regions of the country’s reform and opening up. On this basis, Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions were added to extend the concept of the “Greater Zhujiang Delta Region”.
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Macao Guangzhou Shenzhen Dongguan Foshan Hong Kong Huizhou Jiangmen Zhaoqing Zhongshan Zhuhai
The resident population of the Greater Bay Area cities in 2016
(10 thousands)
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Figure 3: The land area, GDP and population of the Greater Bay Area Cities in 20190o
Source: Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (2019)
2 Socio-economic overview of the Greater Bay Area
2.1 Overview
Located in the Zhujiang Delta, the Greater Bay Area is one of the three major economic belts2 and urban agglomerations in the Mainland. Since the reform and opening-up policy, the economic development of the Greater Bay Area has achieved a series of achievements. It is the area of the most dynamic of China’s economy and the most frequent foreign trade, with the strongest regional innovation capability, attracting the largest number of foreigners, and the highest level of regional export-oriented economy. It is the most influential advanced manufacturing and modern service industry bases in the world because of its large economic scale and large population.
2 The other two economic belts are the (1) Bohai Economic Rim located at Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and the (2) Chang Jiang Delta Economic Zone located at East China.
Macao
5 2.2 Economic scale
2.2.1 Economic aggregate
The Greater Bay Area covers an area of 56,000 square kilometres. In 2016, the resident population of the area reached 67.74 million. Although the Greater Bay Area accounts for less than 1% of the country’s land area and the population of the region is less than 5% of the country’s total population, its GDP is very high. Table 1 shows the total population of different Greater Bay Area cities and the level of economic development in 2019:
Table 1: Population and level of economic development of the Greater Bay Area Cities in 2019
City
Population and economic data in 2019 Population (10
thousands) GDP Per capita GDP
Hong Kong 752 2865.7 billion HKD 382 thousands HKD
Macao 68 434.7 billion MOP 645 thousands MOP
Guangzhou 1,531 2362.9 billion RMB 156 thousands RMB
Shenzhen 1,344 2692.7 billion RMB 204 thousands RMB
Dongguan 846 948.3 billion RMB 113 thousands RMB
Huizhou 488 417.7 billion RMB 86 thousands RMB
Foshan 816 1075.1 billion RMB 134 thousands RMB
Jiangmen 463 314.7 billion RMB 68 thousands RMB
Zhongshan 338 310.1 billion RMB 93 thousands RMB
Zhuhai 202 343.6 billion RMB 176 thousands RMB
Zhaoqing 419 224.9 billion RMB 54 thousands RMB
Source: Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (2019)
Looking at the population and economic development of the GBA cities in 2019, the three most populous cities are Guangzhou (15.31 million), Shenzhen (13.44 million) and Dongguan (8.46 million). On the other hand, the three cities with the highest GDP are Shenzhen, Hong Kong
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and Guangzhou. The three cities with the highest GDP per capita are Macao, Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
2.2.2 Production structure
From the perspective of the production structure, the Greater Bay Area is mainly dominated by tertiary production (service industry), followed by the secondary production (manufacturing industry), while the output value of the primary production (agriculture) is the lowest. However, compared with the world’s three major bay areas, which have completed the economic transformation from industrial economy to service and innovative economy, the Greater Bay Area is still at the stage of industrial economy. In 2015, the proportion of the tertiary industry in the three major bay areas of New York, Tokyo and San Francisco was 89.4%, 82.3% and 82.8% respectively, but that in the Greater Bay Area was only 62.2% (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Proportion of the tertiary production in the world’s major bay areas in 2015
Source: Goldman Sachs (2019)
Judging from the production structure of each city, the proportion of the tertiary production (service industry) in both Hong Kong and Macao was over 90%. Among the nine municipalities in the Zhujiang Delta, the proportion of the tertiary production was less than 70%. Guangzhou
0 20 40 60 80 100
Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area
62.2%
New York Bay Area 89.4%
Tokyo Bay Area 82.3%
San Francisco Bay Area 82.8%
Proportion of the tertiary production in the world’s major bay areas in 2015
Proportion of the tertiary industry
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has the highest proportion of tertiary production, up to 69.4%, followed by Shenzhen (60.1%), Dongguan (53.2%) and Zhuhai (49.5%). The production structure of the remaining five cities are dominated by secondary production (Figure 5).
