BeforetheHongKong-Zhuhai-MacaoBridgeopened,atripfromZhuhaitoHongKongmeanteithertakingtheferryformorethananhourordrivingaroundthewatersseparatingthetwocitiesforthreetofourhours.Thatjourneycannowbemadeinabout45minutesacrosstheLingdingyangBay

ForWangJie,directoroftheZhuhaiMunicipalTradeServiceCenter,theworld'slongestcross-seabridge,whichisoftendescribedas"theprojectofthecentury",islessofanengineeringmarvelandmoreofwhatshecalls"alinkwovenintoeverydaylife".

FreshproducefromwesternpartsofGuangdongprovincecannowreachsupermarketsinHongKongwithinhalfaday,whileresidentsofHongKongandMacaospecialadministrativeregionscandrivetoZhuhaiinGuangdongtobuyflowersforSpringFestival,tovisitrelatives,ortosimplyspendadayinthemainlandcityandseehowithaschanged.

WangrecalledwhatoneofherfriendsfromHongKongtoldher:"GoingtoZhuhaiusedtofeellikeabusinesstrip.Nowitfeelslikejustgoingout."

Thebridgehaschangedalotmorethanjustreducingtraveltime.Ithaslinkedlogistics,customsclearanceandconsumptionmorecloselywitheverydayneeds,makingtheintegrationoftheGuangdong-HongKong-MacaoGreaterBayAreaseemlesslikeaplanningtermandmorelikeadailyrealityforresidentsandbusinesses.

CoveringninecitiesinGuangdong,aswellastheHongKongandMacaoSARs,theGreaterBayAreaisoneofChina'smostopenandeconomicallyvibrantregions.Itishometomorethan87millionpeopleandgeneratesaboutone-ninthofthecountry'seconomicoutputonlessthan0.6percentofitslandarea.

In2025,theGreaterBayArea'seconomicoutputtoppedtrillion,exceedingthoseoftheNewYorkandSanFranciscobayareasandroughlymatchingtheTokyoBayArea,placingitamongtheworld'sleadingbayareaeconomies.

TheGreaterBayAreaalsooffersawindowonChina'sbroaderpushforcoordinatedregionaldevelopment.ForacountryofChina'ssizeanddiversity,narrowinggapsbetweenregionsandimprovingthebalanceofdevelopmenthavelongbeenamajorchallenge.

PresidentXiJinpinghasmadecoordinatedregionaldevelopmentakeyapproachtoaddressingthosechallenges.HehasgivensustainedattentiontothedevelopmentoftheGreaterBayAreafromanoverallandlong-termperspective.Sincethe18thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChinain2012,hehasmadenineinspectiontourstotheregion.

DuringaninspectiontourinGuangdonginApril2023,XisaidtheGreaterBayAreaholdsstrategicimportanceinthecountry'snewdevelopmentparadigm.Hesaidtheareamustbedevelopedasastrategicfulcrumofthenewdevelopmentpattern,ademonstrationzoneofhigh-qualitydevelopmentandapioneerofChinesemodernization.

WheninspectingGuangdonginNovemberlastyear,XialsourgedeffortstodeepencooperationamongGuangdong,HongKongandMacao,strengthencollaborationinsci-techinnovationandinfrastructureconnectivity,andpromote"softconnectivity"ofrulesandmechanisms.

HesaidthatGuangdongshouldplayitsmainandleadingrole,fullymobilizetheenthusiasm,initiativeandcreativityofallparties,andbetterleveragethestrengthsofenterprises,professionalserviceinstitutions,universities,researchinstitutesandtalentindifferentfields.

Theemphasisoninnovationwasreinforcedonemonthlateratthe2025CentralEconomicWorkConference,whichcalledfordevelopingthreeinternationalsci-techinnovationcenters,namelytheBeijing-Tianjin-Hebeiregion,theYangtzeRiverDeltaregionandtheGreaterBayArea.

Thesepolicyprioritieshavereflectedintheregion'smovefromphysicalconnectivitytowardcloseralignmentofrulesandinnovationresources.

Atotalof270GreaterBayAreastandardshavebeenissued,helpingalignpracticesacrosstheregion,whilethenumberofGuangdong-HongKong-Macaojointlaboratorieshasincreasedto33.IndustryreportsalsodescribetheregionasoneofChina'sleadingclustersforhigh-growthtechnologycompanies.

