Bay Area needs everyone's inputs

In a meeting with Hong Kong and Macao members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on Monday, Vice-Premier Han Zheng asked the political advisers to contribute to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by coming up with constructive suggestions - among other things. Han, the top official responsible for Hong Kong and Macao affairs, was undoubtedly sincere when seeking advice and suggestions on the city cluster development project from Hong Kong and Macao members of the CPPCC National Committee.

It is true the Bay Area development project is a top-down national strategy - one that is personally devised, personally planned and personally driven by President Xi Jinping. And thus, the outline plan or master blueprint of the mega project has been finalized and promulgated by the central government.

But it is also a bottom-up project. Given its large scale and complexity, the national planners in Beijing simply cannot do all the planning jobs alone. They require the feedback or input of lower-level participants, including the local governments of partner cities as well as members of society.

It is in this sense that Hong Kong and Macao members of the CPPCC National Committee should take the vice-premier's words to heart and seriously - not only because it is their responsibility as political advisers to advise the central government on national strategies or polices involving the two special administrative regions but also because they are in a good position to do so. After all, they are elites from various sectors of society, who well understand the operations of business and trade, as well as the ways society and legal systems work.

It is learnt that Han spent a large proportion of time in discussing and exchanging views on the Bay Area project with the political advisers present in Monday's meeting. This is understandable and shows that the central government attaches great importance to the project, which envisions a large economic powerhouse that can rival other well-known bay areas in the world.

Indeed, the city cluster development has been in full gear after the master plan was unveiled on Feb 18. Last Friday, the leading group for the development of the Bay Area, a central government-level committee chaired by Han, held its second meeting in Beijing. It announced afterward a new batch of eight measures to attract Hong Kong and Macao talents to work or do business in the nine participating Guangdong cities. These measures are crucial for the free flow of people, capital and technology among the partner cities. They are thus pivotal to the eventual success of the Bay Area project.

The special administrative region government said earlier in a statement that the SAR's policy bureaus and departments would listen to the public on how to take forward the development of the Bay Area, so that any measures introduced will better suit the needs of the community. It is to be hoped all members of society will proactively give suggestions on the initiative, bearing in mind this is in everyone's best interests.