Figure 5: The production structure in the Greater Bay Area cities in 2016
Sources: Guangdong Bureau of Statistics (2019); Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department (2019);
Statistics and Census Service Government of Macao Special Administrative Region (2019)
In terms of tertiary production (service industry), Hong Kong and Macao accounted for the largest proportion. The development of tertiary production is beneficial by the following: (1) Hong Kong has always been the “super-connector” bridging the Mainland and the world. Hong Kong is the main financial centre and global logistics centre. In terms of financial services, professional services and cultural exchanges, there are advantages that other cities in the area cannot match. (2) Guangzhou, as an international industrial service centre, global logistics hub, South China cultural centre and heavy industrial centre, has the advantages of rich scientific research resources, convenient transport and complete industrial chain. (3) In recent years, Shenzhen has shown superior competitiveness in the financial sector, new industries and ecological environment, especially in certain areas of technological innovation, which has reached the global leading level.
92.2 93.4 69.4
60.1 53.2 41.1 38.7
44.6 45.5
49.5 36.8
7.7 6.6 29.4
39.9 46.5 53.9
59.6 47.6
52.4 48.5 48
0.1 0 1.2 0 0.3 5
1.7 7.8
2.1 2 15.2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Hong Kong Macao Guangzhou Shenzhen Dongguan Huizhou Foshan Jiangmen Zhongshan Zhuhai Zhaoqing
The production structure in the Greater Bay Area cities in 2016
Teritary production (service industry) Secondary production (manufacturing industry) Primary production (agriculture)
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In terms of secondary production (manufacturing industry), technological upgrades in the Greater Bay Area has already begun under the pressure of rising labour costs. Since 2013, the Dongguan Government has begun to encourage “using machines to replace manpower”, investing approximately RMB200 million each year. Since 2015, over 1,950 large-scale enterprises in Guangdong Province have started using automated operating equipment, with a total investment of RMB943 billion and an average manpower reduction of 21%. Since 2016, the development of strategic emerging industries have been encouraged in the Greater Bay Area such as new generation of mobile communication equipment, new flat panel displays and new energy. As of the end of 2016, strategic emerging industries accounted for 11.5% of the above-scale industries3. This shows that most cities in the Zhujiang Delta are transforming from industrial economy into information and service-oriented economy.
3 Distribution of production in the Greater Bay Area
The Greater Bay Area has a relatively balanced production structure. The high-tech innovation industry and electronic information manufacturing industry are booming. There are world- renowned technology companies such as Huawei, Tencent and Da-Jiang Innovations, but compared with the world’s three major bay areas, the production structure of the Greater Bay Area still needs to be further improved. However, the coordinated development of the cities in the area should not be limited to the concentrated development of the city. Instead, they should develop their respective strengths in accordance with the characteristics of each city, so as to achieve urban coordination and stable development.
In view of the overall planning of the Greater Bay Area, the 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area can be divided into three major areas: the East Coast, the West Coast and the North, each with unique advantages (Table 2).
3Above-scale industries refers to industrial enterprises whose main business income is RMB20 million or more, including sales of products, semi-finished products, and sales of commodity circulation companies in the manufacturing industry, and ticket revenues, customer revenues, and catering revenues in the tourism industry.
