Hong Kong diplomats visit China’s Greater Bay Area as Pearl River Delta seeks new image

A diplomatic tour organised by China’s foreign ministry commissioner’s office in Hong Kong, which included delegates from 20 consulates in the city, paid a three-day visit to the core parts of China’s “Greater Bay Area” in Guangdong last week as the Chinese government stepped up promotion of its latest regional development plan.

The tour, which in part included diplomats from Belgium, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, was the first foreign delegation to arrive in Guangdong after China unveiled the outline for Greater Bay Area plan last month.

The trip, organised and financed by the Chinese government, came at a time when the Pearl River Delta, once the world’s factory floor, is stepping its process of transforming itself from a low-cost export base into a hub of technology and capital.

The Greater Bay Area, which includes Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities, is aimed at creating China’s answer to New York Bay or Tokyo Bay.

Xie Feng, the foreign ministry’s commissioner in Hong Kong, said that the idea of the Great Bay Area, a designated zone bigger than Denmark with 70 million people, is “a new attempt to promote China’s all-round opening in a new era” and offers opportunity “not only for China but also for the world”.

The tour, which also included members of the media and chamber of commerce representatives, was designed to impress visitors by showcasing the most advanced factories and facilities and to promote the Greater Bay Area as an ideal place to trade, to invest and to live in.

The trip began on a high-speed train from Hong Kong travelling at 300km/h, a key infrastructure project that integrates Hong Kong and mainland China.