China achieved remarkable progress in the integrated development in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in 2025, said a spokesman for the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Tuesday.

The GBA consists of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, as well as nine cities in Guangdong Province, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing.

Speaking at a news conference in Beijing one day before the opening of the session, Liu Jieyi briefed the press on the Committee’s efforts in advancing the development of the Greater Bay Area and supporting Hong Kong and Macao to better integrate into the overall development of the country in 2025.

“For the first time, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao co-hosted the 15th National Games. They took an innovative and coordinated approach so that the same matter, policy and rule were applied seamlessly across the three areas, staging a sporting event that highlighted institutional strength, enacted the story that unity is strength, and showcased the unique characteristics of the GBA. With the ‘Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles’ scheme in place, the GBA is embracing a new era of two-way direct cross-boundary transportation. Two innovation corridors, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong and Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Macao, worked together to become the most active factors for innovation in the area. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster topped the global innovation index while the Macao-Zhuhai cluster made the world’s top 100 for two years running,” said Liu.

“The Elderly Health Care Voucher GBA Pilot Scheme covers all nine mainland cities in the GBA. The number of designated medical institutions in the ‘Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect’ continues increasing to better serve Hong Kong and Macao residents living and working in the mainland. In today’s GBA, roads link the three places, cities blend into one another, and the hearts beat as one. A world-class bay area and globally significant city clusters are rapidly taking shape,” Liu added.

Last year, the CPPCC National Committee actively offered ideas for governance with a focus on promoting long term stability and prosperity in Hong Kong and Macao and their integration into the overall national development, said the spokesman.

“Centering around topics like strengthening alignment of rules and mechanisms of the GBA, implementing the outline development plan, developing international tech innovation centers, advancing the integrated development between Hengqing and Macao, and building major corporation platforms of Hengqing, Qianhai, Nansha and Hetao, the National Committee has carried out survey and research, organized themed seminars and workshops, and exercised democratic oversight to help boost high-level connectivity across the three places as well as efficient and easy flow of production factors of all kinds,” he said.

The CPPCC National Committee also went to campuses to give presentations on national conditions, rolled out a special program of learning and practice in Shanghai for young talents from Macao, and was active in building platforms of exchange between youth from Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland, said Liu.

Members from Hong Kong and Macao have played a dual positive role and taken an active part in the GBA’s development, supported the SAR governments in delivering their work and helped strengthen cooperation between Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland on economy and trade, science and technology, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

This year, the CPPCC National Committee will play an active role in deliberations to offer suggestions on stepping up cooperation between Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland, supporting Hong Kong and Macao in building pacesetters that bring international high caliber talents together, and will contribute more to helping Hong Kong and Macao better integrate into and serve the overall national development, Liu said.

Hong Kong’s stock market tumbled on Tuesday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down 1.12 percent to close at 25,768.08 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index lost 1.07 percent to end at 8,608.71 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index plunged 2.26 percent to 4,876.53 points.