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Table 2: Major production and future production layout of the regions in the Greater Bay Area
West Coast The North East Coast
Macao-Zhuhai- Zhongshan-Jiangmen metropolitan area
Guangzhou-Foshan- Zhaoqing metropolitan area
Hong Kong-
Shenzhen-Dongguan- Huizhou
metropolitan area Major
production
Technology-intensive industrial belt
Eco-friendly heavy industrial belt
Knowledge-intensive industrial belt
Equipment manufacturing industry
Optimised traditional agriculture
Modern service industry Advanced
manufacturing industry
Modern service industry
High-tech industry Strategic-emerging industry
Future production layout
Macao: gaming, financial services, construction real estate, export processing Zhuhai: Electronic information,
petrochemicals, electrical appliances, electrical energy, precision
machinery manufacturing Zhongshan: electronic appliances, hardware appliances, lighting source, equipment
manufacturing, textile and clothing, health care Jiangmen: petrochemical, electronic information, packaging and printing, food and beverage, transportation and marine equipment, modern agriculture
Guangzhou:
petrochemical, automobile manufacturing, electronics manufacturing Foshan: mechanical equipment, furniture, lighting, home appliances, ceramics, metal processing Zhaoqing: metal processing, electronic information, auto parts, food and beverage, agriculture, bio- pharmaceutical, forestry chemicals
Hong Kong:
financial services, trade logistics, new service industry, tourism
Shenzhen: financial services, Internet, electronic
information, biomedical, new energy, new materials Dongguan:
electronic information,
electrical machinery, textile furniture, paper and paper products
Huizhou: electronic information,
petrochemical industry, automotive industry and modern service industry
Source: ASKCI Consulting Company Limited (2019); CMB International (2019); JuPai Research Institute (2019)
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3.1 The East Coast: Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Huizhou-Dongguan metropolitan area
The East Coast: Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Huizhou-Dongguan Metropolitan Area is an area centred on Hong Kong and Shenzhen, extending to Dongguan and Huizhou. On the east coast of the Zhujiang Delta, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou have great advantages in terms of population and economic scale. In 2016, they accounted for 47% of the population and 55% of the economic scale of the area (Legislative Council Report, 2017). The development plan for this area is as follows:
Hong Kong: Consolidate and enhance the status of the three core centres of international finance based on the 2030+ territory-wide development strategy
Target Positioning: In July 2017, the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Governments and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly signed the Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area. The objectives include: consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s three core positions in international finance, shipping and trade; strengthen the status of global offshore Renminbi business hub and the function of international asset management centre, promote professional services and innovation and technology development; and build international law and dispute resolution services in the Asia Pacific Region and Dispute Resolution Service Centre.
Overview: In October 2016, Hong Kong released the Hong Kong 2030+: Planning Vision and Strategy for 2030 to provide guidance for the development of the territory. The vision of the Hong Kong 2030+ is to make Hong Kong a more livable, competitive and sustainable Asian cosmopolitan city. It defines the future space framework including a metropolitan commercial core, two strategic growth zones and three main development axes.
Development Plan: In the area of innovation and technology, the HKSAR Government has launched a $500 million “Technology Talent Development Programme” to train and bring together talents in science and technology; co-developed the “Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park” in the Lok Ma Chau Loop area with Shenzhen; and established the Greater Bay Area International Innovation Centre through the development of the Greater Bay Area and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation.
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Shenzhen: Leading by innovation to create a sustainable global innovative city Target Positioning: As an important high-tech R&D and manufacturing base in the country, as well as the first proponent of the Greater Bay Area, in the future, Shenzhen will continue to accelerate the construction of innovation in the global science and technology industry.
Meanwhile, it will actively adhere to the international high-standard investment and trade rules, promote the close cooperation between Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao in various fields, and develop an open economy with more international competitiveness.
Overview: In terms of technological innovation, Shenzhen’s R&D expenditures accounted for 4.1% of Shenzhen’s GDP, much higher than the national average in 2016. Meanwhile, a large number of world-renowned high-tech enterprises such as Huawei, ZTE, Da-Jiang Innovations, Tencent and other unicorn companies set up their headquarters in Shenzhen. In the financial services industry, Shenzhen has a stock exchange. In 2015, the Qianhai Free Trade Pilot Zone was established as a cooperation platform for Hong Kong and Shenzhen financial innovation. In January 2018, the 9th Plenary Session of the Sixth Session of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee proposed that Shenzhen will be built into an influential and sustainable global innovation capital by 2035.
Development Plan: First, the Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone will serve as a carrier to comprehensively strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Hong Kong in the fields of finance, professional services, science and technology and culture. The second is to build an international science and technology innovation hub, promote the construction of Shenzhen’s national independent innovation demonstration zone, and actively participate in the planning and construction of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Corridor. The third is to speed up the development and construction of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border area, speed up the integration of port resources, promote the construction of a quality living circle in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and realise an hour-long access to the cities of the Greater Bay Area, and build an ecologically livable bay area.
