Beijing Has Listened To HK On Bay Plans: SAR Govt

The Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, on Monday welcomed Beijing's announcement of its vision for the Greater Bay Area, thanking the central government for taking her administration's views into account when formulating the outline plans.

The SAR government issued a statement saying that the bay area, which will cover Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities, is "not only a new attempt to break new ground in the country’s pursuit of opening up on all fronts in a new era, but also a further step in taking forward the implementation of One Country, Two Systems".

"On the one hand, Hong Kong is part of China; on the other hand, our economic, legal and social systems are different from those of the mainland. As a highly open and international city, Hong Kong can extend its international connections and experiences to the mainland and help bring in foreign investments," the statement said.

It added that the development of the bay area will help identify new areas of growth for Hong Kong and will expand the "space for living and development of Hong Kong residents.”

The government said it would continue to listen to the views of Legco as the plan develops and will also take into account the views of industry, professional bodies and others to make sure measures suit the different sectors of society.