AftervisitingGuangdong'sShenzhen—onceasmallfishingvillageandnowamoderninternationalmetropolis—inlateApril,formerprimeministerofMoldovaIonChicusaidthecityofferedhimaclose-upviewofChina'sreform,opening-upandinnovation.

Chinaisbecomingatrendsetterinhightechnologyandtheworldiswatchingitsdevelopmentclosely,Chicusaid,addingthatwhathesawinShenzhenwasnotjusttechnologyfortomorrow,butaglimpseofamoredistantfuture.

HenotedthatChinesebrands,suchasHuawei,XiaomiandBYD,arewidelyknowninMoldova,whereChinese-madecarsarepopular.Chinesemedicalequipmenthasalsoenteredprofessionalsettingsinhiscountry,hesaid,addingthathiswife,adoctor,usessuchequipmentforherdiagnosticwork.

BehindChina'stechnologicalprogress,Chicusaid,arelong-terminvestment,nationalvisionandastrongorientationtowardthefuture.China'sexperience,disciplineandforward-lookingapproachareworthlearningfrom,hesaid.

TheroleofShenzhen,whichformsafrontierofChina'sreformandopening-upandacorepartoftheGreaterBayArea,isnotlimitedtotechnology.The33rdAsia-PacificEconomicCooperationEconomicLeaders'MeetingwillbeheldinthecityinNovemberthisyear,placingitatthecenterofAsia-Pacificeconomicdiplomacy.

MartaMartin,deputyheadofinternationalrelationsattheCommunistPartyofSpainandvice-presidentofthePartyoftheEuropeanLeft,saidtheGreaterBayAreashouldnotbeseensimplyasAsia'sSiliconValley.

TheSiliconValleydevelopedunderacompletelydifferentinstitutionalenvironment,Martinsaid,anditsgains,inmanycases,havebenefitedonlyalimitednumberofpeople.Bycontrast,theGreaterBayArea'sdevelopmenthasnotonlyliftedtheregionasawhole,butalsooffersexperienceforcoordinateddevelopmentinotherpartsofChina,sheadded.

ThisreflectsanimportantfeatureofChina'sgovernanceanddevelopmentexperience,Martinsaid,notingthatthenationnotonlyfocusesonmajorcities,butalsoonareasoutsidethemainurbancenters,andthatitdoesnotpursuegrowthforitsownsake,butplacespeople'swell-beingatthecenter.

Speakingabouttheregion'sinnovationandopening-uppolicies,MartinsaidthatChinaisshowingapathtomodernizationbasedonrespectandmutualbenefit.Atatimewhensomecountriesareturningtounilateralismandprotectionism,China'semphasisonopenness,cooperation,mutualrespectandmutualbenefitoffersacontrastandcarrieslessonsforSpainandtherestofEurope,shesaid.

WhatdistinguishestheGreaterBayAreafromothermajorbayareasisitsinstitutionalcomplexity—threecustomsterritories,threecurrenciesandthreelegalsystems.

ForDavidsonI.Ishmael,ministerofstateintheMinistryofHealthandWellness,Barbados,thatcomplexityispreciselywhatmakestheGreaterBayArearelevanttootherregionsseekingdeeperintegration.

TheGreaterBayAreabringsdifferentplacestogetherwhileallowingthemtodevelopstrengthsinkeyareassuchastechnology,researchanddevelopment,andmanufacturing,Davidsonsaid,addingthatitreflectsanoverallstrategyandlong-termvision,andshowsthatregionalcooperationcanworkwhenitisbackedbysustainedeffortandstrategicfocus.

DavidsonpointedtotheCaribbeanasanexample.Smallislandstateshavelimitedroomfordevelopmentwhentheyactalone,hesaid,butthroughtheCaribbeanCommunitytheycanintegratemorecloselyandoperateasamoreproductiveandefficientregion.

AbdullaSiyaz,ministerofstateforeconomicdevelopmentandtrade,Maldives,notedthattheGreaterBayAreaformsapartofabroaderstoryofChinesemodernization.

Chinawasonceapoorcountry,butitachievedrapiddevelopmentindecades,hesaid,addingthatformanydevelopingcountries,China'sexperienceshowsthatrapidprogressispossiblewhenlong-termplanning,effectivegovernanceandsustainedinnovationarebroughttogether.