Dongguan: Creating an advanced manufacturing centre in the Greater Bay Area Target Positioning: Grasp the major opportunities such as the construction of the Greater Bay Area and the construction of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Corridor, accelerate the construction of the advanced manufacturing centre in the Greater Bay Area, and accelerate the construction of innovative cities
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Overview: At the end of 2017, the Dongguan Government approved the Dongguan Binhai New Area Construction Work Plan, clearly pointing out that the Binhai New Area should be used as a pilot area to speed up the integration into the Greater Bay Area.
Development Plan: First, the Binhai New Area will be used as a demonstration area to speed up the integration of the Greater Bay Area. The second is to speed up the construction of new towns, accelerate the construction of projects such as Ping An Financial Technology City, and strive to build an international business port in the Greater Bay Area.
Huizhou: Building a green and modern landscape city
Target positioning: further optimise the industrial structure, create a green modern landscape city, and focus on the construction of people’s livelihood.
Overview: In November 2016, the 11th Party Congress of Huizhou City established the development goal of “building a green and modern landscape city”, proposed an in-depth implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, accelerate the construction of a new open economic system and strive to build an ecological and strong cultural city for the benefit to Huizhou citizens.
Development Plan: Huizhou will make great efforts to build an important clean energy production base in Guangdong Province and an important global high-energy environmentally friendly battery production base. On the other hand, Huizhou will promote infrastructure connectivity and accelerate integration into the one-hour metropolitan area of the Greater Bay Area. Meanwhile, Huizhou will also explore and build industrial parks with Hong Kong and Shenzhen to strengthen cooperation in terms of science and technological innovation.
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3.2 West Coast: Zhuhai, Macao, Zhongshan and Jiangmen metropolitan area
The west coast includes Macao, Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmen. The population accounts for 15% while the economic scale accounts for 12% of the total of the Greater Bay Area in 2016. The industrial planning and layout of these cities in the West Coast are as follows:
Macao : Establishing a World Tourism and Leisure Centre, and to build a business cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries Target Positioning: Promote Macao to build a world tourism and leisure centre, build a business cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and build a communication and cooperation base with Chinese culture as the mainstream and multicultural coexistence to promote the moderate and pluralistic sustainable development of Macao’s economy.
Overview: In 2016, Macao formulated the first five-year plan Macao Special Administrative Region Five-Year Development Plan (2016-2020) to further promote the construction of
“one centre and one platform” (World Tourism and Leisure Centre, China-Portuguese- speaking countries, trade and business cooperation services platform). The vision is to build a beautiful blueprint for Macao with the help of the “Belt and Road” initiative.
Development plan: Promote production cooperation, support cross-border cooperation between Guangdong and Macao financial institutions, support Macao banking institutions to set up branches in Guangdong, and play the role of the Guangdong-Macao bank intermediary to help Macao build a “Chinese-language clearing centre for Portuguese-speaking countries.” Meanwhile, promote the construction of major industrial platforms, jointly promote the Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone, the cooperation of Zhongshan Cuiheng New District, the construction of Jiangmen Daguang Bay, and jointly promote the planning, development and construction of the Guangdong-Macao (Jiangmen) Industrial Cooperation Demonstration Zone.
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Zhuhai: Zhuhai implements an innovation-driven and open-led strategy to improve economic quality and urban quality
Target Positioning: Implementing innovation-driven and open-led strategies: to strengthen the function of transportation hubs in the Greater Bay Area and to develop the development potential of Hengqin and the Western Ecological New Area.
Overview: Zhuhai put forward the economic and social development goals for the next five years in the 2017 government work report, putting reform, opening up, innovation-driven, transportation priority, urban quality and social livelihood in a prominent position.
Development Planning: Zhuhai accelerates the construction of innovative cities, actively connects the construction of Guangshen Science and Technology Innovation Corridor;
grasps the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, promotes the construction of the Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao Logistics Cooperation Park, builds the bridge economic zone; promotes the construction of regional transport hub cities, strengthens the cooperation between Hong Kong and Macao airports, and seeks international routes and establishes a bonded logistics centre in Zhuhai Airport. In the tourism industry, Zhuhai will actively build an agro-ecological tourism industrial system, featuring ecology, tourism and leisure, and develop Hengqin International Leisure Tourism Island.
Zhongshan: Strive to develop the real economy, and organise a group to build a boutique and livable city in the Greater Bay Area
Target Positioning: As one of the core centres of the Greater Bay Area and the future transport hub, the strategic value of Zhongshan in the Greater Bay Area is irreplaceable.
With the planning and construction of major regional transport infrastructure such as Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge, and Shenmao Railway, Zhongshan is rapidly emerging as a bridgehead in the two major economic circles of
“Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou” and “Zhuhai-Zhongshan-Jiangmen”.
Overview: The urban development model is based on land expansion and traditional professional towns. As it is connected with Guangzhou in the north and near to Hong Kong and Macao, it is an important modal point in the west coast of the mouth of Zhujiang.
Development plan: First, deepen the innovation cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, relying on the Zhongshan-Macao Yacht Freedom Project to accelerate the cooperation of yacht industry and high-end service industry with Hong Kong and Macao.
The second is to take into account the factors such as the regional spatial layout, production
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base, and resource endowment of the city, and implement a group-based development strategy. The third is to speed up the construction of the innovation platform, deepen the construction of the national independent innovation demonstration zone in the Zhujiang Delta, and actively participate in the construction of the national science and technology industrial innovation centre.
Jiangmen: Promote transport construction, build a strategic base of Zhuxi strategy, develop advanced equipment manufacturing, and become a new growth point on the west coast of Zhujiang
Target positioning: Actively integrate into the Greater Bay Area, improve transport construction, develop advanced equipment manufacturing industry, build a production platform, build a cultural brand of overseas Chinese, strive to become a new economic growth point on the west coast of Zhujiang, improve urban quality, and build a beautiful Jiangmen.
Overview: As a leading city in the “Zhuxi Strategy”, Jiangmen should vigorously develop advanced equipment manufacturing. In 2016, the government report of Jiangmen and the Jiangmen City Master Plan (2017-2035) proposed that Jiangmen should build a “one hub”
and “two centres (innovation drive and production development)” and “Three channels.”
Development Planning: To build a comprehensive transport system to connect the Greater Bay Area, strengthen the role of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan-Jiangmen Passage in urban development, and build a golden three-lane channel of “Linking Guangzhou and Foshan in the north, connecting Shenzhen and Zhongshan in the middle and joining Hong Kong and Macao in the south” to create a hub city of the western part of the Greater Bay Area.
Meanwhile, relying on the integration of the Daguang Bay Economic Zone into the Greater Bay Area, promote the construction of the Lingang Logistics Zone, Yinhu Bay Binhai New City, Binjiang New District, and the new hub city, and strengthen the connections with Hong Kong and Macao.
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3.3 The North: Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing metropolitan area
Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing in the north account for 38% of the total population, and 33%
of the economy of the Greater Bay Area in 2016. The layout of the three northern cities is as follows:
Guangzhou: Strengthen the function of hub-type network city and play the role of core growth in the Greater Bay Area
Target Positioning: To play the core growth role of the Greater Bay Area, focus on building a new high-end, high-quality and high-tech modern industrial system and an open economic new system, strengthen the functions of international shipping, aviation and technology innovation hubs, and contribute to the construction of the Greater Bay Area by utilising Guangzhou.
Overview: As the apex of the “A” shape of the bay, Guangzhou will actively participate in the annual plan of the Greater Bay Area, fully build the cross-regional transport infrastructure and rely on the Nansha Demonstration Zone for Comprehensive Cooperation to develop an industrial cooperation zone for in-depth collaboration between Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The platform will promote the comprehensive deepening cooperation between Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao, and play a core growth pole in the development of the Greater Bay Area.
Development planning: First, build a value innovation park, focus on building 10 value innovation parks such as Haizhu Internet Value Innovation Park, Zengcheng New Display Value Innovation Park and Tianhe Software Value Innovation Park. The second is to build a platform for scientific and technological innovation, propose to build a national science and technology industry innovation centre, and accelerate the docking of the Guangzhou- Shenzhen science and technology innovation corridor. The third is to improve the city’s functional quality, optimise and enhance the two coasts of Zhujiang, and promote the integration of the Golden Triangle.
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Foshan: Create a national manufacturing innovation centre and build a high-quality modernised international city
Target Positioning: To take the advantages of manufacturing industry, the integration of Guangzhou and Foshan and the locational advantages of Foshan, actively participate in the construction of the Greater Bay Area, connect Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and build a hub city of the Greater Bay Area.
Overview: Foshan has outstanding advantages in manufacturing industry, and can achieve production complementarity, mutual benefit and win-win situation with the Greater Bay Area cities. Meanwhile, it occupies the location advantage of the Zhujiang Delta, which will speed up the construction of the new airport and build a comprehensive transport hub in the western part of the Greater Bay Area. In 2016, the work conference of the Foshan Government pointed out that Foshan should be built into a national manufacturing innovation centre, a high-quality modernised international city that is livable and suitable for industry, and participate in the construction of a collaborative innovation system of the Greater Bay Area, and create a hub city of the Greater Bay Area.
Development plan: First, integrate the innovative resources of Foshan City, focus on creating a high-end innovation cluster in Channanshun (Sanlong Bay), and lay the foundation for the integration of collaborative innovation system in the Greater Bay Area. The second is to delineate industrial protection zones. The government has issued the Declaration Plan for Foshan Industrial Development Protection Zones (Draft for Comment). The third is to launch the urban governance action plan. It plans to achieve a big leap from urban upgrading to urban appreciation in three years, and create an innovative, modern and international city that is suitable for living and working.
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Zhaoqing: Build an important base for advanced manufacturing in the west coast of Zhujiang and serve as an important gateway to the southwest of the Zhujiang Delta Target Positioning: Implement the “integration with the east and connection with the west”
strategy and strengthen scientific and technological innovation, make full efforts to build the Zhujiang-Xijiang Economic Belt and the important manufacturing base of the west coast of Zhujiang, serve as an important gateway to and an important transport hub connecting with the southwest of the Zhujiang Delta, and build a green eco-city.
Overview: In December 2016, the Zhaoqing Municipal Government Conference proposed the development strategy of “integration with the east and connection with the west, strong production city, and practical actions to develop Zhaoqing”, and built Zhaoqing into a gateway and hub city which connected to the southwest.
Development Plan: Implement the “integration with the east and connection with the West”
strategy. “Integration with the east” refers to promoting the integration of Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing, accelerating the integration into the transport networks of the Zhujiang Delta and constructing a half-hour traffic circle, regional cooperation circle and urban life circle of Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing, and jointly building the advanced equipment manufacturing industry belt on the west coasts of Zhujiang. “Connection with the West” refers to the joint construction of the Zhujiang-Xijiang Economic Belt and the Guangdong-Guizhou High-speed Rail Economic Belt, and serves as the integrated transport hub of the Zhujiang Delta which connects with the southwest.
4 Conclusion
The Greater Bay Area has superior geographical conditions, vast economic hinterland, and large economic aggregate, compared with the world’s three major bay areas. However, there are large gaps of production structures between the cities of the Greater Bay Area, but the difference is the biggest feature and an advantage. In terms of innovation and technology, the Greater Bay Area can accomplish design and manufacturing in the same region with a sound industrial chain, which means that the Greater Bay Area have both competitive advantages and cost advantages. In terms of trade and finance, Hong Kong and Macao, especially Hong Kong, have a leading edge. In terms of technological innovation, Shenzhen has a leading edge. Indeed, each city in the Greater Bay Area has its potential. If we can learn from one another and
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promote each other under the framework of the Greater Bay Area, we will turn challenges into opportunities and achieve better development.
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List of Figures
Figure 1: The Greater Bay Area consists of “the nine Zhujiang Delta municipalities” in Guangdong Province and the two special administrative regions ... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 2: The resident population of the Greater Bay Area cities in 2016 ... 3 Figure 3: The land area, GDP and population of the cities in the Greater Bay Area in 2019 .. 4 Figure 4: Proportion of the tertiary production in the world’s major bay areas in 2015 ... 6 Figure 5: The production structure in the Greater Bay Area cities in 2016 ... 7
List of Tables
Table 1: Population and level of economic development of the Greater Bay Area Cities in 2019... 5 Table 2: Major production and future production layout of the regions in the Greater Bay Area ... 9
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